Yesterday a friend emailed me a daily Bible verse which meant a lot to her. She sometimes has problems with anxiety and found these words comforting. I have a couple of friends facing surgeries this week.

All of us face things coming at us every day and/or week. See what these words from the Bible mean to you.

TRUST and REST

Faith is about trust. Faith gives you what you need to take one more step into the darkness.

"In the light I've given you through my word, I'm not asking you to walk in blind faith. I'm asking you to believe in who I am and what I've promised. The strength or weakness of your faith is directly proportional to what I've promised you through my word. Faith has nothing to do with feelings. If you are walking by sight and not faith, you are not trusting in me. Do not miss out on the blessings that are just beyond your fears. I have promised to never leave you, there is nothing to fear! Though doubt knocks, let faith answer. It is your faith that moves My heart and My hand. I trust in your word."

~ Psalm 119:42

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Installment #2 of quotes by Peanuts and Charlie Brown and its creator Charles Shultz; taken from an email by our Uncle Bud who hails for Tennessee. As before, the email was complete with graphics. If you'd like all of them (and didn't ask from them before), email me.

"Definition of a friend:

Someone who says nice things about you

when you aren't around.

*

"The smile on my face doesn't mean life is perfect.

It means I appreciate what I have

and what I have been blessed with.

I choose to be happy." (Quote by Charlie Brown)

*

"As we grow up, we realize it is less important to have lots of friends

and more important to have real ones.

*

"Take time to stop and smell the roses.

*

"Thank you for being you.

(As Snoopy kisses Charlie Brown on the nose as he is being fed)

*

"All you need is love.

But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."

(Quote by Charles Schultz)

******

Our Sunday School class is working our way through the book of Genesis. A week ago we looked at Job. Why Job? Seems he lived about the same time as Abraham.

He was a very wealthy man, who worshipped God. He was the father of ten children; owned 7,000 sheep; 3,000 camels; 500 teams of oxen; 500 female donkeys; plus employing many servants.

And in one day, all of these were taken away from him...including all of his children.

When notified of all of the loses, Job said, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I shall have nothing when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and they were His to take away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!"

In my Bible notes, it states, "Job lost his possessions and family in this first of Satan's tests, but he reacted rightly toward God by acknowledging God's sovereign authority over everything God had given him. Job passed the test and proved that people can love God for who He is not to what He has given."

What are you and I going through today? Probably nothing as big as what Job had to endure and experience.

Can we say as Job said, "Blessed be the name of the Lord"?

God, we want to worship you this morning. Blessed by Your Name!"

The Narthex to Eternity

"Now this is eternal life:  that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

~ John 17:3  NIV

"Several years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Westminster Abbey in London. It is a grand cathedral where many of the kings and dignitaries of England are buried, and where the kings and queens receive their coronation. The narthex is small, dark, and cramped - just a brief space to pass through between the outside door and the door leading into the cathedral itself. I can't imagine anyone visiting the abbey and being satisfied to stay in the narthex. I also can't imagine anyone who would make an enormous effort to stay there with no though to passing through to the glory of what lies beyond.

"Your life and mine here on earth is like the narthex to a grand cathedral. Our lives are simply an area to pass through on our way to the glory of eternal life that lies beyond the door of death. Physical death for a believer is simply a transition into real life. And it's God's purpose that you and I live forever - with Him."

~ by Anne Graham Lotz

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Today's entry from "Jesus Calling:  Enjoying Peace in His Presence" by Sarah Young:

"Remember that JOY is not dependent on your circumstances. Some of the world's most miserable people are those whose circumstances seem the most enviable. People who reach the top of the ladder career-wise are often surprised to find emptiness awaiting them. True JOY is a by-product of living in My Presence. Therefore you can experience it in palaces, in prisons.....anywhere.

"Do not judge a day as devoid of JOY just because it contains difficulties. Instead, concentrate on staying in communication with Me. Many of the problems that clamor for you attention will resolve themselves. Other matters you must deal with, but I will help you with them. If you make problem-solving secondary to the goal of living close to Me, you can find JOY even in your most difficult days."

****

If we live long enough, chances are  pretty good we have had some things come our way that we'd rather not have happen to us.

