(No Karen's Korner yesterday:  sick day!)

One day last week I was watching a contemporary Christian television station. Alveda King, Martin Luther King's niece, was the guest speaker; I am guessing it was recorded near Martin Luther King's birthday. She ended by singing three verses of "This Little Light of Mine". It was good. Heartfelt.

This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine;
This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine;
This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

 Ev’rywhere I go,
I’m gonna let it shine;
Ev’rywhere I go,
I’m gonna let it shine;
Ev’ry where I go,
I’m gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Jesus gave it to me,
I’m gonna let it shine;
Jesus gave it to me,
I’m gonna let it shine;
Jesus gave it to me,
I’m gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

***

Today's is a good verse.

Sometimes we need to speak up. Sometimes we need to shut up. Our problem is to know the difference.

"Help me, Lord,

to keep my mouth shut

and my lips sealed."

~ Psalm 141:3

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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."

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Tucked in amongst the writings of I Corinthians is a graphic "Physical versus Resurrection Bodies".

My oldest grandson turned twenty-one yesterday. He probably isn't very interested in the topic. I go to the doctor this morning for my annual check-up to make sure everything is still working like it should. Some things don't work quite like they used to. I am more interested than I used to be - in a new body!

Physical Bodies vs. Resurrection Bodies

Die and decay vs Never die
Embarrassing vs Full of glory
Weak and sick vs Full of strength
Human vs Superhuman
Natural vs Spiritual
From the dust vs From heaven

"We all have bodies---each looks different, each has different abilities and weaknesses. But as physical earthly bodies, they are all alike. All believers are promised life after death and bodies like Christ's resurrected bodies. "Just as each of us now has a body like Adam's, so we shall some day have a body like Christ's;.(I Corinthians 15:49 LAB)."

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(A Karen's Korner on Saturday to make up for the missing one from Monday! Sorry for the format change from yesterday. I have been experiencing some computer problems. It was yesterday's by Max Lucado.)

Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling" for today:

"I am above all things:  your problems, your pain, and the swirling events in this every-changing world. When you behold My Face, you rise above circumstances and rest with Me in heavenly realms. This is the way of Peace, living in the Light of my Presence. I guarantee that you will always have problems in this life, but they must not become your focus. When you feel yourself sinking in the sea of circumstances, say, 'Help me, Jesus!', and I will draw you back to Me. If you have to say that thousands of times daily, don't be discouraged. I know your weaknesses, and I meet you in that very place."

~ Taken from Ephesians 2:6; Matthew 14:28 - 32

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At Sunday School class yesterday, we looked at Psalm 25. My Bible says it was written by David and the theme is "A prayer for defense, guidance, and pardon. As we trust in God, He grants these same requests for us."

As you can tell, not only do I like various Bible verses, I also enjoy the Bible commentaries on those various topics. They tend to read like today's newspaper.

"The Lord is good and glad to teach the proper path to all who go astray;

He will teach the ways that are right and best to those who humbly turn to Him.

And when we obey Him, every path He guides us on is fragrant with His lovingkindness and His truth."

~ Psalm 25:8 - 10 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "We are bombarded today with unlimited appeals to 'go my way'. TV advertising alone places hundreds of options before us, in addition to appeals made by political parties, cults, false religions, and dozens of other groups (and this was written before email, facebook, etc.). Numerous organizations including Christian organizations seek to motivate us to 'support the cause'. Add to the dozens of decisions we must make concerning our jobs, our families, our money, our society, and we become desperate for someone to show us the right way. If we find ourselves pulled in several directions, we need to remember the Lord 'will teach the ways that are right and best to those who humbly turn to Him' (verse 9)."

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Today's entry from "365 Days of Prayer for Women" by Stephanie Sample, February 11;

THE MIRROR

"If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: 
everything old has passed away;
see, everything has become new!"

