Karla's Korner

My Heart Leaps For Joy...

Does the little girl in you ever jump up and down for joy?
Okay... maybe not outwardly... but how about your heart?


Do you ever become so overwhelmed by the goodness of the Lord
in your life that you can hardly contain the joy that wells up within you?

I have had a few moments like that lately when God...
...answered prayers for a friend whose test results revealed no cancer.
...revealed and healed a place in my heart I didn't even know was hurt.
...gave me the strength to endure a physically painful circumstance.
...put a song in my heart before I even opened my eyes in the morning.
...gave me the creativity to design Mr. Froggy who makes me smile...
and then brought Psalm 28:7 to mind so he could point my heart to Jesus.
And the list goes on.

So how about you? Has your heart leaped for joy lately?
Would you be willing to share it in just one sentence or two?
I love hearing what God is doing in your lives...
and rejoicing in Him with you... in His love and grace!

xoxo
Karla

Catching Up With Hearts of Love...

I have soooo much I want to share with you but have just not had time!
So for today I'm going to go back in time...

because I've really been wanting to show you what showed up in my mailbox!

Is this label not adorable?  So creative.  I was smiling from ear to ear...
and I hadn't even opened the gift yet!

Inside was this amazingly beautiful silk-screened bird on a heart...
embellished with silver beads.  Have you guessed who it was from yet?

It was from my precious daughter Michelle... sent with love.
I have to admit... to receive this little treasure truly blessed my heart...
but the surprise of receiving it in the mail tickled me pink!

She also gave me three of these little felt hearts... I made one...
and I was going to stitch up a few more and make a fun little garland...
this is as far as it got!  But I decided I really like them hung
with the close pins... so I am happy!

Thinking again about Michelle mailing me her gift instead of hand delivering
got me thinking... I want to do that for someone this week... surprise them
with a little unexpected gift!  Hmmm... but how can I make it a surprise?
I have it... I'm going to send a little something to one of my Etsy friends! 
So if you've bought something from me in the past year... you never know...
you might just be getting a special little something in your mailbox next
week!!  How fun will that be!

So how about you?  Would you ask God to show you someone who could use
a little bit of a surprise blessing from you? It doesn't have to be handmade
or expensive... maybe even just a card. It's the giving that counts!
So please please please... do it!!
How much fun next week will be with so many women getting little surprises
in their mailboxes!!!  I'm so proud of you... so go have fun my sweet friends
and give a little gift from your heart!! 

xoxo
Karla

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

Happy Valentine's Day...


Today can be one of those holidays where sweet expectations can be met
with heartbreaking disappointment and the devil may try to whisper in your ear
to try and convince you that you are not loved... or lovable. But it ain't so!

God's love is so much greater than human love... and it is unconditional and
forever and ever! And He says you ARE lovable... and much LOVED! 
So take a moment to quiet your heart and let God love on you!
Okay now...  go pass it on... gp give someone a Valentine hug...
or pick up the phone and tell someone how special they are to you!

And just for the record... I LOVE YOU!!
My life is sweeter because you're in it!
Will you be my Valentine?
xoxo

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

Bold Love... Brave Heart...

As I drew this tihs face and wrote this  phrase in my journal, I paused to
ponder the words and wondered if I could claim them for myself:
"She wore her heart boldly and loved bravely."

I would like to be able to say "oh yes, that's me.. bold and brave"
but I know I'm not always... at least not as much as I would like to be.

I so want to be more like Jesus... a lover of souls... but I always fall short.

I want to be a woman whose heart is so full of the love of God that
she can't contain it... and that she not only wears it boldly but shares
it with great passion and pleasure.

I want to be a woman who is so consumed by the perfect love of Christ
that fear has no power over her and peace and courage adorn her life
like precious pearls.

I want to be a woman who daily says, "Here I am Lord, send me!" and then
is willing to boldly go whereever He sends her and bravely loves whoever
He sends her way.

Yes... I do want to be more like Jesus... and yes... I know I will always fall
short this side of heaven... but I hope I never give up trying because
Jesus wore His heart boldly for all to see... and He loved bravely all the way
to the cross for me... and for you... and for those around us.

Father God... help us to be more like Jesus... amen.