Something I read earlier this a.m.:

"When Stradivarius was asked why he used only wood taken from trees

that had weathered the biggest storms to make his violins,

he replied,

'Weather-beaten wood makes the sweetest music.'

So persevere keep trusting God,

and you'll sing a song of victory."

***

Today's email of encouragement from Max Lucado:

Why Did Jesus Raise Only A Few

"I've often thought it curious how few people Jesus raised from the dead. He healed hundreds, fed thousands, but as far as we know He only raised three:  the daughter of Jairus, the boy near Nain, and Lazarus. Why so few?

Could it be because He knew He'd be doing them no favors?

Could it be because He couldn't get any volunteers?

Could it be that once someone is there, the last place they want to return to, is here?

Isaiah said, 'The good men perish, the godly die before their time and no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to realize that God is taking them away from the evil days ahead. For the godly who die will rest in peace.' (Isaiah 57:1 - 2)

What a thought. Could death be God's grace? God's protection from the future? Trust in God, Jesus urges, and trust in Me!"

***

Something sent out today by Anne Graham Lotz. Some sobering statistics:

Paying the Ultimate Price

"No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also."

~ John 15:20 NIV

Some lovely thoughts to take us into the weekend from "101 Inspirations from Touched by An Angel 'Everlasting Love'":

"All your life you've been afraid of life.

You'd decide you were too fat or too short or too anything,

as long as it could convince you to hide.

But God made you and He knew what He was doing."

*

"When life keeps you in the dark,

that's when you start looking for the stars."

*

"Sometimes it's the simplest things that are the hardest to say......

like 'I'm sorry'; 'and 'I didn't mean to hurt you'; 'I love you'; or

'we'll get through this.......'"

*

"God's timing is not our timing."

*

"Faith doesn't get you around trouble;

it gets you through it."

****

A 'verse of the day' emailed me by our Uncle Bud last weekend. And I am sharing with you; pretty current thought:

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear though the earth should change,

though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;

though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains trouble with its tumult."

~ Psalm 46:1 - 3 (RS)

*

"Despite the hurricanes and the earthquakes, God is still our refuge and He still grants us power to endure these physical storms in our lives. But the spiritual storms are not exempt from His help either. We can be certain that He is right here with us, whatever may be falling or whatever hurts our hearts. Do not fear! He helps us no matter what the trouble may be. Believe and obey!

~ Taken from crossmaker

As all of you who are Karen's Korner's readers know, our daughter Merry was killed in a car/truck accident 19 years ago this past summer.

Every year her husband Ed (he has been married to Heather for 15 years and is dad to two elementary-aged daughters) makes the trek to Clarion to put a dozen roses in her grave and in her memory.

The roses remain in a floral sleeve for a number of days. Then a family member or two take the wilted arrangement and walk the fading flowers to the White Fox Creek which divides our cemetery.

One by one, we toss a flower into the creek and watch them as they wind their way individually down the stream. It always makes us think of the 'river of life' and how it doesn't end. It just flows!

It reminds me of what I have heard and learned about heaven and God. Want to find God? Or where His 'throne room' might be in heaven? Follow the 'river of life'.

"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,

proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb."

~ Revelation 22:1

***

The Greatest News in the World

"The greatest news in the world is not that God made the world but that God loves the world. He loves you. You did not earn this love. His love for you will not end if you lose your temper. His love for you will not fade if you lose you way, nor will His love diminish if your discipline does.

"Someone told you that God loves good people. Wrong. There are no good people. Someone told you that God loves you if you love him first. Wrong. He loves people who have never thought of him. Someone told you that God is ticked off, cranky, and vindictive. Wrong. We tend to be ticked off, cranky, and vindictive. But God? 'God is sheer mercy and grace, not easily angered, he's rich in love' (Psalm 103:8). God loves you! And because God's promises are unbreakable, our hope is unshakeable!"

~ By Max Lucado

***

This is yesterday's "Jesus Calling:  Enjoying Peace in His Presence" by Sarah Young. It's a good one:

"Anxiety is a result of envisioning the future without Me.

So the best defense against worry is staying in communication with Me.

When you turn your thoughts toward Me,

you can think much more positively.

Remember to listen, as well as to speak,

making your thoughts a dialogue with Me.

