“Karen’s Notes!
Insights from a Glory-Bound Lady”

Selected Notes
Volume 5 Number 36 “Now That’s the Way to Start Your Day!”
September 7th, 2022

I have mentioned several times in “Karen’s Notes” that I have smiled about her situation with public speaking. Slowly but surely the dear lady who dropped the course “Public Speaking” at the Practical Bible Training School over time became quite the public speaker. I can remember that day in our second year of college when she was nearly in tears saying, “I don’t want to speak in public. Besides, you are going to be the pastor. I’ll do anything in the churches we serve, just not speak in public.” Dr. Woodrow Kroll shook his head and finally saw that she meant what she was saying to him and me. He gave her permission to drop his public speaking course as she would “NEVER SPEAK PUBLICLY!

I have been looking through some of the ladies’ seminar notes that she prepared. Honestly, she was the keynote speaker in dozens and dozens of ladies’ seminars. This particular set of notes seemed to jump out at me today. I have shared some of the parts of this seminar over the years, but today I want to focus on just a paragraph Karen wrote. She was speaking at a ladies’ retreat on the subject of “At the Feet of Jesus!” Session one was “Pondering His Promises.” Session two was “Practicing His Presence.” The retreat concluded with “Pursuing His Purpose.” Every once in a while, I hear from a lady who attended one of these retreats.

In the first session, she concluded with point # 6: “The promise of His comfort.”
Here’s the verse she used, and then I will share her handwritten note.

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

Karen wrote: There are many precious promises in God’s Word. His record is excellent as we look at the promises He kept to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and many, many others. We can depend on Him to keep His promises to us. Because of this, we can start every new day looking for the fulfillment of His promises.

Michael’s observation: She shared several situations with the ladies of how the Lord was keeping His promise of comfort to her personally. I am challenged by the phrase, “we can start every new day looking for the fulfillment of His promises.” What a great perspective. Years later she would go through the very difficult days of her cancer journey. Though she experienced profound illness, she truly found great comfort, strength, and help in knowing that God keeps His promises, and His comfort is amazing.

How will this play out in your life right now?