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July 2019 Archives
Today is Monday, July 1st, 2019; Karen's Korner #4066
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A writing by Anne Graham Lotz; seems good for this holiday week and weekend.
Makes me think of a sub-clause from our U.S. Constitution: "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
Created Equal
"As we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."
~ Galatians 6:10 NKJV
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"When God 'breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being' (Genesis 2:7, NIV), all human life became sacred because it came directly from God. Whether a person is a murderer on death row or the most beloved person in town, each one is to be treated with respect if for no other reason than human life comes from God.
"Are you prejudiced toward someone? A person of a different race or educational background or economic level? Someone from another culture or denomination or religion? Someone with a different language or social status or skin color? There is absolutely no room for prejudice of any kind in a life that follows the Creator's directions. All men are created equal, not in abilities or opportunities, but in the eyes of God because all men derive their lives from God."
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Today is Tuesday, July 2nd, 2019; Karen's Korner #4067
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"The earth belongs to God!
Everything in all the world is His!
He is the one who pushed the oceans back to let dry land appear."
~ Psalm 24:1 LAB
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Bible Commentary: "The writer exclaims that 'the earth belongs to God'; therefore, all of us are stewards or caretakers. We are committed to the proper management of this world and its resources, but we are not to become devoted to these things because they will all pass away (I John 2:17)."
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Today is Wednesday, July 3rd, 2019; Karen's Korner #4068
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God's Answer to the Mess of Life
"You stare into the darkness. The ceiling fan whirls above you. Your husband slumbers next to you. In minutes the alarm will sound, and the demands of the day will shoot you like a clown out of a cannon into a three-ring circus of meetings, bosses, and baseball practices.
"For the millionth time you'll make breakfast, schedules and payroll...but for the life of you, you can't make sense of this thing called life. Life with its beginnings and endings. Cradles and cancers and cemeteries and questions. The meaning of life.........the poor choices of life!
"God answers the mess of life with one word....grace! Do we really understand it? God in the Bible says, 'I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you!' (Ezekiel 36:26). That's grace. Grace calls us to change and then gives us power to pull it off!"
~ By Max Lucado
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Today is Friday, July 5th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4069
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Every day one of the first things I do each morning is to feed Rocky, our ten-year-old pug.
But not today, I started 'dinking' around on my computer: checking yesterday's emails, forwarding a couple, updating an upcoming Clarion Wire.
I looked down and there was Rocky. Laying near my feed. Head between his paws. Not barking. Not begging.
He knew. As I did at the moment. He was quietly waiting for some of his precious morsels from me. He also knew he could count on me, once I finished my pre-occupation.
He believed in me!
That's what I want to be and do with Jesus!
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for taking such good care of me.......all the time. No matter what happens. Nor what I need or ask from You. Help me to patiently wait at Your feet. Waiting. Knowing. Believing that You will take care of me and all of my situations. You have taken care of me in the past. Today and tomorrow will be no different. Same plan You have for all of Your Children. Thank You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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Today is Saturday, July 6th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4070
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On Saturday, as I skipped the 4th of July on Thursday..
A card given to me; doesn't say the author but at the bottom is the web address: www.therevolutionpaper.com .Title is "You Are Good". Like lots of things, we need to hear that often. The 'world' tends to beat us down. God only wants to build us up!
YOU ARE GOOD
"On the 6th day of creation God saw all that he had made, and it was good. God looks at you the same way as he looked at the beauty He created in the beginning. The Lord wants you to have an understanding of how you came to be. He breathed strength and character into your lungs; He covered your mind and heart with kindness and goodness. He clothed your very being in all that is good in heaven. You are a mighty vessel that has been positioned to make an impact on the world around you. Though you have endured rocky times and walked paths that led to heartache. The Lord is restoring you and breathing a new purpose and passion within you. It is time to embrace who you are.........and it is good!"
John 5:25: "Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live."
