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Today is Wednesday, November 5th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5478
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November a great month to remember to be thankful!
Any time. Any month. Any day!
"Come,
let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us come before Him with thanksgiving
and extol Him with music and song.
For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods."
~ Psalm 95:1 - 3 (NIV)
*
"O give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures for ever!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom He had redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south."
~ Psalm 107:1 - 3 (RS)
*
"This is the day the Lord has made,
let us rejoice
and be glad in it."
~ Psalm 118:24 (NIV)
***
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Today is Tuesday, November 4th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5477
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For fun, a look back to a "Karen's Korner" from ten years ago today:
Today is Wednesday, November 4th, 2015; Karen's Korner #3178
Something written and emailed to readers by Anne Graham Lotz. She refers to her husband in the writing; Danny passed away within the last few months. And her mother, Ruth who died a number of years ago: Soaring Higher "Even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed." ~ I Peter 3:14 NKJV "Within a period of eighteen months, I went through a cluster of storms that left me emotionally gasping for breath. From Hurricane Fran, which downed 102 trees in our yard, to the fire that consumed my husband's dental office, to my son, Jonathan's cancer and surgery, to my parents' increasingly fragile health that included multiple hospitalizations, to a home remodeling project that involved a contractor who took our money but refused to do the work, I reeled from one emergency or crises to another. "Looking back over that eighteen-month period, my thought, confident conclusion is that God allowed the storms of suffering to increase and intensify in my life because He wanted me to soar higher in my relationship with Him--to fall deeper in love with Him. "Faith that triumphantly soars is possible only when the winds of life are contrary to personal comfort. That kind of faith is God's ultimate purpose in allowing us to encounter storms of suffering. Trust Him!" **
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Today is Monday, November 3rd, 2025; Karen's Korner #5476
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Daylight savings time ended this weekend! Chances are pretty good we have made some comments about it. And we certainly have to learn to adjust: more light in the morning; darker earlier in the evening!
Guess what? God hasn't changed anything. There is still the same hours of light and dark as before we reset our clocks!
Light and dark have always been part of God's Kingdom. From the first few verses in the Bible when God was creating 'the heavens and the earth and the Spirit of God was brooding over the dark vapors' (Genesis 1:2), the first thing he said was "Let there be light. And the light appeared".(vs. 3)
And God has been flipping the light switch ever since!
Lots of darkness in the world today. But He is light! And lights wherever He goes. As Christians, we are to be light in our worlds!
So what am I going to do with more darkness earlier in the evenings? I am going to ask God to help me not to 'droop' earlier each evening. And to enjoy the next few months of Central Standard Time.
Dear God,
thank You that everything
You do is so well-ordered!
We change,
but not You!
As I adjust to the new time
and as a morning person,
will You help me
to do something for
Your Kingdom
when I would rather sit
and watch the world go by.
Help me to see this
as just one more adventure
and to see what You have
in store for the next few
fall and winter months!
In Jesus' Name.
Amen.
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Today is Friday, October 31st, 2025; Karen's Korner #5475
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Have a wonderful weekend!
Something from Sarah Young and her "Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence". Not today's; tomorrow's! Since we don't have a weekend Karen's Korner:
"Do not be discouraged by the difficulty of keeping your focus on Me. I know that your heart's desire is to be aware of My Presence continually. This is a lofty goal; you aim toward it but never fully achieve it in this life. Don't let feelings of failure weigh you down. Instead, try to see yourself as I see you. First of all, I am delighted by your deep desire to walk closely with Me through your life. I am pleased each time you initiate communication with Me. In addition, I notice the progress you have made since you first resolved to live in My Presence.
"When you realize that your mind has wandered away from Me, don't be alarmed or surprised. You live in a world that has been rigged to distract you. Each time you plow your way through the massive distractions to communicate with Me, you achieve a victory. Rejoice in these tiny triumphs, and they will increasingly light up your day."
~ Taken from Romans 8:13- 14; Hebrews 4:14 - 16
***
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Today is Thursday, October 30th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5474
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A short Bible verse from Psalms. Sometimes the hardest relationships to maintain are those closest to us!
"I will try to walk a blameless path,
but how I need your help,
especially in my own home,
where I long to act as I should."
~ Psalm 101: 2 LAB
* Bible Commentary: "Close relationships have much potential for conflict. Our homes can be difficult places in which to live godly lives. Our families usually see us at our worst because we relax and let down our masks of good behavior. Often we do not treat our family members with the same respect and kindness we show to friends and business associates. David (writer) must have experienced this difficulty as he cried to God for help. Since we should want to treat those who are closest to us well, and since we want our lives to be Christian examples for them, pray that God will help you live a blameless life at home."
