Hey, I haven't written anything is so long. There have been a lot of changes in my life this summer. I am in a new season of life all of the sudden and it hasn't been an easy transition. I just wanted to write my thoughts down this evening.

I have been in Little Rock today shopping for a special dress for our 25Th Wedding Anniversary Celebration. I am blessed because I am married to a great looking guy, who loves God with all his heart, who loves me, and that is a chore, he is a wonderful dad and awesome pastor. I am blessed.

I always enjoy being with my friend, Allison. She has such a positive look on everything. I like being with a person like that. She tells me that I am SO skinny. Hey, that alone explains it. We had fun, or I did. We picked a pretty dress, I hope you like it. I am going to wear it Sunday night.

We are going to leave on our 2ND honeymoon in one week. I will post pictures.

Have a great day and put God first in all you do.

P. S. Alan will be home tomorrow!

The Christian Yada Yada Girls

Day 1

I just have to let you in on a little get together we had the other night. A few of us decided to get together and have some fun and food while pastor was away. We had some wonderful food and we talked and shared for quite some time. I think everyone was encouraged and refreshed when they left even though everyone left the next day, if you know what I mean, I think we all felt that it was worth being a little tired that day at work or wherever.

Day 2

We all agreed that we feel that something good is about to happen around us and in us. This past Sunday, Pastor and I were gone, but there was a move of God and many have spoken this week of how they felt God was working in their lives. Remember the week prior was Prayer and Fasting Week. Many were there three times a day praying and asking for God to guide us and direct us.

Day 3

I have spent weeks on this same post. I write and think I will get back to it but don't. It is 3:25a.m. I have had too much caffeine and can't sleep for one but God is using this time to speak something to me. Wasn't it a wonderful day at First Assembly? Even if he is my husband, our pastor shared a great word with us and if you doubt it was from his heart, I will tell you that it was from his heart. We had a great crowd and as we drove over to Dermott yesterday, we talked about how we believe that we are about to see some awesome things in our churches!! We had a great service at Dermott yesterday. There was a word given from the Lord in the service at Dermott that I can't stop thinking about. We, the church, have been given the fresh oil and we need to spill or pour it out. I was pondering that and thinking about the oil in my kitchen. If I don't use it, it will began to have a bad odor and sometimes become a little sticky. It needs to be used in order for it to be fresh. If I use old oil, it makes the food taste different and can even upset your stomach. Think about that. We received from God Sunday, now who are you going to spill/pour it on?

I feel God saying this to me, if I send you new people, are you ready for them? I feel like He is going to give us several youth and I am asking, Pastor John and youth sponsors and youth, are you ready? I encourage all our young people to go out and invite as many of your peers as you can to the All State Choir Concert on July 11th. I believe this morning that God is telling me this. I believe He wants to use this tool to reach some youth in Monticello. This is what I was feeling. Get out your cell phones and spread the word. Tell all your friends to come and then tell them to tell all their friends to come. I am excited about what can happen. There will be at least 50 young people from the choir ready to pray and minister to your friends. What a kick off for school this fall. I have been hearing some things and I believe the key people are in place to make Monticello High School a very talked about school because of the move of God throughout the school.

I am about to write too much for one post because I want you to read it and if it is too long, you may give up. LOL I feel there is a battle going on and we have to press in and God is going to show up and show out if He sees that we are ready and that we really want it.

God cover you today, friends.

Karen

The Water's Are Stirring

Hello, I know a very long time since I have had a post. What have I been doing you say? It has been a busy six weeks. Getting out of school, I haven't been feeling too great, much better now, thank you, you name it and it has happened around here. I have turned another year older. It is hard getting old.

I just wanted to say that good things are coming soon. I do believe that once again the waters are being stirred and we need to jump in. If you are not able, then ask someone to throw you in. hehehe A wonderful day Sunday! I personally think that the sermon was one of my favorites. I have heard many say that it spoke to them. A few of the young people even got a copy. How about that, so proud of our young people. I love the way they come to the front during praise and worship. If only you could get a view of what the choir is seeing. You know I am going to talk to Rick about that because I'll bet he could give you a view ever once in a while. It is great to see them with hands lifted and singing for God and to Him.

I told those in service Sunday night about the miracles that had taken place in Hot Springs this past weekend. Many testified that they were healed. I just believe that there is much more to come.

I am looking forward to getting with you more often. Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

I love you very much,

Karen

Congratulations to Kraig and Melissa, a beautiful wedding.

2008 Staff Retreat

Helen is tied to bridge, afraid of heights. We love you, Helen!

Staff Retreat 2008

Hello, I haven't had a new post in a few days but I am working on one that I felt the Lord dropped in my heart Sunday morning. Maybe tonight I can write it.

I just got back off of a retreat with the staff here at First Assembly. They are a fun group to hang out with. We had a few laughs and enjoyed a time of refreshing and getting to know each other better. Some too well, we were next door to the musical cook and his wife and the walls were pretty thin. I'm not trying to start anything, I'm just saying...

By the way, Laura and her accomplices, thank you for the special gift you gave us.