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Today is Monday, July 8th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4071
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I had never heard this song by Casting Crowns until a couple of weeks ago. It is titled "Nobody"; some of you may have heard it often and a long time ago. All I know is I liked the words. It talks about 'I'm just a nobody trying to tell everybody and Somebody who saved my soul'. So the next time the devil, Satan, a negative thought tries to tell us what kind of a 'nobody' we are, he is right. But that isn't the end of each of our stories. God always turns us into 'Somebody' who He can use. Always has. Always will!
NOBODY
"Why You ever chose me Has always been a mystery All my life, I've been told I belong At the end of a line With all the other Not-Quites With all the Never-Get-it Rights But it turns out they are the ones You were looking for All the time
"'Cause I'm just a nobody trying to tell everybody All about Somebody who saved my soul Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing I'm living for the world to see nobody but Jesus I'm living for the world to see nobody but Jesus
"Moses had stage fright And David brought a rock to a sword fight You picked twelve outsiders nobody would've chosen And you changed the world Well, the moral of the story is Everybody's got a purpose So when I hear that devil start talking to me, saying 'Who do you think you are? I say
"I'm just a nobody trying to tell everybody All about Somebody who save my soul Ever since You rescued me, You rescued me,You gave my heart a song to sing I'm living for the world to see nobody but Jesus I'm living for the world to see nobody but Jesus
"So let me go down, down, down in history As another blood-bought faithful member of the family And if they all forget my name, well, that's fine with me I'm living for the world to see nobody but Jesus......."
REFRAIN ONE MORE TIME
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Today is Tuesday, July 9th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4072
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As you know, Clarion's Marys & Marthas (M & Ms for short!) learn each month of police officers and those serving in county sheriffs' departments, who have been wounded or killed while serving their communities. Last night another one: someone from Hall County, Georgia.
We send them a card, thanking them for serving and telling them that we are thinking of them. Our monthly meeting which is next week; we will have five notes to send.
Do law enforcement officials do everything right? No, of course not, but most have hearts in the right spots, doing the best that they can. Recently the news reported that a customer in a Starbucks coffee shop wanted the police officers to leave because their presence was 'uncomfortable to them'.
We need to pray for, and think of, those people in uniform.
This morning I was reading of Someone we can trust and believe in 100% of the time:
"But as for me, I will come into your Temple protected by your mercy and your love. I will worship you with deepest awe. (Psalm 5:7).
"But make everyone rejoice who puts his trust in You. Keep them shouting for joy, because you are defending them. (Psalm 5;11).
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Today is Wednesday, July 10th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4073
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No Fear of Judgment
""According to 1 John 4:17 and 18, 'So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment...perfect love expels all fear.' Perfect love is a perfect knowledge of the past and a perfect vision of the future. You cannot shock God with your actions. He knows your entire story, and with clear assessment declares, 'You are mine'. The day of judgment is circled on heaven's calendar. We don't know the details, but we know the day is coming.
"God views Christians the way he views Christ --- sinless and perfect. Hence, Christians can view judgment the way Christ does, with confidence and hope. You need never fear God's judgment. Not today. Not on Judgment Day. Jesus, in the light of God's glory, is speaking on your behalf. And when he does, the door of heaven opens."
~ By Max Lucado
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Today is Thursday, July 11th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4074
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The July 9 (yesterday) Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence" is especially a good one; whether we are 'chronic' worriers or 'situational' worries.Despite the fact God tell us not to worry, here it comes. We need to ask for His help to lay those fears and worries down.
"Stop worrying long enough to hear My voice. I speak softly to you, in the depths of your being. Your mind shuttles back and forth, hither and yon, weaving webs of anxious confusion. As My thoughts rise up within you, they become entangled in those sticky webs of worry. Thus, My voice is muffled, and you hear only 'white noise'.
"Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can think My thoughts. This ability is an awesome benefit of being My child, patterned after My own image. Do not be deafened by the noise of the world or that of your own thinking. Instead,be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Sit quietly in My Presence, letting My thoughts reprogram your thinking."
~ Taken from Deuteronomy 30:20; Genesis 1:27; Romans 12:2
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Today is Friday, July 12th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4075
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Today's Karen's Korner is a repeat from #2424 which I sent on October 18, 2012.