"If you must consider upcoming events, follow these rules:

1) Do not linger in the future, because anxieties sprout up like mushrooms when you wander there.

2) Remember the promise of My continual Presence; include Me in any imagery that comes to mind.

This mental discipline does not come easily, because you are accustomed to being god of your fantasies.

However, the reality of My Presence with you, now and forevermore,

outshines any fantasy you could ever imagine."

` Luke 12:22 - 26; Ephesians 3:20 - 21

***

My sister Jan shared this poem with me from her Hanlontown (three miles east of our hometown of Fertile) monthly newsletter recently. As we are back to harvesting here, it seems fitting (we have some unwanted showers this morning but weather forecast is pretty good!). Written by a local, Clayton Rye:

Setting the Record Straight

"'Farmers feed the world'. Well, that's what they say.

I've given this some thought and it doesn't work that way.

Planting those sacks of seed is the beginning of my year.

But where did they come from? And how did they get here?

I load those seeds in a planter painted green.

But I had nothing to do with building that machine.

"I start to plant in a field that's been fertilized.

And now I know I'm not alone and then I realized.

It takes a lot of people to grow and get the crop in.

And the work hasn't ended even when it's in the bin.

The crop is sold to processors because they have a need.

To turn it into other things like ethanol and feed.

"Or to load it up and ship it out to other parts of the Earth.

It is these many users who give my crop its worth.

The crop stops moving only when it's in the bin.

Does this circle ever stop and where does it begin?

The growing of food requires nature, man, and machine.

We farmers do our part and move it on again.

"So thanks to the many users who purchase my grain.

Thanks to the railroad who hauls it on the train.

Thanks to the growers who furnish me my seed.

Thanks to the dealership who stocks the parts I need.

Thanks to everyone who keep me in the know.

The analysts on the Internet and on my radio.

"Another important person I really want to thank.

Is the officer who approves my credit at the bank.

'Farmers feed the world?' It doesn't make any sense.

When I'm only a link in an endless chain of events.

Now I've had my say. It's time to be quiet.

Think you can feed the world by yourself? Go ahead and try it!"

*

And adding to Rye's verse, I'd like to add God who makes all the growth possible:  the sunshine, and, yes, the rain! We are thankful that He takes care of the details........and us!

Thanks for sticking with me/joining me for 3900 Karen's Korners. I didn't realize that I made that goal until last night. Thanks for those of you who contributed something in that time period. I am always on a hunt for 'new' words or thoughts!

Here are a couple from the weekend:

At the funeral of a church friend's dad on Saturday afternoon, Zach Fischer said,

"No one or nothing is lost when we know where something/someone is."

Hintons didn't 'lose' a dad, grandpa, friend because they know where he is. He had placed his faith in Jesus with the promise of an eternal home in heaven. While Jerry Hinton passed away, he is gone but not lost!

*

According to Dave Martin, as I watched a Christian television program, we are or become what we say or think. He told those listening:

"The REST of my life

will be the BEST of my life!"

I don't know how often when my day is over and I park my vehicle in our machinery shed, I rethink some of the things which happened to me that day, as I walk to the house, I recall several things which have happened in that day. And I mentally say, "Thank You, God, this has been the best day. This may be the best day of the rest of my life!"

I am grateful!!

Finding Love

"We love Him because He first loved us."

! John 4:19 NKJV

"Our world is looking for love. As human beings, we need to love and be loved. But we're looking in all the wrong places. We look for it:

~ from a parent,

~ from a child,

~ from a spouse,

~ from a friend.

"But our parents grow old and die,

~ our children grow up and live their own lives,

~ our spouses are too busy or too tired,

~ our friends are superficial or selfish.

"Who can truly understand the need of the human heart? Who can meet the need of our hearts? Where is love found?

"Love is found in the heart of God."

~ Anne Graham Lotz

***

"When someone becomes a Christian,

he (she) becomes a brand new person inside.

He (she) is not the same any more.

A new life has begun!"

~ 2 Corinthians 5:17 LAB

*

Bible Commentary:  "Christians are brand new people on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives them new life, and they are not the same any more. We are not reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated -- we are new creations, living in vital union with Christ. We are not merely turning over a new leaf; we are beginning a new life under a new Master."

