Karla's Korner

Glorify Him With Thanksgiving...

I am so blessed to be able to offer this painting to you as a print on Etsy!

She has such a sweet face and with, her hands lifted to the heavens,
she reminds us, not only to sing our praises to God, but that He is glorified
when our hearts are thankful and our lips declare His blessings.

Today I am thankful, that even though my Valentine sweetheart of more than
41 years, may not be the most romantic guy around, his love for me so
reminds me of God's... steadfast, unconditional, and forever.

I remember when God first began to teach me about the power of giving
thanks for my husband. I was a new believer in Jesus and wasn't used to
being thankful for much of anything, especially not for my husband! God
showed me how I had been so focused on his faults, I had become blinded to
his strengths. Over time, as I began to seriously look for things to be thankful
for... my heart towards him began to change. And then... over a period of
time, because my heart changed toward him... his heart changed toward me...
and we watched as God worked a miracle in our marriage.

This verse reminded me of this story because before I met the Lord, Michael
and I were voted by our circle of friends to be the most likely to divorce... it
was just a matter of time. But here we are today... happily married...
and God seriously gets all the glory!!

God wants to be glorified in the hard places of our lives... and it can all start
with developing a grateful heart! So... can I ask you? Is there a circumstance or
a person in your life that you hear God calling you to begin to give thanks for?
Will you begin today? For His glory?

xoxo
Karla

Something To Crow About...

I know I disappeared again... so sorry! I've missed you!
But I've been working on a new project!  Can't tell you what it is quite yet
but here's a little peek at a portion of one of the paintings that's part of it.

I love roosters... they have sooooo much attitude and personality!
We've had a few of these fiesty characters off and on over the years and
every one of them has been fun and entertaining!

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of a rooster is it's crow...
the infamous cock-a-doodle-do that so proudly announces the rising of the
sun and the bright new beginning of each new day.

Just now it made me think of Psalm 113:3...
"From the rising of the sun to it's going down,
the Lord's name is to be praised."

So do you think the rooster may simply be greeting his maker with a song
of praise every morning... thankful just to be alive! 
Hmmmm... I think the rooster really might have something to crow about?
What do you think?  How about you?
Is there a word of praise you'd like to crow about today?

Blessings and God-hugs...
Karla

Counting My Blessings....

I enjoyed a great Thanksgiving day with my family...
I am so thankful for them...
and wanted to take a moment to tell you...
how thankful I am for you too!

Happy Thanksgiving my friends!
Hope you took some time to count your blessings
and give thanks to the Lord from whom all blessings flow!

Love and God-hugs...
Karla

Thankful Thursday Kitchen Update...

I thought for sure I would have a kitchen by Christmas.  Not quite.
Now I'm hopeful for Valentine's Day...  maybe even earlier.
What I'm learning is that remodeling the house you live in...
and doing most of the work yourselves... especially at our age...
is a great way to develop patience and perserverance...
and I keep hearing God say "count it all joy..."


So in the beginning... this was our kitchen when we moved in... Sept. 23rd.


It is quite small but cozy... with a nice size family room addition.


This will be a great family/tv room... someday soon!


The cabinets were original 1942... very small and didn't close well...
note the covered over chimney in the corner...
and what was the dining room through the doorway... more on this later.


November 8
After settling into the bedroom and studio as our living space...
with the camper for our kitchen...
Michael spent quite a while on the laundry room but I'll show you that later.
Here... the kitchen construction begins...
and the cabinets were the first thing to go.


I remember the day the plastic doorway went up to keep construction dust
out of the rest of the house... at least the worst of it... 
I thought the zipper was oh so cool then...
now... not so cool but still so thankful for it.


November 10
We wanted to open up the space between the dining room and kitchen...


November 16
but in order to take out that wall we had to put a support beam in...


In the process of making room for the beam we discovered leaks...


which meant taking down the entire ceiling...


December 4th
and time out for replacing a large section of the roof.
We also discovered there was no insulation on one outer wall...
so the sheetrock had to come down... but thankful for the discovery!