The exact center of the Bible is Psalm 118. On one side is the shortest chapter - Psalm 117. On the other is the longest - Psalm 119.
Today I am sharing the 'entire' chapter of 117, which is two verses:
"Praise the Lord, all nations everywhere.
Praise him, all peoples of the earth.
For he loves us very dearly, and his truth endures.
Praise the Lord!"
Bible Commentary: "Have you ever said, 'I can't think of anything God has done for me. How can I praise Him? This psalm gives two reasons for praising God. "He loves us very much' and 'his truth endures'. If he did nothing else for us our whole lives, he would still be worthy of our highest praise."
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Today is Monday, July 15th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4076
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"Help me, Lord, to keep my mouth shut and my lips sealed."
~ Psalm 141:3 *
Bible Commentary: "James wrote that 'the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do' (James 3:5). On the average, a person opens his/her mouth to speak 700 times a day to speak. David wisely asked God to help him keep his mouth shut---sometimes even as he underwent persecution. Jesus himself was silent before his accusers (Matthew 26:63). Knowing the power of the tongue, we would do well to ask God to guard the power of the tongue, we would do well to ask God to guard what we say so that our words will bring honor to His name." *
I am someone who makes notes in the margins of my Bible. Near this verse on 9/30/81, I wrote, "Help me not to say what I shouldn't say." And I added on 2/2/93, "But help me also to speak up, when I need to speak." And today, I would add, "God, give me wisdom to know the difference!"
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Today is Tuesday, July 16th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4077
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On Friday, I was heading for the Iowa County Fair in Marengo. I knew about where it was but I put the address in my GPS to learn for sure how to get there and about how long the trip would take.
Before I left, I needed to go to Clarion first to water some thirsty plants there. So instead of driving southeast to the fair, I started driving northwest.
Thus began my GPS driving instructions, "recalculating route" said the female voice. It really got fun when I drove into Clarion. Every street that I passed, "turn right". And I'd turn left. "Recalculating route". "Turn right" at the next block. And I'd turn left. The same calm, polite voice would say, "recalculating route". And I would do something else. The more I drove, the funnier it became to me!
Eventually I got to my 'watering' destination and I began to 'do' what she said.
As I made my three-hour trek, I thought about what I would be saying if I was the 'GPS gal' for real, as I'd make the 'wrong' turns:
"If you aren't going to go where I tell you, why ask?"
"How many times do I have to tell you what to do?"; not" recalculating route".
"Where in the world are you going now?"
"If you aren't going to where I tell you, I think I will hang up!"
God is our "GPS" for life. Good thing I am not the 'Travel Guide for Life'. I'd yell at a few people. Tell some others off or just plain hang up!
Not God! Whatever we do and wherever we go, He just gently says 'recalculating route'; directs us one more time. And gets us back on the right path, if we but make some of His correcting turns. He knows the 'Way'. We don't! And He can use all of our wrong turns, as well, and get us to our desired destination!
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Today is Wednesday, July 17th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4078
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"What a glorious Lord!
He who daily bears our burdens,
also give us our salvation.
He frees us!
He rescues us from death.
But He will crush His enemies,
for they refuse to leave their guilty, stubborn ways."
~ Psalm 68:19 - 21 LAB
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Bible Commentary: "Each day, we must deal with our share of earthly burdens. As we face these burdens, the Lord is there to help us bear them. Each morning, praise God for the strength He will send you today. It is as sure as the future."
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Today is Thursday, July 18th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4079
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Something emailed to Max Lucado's weekday readers and written by him:
LET GRACE HAPPEN
"I became a Christian about the same time I became a Boy Scout, and I made the assumption that God grades like the Boy Scouts do--on a merit system. Good scouts move up. Good people go to heaven.
"So I worked toward the day when God, amid falling confetti and dancing cherubim, would drape my bad-laden sash across my chest and welcome me into his eternal kingdom where I would humbly display my badges for eternity. But some thorny questions surfaced. How many badges does He require? How good is good?
