When we read the Bible, it is pretty easy to trip over something which is pretty relatable to our everyday lives. Such is today's 'korner':

"And because we are His sons, God has sent His Spirit of His Son into our hearts, so now we can rightly speak of God as our dear Father. Now we are no longer slaves, but God's own sons. And since we are His sons, everything He has belongs to us, for that is the way God planned."

~ Galatians 4:6 -7 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "Under Roman law, an adopted child was guaranteed all legal rights to his father's property. He was not a second-class son, he was equal to any other sons, biological or adopted, in his father's family.

"As adopted children of God, we share with Jesus all rights to God's resources. As God's heirs, we can claim what He has provided for us---our full identity as His Children."

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"Thank You, Father, that we can be adopted into your forever family.  
We are rich!
In Your Son's Name. Amen."

Jesus Calling:  Enjoying Peace in His Presence” by Sarah Young from yesterday, September 1:
 

“Seek Me with your whole being. I desire to be found by you, and I orchestrate the events of your life with that purpose in mind. When things go well and you are blessed, you can feel Me smiling on you. When you encounter rough patches along your life-journey, trust that My Light is still shining upon you. My reasons for allowing these adversities may be shrouded in mystery, but My continued Presence with you is an absolute promise. Seek Me in good times; seek Me in hard times. You will find Me watching over you all the time.”

~ Taken from Deuteronomy 4:29; Hebrews 10:23; Psalm 145:20

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Yesterday at our ecumenical Bible study we looked at listening. Part of our discussioon:

12 Easy Ways to Improve Your Listening and Make Others Feel Heard (writer had explanations):
By Blake Glosson

1.  Look people in the eye.
2.  Face people.
3.  Put down your phone.
4. Ask engaging questions.
5.   Ask clarifying questions.
6.  Smile.
7.  Give nonverbal feedback while he/she is talking.
8.  Don’t assume you already know what she/he is going to say.
9.  Write down key details.
10. Set aside time for distracted listening.
11. Pray. (before you meet someone)
12. Follow up.

Our Bible verse was “Don’t ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little…..” (James 1:19 a).

The Bible Commentary: “When we talk too much and listen too little, we communicate to others that we think our ideas are much more important than theirs. James (writer) wisely advises us to reverse this process. Put a mental stopwatch on our conversations and keep track of how much we talk and how much we listen. In our conversations, do others feel that their viewpoints and ideas have value?”

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Something from Max Lucado:

SPIRITUAL MUSCLE

"Spiritual muscle is developed not by sitting but by acting. Not by listening but by doing.
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.  You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like” (James 1:22-24 NLT).

"You turn away, pause, and wonder, Did I comb my hair? Such a question would betray one truth, and that is lack of attention. James indicts us for doing the same. We go to church. We hear a message, enjoy a few songs, but are we changed? Do we worry less and pray more? Are we less concerned about our will and more concerned about God’s? Let’s not be lookers. Let’s be doers."

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A week ago Sunday, Gary and Karen Hobbie sat in their familiar pew at worship service, like they have for decades. On Monday, I saw the back of Gary’s head, talking in a banker’s office, when I visited our local bank. Gary and Karen, who are moving through their 80s, played cards with friends on Wednesday evening, before returning to their senior-living apartment.

When Karen attempted to wake Gary up before going to bed, she couldn’t wake him. Pulled the emergency pull cord. Medical people arrived to help her and Gary.
Gary had passed away!

What a shock wave began to pass through our church family and community!

We don’t like parting with people we love. We want them to live a long, long time. If we had our way, friends and relatives would live forever!

Same plan God has for all of us! He wants us to live forever. He couldn’t stand the thought of people He loves to live without Him. So He made a plan.

“For God loved the world (Gary) so much that He gave His only Son that anyone (Gary and the rest of us) who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

We don’t have to say ‘good-bye’ to Gary this weekend at his services. Instead, we will just say, “See you later!”

How about the rest of us? Have we made our reservations??

All we have to do is ask God, to spend eternity with Him! That’s what Love looks like! And eternity doesn’t have to start at our deaths. It starts when we ask Him to spend forever with Him. Day by day!

What a plan!!

Our Sunday’s worship service was especially good. They tend to all be good, but some impact us more than others! The title of it was “Discovering the Treasure!”, taken from Ephesians 1:1 – 14.

The minister was Mark Young, who is filling in for a few weeks until the ‘real’ one comes in November. Mark is our ‘new’, ‘old’ minister; he was the pastor of our church for 19 years a number of years ago.