During this time Michael was also putting in all new kitchen plumbing...
while an electrician friend was replacing all the wiring!


December 1
Lots of work went into making the ceiling level between where it sagged
and where the family room had been added on. A pony wall was built
for where a counter/eating bar will be... and electrical was wired!!
Oh yes... and the chimney disappeared...
sadly however... Michael's shoulder is still suffering from that demolition.


December 14
Trust me... some serious JOY filled the house the day
Jeff and his boys showed up with sheetrock!


December 15
After weeks of looking at the darkness of open studs, wires and insulation...
this was a beautiful site to see!!!


December 22
But back to more demolition... up came the ugly mud-colored vinyl tiles...
all the way down to the subfloor... too bad it's sub-floor because it's
really quite colorful and pretty... but do have cold air coming through!



December 28
Finished painting the ceiling and the upper part of the walls



December 29
Could hardly quit smiling as we began trimming out the windows and doors.

That's where we're at today.

What God has shown me through these past several weeks is
an incredible picture of what it means to be rescued.
He has given the privilege to take a house that had been
neglected, seriously abused and abandoned... and we are giving it new life...
an opportunity to blossom into something of beauty and great value.
I know in my heart God has a plan for this house to be used for His glory!

A wonderful analogy of what God does for us...
He rescues us... gives us new life... and uses us for His glory.

For my house and for my God...
I am thankful!

Thankful for the Flush!

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to take a few minutes
to count your blessings and truly give thanks.
My friend Becky counted a bunch... and her list really makes you think about
so many of the things we so easily take for granted... it's inspiring!

And speaking of taking for granted... when was the last time
you thanked God for indoor plumbing and a flushing toilet? 
Well, it's been at the top of my list recently!

One of the reasons we got such a good deal on our new house was because
one of the previous owners had built our wonderful four car garage right on
top of the drainfield for the septic and thus the septic had failed!  Duh! 
Hmmmmmm... that means...
No Septic = No Flush!
So for the first three weeks of owning our new home, we drove in from
Battle Ground, worked on the house, took potty breaks at
Jack in the Box up the road and then went back to Battle Ground to sleep.

Our hearts were overjoyed the day the truck arrived with a new septic tank!

It was amazing to watch them lift it up over the fence...

And gently lower it into place!


The drainfield was installed in trenches...


transforming the side yard from this...

to this... and it will stay this way until next spring.
It is now slightly mounded in the center but I am just soooo thankful they
were able to hide all the mess  behind the fence... thank You Lord!

But the most exciting part of the day came when they told us we could use
the toilets and sinks! Thank you Jack in the Box for being there when we
needed you but thank You God for our own working septic system
and all the men who played a part in getting it installed!

So for today ladies...

I'm giving thanks for the flush! How about you?


"Every good and perfect gift is from above..."
James 1:17

Blessings and love and hugs...
Karla

Join Me for 30 Days of Thanksgiving!

I tried to get a post done yesterday for Thanksgiving Thursday
but I was busy making teenage mutant ninja turtle costumes
for my granddaughter and her friend! Thankful for the time with them!

You know... I love Thanksgiving Thursday but we all know that
giving thanks is not reserved for one special day of the week.

And even though we have assigned it one special day of the year
and called it a holiday, the truth is everyday can be a holiday...
a time of celebrating and being thankful for who God is
and who He is to us, for us, in us, and through us!

So to kick off the holiday season, I have decided to blog
30 Days of Thanksgiving... one post of gratitude...
every day of November. Would you like to join me?

It can be A LITTLE like... "Today I am thankful for love!"
included in a comment on my daily post.. or on your own blog post.
or you can write A LOT... it's up to you.
If you can't do 30 consecutive posts... no worries... one day at a time!

I just thought it would be fun... and bring a smile to God's face...
for His girls to join hearts for 30 days to give Him praise!!