"Ephesian 2:8 say, 'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.' Unearned. A gift. Our merits merit nothing. So, let grace happen. Of all the things you must earn in life, God's unending affection is not one of them. You have it!!
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Today is Saturday, July 20th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4080
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Fifty years ago today, the NASA astronauts from the United States walked on the moon.
Our local daily newspaper asked its readers a number of few weeks ago, to tell them where we were on July 20, 1969. Did we have pictures of what we might have been doing? I could recall and wrote what it was we were doing that day. I could recall:
Three friends and I had worked and saved for nearly three years to make a trip to Europe. It was one of those 'see 9 countries in twenty-plus days'. The trip took us, among other places, to Lucerne, Switzerland for a couple of days. Where we were at that time.
The excitement in the Swiss country and by their people was unbelievable. They knew that this was the day! The hotel we were staying in had no televisions in our rooms.So we couldn't watch the moon landing and astronauts' walk on t.v. We couldn't read about it in the newspaper as it was in another language.
Oh well, since we had some 'free' time that afternoon, we would go shopping and see the sights of the town. We couldn't! Everything was closed!! The whole town was celebrating. Shopkeepers and their employees took the afternoon off so they could all go home to see 'their Americans friends' walk on the moon! They were treating it as a national holiday.
That evening our tour group was going to eat together in our hotel. The room was decorated in red, white, and blue. We had favors and decorations on our tables. The wait staff was so excited to have us in their midst. And to celebrate with them what had just happened!
We were blessed.
"When I look at your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set into place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and son of man that you care for him?'
~ Psalm 8: 3 - 4
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Today is Monday, July 22nd, 2019; Karen's Korner #4081
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"Glorify your name, not ours,
O Lord!
Cause everyone to praise
your lovingkindness and your truth."
~ Psalm 115:1 LAB
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Bible Commentary: "The psalm writer asked that God's name be glorified. Too often we ask God to glorify His name with ours. The problem comes when we want to look good no matter what happens to God's reputation in the process. Our glory should be a by-product of seeking God's glory."
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Today is Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019; Karen's Korner #4082
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Several Sundays ago Troy Severson shared with those attending our Lake Cornelia outdoor worship services, these thoughts as part of our communion meditation.
The thoughts were on the topic of 'forgiveness', taken from The Progressive Farmer magazine, edition October 2018 and from the article titled "Cornerstone". This is installment 1 of 3:
"Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."
~ Mark Twain
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"The willingness to forgive is a sign of spiritual and emotional maturity.
It is one of the greatest virtues to which we all should aspire."
~ Gordon B. Hinckley
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"Forgiveness is an act of the will,
and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart."
~ Corrie ten Boom
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"Resentment is like drinking poison
and then thinking it will kill your enemies."
~ Nelson Mandella
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"When you forgive, you love.
And when you love, God's light shines upon you."
~ Jon Krakauer
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"Always forgive your enemies;
nothing annoys them so much."
~ Oscar Wilde
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Today is Wednesday, July 24th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4083
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GRACE GOES BEYOND MERCY
~ Today's inspirational thought email by Max Lucado
"We are poor, spiritually for sure; monetarily, perhaps. We've buried our dreams, desires, and aspirations. Like the mother with Lupus or the businessman in the unemployment line, we're out of options. Yet Christ approached us 'while we were yet sinners!' 'Will you cover us?' we asked him, and Grace smiles. He gave us grace. Not just mercy, mind you, but grace.
"Grace goes beyond mercy. Mercy gave the prodigal son a second chance but Grace threw him a party. Mercy prompted the Samaritan to bandage the wounds of the victim. But grace prompted him to leave his credit card as payment for the victim's care. Mercy forgave the thief on the cross. Grace escorted him into paradise. Mercy pardons us. Grace woos and weds us! Grace does this. God does this. Grace is God walking into your world with a sparkle in His eye and an offer that's hard to resist!"
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Today is Thursday, July 25th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4084
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It was 20 years ago this coming Sunday (July 28) that our daughter Merry was killed in a car/semi accident.
