The leader of our weekly ecumenical Bible study likes to start us quite often with a chuckle.

Here is yesterday's:

"Two well-worn bills arrived at the Federal Reserve Bank to be retired -- a $100 and a $1. As they traveled down the conveyor belt, they struck p a conversation. The hundred reminisced about the interesting life he had, traveling all over the country. 'I've been to the finest restaurants, Broadway shows, Las Vegas, and amusement parks,' he said. 'I even went on a Caribbean cruise once. Where have you been:' 'Oh,' said the one dollar bill, 'I've been to a Methodist church, an Episcopal church, a Baptist church, and a Lutheran church.' 'What's a church?' asked the hundred."

*

Happy 'first day of May!'

"I pray that your hearts will be flooded
with light so that you can understand the
confident hope He has given to those
called -- His holy people who are His rich
and glorious inheritance."

~ Ephesians 1:18 NLT

***

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

"Living in Dependence on Me is the way to enjoy abundant life. You are learning to appreciate tough times, because they amplify your awareness of My Presence. Tasks that you used to dread are becoming rich opportunities to enjoy My closeness. When you feel tired, you remember that I am your Strength, you take pleasure in leaning on Me. I am pleased by your tendency to turn to Me more and more frequently, especially when you are alone.

"When you are with other people, you often lose sight of My Presence. Your fear of displeasing people puts you in bondage to them, and they become your primary focus. When you realize this has happened, whisper My Name; this tiny act of trust brings Me to the forefront of your consciousness, where I belong. As you bask in the blessing of My nearness, My life can flow through you to others. This is abundant life!"

~ Taken from Proverbs 29:25; John 10:10

***

Saturday, May 3, was my birthday! I have received lots of good wishes, cards, not to mention some very nice gifts!

From a friend, I got a box or "Prayer Cards." It says, "Inspirational prayer and scripture cards for yourself and others." It contains twenty of them. The post-card-sized cards say, "TODAY'S PRAYER". The other side has a Bible verse for the day.

I decide to put one in some of the thank you notes or greeting cards I am sending in the next few days. And since I can't send one to every one, I am including a handful for 'korner readers' today!

"Great is our Lord and mighty
in power. His understanding
has no limit."
~ Psalm 147:5

*
"Love is patient, love is kind.
It always potects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.
~ I Corinthians 13:4, 7

*
"The Lord is gracious and
righteous. Our God is
full of compassion."
~ Psalm 116:5

*
"And all are justified freely by
His grace through the redemption
that came by Christ Jesus."
~ Romans 3:24

*
"To the person who pleases
Him, God gives wisdom,
knowledge and happiness...."
~ Exxlesiastes 2:26

*
"The Lord comforts His people
and will have compassion
on His afflicted ones."
~ Isaiah 49:13

*
*"Let us not become weary in
doing good, for at the proper 
time we will reap a harvest if
we do not give up."
~  Galatians 6:9

****

Our Sunday School class has been looking at the trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus the past few weeks. It is amazing how many people at that time didn't believe in His resurrection. It remains until today. So we have a choice:  what do we believe?

A couple of verses from Acts as Peter began some of his preaching and teaching:
 

"O men of Israel, listen!
God publicly endorsed Jesus of Nazareth
by doing tremendous miracles through him,
as you well know.
But God, following his prearranged plan,
let you use the Roman government
to nail him to the cross and murder him.
Then God released him from the horrors of death
and brought him back to life again,
for death could not keep this man within its grip."

~ Acts 2:22-24 (LB)
 
~

Bible Commentary: "Peter began with a public proclamation of the resurrection at a time when it could be verified by many witnesses. This was a powerful statement because many of the people listening to Peter's words were in Jerusalem 50 days earlier at Passover and may have seen or heard about the crucifixion of this 'greatest teacher.'

"Jesus resurrection was the ultimate sign that what he said about himself was true. Without the resurrection, we would have no reason to believe in Jesus."

****

God is so good. He answers many of our prayers just as we asked. And we are blessed! But what happens when they aren't answered the way we wanted?

Yesterday's Max Lucado:

THE DEFINITIVE GOODNESS OF GOD

"At some point, we all stand at this intersection: Is God good when the outcome is not? The definitive to the goodness of God comes in the person of Jesus Christ. He’s the only picture of God ever taken. He pressed his fingers into the sore of the leper. He inclined his ear to the cry of the hungry. He didn’t retreat at the sight of pain. Just the opposite. Cruel accusations of jealous men? Jesus knows their sting.

"Is it possible that the wonder of heaven will make the most difficult life a good bargain? This was Paul’s opinion. He said, 'Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all' (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV). Your pain won’t last forever my friend, but you will. Whatever we go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has planned for us. You’ll get through this! God is good, even when the outcome is difficult. Hang on to this promise."