~ 2 Corinthians 3:17 NRSV

"Lord, you make all things new.
The moment I chose to love you, 
you began a transforming work in me.
You washed me clean.
Years of sin, guilt, regret, and grime----
gone!
It's more than I can grasp,
this new self.
As incredible as it is,
I believe I am forgiven.
But new?
Change?
I don't know.
Help me understand that the old self,
the one that needed
defenses, regrets, grudges, and contention,
is truly gone.
Bring me to your mirror, Father,
and linger with me
until I comprehend that
this loving, joyful gracious, peaceful person is me!
I have become
new."


~ How do we see ourselves in God's mirror?"

*****

School teachers will sometimes give their students, helps in taking tests. One I remember is True and False questions. Words like all, always, never, none - are most generally 'false'.

Stands pretty true except for in the Bible. Lots of examples. Here are a few:

"Be glad for ALL God is planning for you.
Be patient in trouble,
and prayerful ALWAYS."

~ Romans 12:12 LAB

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""I am with you
ALWAYS,
even to the end of the world."
(Jesus' last words as he was leaving this world.)

~ Matthew 28:20 LAB

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"'For God has said,
'I will
NEVER, NEVER
fail you nor foresake you.'"

~ Hebrews 13:5 LAB

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It's almost Valentine's Day. Time for a dose of LOVE:

"See how very much our heavenly Father
LOVES us,
for He allows us to be called His children----
think of it----
and we really are!

But since most people don't know God,
naturally they don't understand
that we are His children."

~ 1 John 3:1 LAB

Bible Commentary:  "As believers, our self-worth is based on the fact that God loves us and calls us His children. We are His children, NOW, not just sometime in the distant future. Knowing that we are His children encourages us to live as Jesus did."

***

Happy Valentine's Day!

We need to have a 'dose of God's Love' for all of us! And how He thinks about us!

Number #12, taken from "100 Things God Loves About You':

GOD LOVES THE WAY YOU LOVE

"Dear friends,
let us love one another,
for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been
born of God and knows God."

~ 1 John 4:7

"Love. That's really what it's all about, despite what those misguided bumper stickers, might say about the hokey-pokey. To be more precise, it's all about choosing love because love is a choice. Sometimes it's an easy one. Other times.....well, it just isn't.

"When you choose to walk away instead of striking back, when you choose to honor the parent  who isn't so honorable, when you chooses to return evil for with kindness, God smiles......and He loves you for it."

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I am just finishing up reading 1 John. Filled with love verses! And the one I picked is the same one from Friday! The Bible is a big book and I picked the same one again!?

The difference is the Bible Commentary on the verse. So indulge me:

"Dear friends,
let us practice loving each other,
for love comes from God
and those who are loving and kind
show that they are the children of God,
and that they are getting to know Him better."

~ 1 John 4:7 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "Everyone believes love is important, but we usually think of it as a feeling. In reality, love is a choice and an action. God is the source of our love; He loved us enough to sacrifice His son for us. Jesus is our example of what it means to love; everything He did in life and death was supremely loving. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to love. God's love always involves a choice and an action, and our love should be like His.

"How well is our love for God displayed; in the choices we make and the actions we take?"


**

It might be a good day to 'praise God'. Sometimes the news leaves us with more question marks than answers. Sometimes pretty scary! So here we go. It's the final chapter of Psalms; 150!

My Bible introduction to it says, "A closing hymn of praise. God's creation praises Him everywhere in every way. We should join this rejoicing song of praise." The writer is listed as 'anonymous'.


Praise and thankfulness subtracts from fears and anxiety; adds to peace and good mental health.

"Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord!

Praise Him in His Temple, and in the heavens He made with mighty power.

Praise Him for His mighty works.

Praise His unequaled greatness.

Praise Him with the trumpet and with lute and harp.

Praise Him with the drums and dancing.

Praise Him with stringed instruments and horns.

Praise Him with the cymbals, yes, clanging cymbals.

Let everything alive give praises to the Lord!

You praise Him!

Hallelujah!!


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A fun writing by Rhonda Benton, as their family reflects on mom, grandma, great-grandma on a long life well lived, which makes for lots of memories over many years!

I submitted it to OUR IOWA magazine for possible publication. Just because it is sent in, doesn't mean it will be included in an upcoming magazine. Time will tell.