SO...if you'd like to participate here's two ways to do it:
If you're a blogger:
1) Post one thing you're thankful for every day of November.
2) Link back to my blog
3) Leave me a comment with the link to your blog
and I'll link back to you in a special Give Thanks post!!
**See Day 2... Holding Hands for all who are Giving Thanks together!
(You can pull the 30 Days banner above to use in your blog if you like!)

If you're not a blogger:
simply leave a comment with what you're thankful
for at the bottom of my post every day!
(You can even use my post as a prompt for your comment!)

Dear Lord... thank You for all You are and all You have done for me
and for my precious Sisters in Christ... the list is endless.
Father... forgive us for taking so much of our lives for granted.
I pray you will be honored and glorified
through our thanksgiving... and that it will continue long after
the holiday season is over! In Christ... Amen.

I look forward to being THANKFUL together!!
xoxoxo
Karla

New Give Thanks Painting

I painted this painting last week to vignette with "Sweet Praise". It uses the
same warm rich colors and it mimics several of the design elements.
But what really makes it... and the one I'm painting now...
tie together is the united theme of praise, thanksgiving and worship.

Giving thanks to the Lord feeds the soil of our hearts and in gratitude
our lives blossom with the beauty and bounty of God's goodness and grace.

And we have so many blessings to be thankful for... always.

Hope is a blessing that gives meaning and purpose to this earthbound life
and one we forget to thank God for at times.

But above all... love is #1 on my Thanksgiving List.
God's love to me, in me, and through me.
The love of my family. The love of friends.
The love of God shown to me by strangers through random acts of kindness.
The love of those I work with and share my life with.

Without love... giving love and receiving love... we have nothing.

So remember today... in everything... especially in love... to...

Lord bless you!
xoxoxo
Karla

Thankful for...

I am so thankful for all of you who have left such encouraging comments
on the Blessings of the Beach Giveaway post so far... you bless my heart!

But also...as I've been reading in 2 Corinthians this week,
my heart has been stirred to give thanks to God
for some things that... are foundational to our faith and to who I am...
things I can so easily take for granted...
and/or things I can forget God has given or done for me to enable me to live
 here on earth while waiting to go home to be with Him

So just a few things from the first chapter alone that I am thankful for...

1. My God... who is a the Father of all compassion

1. That He comforts me in my troubles... big and small

2. For the opportunities He gives me to comfort and encourage others... to be His hands and heart and voice in this world who desperately needs His comfort

3. For the troubles and suffering in my life that have led me to know that I cannot rely on myself but only on God

4. To be reminded that if God can raise the dead, He can surely handle whatever concerns me today

5. That all God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ and they are sure

6. It is God who gives me... and you...  the ability to stand firm in Christ

7. He has anointed me... and you

8. He has set His seal of ownership on me... and you... we belong to Him

9. He put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit as a guarantee of what's to come

10. What's to come... heaven... Home Sweet Home!

Now that's a lot to thankful for!  Amen!

We Have a Winner! Yeah!

I'm sorry I'm a day late on choosing the winner. I would love to share with you a peek into what my week so far and my yesterday looked like but that would take way too much time so let's just get down to the business at hand... who is the winner of this wonderful basket of goodies? Who... oh... who could it be?

Oh wait... before I tell you... I must first say, I am so THANKFUL for all of you! Your comments, your prayers, your blessings lift me up into heavenly places!  You are God's gift to me and this truly is a...

Okay... now I can tell you who the wonderful winner is...

Lori from EncouragementFromMyHeart.blogspot!!! 
Congratulations Lori!!!
Please go visit Lori's blog... she truly is a woman after God's heart!
As soon as I receive Lori's mailing address, I'll be sending her this months goodies!



You may not have one this month's contest but never forget that you have won God's heart and His affections and the treasures that He gives us every day far exceed the sweet treats of any earthly giveaway... including mine.