**
Help us,
Father God!
Like everything in our lives,
we need Your help!
Amen.
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Today is Wednesday, October 29th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5473
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Today's email from Max Lucado:
What Do We Do With Pain?
"We all have pain. Some sufferings we deserve, but many we do not. Deformities? Death of a child? Wartime atrocities? What do you do with these? Why are some people bitter, angry, and harsh, while others are tender, receptive, and kind?
"Much of the answer is found in their response to pain.
Scripture makes three clear statements about affliction. First, there is no pain-free option. 'In the world you will have tribulation,' Jesus said. (John 16:33 ESV). Second, everyone does something with their pain. Numb it. Obsess over it. Run from it. But thirdly, pain displays God’s glory. We exist to make a big deal out of God. Regarding humanity, God declares, 'I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them' (Isaiah 43:7 NLT).
"And nothing glorifies God greater than faith in the midst of suffering."
****
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Today is Tuesday, October 28th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5472
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"This is the day
that the Lord
has made.
We will rejoice
and be glad
in it!"
~ Psalm 118:24 LAB
*
Today is "National First Responders Day"!
A day to thank people who respond to all of us
when things are going badly!
Some are paid for what they do!
Police officers; people in our sheriffs' departments!
Many others are not!
Firefighters, especially in smaller communities!
Those serving as emergency workers,
riding in ambulances to be
a 'first responder'!
*
Lord,
we thank You for people
who are willing to serve us in this manner!
As one first responder put it,
'We do it because of our hearts.
We care!'
Thank You for each and every one of them!
Amen.
*
Okay, this is your assignment for today:
We have cell phone numbers,
we have ability to email lots of people,
we can text others.
So contact one person to tell them
'thank you'!
So just do it!!!
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Today is Monday, October 27th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5471
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"What fools the nations are to rage against the Lord!
How strange that men should try to plot against God!
For a summit conference of the nations has been called to plot against the Lord and his Messiah, Christ the King.
'Come, let us break his chains,' they say,
'and free ourselves from all this slavery to God.'
But God in heaven merely laughs!
He is amused by all their puny plans.
And then in fierce fury
he rebukes them
and fills them with fear."
~ Psalm 2:1 - 5 LB
**
Bible Commentary: People often think they will be free if they can get away from God. Yet we all inevitably serve somebody or something, whether a human king, the wishes of friends, or our own selfish desires. Just as a fish is not free when it leaves the water and a tree is not free when it leaves the soil, we ae not free when we leave the Lord. The one sure route to freedom is wholeheartedly serving God the Creator. He can set us free to be who He created us to be.
"God laughs, not at the nations, but at their confused thought about power. It is the kind of laughter which a father has with his preschool son who boasts of outrunning his father or conquering him in a wrestling match. The father knows the boundaries of power of his little boy and God knows the boundaries of power of the nations. If we must choose to put our confidence in God or the nations, choose God!!"
****
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Today is Friday, October 24th, 2025; Karen's Korner #5470
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From today's "365 Days of Prayer for Women" by Stephanie Sample to take us into the weekend!
TOO MUCH
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest."
~ Matthew 11:29 ESV
"Precious Lord, how can you be so kind? I know your burdens are tremendous, you hold all we cannot carry. Yet you call to me, offering to take mine on too. How beautiful you are? Jesus, I admit I am weary.. My labor is long; my burden is heavy. Thank you, Lord, for your invitation. It's so like you to take my burden as your own. Thank you for your offer of rest. Where else could I find it, with so much to carry? Who else could I trust to watch over my load while I recover my strength, and in whom could I have faith to stir me when it's time to return? Only you, gracious Lord."
"What is too much for you right now
that you could give to God?"
***
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Today is Thursday, October 23rd, 2025; Karen's Korner #5469
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Something shared to me by a school friend Elsie Felland. You may seen this before:
Come Before Winter By Charles R Swindoll
Tyndale House, 1985
Page 500 – Stop the Revolving Door
From bondage to spiritual faith
From spiritual faith to great courage
From great courage to strength
From strength to liberty
From liberty to abundance
From abundance to leisure
From leisure to selfishness
From selfishness to complacency
From complacency to apathy
From apathy to dependency
From dependency to weakness
From weakness back to bondage
***
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