We were blessed with a little surprise picnic in Heber Springs. Pastor(what a good looking guy), ask Rick and Cathy to surprise the staff with a picnic. They went all out. It was great. They had a fire going, tables decorated with flowers, fried potatoes, chicken, peas and homemade cookies from Virginia!! We were feasting. The staff felt loved and appreciated. Thank you for being such great support and friends to some of God's choice servants.

When we first arrived at the Bed and Breakfast we were staying at, I think we had a little panic going on. There was no cell service and no T.V. in the rooms. I personally thought it was wonderful but some have a different opinion of that. We had to TALK to each other! I loved it. I plan to go there again.

We enjoyed a tour of the Caverns. I have never been and that was very interesting. We also had a nice meal and was encouraged by our District Superintendent, Reverend Larry Moore. He took the time to come and fellowship with us and share words of encouragement.

We walked around town. They had some local things going on. I have a new discovery, the staff blessed us with a basket of goodies and inside the basket were some chocolate covered coffee beans. They are very good. If you haven't tried them and you like coffee, you have to give them a try. Maybe Pastor John will stock these in our Coffee Shop at church. Maybe if you ask him...

Thank you, church family, for treating your staff and letting them have a time away together to refresh. We love you and you are a great church. What does pastor always say? You are the greatest church in the world!!! Keep on keeping on...

Your servant,

Karen

I hope to post a picture soon

Anything You Say, Can And Will Be Used Against You

Remember this? Oh be careful little tongue what you say, oh be careful little tongue what you say, for the Father up above is looking down in love, oh be careful little tongue what you say... Did you sing that to yourself?

It is almost true that everything we need to know, we learned in first grade or whatever the saying is. I have had this on my mind for several days but couldn't decide if I wanted to write about it.

I want to refer to the message tonight. Mark 11:23, if you say to the mountain, move and you believe it, then it will happen. What you speak is very important. We must control our mouth because in it is life and death. My dad use to say to me, Kay, "think before you speak." He would tell me that when I was getting a little too mouthy.

Proverbs 21:23, "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles." How many times have you wished you hadn't said that? Words can't be taken back.

One of my favorite stories and I have shared it a few times is about the two women who are very best friends. One day they get into an argument and one says something to her friend that she wishes she hadn't said. It changed their friendship and they were no longer close like before. After weeks and months of torment the woman goes to an older and wiser woman from the town and ask how she can make their friendship like it was before. The older and wiser woman tells her to get her feather pillows and while everyone is sleeping that night she is to go to every house in the town and put a feather at the front door. She is so happy to do this because she wants everything to be like it was before they had words. All night she works and works, the sun is coming up and she goes to the older womans house and tells her that she has finished. The woman tells her that next she must go back to every house and collect the feathers and put them back in the pillow case. The woman begans to cry, she says that it would be impossible because by now they have blown away and and she can't collect them and put them back. The wiser woman says that is true and once words have been spoken, they can not be taken back. It will take time to heal the hurt so be patient.

Be careful what you say. Think before you speak. Your words can speak life or death to someone.

I love you, you are my friend and I want you to be blessed.

Karen

Here she is with the new phone. Give us your number and she will call you or text you.

He Loves Us More

Good Afternoon:

Okay let me set the scene for you. It was about 6:30a.m. and Alan and I sneak into Jade's room and I sat a pretty pink gift bag on her night stand. We are peeking around the corner to watch her reaction. Alan dials her number and the phone begins to go off with some crazy ring tone her brother has put on it. The first call goes out, she moves around a little but doesn't wake up. So I whisper to him, call again. The call goes out and she sits up, she is a little unsure where the noise is coming from. We are two excited giggling parents watching her. The last call goes out and she sees the sack lighting up, she sees her parents watching her, she smiles and reaches down into the sack and there it is. A pink cell phone that she thought she couldn't live without. I don't know who was feeling more joy at that moment. I am so happy for her and she is trying to believe what she is seeing. Her smile is worth it all. I will continue to remember that smile when the bill comes.

This afternoon I am thinking of what the word of God says in Luke 11:13. If ye then, being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? It is hard for most of us to imagine that our heavenly Father loves us more than we do our own children. It came to my mind that maybe in heaven as our Father calls out to us and we don't respond the first call, he tells the Holy Spirit, call again, a little more response but still we haven't found the prize, call again, He says. Finally we hear the call and hopefully answer.

He left it all because He loves us more. I wish I could play the song for you that the choir sang Easter morning. He left the safety of heaven, Jesus left it, all because He loved us more. It is more than my mind can conceive, Jesus left it all because He loved us more. Wow! Think on that today.

Jade doesn't really realize the sacrifice her parents made to give her a cell phone just so that she can call and chat with her friends, do I realize the sacrifice made for me? Thank you, Father, for all that you have given me and sacrificed for me. I love you, Lord.

Karen

Last one, I love this picture

Happy 11th Birthday

Okay I'm crying now. I love you.

