Make a Wish: Revealing My Top 7 Wishes in Life
Go ahead…make a wish. Because we all love wishes.
Whether for a birthday or the gift of a wish-making moment, there’s a glorious thing about wishes.
You can wish for anything.
Wishes I Dared to Dream
And anything means anything, you know.
So, it’s exactly the kind of stuff I dared to dream on the hunch that maybe a few of my “anythings” might make it to reality.
Some came true.
But others fizzled as quick as I blew out the candles.
I made wishes running the spectrum of valiant and noble to downright self-centered and princess-ish. Wishes I patiently waited on. And the ones I threw a childish tantrum over.
Yet, deep in the depths of my soul, this girl’s always been a dreamer—wishing for the subtle pleasures of life and big ole’ ginormous things only God can pull off.
Wishing for big ole’ ginormous things only God can pull off. #God #blog Share on XLooking back, I see the Lord’s tender mercies in my top wishes. In case you didn’t know, God’s the biggest dreamer of all. He dreams for each of us.
God’s the biggest dreamer of all. He #dreams for each of us. #God Share on XSo, me and God, we dream together.
Countdown of My Top 7 Wishes
7. The love of my father.
March 8, 2018 at 8:30 am | Uncategorized
Top 10 Countdown of Reasons to Choose Team Jesus
We live in a time of ample opportunity for choosing a team to represent. Sports and reality shows afford us a team choice.
But life also boils down to teams on spiritual matters.
Yet, we hold the decision to pick the world’s team or God’s team, to stay loyal to Jesus or other gods.
Choose Team Jesus
10) Jesus wrote the playbook. In Christ dwells truth and knowledge of all things.
This makes Jesus best suited to call all the plays in my life. “For in him we live and move and have our being” Acts 17:28 a, ESV.
Aligning my every move with #Jesus becomes a game changer. #teamJesus Share on X9) Jesus embodies perfection. Whether in sports, music, talents, or career, the old adage says, “Practice makes perfect.” But practice never made anyone perfect, only better. The bottom line?
Nobody bats a thousand except Jesus. His ways and Word are perfect (see Psalm 18:30).
February 1, 2018 at 10:39 am | Uncategorized
Jesus Unedited in an Over Edited World
Look around. It’s happening right before our eyes. Listen up. It’s within earshot. Jesus is edited out of nearly every nook and cranny of our world.
Deemed bold, opinionated, and creative in many aspects of life, I gladly wear the labels for my passions. Speaking events give me opportunities to talk about Jesus. And writing in the non-fiction Christian genre, I pen the name of Christ on the page and screen.
Sometimes the creative juices flow, letting the words spill out as I type and take dictation from God and my soul. However, a great writer must also become a student of another class, Editing 101.
Edit. Revise. Cut. Delete. Modify.
Yet, I find it difficult to let go of words I want to keep. Learning when and how much to hit the delete button. Knowing which sentences to rephrase, and what paragraphs to move and where to place them. And deciphering how to arrange everything in a succinct way—reminiscent of rocket science. Seriously, I believe it’s a spot-on analogy.
January 25, 2018 at 9:28 am | Uncategorized
12 Scriptures to Personalize with Names and Pray
Try this at home. Here’s one feat I encourage every believer to attempt. Insert your name and the names of loved ones into Scripture.
Then pray the words back to God and see what happens.
Recently, I recognized the seventh anniversary of my father leaving this earth in a social media post. In the write-up, I mentioned the years my dad spent as an atheist.
When I met Christ at sixteen, I started praying for my dad. Prayers for him to believe in the heavenly Father.
And God answered my prayers sixteen years later when my dad gave his life to the Lord.
Inserting Names into Bible Verses
But in the middle of the long process, my faith often waned. I struggled to believe my dad would ever become a Christ-follower.
Needing help with my own unbelief, I began to insert my dad’s name into Scripture. Then I prayed it out loud and back to God. While I may not know for sure, I think it played a part in my dad’s salvation.
Yet, I know this.
There’s power in #prayer. And we move mountains in the #spiritual world with the truth of God’s Word. Share on XAlso, this practice acquaints us with Scripture and aids in its memorization.
Names of Loved Ones and Yours
January 11, 2018 at 9:00 am | Uncategorized
4 Popular Bible Verses and What We Missed
Certain Bible verses make the most quoted and popular list in church and Christian circles. But sometimes we miss important truths or gloss over the context of the passage. Or, we memorize a verse without considering the Bible verses before and after.
So I highlight 4 Bible verses in this post and discuss their neighboring Scriptures.
Popular Bible Verses
1) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” Jeremiah 29:11.
You see, to know God has plans for our welfare, future, and hope, taps into our longing to be affirmed and loved and cared for.
But Jeremiah pens God’s words in a letter to God’s people in exile. “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill my promise and bring you back to this place” (verse 10).
Yet, the Lord planned to restore the exiles and bring them back to Jerusalem. And God has restoration plans for us.