I hope Karen's Korner readers enjoy it as much as I do!

A Party for an Absent Honoree

"My teenage grandson fondly remembers his great grandmother who passed away eleven years ago. She was still living in our family home on an acreage by Dows. In 2024 he remembered that her birthday was in April and she would have been 100 years old. He suggested we have a 100^th birthday party to celebrate her life and our memories.

"I am part of a large extended family: five sisters and many brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. We are always happy for any reason to get together. So I decided to host a 100^th birthday party for our deceased mother.

"For the menu I choose foods our mother made for us as we were growing up. The two main courses were homemade spaghetti sauce and spaghetti with spareribs. The salad was green Jell-o with canned pears. Adding a relish tray and some homemade dinner rolls rounded out the main course.

"Every year for our birthdays, our mother made and decorated a homemade angel food cake. We always had to be careful when it was in the oven because a bump or loud noise could cause it to fall. I am not sure if that would happen or she just wanted us out of the kitchen. I had never made an angel food cake from scratch.  I practiced twice before the party. Although they never seemed to be as tall as my mother’s, they were tasty. She frosted them with 7-minute frosting made in a double boiler set. Sorry Mom, not everything was the same as my fluffy white frosting was made from a mix, thank you Betty Crocker.

"After the meal,  children played King’s Corner as that is what Grandma had played with them. The adults were content to sit around and reminisce. It was a fun evening honoring a wonderful mother, grandmother, great-grandmother."

***

Good news! Yesterday's writing in Karen's Korner by Rhonda Benton:  "A Party with An Absent Honoree" has already been picked up by OUR IOWA magazine and will be included in its April/May edition! Just fun!


Today's writing by Max Lucado:

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LOOK?

"Vengeance fixes your attention on life’s ugliest moments. Score settling freezes your stare at cruel events in your past. Is that where you want to look?

"Will rehearsing and reliving your hurts make you a better person? By no means – it will destroy you. Revenge moves God away from the equation. It replaces God. I’m not sure you can handle this one, Lord. You may punish too little or too slowly.  I’ll take this matter into my hands. So God reminds us in Romans 12:19, 'I’ll do the judging. I’ll take care of it' (my paraphrase).

"Only God assesses accurate judgments. Vengeance is his job. Leave your enemies in God’s hands. Forgiveness is not endorsement of misbehavior. You can hate what someone did without letting hatred consume you."

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Eight years ago, our church camp embarked on several building and rebuilding projects. The first phase was raising about $1/3 million dollars!

Below are the Bible verses I used to help kick off the work:

"For a soul is fare too precious
to be ransomed by
mere earthly wealth.
There is not enough of it
in all the earth
to buy eternal life
for just one soul,
to keep it out of hell."

~ Psalm 49:8 & 9 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "In the slave market of the ancient world, a slave had to be redeemed or ransomed in order to go free. In Mark 10:45, Ephesians 1:7, and Hebrews 9:12, we learn that Jesus paid such a price so that we could be set free from slavery to sin in order to begin living a new life with Him.

"There is no way for a person to buy eternal life with God. God alone can redeem a soul. if we are counting on our wealth and physical comforts to keep us happy, we need to understand that we will never have enough wealth to keep ourselves from hell."

Thank You, God,
that You level the playing field
for 'buying' eternal life.
It is a FREE GIFT to anyone
who wants it.
All we have to do is ASK
and BELIEVE!
Thanks for paying the price
for each of our souls!
What a God!
What a Plan!
Amen.

"

A friend shared this writing at our gals' church prayer time last week. She liked it; and loves collecting these types of sayings!

Strong Woman vs. a Woman of Strength

"A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape,
but a woman of strength kneels in praying to keep her soul in shape.

"A strong woman isn't afraid of anything, 
but a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear.

"A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her,
but a woman of strength gives the best of herself to everyone.

"A strong woman walks sure-footedly,
but a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.

"A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face,
but a woman of strength wears grace.

"A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey,
but a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong."