***

"The joy of the Lord
is your strength."
~Nehemiah 8:10 LAB

*

For my birthday, I was given a small book, "A Book of Joy" with many Thomas Kinkade's art works. He termed himself 'Painter of Light'.

Plus there were lots of sayings:  

"The sun does not shine
for a few trees and flowers,
but for the wide world's joy."
~ Henry Ward Beecher

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"Pleasure comes from without,
and joy comes from within,
and it is, therefore,
within reach of everyone in the world."
~ Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

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"I've learned from experience
that the greater part
of our happiness or misery
depends on our dispositions
and not on our circumstances."
~ Martha Washington

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"In the same way,
if you keep on making joy choices,
small and large, your heart
will eventually display
a joyful tint that is more durable
than you ever imagined."
~ Thomas Kinkade

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"Happiness is the realization
of God in the heart.
Happiness is the result
of praise and thanksgiving,
of faith, of acceptance;
a quiet tranquil realization
of the love of God."
~ White Eagle

*
"Once you begin looking
you may be surprised to discover
just how much joy
your world has to offer."
~ Thomas Kinkade

****

It's spring! And fun to begin digging in the dirt!

As I dig, I find all kinds of grass growing; some places I want - other places, I don't!  As I unearth some of the plants, I find roots. But all kinds of 'white root' runners! If I don't get the ones I don't want out, there will be lots of additional grass plants!! The roots tend to double and more!!

As I looked at those white runners, I couldn't help but think:  that is what I would like to be to 'add' to God's Kingdom. To 'grow' more people to my friend base. And learn from others; their life experiences and what Jesus means to them!

Let's be like crab grass and send out 'root runners', to each other and people in our world!

"Jesus told his disciples,
'I have been given all authority
in heaven and earth.
Therefore go and
make disciples in all nations,
baptizing them into the name of 
the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit,
and then teach these new disciples
to obey all the commands
I have given you; and be sure of this --
that I am with you always,
even to the end of the world."

~ Matthew 28:18 - 20 LAB

***

"The Lord's blessing is our greatest wealth.
 All our work adds nothing to it!"

~ Proverbs 10:22

*

Bible Commentary:  "This proverb is in sharp contrast to our society which measures personal worth by how much a person owns. Our relationship to God is our most valuable possession. This blessing is not reserved for the rich. It is for all who call upon the name of the Lord. Neither is it something for which we must work hard; our efforts can add nothing to what God freely offers. Those who spend their lives enjoying only material wealth will never experience the true happiness that comes from enjoying God."

**

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

"Thank Me in the midst of the crucible
(severe test or trial).
When things seem all wrong,
look for growth opportunities.
Especially, look for areas where you need to let go,
leaving your cares in My able hands.
Do you trust Me
to orchestrate your life events
as I choose,
or are you still trying to make things go
according to your will?
If you keep trying to carry out your intentions
while I am leading you
in another direction,
you deify your desires.

"Be on the lookout for what 
I am doing in your life.
Worship Me
by living close to Me,
thanking Me in all circumstances."

~Taken from I Peter 5:6 - 7; I Thessalonians 5:18

***

(Sorry for no Karen's Korner yesterday!)

A couple of entries from "Everyday Blessings" by Max Lucado. They are short, so you get two!!

"The Lord our God is right in everything He does."
~ Daniel 9:14

"God is never wrong.
He has never rendered a wrong decision. 
experienced the wrong attitude,
taken the wrong path,
said the wrong thing,
or acted the wrong way.
He is never too late or too early,
too loud or too soft,
too fast or too slow.
He has always been and always will be right.
He is righteous."

**

"Serve only the LORD your God.
Respect Him, keep His commands, and obey Him."
~ Deuteronomy 13:4

"Christ's kingdom is ....a kingdom where membership is granted, not purchased.

"You are placed into God's kingdom. You are 'adopted'. And this occurs not when you do enough, but when you admit you can't do enough. You don't earn it; you simply accept it. As a result, you serve, not out of arrogance or fear, but out of gratitude."

****

For fun, I looked back at a Karen's Korner from today's date in 2016:

Today is Monday, May 16th, 2016; Karen's Korner #3311

"A true friend is always loyal,

and a brother is born to help in time of need."

~ Proverbs 17:17 LAB

*

Bible Commentary: "What kind of friend are we? There is a vast difference between knowing someone well and being a true friend. The greatest evidence of genuine friendship is loyalty---being available to help in times of distress or personal struggles. Too many people are fair-weather friends. They stick around when the friendship helps them, and leave when they're not getting anything out of the relationship. Think of our friends and assess our loyalty to them. We need to be the kind of true friend the Bible encourages."

****

(A Karen's Korner on Saturday to make up for the one I didn't send on Thursday!)

Today is a day that I need to be reminded that I am loved by God. Sometimes I/we run pretty far and fast ahead, just in time to look back and re-listen to His care for us.