I took notes, so here you go, If you have the time try reading those first 14 verses of Ephesians to see how good Mark’s sermon was (it was good!) and my notes are (not complete!), read them.

Here you go:

God chose us before we were born, in mom’s womb. Before the foundation of the world! The writer of Isaiah says, “God’s ways are higher than ours!”

God says, “We are holy and blameless in His sight!” He chose us; we have the right and the opportunity to choose Him! He wants to adopt us into His family. He freely gives us His Love. If we ever feel that no one cares, God cares. We are accepted by God for His Kingdom. The angels in heaven rejoice when we accept His ‘adoption plan’.

Three key points of Mark’s sermon:

1. We have the Treasure of being redeemed. He bought us back to set us free!
2. We possess the Treasure of forgiveness. We are forgiven of past, present, and future sins.
3. We enjoy the Treasure of an inheritance. We are heirs of His Kingdom.

We have the Holy Spirit which resides within each of us. It seals our ‘Father/child’ relationship. We can count on it! The Holy Spirit makes us secure in Jesus.
Some day Jesus is coming back to get us. We are His beloved child/children! Today and forever!

Praise, God!

Last Friday morning, I volunteered a shift at our local hospital. Sometimes really busy; sometimes a lull. I took with me a small book titled “100 Things God Loves About You” by Tama Fortner.

I have read it before, but it was just the right size for ‘slow times’. I got to read ten of them!

I am sharing #1 with ‘Karen’s Korner’ readers this morning:

GOD LOVES YOUR STORY
“All the days ordained for me
Were written in you book
Before one of them came to be.”
~ Psalm 119:16

“You have an amazing story. How can you be sure! Because it was written by Yahweh, the Lord God Himself, before you were born. He knew every twist of the plot and every unexpected turn. Every joy, every sorrow. Wherever you go, He has already been. He will walk before you and with you as Lord and Guide and Friend. And when you entrust your story to Him, He promises you the best of endings---a happily, heavenly, forever after.”

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"And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in His grace until His task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns."
 Philippians 1:6 LAB

Bible Commentary:  "The God who begins His good work in us continues it through our lives and will finish it when we meet Him face to face. God's work FOR us began when Christ died on the cross to forgive our sins. His Work IN us begins when the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts, enabling us to be more like Christ every day. Paul (writer) is describing the process of Christian growth and maturity that begins when we accept Jesus and continues until Christ returns.

"Do we sometimes feel as if we'll never make progress in our spiritual lives. When God starts a project, He finished it! As with the Philippians, God will work in our lives and helps us grow in grace until He has completed His work in our lives. When we are discouraged, remember that God won't give up on us. He promises to finish the work He has begun. Our job? Let Him do it!"

Today we remember 25 years ago when our country was attacked by terrorists, as planes flew into the two New York City trade towers. the Pentagon, and a field Shankesville, Pennsylvania.

If we are older than twenty-five, we remember the day!
.
What was going to happen next? No one knew!

My husband, my sister, and I had made deposits to travel with our local bank to China in November of that year. We got letters from the tour company. Did we still want to go?

Yes, we did. Some weren’t so sure. Our plane to China was about two-thirds full. When we got to Beijing, our tour group of just under forty people, was asked it we minded have three others join our group, as that was all that was left of their group who was willing to travel.

The three gals were all from New York City. One had lost a son in the attack. Another was a teacher who had to hold kids in their school rooms until someone came to get them. The third had lost several friends and neighbors.

As we talked, the threesome couldn’t believe that none of us on the trip with them from north central Iowa, knew no one from the attacks. They thought everyone in the United States would have had a loved killed or at least knew personally someone who was lost.

No, we didn’t, and don’t know people personally. But we cared!

Often, we hear someone say, “The world is such a mess nowadays!” It is, but the real truth, “It has always been a mess…….with large problems!”

My mom and dad had to live through World War II, millions of Jews being slaughtered, polio and the likes. Pick up a history book; not good. The Bible; someone was always under attack or being taken over by someone else!

“And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into His plans.”
(Romans 8:28)

Thank You, God,
That You have everything
under
Your control.
The things we like and the things we don’t.
Or don’t understand.
Life is too hard to do on our own.
Help us to celebrate today.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

I continue my journey of reading various books of the Bible. Right now my trek has taken by to the short book of Philippians.

Each chapter has a different topic of JOY:

• Joy in suffering;
• Joy in serving;
• Joy in believing;
• Joy in giving

Joy is not necessarily a feeling. It is something that is packed in to each one of us Christian believers. It is one of God’s gifts to us from the Holy Spirit.

