Karns Kids Blog

Ok, since everyone has the "bug"...Hunter & JayCee wanted their own blog. So, if you look at the bottom of my links, there's a link to {My Kids}. They would be thrilled to have a comment :)

All is well...for now

Well - Shawn got home last night, and gave me the "scoop" about the new owners of their company. They have promised most everything will stay the same (as far as holidays, vaca time, etc) and are trying to find an insurance that is comparable to what they have now...let's keep that in prayer! And they are planning on keeping this part of the company here - not moving it (I think the headquarters is in California?).

So, as long as they keep their word - all is well. Hopefully the insurance thing will be ok, too. But like I said earlier. God is in control, anyway, so there's no reason to worry about it.

Thanks for all your prayers!

My Morning Phone Call

Well - Shawn calls this morning and asks if I'm "sitting down"... That means there's really GOOD news or really BAD news. I'm nervous. What is it? I wonder if they actually gave him a raise with the new position he just took. That would be GREAT. We could use the extra money.

BAM...His company was just bought by someone else. What does this mean? Who knows. His job now is pretty laid back. He can wear jeans/shorts t-shirts, etc. He gets a lot of vacation time. A lot of holidays. Lots of perks (fun things they do for their employees), etc. It's been a pretty good place to work. Now - the future in unclear.

Isn't it funny...God is "messing us up" in all areas of our lives! I've been on a "Holy Ghost High" since we went to Atlanta to the Eagles' Wings conference - and now the kids are sick, and Shawn's job is ???????? But you know what? When normally I would be sick with worry over our "future"...I'm at peace. I know God is in control. There's nothing I can do about it anyway. I keep saying I'm trying to "clean house" (literally - my house) so that we can be ready to do His call at a moments notice (no, that doesn't mean we're planning on moving or anything). That could be just having fellowship at our home on a spur of the moment without worrying about all the toys/clothes/junk sitting in the middle of the floors.

I'm excited! God is doing something Great in our lives - in Galesburg - in this Country - in the world! I don't want to be passed by - I want to be a part! How about you?

New Template

Ok - I changed our template. I'm not a GREEN type of person, either, but with the "germ bug" going around, I thought this was appropriate. What do you think?

Uh - Here We Go Again

Yep - the old germ bug is revisting the Karns house! Brock is coughing non-stop, and is losing his voice. Tanner just isn't up to par - starting to cough. And Hunter is coughing with a fever - still sleeping (it's after 9:00am here). So much for school today.

So be praying, and if you have to come here for any reason - don't forget what to wear....

James 4:1-12

My friend, Kim, is teaching the adult SS class this Sunday at her church. Her lesson is on James 4:1-12...

Does anyone have any thoughts for her? She's afraid of comeing off too strong, but her thoughts are.... "What's in Your Heart?"

James 4:1-12
Submit Yourselves to God
1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?[a] 6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."[b]

7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

Only Grace

I LOVE Matthew West's new song..."Only Grace"

There is no guilt here
There is no shame
No pointing fingers
There is no blame
What happened yesterday
Has disappeared
The dirt has washed away
And now it’s clear

Chorus:
There’s only grace
There’s only love
There’s only mercy
And believe me it’s enough
Your sins are gone
Without a trace
There’s nothing left now
There’s only grace

You’re starting over now
Under the sun
You’re stepping forward now
A new life has begun
Your new life has begun

Chorus:

And if you should fall again
Get back up, get back up
Reach out and take my hand
Get back up, Get back up
Get back up again

To be like a child

What a time we had yesterday during our Revival with Pastor Neil Smith! Both services were awesome! God's presence was felt when you walked in the building! Last night, we had a time of worship an hour before the service started. It was awesome! Thanks to Karen Stroops, we have some banners now! It blessed my heart to see my 8 yr old son, pick up the RED banner and begin to pray as he walked the sanctuary (he has to work on not pokeing anyone with the banner, since he walks & prays with his eyes closed).



We need to be like children. Free in our worship. Not worried about what others thinks. Let offenses roll off our backs. Able to look at the unseen with Awe and wonder and expectation.

I'm so in love with Jesus - I just want everyone else to be as excited as I am right now! I'm looking forward to our time of worship before service tonight! Come with expectancy!