"For God loved the world (Karen and her friends)
so much that He
GAVE
His only Son
so that anyone (each one of us)
who believes In Him
shall not perish 
but have eternal life.
God did not 
send His Son
into the world (Karen and everyone else!)
to condemn it, 
but to save it!

~ John 3:16 & 17 LAB

*

Bible Commentary:  "Many people are repulsed by thinking about living forever because their lives are miserable. But eternal life is not the extension of  man's miserable, mortal life; eternal life is God's life embodied in Christ given to all believers now as a guarantee that they will live forever. In this life there is no death, sickness, enemies, evil, and sin. When we don't know Christ, we make choices as though this life were all we have. in reality, this life is just the introduction to eternity. Begin, therefore, to evaluate all that happens from an eternal perspective."

***

As a follow to Saturday's Karen's Korner and a quick reminder to the familiar John 3:16, I wanted to include something from yesterday's sermon - 1 John 3:16! Not nearly as familiar........

"We know what real love is
from Christ's example in dying for us.
And so we also
ought to lay down our lives
for our Christian brothers."

*

Bible Commentary (in part):  "Real love is an action, not a feeling. It produces selfless, sacrificial giving. The greatst act of love anyone can do is to give himself or herself for others. How can we lay down our lives? Sometimes it is easier to say we'll die for others than to truly live for them, which involves putting others' desires first. Some ways of sacrificial love for others:  listening, helping, encouraging, giving. Think of someone in particular who neeeds this kind of love today."

***
 

Gardeners here in north central Iowa have had quite a battle on our hands the last few days, maybe weeks! At times, it has been too hot or too dry. Wind? We have several days in a row with massive winds. I have starter plants which are almost parallel to the ground! Dry too. Seeds lay in dry dirt waiting for a drink. I take water to them, but it doesn't work the best.

Then comes yesterday! Lots of rain to soak up the dry, thirsty ground. God can do in minutes or hours which we can't do in days! What a miracle worker He is!

God,
thank You that You take care of stuff!
Not just sort of...
abundantly!
You take care of not only rain
and drinks of water for our fields,
gardens, and seeds,
but for every part of our lives.
Sometimes we forget,
so thank You!
Amen.

Something written and sent to my computer several days ago by Max Lucado. He talks about childhood memories. Some of us had wonderful memories. Some of us didn't. If you are in either category, chances are pretty good you could share this writing with someone else.

IT  STOPS HERE!

'Your family history doesn’t have to be your future. The generational garbage can stop here and now. Don’t give your kids what your ancestors gave to you. Talk to God about it, in detail. 'God, every day I came home from school to find mom drunk, lying on the couch. I had to take care of baby brother, do homework on my own. It’s not right, God.' Difficult, for certain. But let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Let him replace  'childish thinking' with mature truth.

"A dear friend of mine was called to identify the body of his father who’d been shot by his ex-wife. The blast was just another in a long line of angry, violent family moments. He made this resolution: 'It stops with me.' And it has! God wants to help you—for your sake. Trust him. With his help, you will get through this."

**

Taken from "365 Days of Prayer for Women" by Stephanie Sample. Not today's but from a few days ago, May 19.

Some days I feel like God should be grateful to have me as His Child. Other days not so much! It has nothing to do with me. And everything to do with Him. He never changes. Praise God!

WITH YOU

"We can confidently say,
'The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?"
~ Hebrews 13:6 ESV

"All-powerful God, what is too hard for you? And with you, what is too hard for me? With you next to me, I am strengthened. With you behind me, I am fortified. With you in front of me, I am shielded. With you holding me up, I am immovable. With you inside me, I know all this to be true. You give me confidence, Lord, and with that confidence, success. It doesn't mattter who comes against me; it doesn't matter what they say, or do, or bring to defeat me. I have you, and you've got me."

"What is too hard for you? Is it too hard for God?"

***

(I will be away from my computer for a few days. Karen's Korners will resume on Monday, June 9. I will miss all of you!)

This is Memorial Day weekend.

Wikipedia says,
 "Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the U.S. to honor and mourn the military personnel who died in service. It originated after the Civil War and was expanded to include all wars, and is observed on the last Monday of May."

*
The Bible says, 

"the greatest love is shown
when a person lays down his life
for his friends.."
~ John 15:13 LAB

*

Not everyone who serves or has served in the military dies in his/her service. But the willingness has to be there.

When we volunteer, we 'lay down' a portion of our lives for others.

The Bible Commentary on the above verse says, "We are to love one another as Jesus loved us, and he loved us enough to give his life for us. We may not have to die for someone, but there are other ways we can demonstrate our sacrificial love for others:  listening, helping, encouraging, giving. Think of someone in particular who needs this kind of love today. Give all the  love you can, and then try to give a little more."

Happy Memorial Day!