There were at least two reasons that I began writing and sending Karen's Korners. One of the reasons was that I had saved a handful of emails from Merry which I wanted to share with others. One of the final emails from her was sent to us on Monday, July 26 at 2:43 p.m. About exactly two days before she died.
Because we have so few of Merry's posts and because it is so many years ago, readers have undoubtedly seen this one before: No matter. It is a good 'walk down memory lane':
"When a mother saw a thunderstorm forming in mid-afternoon, she worried about her seven-year-old daughter who would be walking three blocks home from school.
"Deciding to meet her, the mother saw her walking nonchalantly along, stopping to smile every time the lightening flashed.
"Seeing her mother, the little girl ran to her, explaining happily, 'All the way home, God's been taking my picture!'"
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Today is Friday, July 26th, 2019; Karen's Korner #4085
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(This is a final Karen's Korner until Monday, August 5, as I will be away from my computer for one week.)
Still celebrating Merry and our memories through Sunday, July 28, the day she was killed. Below is something I wrote and posted as part of the reason I began Karen's Korners. This one is #17 and was posted on March 25, 2003. Between her final few emails to us and some thoughts which I had at the time, I didn't want to forget-------thus Karen's Korners!
'when Merry died'
"It had been a summer unlike any other I had experienced. Hospitalizations for both Merry and Jim. Each time they recovered quickly. Each time we believed surgeries to be successful. We had made travel plans to go Europe, but changed our minds until Merry's condition appeared to be settled down.
"We decided to travel to Wisconsin, stay overnight, enjoy the Mississippi, catch up with Jim's niece and family and come back home the next day.
"It was while we were at Deb's house that Jim and I replied to Ed's message, left on her phone recorder to recall him. His one sentence said it all, 'Merry was killed late this afternoon in a car accident'.That was all the details we heard, asked, or knew. We hurried around their home trying to figure out the quickest way to Amana.
"Jim seemed to be able to take in the reality of what was happening. This new reality had a hard time settling in for me.
"Maybe we should try to find a charter flight back to Iowa/ Getting 'home' as soon as possible was the goal. Getting in the car and driving seemed to be the best plan.
"As much as we wanted to get to Amana, it was as we drove through Cedar Rapids and passed the hospital and Merry's 'home-away-from-home' too many times that summer, that I felt like I wanted everything to go into slow motion. The closer we got to Amana and Merry and Ed's apartment, I wanted things to go even slower. Not getting there would somehow make the reality of the situation disappear!
"Now it was late into the evening, only Jamie and Ed were there. Talk. Tears. Plans were beginning to take shape. Would anyone be able to sleep? Surprisingly, after tossing and turning----all four of us slept.
"Early the next morning, Jamie and I took to the streets of Amana to walk. The morning was bright, clear, and still. All the normal sounds which take place inside my head were strangely quiet - the thoughts, the running internal dialogue had been silenced. It was if I had, too, had died emotionally, intellectually, mentally, maybe even physically. I can recall telling several friends in the upcoming few days that I felt like a part of me had died......and then I knew 'it (she) had!'
"There was only one thing in my life still standing: the spiritual part of me. And that part remained strong and tall. All of the things that I had been taught for years in Sunday School and church, all the things I said I believed.......seemed absolutely real. For the first time in my life, I knew that all of that stuff was true!
"Normally, I question things........now, not only did I not have any answers, my questions had also stopped.
"This was not the time to turn my back on God...........He was going to be my only answer. He would be my strength.
"Some might ask, 'How did you/do you know?' I just knew. I guess it is called faith. I had a choice. I have a choice! Believing or not believing. Life, and certainly death, don't make much sense without it.
"God seemed unbelievably real to me. Heaven was no longer something to be talked about. It had become a real place where real people now lived.......not only old people who had lived a long and fruitful life, but young people with energy, talents, and an enthusiasm for life which they wanted to share with others.
"I knew I was loved. I knew He was taking care of Merry. And I knew that He was taking care of me.
"I was entering a new phase of my life...trusting God....one day, one minute, one step at a time.....
...."when Merry died"...
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