Last week, two local teenagers were involved in a serious traffic accident. One of the boys is still in the hospital and will remain there recovering for a long time. So please pray for him! And for the family.

The Bible says in Chapter 3, verse one:

“Whatever happens,
Dear friends,
Be glad in the Lord”

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

"Rest in me, My Child. This time devoted to Me is meant to be peaceful, not stressful. You don't have to perform in order to receive My Love. I have boundless, unconditional Love for you. How it grieves Me to see My children working for Love:  trying harder and harder, yet never feeling good enough to be loved.

"Be careful that your devotion to Me does not become another form of works. I want you to come into My Presence joyfully and confidently. You have nothing to fear, for you wear My own righteousness. Gaze into My eyes, and you will see no condemnation, only Love and delight in the one I see. Be blessed as My Face shines radiantly upon you, giving you Peace."

~ Taken from John 15:13; Zephaniah 3:17; Numbers 6:25-26

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This morning I finished reading Philippians chapter 3. The last verse talks about believers getting new bodies some day.

I am 80 now! Me and my friends, whether we have medical diagnoses or not, we are at a place where our bodies aren't working quite like they used to.

Must be of interest to me. I have used it in Karen's Korner in 2019 and 2022. No matter. It is good news!!

"When He (Jesus) comes back He will take these dying bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same mighty power that He will use to conquer all else everywhere."

~ Philippians 3:21 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "The bodies we receive when we are raised from the dead will be like Christ's resurrected body. We will still have our own personalities and individualities, but these will be perfected through Christ's work. The Bible does not say what our resurrected bodies will be able to do, but we know they will be perfect, without sickness or disease.

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Always something to learn when we read the Bible.

The ‘theme’ for Psalm112 is “The advantages of having faith in God. God guards the minds of actions of those who follow His commands.

Here is one of them:

“He (she) does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen. For he (she) is settled in his (her) mind that Jehovah will take care of him (her).”
~ Psalm 112:7 LAB
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Bible Commentary on this verse:  “We all want to live without fear; our heroes are fearless, people who take on all dangers and overcome them. The psalmist (writer) teaches us that fear of God can lead to a fearless life. To fear God means to respect and reverence him as the almighty Lord. When we trust God completely to take care of us, we will find that our other fears---even death itself---will subside.”
 

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A writing sent this morning from Max Lucado.

Have a great weekend!

THE LORD GIVES A WORD

"For six long weeks Elijah had walked across the wilderness of Sinai. Finally he reached and began to ascend Mt. Horeb. Elijah was in search of God.

"And, according to 1 Kings 19:9 (NKJV), “the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” Elijah answered with a complaint. I did everything you told me to do, but your people have rejected your covenants and killed your prophets. I’m the only one left in the country, and now they want to kill me too.

"Well, the Lord gave Elijah a word. According to verse 12, our Creator spoke to the prophet with a still, small voice. He will speak a word to you as well. Let his Word, living and active, speak to you. Open your Bible and listen."

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This is an exciting day!

I (we in our area) have several people in our lives with medical needs for which we can pray!

Nancy and Alina are having surgeries. Cooper continues to heal after a tragic can accident several weeks ago.

Let’s pray together this morning:

Heavenly Father,

We are so happy to have a Heavenly Father

To Whom we can pray and give all of our cares and worries!

Thank You for loving each one of us so much

And that you care for each of us more than we can care for ourselves!

Thank You for doctors and everyone associated with medical care.

Guide each of their hands as they give the care that each one needs.

We have so many things for which we can be grateful.

Will you wrap Your loving arms around Nancy, Alina, and Cooper right now!

Guide their healing process.

We have no idea how prayer works

But we know that it works!!

And be with each of their families as they sit through each surgery

Plus as they wait the individual outcomes.

Help each one of us to continue to look to You

The Author of Life, Love, and Care.

In the Name of Your Son Jesus

 Who makes all things possible.

One day last week I was on my way to town. Went to the machine shed where my car and pick up are housed.

Pushed the button to open my shed door. Nothing. Pushed again nothing.

What am I going to do? Had someone disconnected the electrical cord?
I looked again.

Good grief. I was pushing the ‘closed’ button!

Pushed the 'open' button. Door opened!

I need to ‘trust God’, with things like this. And everything else!

“Trust the Lord completely;
Don’t ever trust yourself.
In everything you do,
Put God first,
And He will direct your
And crown your efforts with success.”
~ Proverbs 3:5 & 6 LAB

Thank You, God, for taking care of every step I take!!
 
 

For fun!

Side Notes, vertical sayings from the margins in the August/September OUR IOWA magazine.