So may I encourage you to be on the lookout today for the goodies God is sending your way... and He doesn't even have to use the Post Office or UPS!!!  If you will just watch for it to arrive... He is sending you a package today full of the blessings of His love, the comfort of His encouragement, the truth that transforms as you read His Word, His provision,protection... okay... you get the picture! Take some time today to be count your blessings and be thankful for all His goodness in your life and rejoice!!

It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord,
and to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High;
to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
and Your faithfulness every night.
Psalm 92:1-2

Love is in the Air...

Today I am reflecting back on last Sunday...

and how thankful I am to be mom to Michelle
and grandma to Lex and Jess... I am blessed!


And I am so thankful to have Cindy as, not only my sister-in-law, but also a friend...
and thankful that she and my niece, Monica, decided to join us
for a wonderful day of craftiness at Michelle's to celebrate Mom's Day!

I am also thankful for the creativity God has given Lex and Jess...
and that they are just so much fun to hang out with!
Check out the shoes Lex is painting!  They were light blue!
And Jess painted that picture as her Mother's Day gift to her mom! Sweet!

Sorry I can't show you the dolls that Michelle and I made...
mine is still not finished
 and hers is a gift for someone so it needs to be a suprise for now!



Most of all, I am thankful that God has poured out His love into our hearts
and given us a love for one another that is so much more than I could have
ever hoped for.  Thank You Lord.

Creative Day #7...

Okay... I skipped a few days of blogging...
good thing I didn't say 30 consecutive days of creativity!! LOL!

But I have been very creative... with much to share but little time to share it.
I did create this Thankful Thursday Banner
and you are very welcome to use it on your own blog if you'd like...
(let me know if you do so I can come visit you!)
 the more we all share our thankflul hearts the more we are mutually encouraged!


I am always thankful for my granddaughters... this one loves to make you laugh! 


I am thankful for my daughter who ran the Eugene marathon last Sunday
and her time qualified her to run in the Boston Marathon next spring.
Her post about running is very inspiring!

And I am thankful for the gift of creativity...
to play with shapes, lines, textures and patterns just for the fun of it. ..
to reflect on the blessings of God in the secret places of my heart
and imagination... and then be able to share them with you!

I am speaking at Mother's Day Brunch Saturday morning so I doubt I'll be posting tomorrow but would
appreciate your prayers for God to speak blessing and encouragement to the hearts of the women there and that if any of them do not know Christ as the Source of all Joy, they might be drawn to Him there.

Love you all... bless you and all you put your hand to...
In His love and for His glory...
Karla

Thankful for the Name of Jesus!

I recently received a devotional that told how a roomful of elderly men and women in a dementia and Alzheimer's nursing home care unit had responded to a well known song. Only a few voices had been heard during the earlier singing, as would be expected in such a place, but when the closing song began, a most remarkable thing happened... the voices in the room got louder... and those who had not sung earlier began to sing along. The song?  "Jesus loves me, this I know". Jesus... there's just something about that Name!

Reading this reminded me of a letter I received a few years ago about a similar experience... as you read it, may your heart be encouraged... in the Name of Jesus...

Dear Ms. Dornacher,
Three years ago my mother was severely depressed at age 79 and attempted suicide. Knowing that God's best is the only solution, I flew up as soon as I was allowed to see her and brought along your book (Down a Garden Path). My mom was a wonderful gardener as we grew up, and I thought your book would be a beautiful, simple but comforting way to lead her mind back to peace and joy that only the Lord can bring.

I just loved on her while visiting her in that horrible place and she told me she had had a nightmare the night before about a black gate. As we sat in a parlor and I read the book to her, a woman wandered around the room with a blank stare, not speaking and apparently had not spoken in the 3 months she had been there.

The moment I read the word "Jesus", the woman came over and touched the book, and spoke the word "JESUS!!!" My mother looked up at her and smiled (!) and said, "Yes, Jesus! He loves you and He loves me!" With that the woman sat down next to my mother, and my MOTHER began to read the rest of the book to her!

The next morning when I went to visit my mother, she told me she had had a dream about a white picket fence, and that my father was standing there waiting for here. (He had died 15 years earlier.)