November 2, 2017 at 10:01 am | Uncategorized
Making Jesus Known to Leaders of this Retail Giant
“Karen, we want our people to hear the gospel.”
Tears pooled and released like water freed from a dam. My mouth hung open as I re-read the message.
Speak at Walmart Women’s Leadership Conference? And boldly talk about Jesus?
Lord, you answered my prayer. Why my surprise? You gave me this heart for the lost.
Knowing Jesus
A personal mission of my speaking and writing ministry is to know Jesus more and make Him known.
What a privilege to not only introduce others to Christ, but to also help believers know Him more.
And I never want to assume that every attendee at church events knows Christ. Because my heart is drawn to the lost…to those who need Jesus.
So I pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead me in sharing the gospel message of Calvary’s cross and an empty tomb every time I step on stage.
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13 ESV, emphasis mine)
Making Jesus Known
October 26, 2017 at 10:33 am | Uncategorized
Tell Me a Story: A Storyline Video by Karen Girl Friday
There’s power in story. Our story matters. It not only gives us a voice, but brings significance to our life meaning. Sharing it with others releases us from the world’s attempt to mute our voice.
Unmuting Our Voice
You see, telling our story sucker punches the devil smack dab in the gut. And that’s my favorite part. He works to stifle our voice…to keep us from narrating our storyline. Yet, God’s not only the author, but He’s also the narrator, the editor, and the publisher.
Does it mean each chapter glitters and sparkles? No. But God uses every life experience including the hurt, heartache, and moments of joy for His purpose and His glory.
Often, we try to edit and rewrite our narrative and submit it to God for approval. Or, hide our version of the manuscript in a safe place hoping life turns out to match our revisions.
June 29, 2017 at 10:54 am | Uncategorized
What Big Eyes You Have! God Sees Me
This is for you.
The teen girl who feels invisible. A mom surrounded by loneliness. The woman who wonders if anyone cares. The man struggling with meaning.
Those touched by hopelessness. Souls caught in the pit of despair. The lost who don’t believe they can be found.
To everyone who questions God’s existence or love.
Or, if you wonder. Is God there? Does He know? Does He see?
Little Red Riding Hood’s wolf in disguise possessed big eyes. “The better to see you with,” he said. But his eyes don’t compare to the Lord’s eyes which are vast, keen, and aware.
The God Who Sees
June 22, 2017 at 10:06 am | Uncategorized
4 Reasons the Bible’s not a Pick and Choose Buffet
“Aunt Karen, can we go to the buffet at Golden Corral today?”
My nephew, Parker, enjoys a buffet. So his restaurant choice for lunch after church often includes this style of dining.
Pick and Choose Buffet
We’re talking about a mouth-watering spread. The choices include meats, vegetables, side-dishes, breads, and desserts. And the food themes offer a taco bar, pasta bar, and every item you ever imagined on the salad bar.
But Parker’s food-pick is one among ten to fourteen family members who voice an opinion. We occasionally go to Pizza Hut’s buffet (not my personal favorite and limited choices). Yet, our family’s never gone to Golden Corral’s buffet for lunch on a Sunday. So, poor Parker, I hope his parents take him there on occasion.
Perhaps you enjoy a good buffet. Picking and choosing all the foods you love, leaving behind items you’d rather live without and your taste buds thank you for it.
Choices seem endless without judgement of what you pick or don’t. The unspoken motto; Come, enjoy, choose what you want, be merry and leave full.
Still, the world encourages the same slogan. After all, they try to convince us life’s one big buffet menu. Choose whatever you want, leave behind items you’d rather live without, your real friends will thank you for it.
Culture promotes the exact advertisement when it comes to God’s Holy Scripture. And sadly, some believers, church-folk, own stock in this marketing campaign. Listen, take to heart the parts you love—in agreement with—and ignore everything else.
4 Reasons the Bible’s Not a Buffet
June 15, 2017 at 9:46 am | Uncategorized
How God Designed His Own Coloring Book
I’ll let you in on a secret about me. There’s no creative brushstrokes in my DNA—none. Even my stick figures look pitiful.
You won’t find the blood of an artist running through my veins. I’m not artistic by any stretch of the imagination.
But the art of coloring gives un-artsy people a way to add individual flare to a beautifully drawn picture.
Coloring Connoisseurs
My daughter, Megan, and I are fond of coloring. A fondness starting when we were both little girls. We colored together through her childhood, teen, and college days, and still do today.
Who says coloring is only for kids? This article makes me want to color right now.
Still, Megan and I consider ourselves coloring connoisseurs. We colored for recreation and mental therapy long before the rest of the world caught on to coloring books for all ages.
Proudly signing our name to completed pictures is a tradition. “By Mom” remained my standard signature until Megan married. Now I sign my actual name.
To later admire our handiwork as we flip through books during a new coloring session, we date each finished masterpiece with month/day/year. They bear who and when information.
God’s Coloring Book
June 8, 2017 at 9:38 am | Uncategorized