Karen’s Notes
Celebrating Six Years of Sharing from this Glory-Bound Lady
Volume 6 Number 12
Posting # 256 “Preliminary Thoughts Scratched in Pencil!”
March 22nd, 2023

Something that I want you to know about Karen.
Nearly twenty-five years ago, Karen was invited to speak three times as a ladies’ conference in the Mohawk Valley Region of New York State. Her specific assigned topic was to encourage the ladies to pursue God’s purpose in their lives. We talked a lot and prayed much as she was faced with the daunting task of speaking on such a topic in three brief forty-five minute sessions.

Let me share with you the text she used for her conference teaching.

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

What a great reminder. Here’s what she wrote one day.
Before Karen put the conference notes into manuscript form, she typically had a medium-sized pad that she simply wrote out preliminary thoughts about where she might go in her teaching. Over these penciled preliminary thoughts, with lots of lines scratched out and new ones added, she would pray and develop her conference.

In penciled form, written in various directions and with some “doodling” along the way,
here is what she wrote on the pad long ago as just one part of a paragraph of rich teaching..

Where am I going in my Christian life?
I am loved unconditionally.
What a change has taken place in my life.
The little chorus goes, “I love Him better every D-A-Y.” My daily walk with Him is crucial in this world.

Here’s my takeaway.
Think of the verses. How wonderful are the blessings and how greatly encouraged we are who love the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have Christ dwelling in our hearts.
We are rooted and grounded in His love.
We are comprehending with the other saints how great is His love.
What a change has taken place and think of what the Lord wants to do in our lives.

Let me send you on your way with a smile.
Have you ever heard of George C. Parker? In the history of all the con artists who lived and flourished, Parker probably holds the absolute worst place in the archives of dishonor. This man was perhaps the most daring and yet successful of all the crooks and swindlers in American History.

He set up an office in New York City and “sold” a few of the most famous attractions to gullible tourists. He seems to most often sell the Brooklyn Bridge, but he also sold the Statue of Liberty, Madison Square Garden, and Grant’s tomb, producing elaborately forged documents and illegal deeds to convince his target that he was indeed the rightful owner of the landmarks he was selling to them.

We smile at such absurdity.

Aren’t you glad that the Lord is our “owner” and we legitimately belong to Him? Indeed, we love Him better every D – A – Y!