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY, BROCK

Missey Gray

My heart is grieved. I was looking up information on St. Patrick's day for the kids to work on and study, going thru some homeschool blog sites, and discovered a 32 year old homeschool mother of (now) 5, Missey Gray, died during an emergency c-section on March 1, 2006.

Yesterday Missey went in to get her stress test that she's been getting every 2 weeks. The test showed that Missey was loosing amniotic fluid and that she had lost enough of it for it to be alarming. That's when they decided to go ahead and take the baby.

After they lifted the baby from her body, some of the amniotic fluid got into her blood stream and caused a blood clot, which is what caused her death. She never came out of surgery. Her mil (mother-in-law) said that this only Happens 1 in 200,000. (Dandelion Seeds blog)

No, I didn't know this woman at all, but from reading her blog (which she wrote in for the last time before they left for the drs. office - http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HeartSchooling/ ), I can see that she was a woman who loved the Lord first, then her husband, then kids. She had three girls (age 11, 8, 5) a boy (almost 2), and then a newborn girl, named after her, Melissa Kate Gray. Missey blogged on Nov. 2, 2005 the following:

The academics are important, but the heart-set is even more so. That's why I like to say that we are "HeartSchooling" -- it puts my focus back where it ought to be and helps me keep my priorities straight.

Missey was a WHIZ at homeschooling! She makes me look like I do NOTHING! Not only was she homeschooling, but she was involved with blogs and online homeschool support groups - helping make other homeschool moms' lives easier.

My prayers go out to her husband, Tom, and their 5 children. I only wish I would have met her before. I do know I'll see her again someday!

What in the WORLD is going on?

Obviously - it's not in the WORLD - but God is giving us a glimpse (mind you a very MINUSCULE glimpse) of what Heaven will be like! Why were we created? To worship Him! Yesterday and Last nights services were unbelievable! It was AWESOME. We sang a song yesterday and the words were, "In Awe of You we Worship". Pastor talked about how we don't use that word very often, but that is how we should look at God.

Dictionary.com says Awe is "A mixed emotion of reverence, respect, dread, and wonder inspired by authority, genius, great beauty, sublimity, or might". WOW - does that do a good job of describing our emotions about God or what?

Again, another song we sang said this, "Turn your ear to heaven and hear the noise inside...the sound of angel's AWE, the sound of angel's songs - and all this for a King - we could join and sing - All to Christ our King".

Another song we sang talks about "How Great is our God" - and "He wraps Himself in light, and darkness tries to hide- and trembles at His voice". That's how Awesome our God is.

A good friend of mine was happy for Pastor, Libby, Shawn & I, when we came back from the Eagles Wings conference last weekend - with our "new way of freedom in our worship" - but expressed that "it wasn't for her". Well - God showed up last night again, and told her "YES IT IS"...and because of her obedience, she was blessed with a Heavenly language - and a "new freedom in her worship".

God is taking us to places we've only dreamt of - more than that even! Are you ready to go? Are you going to hesitate and sit back & "wait & see" - or are you going to JOIN IN and be on the frontlines? Can you tell I'm excited? GOD IS SO GOOD. Alright - now is the time to, "Turn our gaze to heaven and raise a joyous noise.....Oh Praise Him"!!!! (David Crowder)

Too much?

I was reading Neil Smiths blog he posted Sat. March 4, and my heart was troubled. He speaks of treating a visiting Preacher from Kenya to a day at Bush Gardens, and how in that one day - they spent as much, if not more, money than most people in Kenya earn in a year. This Kenyan preacher said, "I know why American pastors have such a difficult time building a church, there are too many options, distractions, serving God is not the priority!" It just goes to show our "American" mentality. Yes, I believe in going on vacation, and that takes money. My favorite place to take the kids is Disney, and everyone knows how much that costs!

But, why do we feel it so important to have "stuff". We are too comfortable! I don't think God is calling us to live in poverty - but I think He calls us to be good stewards of our money. I have been so convicted over this lately. I love to shop - not for me, but my kids. Do they need any more clothes? Absolutely NOT. Do they need anymore toys? No. My children do not know what LACKING means. They have never lacked for anything. Nor have I. And - please don't worry - I'm not going to start selling all my (our) posessions. But it does mean that I need to take a step back and look deeply at what we are teaching our kids. They are good kids! They love us, eachother, and God...but I want them to be GREAT adults in the Lord.

I know I'm rambling - but this is on my heart...