I was humbled and blessed to know God used my book as a way to make Himself known in that place, but it was the Name of Jesus that fanned the smoldering ember in the fading hearts of these women and brought His healing touch of peace and joy to the mother of the woman who wrote me this letter... a remarkable testimony of God's great grace! The mother lived another year and was at peace with the Lord.

Thank You Father God for Jesus and His Mighty Name!  One day every knee shall bow and tongue confess that He is Lord... and there is no other Name by which we can be saved! May we bow our hearts and our knee today to the Blessed Name of Jesus.. and speak His Name boldly that others may hear and be touched in a way only possible through the power of Your Holy Spirit!  We love You Lord Jesus... in YOUR PRECIOUS NAME we pray... Amen.

Thankful Thursday!

 

You know... when God tells us that giving thanks is a good thing, He's not kidding! He knows the benefits and blessings that come from cultivating a grateful heart and He longs for us to experience these benefits in our daily lives.

God knows the world you and I live in... He lived here. And He knows that it can be a very difficult and painful place.  He knows there are seasons when giving thanks can be a challenge as our blessings are overshadowed by our burdens. He also knows how we can so easily take our blessings for granted and fall into a bad habit of murmuring and complaining. Is anyone else guilty of this besides me?

The good news is that as we make God the focus of our thanksgiving, we become increasingly more aware of His presence... in the pleasant, as well as the painful, circumstances of our lives... and the more we become aware of God in our everyday lives, the more we are blessed... and thanksgiving becomes not just something we do but a lifestyle we live that brings glory to the Lord.

I believe God is calling us to make thanksgiving a habit, and as it is with developing any habit and having it become a way of life, it will require practice and encouragement. So every week on Thankful Thursday, I look forward to sharing more about what God has to say about thanksgiving to encourage you, as well as myself, to give thanks to the Lord every day... in all things... and in God's way. I hope you'll join me on this journey!

It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord.
Psalm 92:1

Heavenly Father... It is a good thing to give You thanks.  Over and over again I have seen the benefits of giving thanks in my own life Lord and I know it's only by Your grace. Thank You for reminding us over and over again in Your Word to give You thanks and thank You for not giving up on us in the weakness of our humanity. Forgive us for taking so many of the blessings in our lives for granted and open our eyes to see You and Your Presence at work in a greater way in the coming days. Inhabit the praises of Your people Lord and be glorified! Amen.

Giving Thanks to the Lord for He is Good!

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!
His love endures forever.

That's verse 1 of Psalm 107 and many of us know it well... we sing it to the Lord and when we do our hearts our encouraged.  But listen to verse 2 in the New Living...

Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others He has saved you from your enemies.

I love telling others about how good God is! Everywhere I go... if God gives an opportunity... I am willing to share with others, not only how He has delivered me from my enemies of sin and death but so many other enemies as well... like these...

1. I thank God for delivering me from the bitterness, hatred and unforgiveness I once had toward my mother and my stepdad.

2. I thank God for delivering me from the fits of anger and rage I used to have before I came to know Him.

3. I thank God for setting me free from my enemies of drugs and cigarettes.

4. I thank God for delivering me from long bouts of deep dark depression... I can still struggle with depression on occasion but when I remember my past... three days is like nothing.

5. I thank God for delivering me from perfectionism... okay... I still strive for excellence but nowadays if it's not perfect... I may be bummed for a minute but oh well... all things will be perfect when we get to heaven... and I'm thankful for that too!

Yes... this list could continue on... and maybe it will in a later post... but for now... my heart is full of gratitude as I remember all that God has done for me. Thank you for allowing me to be obedient and to fulfill Psalm 107:1 in my life this morning... telling you how great God is!!

Pass it on!

Dear Lord,
You are so good...  so much more than we can even comprehend! We are so thankful for Your great mercy and kindness that You would reach down from heaven and deliver us from our enemies. Forgive us for taking so much for granted. Rekindle a desire in us to remember and tell others of how good You are and how much You've done for us. Amen.