“A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.”

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“Don’t try to learn the tricks of the trade until you have learned the trade.”

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“When love adorns a home, other decorations are secondary.”

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“Education is a wonderful thing, if you couldn’t sign your name, you’d have to pay cash.”

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“The most truly generous persons are those who give silently without hope of praise or reward.”

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”They say love is the best investment; the more you give, the more you get in return.”

~ Audrey Hepburn

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“When a resort owner insists they are biting, make sure he’s talking about fish, not mosquitoes.”

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A couple of verses from Psalm 139; the chapter is written by David. The theme:  "God is all-seeing, all-knowing, all-holy, all-present. God knows us. God is with us, and His greatest gift is to allow us to know Him."

 If you have the time today or in the next few days, read the whole chapter (23 verses). It has a lot to say about how God views you/us

In case you need a good kick-off to your weekend (who doesn't!):

"How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly!

I can't even count the how many times a day your thoughts turn towards m.

And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!"

~ Psalm 139:17, 18 LAB

Bible Commentary: "When someone you love is thinking about you all the time, it comforts you. God is concerned to keep us from failing and to catch us if we fall. If he thinks abut us this much, shouldn't we find time to think about him each day?"

Thank you, God,
for who You are
and how much You think of,
and love, us!

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Another milestone - #5700!

This morning I was looking back at some previous Karen's Korners. This one is from about the same time of year, but 14 years ago. Amazingly, the more things change; the more they stay the same!

Today is Friday, September 26th, 2014; Karen's Korner #2910

Many times life is more difficult than we can handle on our own. We need extra POWER; God is the only one who can give us more of what we need.

So many verses in the Bible tell us of His Power, and how He shares that power with us, as His Children.

Here's one:

"Do you not know? Have you not heard?

"The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

"He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases power of the weak.

"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint."

~ Isaiah 40:28 - 31

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Bible Commentary:  "Even the strongest people get tired at times, but God's power and strength never diminish. He is never too tired or too busy to help and listen. His strength is our source of strength. When you feel all of life crushing you and you cannot go another step, remember that you can call upon God to renew your strength.

We all need regular times to listen to God. Waiting on the Lord is expecting his promised strength to help us rise above life's distractions and difficulties. Listening to God helps us to be prepared for when he speaks to us, to be patient when he asks us to wait, and to expect him to fulfill the promises found in his Word."

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Our ecumenical Bible study group is studying the Bible book of James. And I am enjoying reading various chapters in it.

Here is one I read this morning:

"Look here, 
you people who say,
'Today or tomorrow we are going
to such and such a town,
stay here a year,
and open a profitable business.'
How do you know what is going
to happen tomorrow?
For the length of your lives
is as uncertain as the morning fog---
now you see it; soon it is gone.
What you ought to say is
'If the Lord wants us to,
we shall live
and do this or that.'
Otherwise you will be bragging
about your own plans,
and such self-confidence
never pleases God."

~ James 4:13 - 16 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "It is good to have goals, but goals can disappoint us if we leave God out of them There is no point in making plans as though God does not exist, because the future is in His hands. What would we like to be doing ten years from now? One year from now? Tomorrow? How will we react if God steps in and rearranges our plans? Plan ahead, but we are to hang on to our plans lightly. If we put God's desires at the center of our planning, we will not be disappointed.

"Life is short no matter how long we live. We are not to be deceived in to thinking we have lots of remaining time to live for Christ, to enjoy our loved ones, or to do what we know we should. We are to live for God today! Then no matter when our life ends, we will have fulfilled God's plan for each of us."

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I enjoy reading “365 Days of Prayer for Women” by Stephanie Sample.

I don’t read it all the time, but when I do, I like it. This morning I was reading a few days of her writings. This one is for October 1, which is tomorrow.

Hope you like it too; if you want to read it on the ‘right day’, read it again tomorrow!
 

GUARD MY HEART
“Set your minds on things that are above,
Not on things that are on earth.”
~ Colossians 3:2 NKJV

“God, I love your creation! This world is dazzling in its beauty, opportunity, and variety. It’s also a huge distraction, and one I am very susceptible to. Please guard my heart from worldliness, Father! I want to appreciate and respect the work of your hands without it turning to worship. Lift my eyes heavenward when they stray too long on my possessions or my own body, God! Help me to be grateful for my home without turning it into an idol. Help me dedicate myself to my work without allowing it to consume me. Help me respect and care for my body without feeling like it defines me. Only you define me, and I want your love to be all that consumes me.”
 
“Have you set your mind on the things that are above?:

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