****

When my sister Jill from Washington, stayed with me a couple of days earlier this month, we picked up "The Word Today" from a church we visited. It is a daily devotional for September, October, and November. I am reading it like a 'book'; several one day and none the next.

I liked the one I read today, written for several weeks earlier in October.

The Greater Designer

"The heavens are telling the glory of God;

they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship."

~ Psalm 19:1 TLB

"Whether you look at the universe through a telescope or a microscope, you discover that God is the great designer. Let's look at three of the things He designed:

1) TEMPERATURE. The sun's surface is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and we're 93 million miles away from it - just the right distance. If the earth's temperature was 50 degrees hotter or colder all the world would cease. Think about it:  Why wasn't the earth placed twice as far away or twice as close?

2) ROTATION.  We rotate 365 times a year as we pass around the sun. Suppose we only rotated 36 times? Well, our days and nights would be ten times as long. We'd be terribly hot on one side, unbearably cold on the other, and life as we know it would cease.

3) AIR.  Oxygen constitutes 21 percent of our atmosphere; the precise balance of air we need to breathe. Why not 50 percent? Because the first time somebody lit a match, we'd all be toast! So ask yourself, is the 21 percent by accident or design? And if there's a design then it follows that there must be a designer.

And there is. Would you like to know Him? You can. At creation He revealed His great power, but at the cross He revealed His great love (John 3:16). Through Jesus His Son, you can know the great designer personally and receive the gift of eternal life. If you don't, you'll enter a lost eternity. Any chance you'll be an exception? None! The people in heaven will be those who got there by choice, not chance.

*****

Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence" for a couple of days ago:

"No matter what your circumstances may be, you can find Joy in My Presence. On some days Joy is generously strewn along your life-path, glistening in the sunlight. On days like that, being content is as simple as breathing the next breath or taking the next step. Other days are overcast and gloomy; you feel the strain of the journey, which seems endless. Dull gray rocks greet your gaze and cause your feet to ache. Yet Joy is still attainable. Search for it as for hidden treasure.

"Begin by remembering that I have created this day: it is not a chance occurrence. Recall that I am present with you whether you sense My Presence or not. Then, start talking with Me about whatever is on your mind. Rejoice in the fact that I understand you perfectly, and I know exactly what you are experiencing. As you continue communicating with Me, your mood will gradually lighten. Awareness of My marvelous Companionship can infuse Joy into the grayest day."

~ Taken from Psalm 21:6; Proverbs 2:4

***

A partial entry from "The Word Today":

"You armed me with strength for battle."

~ Psalm 18:39 NIV

"The story's told of a little boy who lost his right hand in an accident. When the doctor questioned him about his disability, he replied, 'I don't have a disability. I just don't have a right hand!" Later the doctor discovered the boy had gone on to become one of the leading scorers on his high school basketball team. His philosophy in life was:  'It's not what you've LOST but what you have LEFT that counts!'

"That's the winning attitude, and with God's help you can develop it."

******

Something sent to me by Steve Watne, Clarion graduate, current resident of Florida and Karen's Korner reader. This is written by Pastor Rick Warren as part of his 'Daily Hope':

Four Ways God Answers Your Prayers

"You fathers--if your children ask for a fish, co you give them a snake instead?

Of if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion?

Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask them?"

~ Luke 11:11 - 13 NLT

*

"God always answers every single prayer---just not always the way you want---and he does it in one of four ways.

"When the request is not right, God says, 'No.' Just like parents say 'no' to their kids for a hundred good reasons, God doesn't owe you an explanation every time he says 'no' to your request.

"When the timing is not right, God says, 'Slow'.  There's a big difference between a delay and a denial. 'No' and 'not yet' are not the same thing, and learning and accepting the difference shows spiritual maturity.

"When the request and timing, but you're not right, God says, 'Grow'.  He wants to do something in your life before he answers your prayer because you're not yet ready to handle the answer.

"When the request is right and the timing's right and you're right then God says, 'Go'. God often gives us the green light to our prayers---and it's a reason to celebrate!

"God is never going to give you anything that is hurtful or bad for you. After all, if even imperfect parents know how to give good gifts to their kids, won't God, who is good and perfect, do even more for you? He is ready to answer your prayer-----in his own perfect time and way."

**