Mom

Favorite Birthdays

One of the Happiest Days of My Life

Goodmorning: This is a very special day for me. Eleven years ago, our lives were blessed with a beautiful little angel that we named Jade. She is a miracle. When I was about thirteen weeks pregnant we were having a special service with several churches and a guest minister. At the end of the service, there were many around the altars and I was one of them. I was just worshipping God and praying when the guest minister came over to pray with me and I fell to the floor as the power of God came upon me. I got up a few minutes later and he said to me that he knew in his spirit that I had received a miracle. He said that I may not even know that I needed a miracle but there had been a healing in my body.

A week later I receive a call from my doctor and the test that had been done on me a couple of weeks earlier had given them a reason to believe that something might be wrong with our baby and so I should come in that day and he would do more testing. So I go and the test were not conclusive and more test where needed but we decided that we were just going to trust that everything would be fine and not do any more testing.

There were many in the waiting room that morning and a shout came out when her doctor reported that everything looked normal. She is a very healthy and beautiful young lady and we are very proud of her.

She doesn't know it yet but she is going to get a cell phone for her birthday today. She has begged for one and so we are excited to give it to her. I know that she is too young but think of the control this will give me over her life. LOL

We know that God did touch me and Jade that day and we will always be thankful that He was there. Someday Jade will be a leader of women for God. That is the prayer that her father has prayed over her many many times.

Be blessed and have a great day!

Don't be an April Fool

I almost made it. I didn't get all my goals completed but I was very close. I will do better tomorrow.

April 1st is the day we call, April Fool's Day. There is a verse in James 4:17 that has been on my mind. To know to do good and not to do it, that is a sin. In other words, we know that we need to read the word, to pray and to be in church under the covering. When we neglect to do what is right, we are not making wise decisions. Over and over again I have witnessed friends taking a break from God and what He tells us to do and over and over again they will end up in a bad situation. Don't take a break from God! We must stay in church; we must read our Bible even if we have already read it a hundred times. It is like the air we breathe. Do you say, I have already taken air in today and so I don't need to breathe? No, we need air every second and the same with God. We need His presence and direction all the time not just when we feel like it or have nothing else to do.

Don't be foolish, we need God just like the air we breathe. He is our spiritual air. We are going to face trials as long as we on this earth. Keep your air level perfect. If we have our God level right, maybe we won't need to be hospitalized when trials come.

I am sending a hug to you today. Last thing I want to say today, Ephesians 4:29 reads like this:
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Okay, that is it for today, go forth and conquer the enemy, friends!!

Starting Over

Well, this is the last day of March. I already have my goals written for April. It is going to be a great and busy month. My baby will be 11 in a couple of days. Time goes by too fast. Today I made my ma maw Hopkins homemade biscuits. They didn't smell and taste like I remember but I'm working on it.

I love new weeks and new months because I can start over again. Today I commit to pray more, read more, exercise more and even lose more weight. If you are like me and your new years' goals are broken and you need to start over, don't wait until next year, lets start today and try again.

Those of you that go to my church, what about that sermon yesterday? Wow! That should get us going, right? It was so good to have Trent and Becca with us. I loved the worship song they did. I want to re-cap one point that was made in the service, our relationship with God needs to be fresh and new everyday not just once or twice a year.(Easter II, like that title)

Have a great week. Let me hear from you and we will hold each other accountable.

Karen

Today is the beginning of the rest of your life! I suppose this is in my heart today because yesterday I enjoyed witnessing the union of two special people in my life, Tyler and Lesha. It was a great wedding. Two lives joining together to become one forever. I was able to renew friendships of some of my favorite people that I haven't seen in a while. I had quality time with my husband and some great folks from Monticello called their family in Memphis and treated us to an awesome dinner.(Thank you, Candy and John) It was a happy day for me.

A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to get to know someone that I have admired from a far for many years. We were both speaking at a retreat and we were sharing a room for the night. She is a beautiful woman on the outside and also she has an inward beauty that draws you. She is a "radical" woman in her walk with God. As she shared with me about her new ministry, I became excited and challenged. So today is my first post to my new blog.

It is around 4:00a.m. and I felt the Lord speaking to my heart and so I am up trying to write what He is sharing with me. I have been asking God to reveal His purpose for my life to me. I understand the word of God to say that He has a plan for my life and yours. Jeremiah 29:11 reads that God has a plan for us. He has plans for our futures. I think the reason that I can't sleep this morning is because of the dream I had. I was dreaming that the world was in a state of fear and chaos. That we were hiding and running from danger and people were being hurt and I was trying to help. I woke up and fear was upon me and then I began thinking about that scripture it reads, "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." God is going to remove His church before these things that I was dreaming about come to pass. I lay there thinking about my children and friends. Have I done my best to instill the word of God in them? Do they understand that they need to have that personnel relationship with God? This is part of my purpose, to help prepare my children and those I know to live for God and to accept Jesus. We don't want to be here when the dream that I had tonight comes to pass and it is going to happen.

I have a lot I want to write but I think I will wait until next time. I look forward to getting to know you as we become "blogger buddies." The thought that I want to sign off on today is, search your heart. He is waiting on us to allow Him to fulfill the plans that He has for us.

Karen