El Centro Calvary Chapel Rocks!

It is Thanksgiving Thursday and I am sooooo thankful to the Lord for what He did in the hearts and lives of the women of El Centro Calvary Chapel this past weekend!  He poured out His Spirit and truly did some spiritual makeovers in our time together. More than one woman shared that she was leaving the retreat a different woman than when she had arrived and God gets all the glory! Some made new commitments to make Jesus the priority of their lives, some left some baggage behind, many made decisions to follow the Lord into the future in faith... and one accepted Christ as her Saviour Redeemer for the very first time! Praise God!! And as for me... I walked away with a heart overflowing knowing that God had met us in that place!!!

And I'm so excited to announce my very first photo album... featuring none other than the El Centro girls! You blessed my heart!

Thank you to all of you who prayed for the retreat... God heard every one of you!!

Oh Lord... You are awesome! And we thank You Father for doing exceedingly abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine this past weekend. Thank You for being our Redeemer God and showing us how to redeem our time!

Packing the Suitcases...

Today I'll be busy with final preparations for this weekend's retreat... Redeeming the Time!  I get so excited at this point as I pack my clothes in my carry-on and books and giveaway items in the two check-in bags! The nice thing about going to Southern CA is the weather is warm so the clothes are fewer and lighter weight.

I have only one more hand out to create and print and cut but that will be easy. Much of the day will be spent going over my notes since this will be the first time I'm speaking on this theme and I want it to be able to flow easily from my heart. I'm looking forward to sharing some things with you when I return.

Yesterday I went into my OWN church and met with one of our pastors about the details of setting up for the Tuesday Evening Out event. It's all coming together... yeah!  This is the first time I've ever put an event together and had to think through everything from the beginning to the end so keep praying I don't forget anything!!  It's coming together so well though that I am confident it is God and I have a sense of expectation that He is going to do some great things as we meet together in that place! I am excited about those of you who are coming because you read about it here...  so make sure and introduce yourself!!

So... what am I Thankful for this Thursday?
     • I am so grateful for my God who has given me the opportunities to serve Him in so many ways...
    • for my husband who has been so supportive of me these last couple of weeks in trying to juggle two events at the same time...
    • for my daughter Michelle and her CARE group who so generously previewed my new messages and gave me both great encouragement and critique...
    • for all the women in my church who are coming alongside me to help make next Tuesday night a success and blessing for those who come...
    • and for all of you who I know love me and more importantly love God and want to know Him and grow in Him more and more every day... BLESS YOU!

Thankful Thursday!

God invites us, in Psalm 100:4, to...

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise"

and sometimes this comes easy when things are good... but sometimes it's more of a decision... a choice we make... to look up into the face of God rather than focused on the things of this earth.

As I awoke this morning... the verse that popped into my mind was "this is the day the Lord has made... I will rejoice and be glad in it!" My life is good at the moment... not without challenges... but good... rejoicing will be easy I thought. And yet this Psalm doesn't tell us to rejoice because life is good but because God is good and He is the one who made the day! He created this day and then gave it to us as a gift. How my day will unfold is known only to God. But I'm encouraged to rejoice and give thanks to the One who holds my future... unfolding it before me one step at a time. I want to live with my focus on God's goodness which is always good... rather than the goodness of life which fluctuates with every turn of circumstances.

I know life's circumstances can be difficult... even painful at times... but aren't we glad that we belong to a God who can lift us up above our circumstances and show us a whole new and heavenly view? I know I am. Today... I'm thankful for this day... and the God who made it!

Heavenly Father,
As I enter Your gates today... and come into Your courts in prayer... I choose to come with a heart of thanksgiving and praise.. thanking You for the precious gift of this day. Go before me Lord and prepare my way so that I can follow You step by step. Lift my eyes up from my circumstances... good or bad... so I can see You... and keep my eyes fixed on Jesus... the Author and Finisher of my faith. For your glory... Amen.