*****

"When I look up into the night skies and see the work of your fingers---the moon and the stars you have made---I cannot understand how you can bother with mere puny man, to pay any attention to him!"A

nd yet you have made him only a little lower than the angels, and placed a crown of glory and honor upon his head."

~ Psalm 8:3 - 5 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "When we look at the marvels of creation, we wonder how God could be concerned for people who constantly disappoint him. Yet God created us only a little lower than himself. The next time we question our worth as a person or feel down about ourselves, we need to remember that God considers us to be highly valuable. We have great worth because we bear the stamp of the Creator. Because God has already declared how valuable we are to him, we can be set free from feelings of worthlessness."

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Today's email from Max Lucado. I will have to admit that I don't get the :Gold Star" as the best and most frequent pray-er!

GOD LIGHTENS YOUR LOAD

"Prayer reminds us of who’s in charge. You don’t take your requests to someone with less authority. You take them to someone who outranks you in the solutions department.

"The same is true in prayer. You don’t pray just to let God know what’s going on. He’s way ahead of you on that one. You pray to transfer 'my will be done' to 'God’s will be done.' 

"And since he’s in charge, he knows the best solution. Prayer transfers the burden to God and lightens your load. Prayer pushes us through life’s slumps, and propels us over the humps, and pulls us out of the dumps. Prayer’s the oomph we need to get the answers we seek. So pray—today!"

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I like Sarah Young and her "Jesus Calling:  Enjoying Peace in His Presence". I especially enjoyed February 25:

"Rest in My Presence, allowing Me to take charge of this day. Do not bolt into the day like a racehorse suddenly released. Instead, walk purposefully with Me, letting Me direct your course one step at a time. Thank Me for each blessing along the way, this brings Joy to both you and Me. A grateful heart protects you from negative thinking. Thankfulness enables you to see the abundance I shower upon you daily. Your prayers and petitions are winged into heaven's throne room when they are permeated with thanksgiving. In everything give thanks, for this is My will for you."

~ Taken from Colossians 4:21;
1 Thessalonians 1:18 (NASB)

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This writing was shared by our leader at our ecumenical Bible study on Wednesday morning. Hope you enjoy it like those of us who attended the study did

A Childlike Heart
By Mary Southerland
 
"Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
(Mark 10:15, NIV).

"I recently read the story of a young family who went out to eat at a local restaurant. They were the only family with children eating. The mom sat their little boy, Erik, in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, "Hi!" He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin as he wriggled and giggled with joy.
 
"The mother looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man wearing baggy pants and shoes so worn that his toes poked out. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard, and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. The man sat far away, but the mother was sure he smelled bad. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists in an effort to make Erik laugh.
 
“Hi there, baby. Hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster," the man said to Erik. Erik’s mom and dad exchanged looks and asked, "What do we do?" Erik continued to laugh and answer, "Hi." Everyone in the restaurant noticed the man who was creating a nuisance with the beautiful baby. Their meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, "Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek- a-boo." Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk.
 
"Erik’s parents were embarrassed and ate in silence. Not Erik. He was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments. The parents finally got through the meal and headed for the door. The husband went to pay the check and told his wife to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between the mother and the door. "Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik," she prayed. As she drew closer to the man, she turned her back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As she did, Erik leaned over her arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's "pick-me-up" position. Before the mom could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from her arms to the man's.
 
"Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head on the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and tears hovered beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled the baby and gently stroked his back.
 
"No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. The mother and every other person in the restaurant were awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and in a firm and even commanding voice said, "You take care of this baby." Somehow the mother managed, "I will" from a throat choked with emotion.
 
"He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in pain. The mom took her baby, and the man said, "God bless you, ma'am. You've given me a wonderful gift."
 
"With Erik in her arms, the mom ran for the car. Her husband was wondering why his wife was crying and holding Erik so tightly saying, "My God, my God, forgive me." Everyone had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. The mother was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. A ragged old man had unwittingly preached the message found in Scripture, "To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children."

"Father, please forgive me for the times I have judged others and failed to love them like You wanted me to love them. Help me see others through Your eyes of unconditional love. Give me a heart of love and mercy toward others in need.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen."

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