Karen Bables
Welcome to my blog about living as apprentices of Jesus! I am passionate about spiritual transformation and about helping others become like Jesus for the sake of others.
One of my favorite quotes is: "Whatever job we get and whatever task we are assigned can serve as a container for grace" (Eugene Peterson in "Practical Resurrection"). I pray that the words and sentences on this blog may also serve as "containers of grace" for its readers.
I ordinarily post on Wednesdays and Saturdays and welcome your comments on any post!
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Monthly Archives: December 2018
Seeing Life Differently
This blog contains more than 800 posts. This post was written in on December 30, 2012, at the end of my first year of blogging. It’s still pertinent. Long ago before I heard of the concept of “spiritual formation,” I discovered Stephen … Continue reading
Posted in Living as Apprentices
Tagged Invitation to a Journey, M. Robert Mulholland, Paradigm shift, Stephen R. Covey
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The Lord is in our Midst!
‘”The Lord your God is in your midst—a warrior bringing victory. He will create calm with his love; he will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17, CEB). I was introduced to one of my favorite prayer songs, God be in my … Continue reading
Continual Renewal – the Renovare Way to Discipleship (part 7)
This is the final post in a series of seven which are based on the Renovare organization’s “best practices” – six Common Disciplines drawn from the six Traditions of Christianity explored in Richard Foster’s book, Streams of Living Water. (Find earlier … Continue reading
Like a Refiner’s Fire
“Look! I’m sending my messenger on ahead to clear the way for me. Suddenly, out of the blue, the Leader you’ve been looking for will enter his Temple—yes, the Messenger of the Covenant, the one you’ve been waiting for. Look! … Continue reading
Posted in Living as Apprentices
Tagged Malachi, the refiner's fire, the state of our religious culture
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A Lesson from a Hallmark Movie
This blog hosts more than 800 posts, so occasionally I plan a “re-run.” This post was first published on Nov. 14, 2016. I think that as another tumultuous year winds down, it is a blessing to watch a movie in … Continue reading
Posted in Living as Apprentices
Tagged Hallmark movies, surrender, The Christmas Ornament
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Waiting with Mary
During the season of Advent (the coming; the arrival) we wait with Mary, the mother of Jesus for the birth of her unexpected, though long-awaited, child. She (and we) experience all the feelings of waiting – anticipation, awe, concern, joy, … Continue reading
Posted in "Continual Renewal - the Renovare Way to Discipleship, Living as Apprentices
Tagged Luke 2, reading scripture with imagination, the birth of Jesus
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Praying with Scripture – Psalm 25: 4 – 10
Advent is a time of waiting. As Henri Nouwen re- minds us, “It is waiting in the knowledge that someone wants to address us. The question is, are we home . . . . ready to respond to the doorbell?” … Continue reading
Posted in Living as Apprentices
Tagged Advent, God's love and care, Henri Nouwen, Psalm 25
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From My Reading
“The poor are the center of the Church. But who are the poor? At first we might think of people who are not like us: people who live in slums, people who go to soup kitchens, people who sleep on the … Continue reading
Posted in Quotes
Tagged George Washington Carver, Henri Nouwen, Kate Kooyman, The Reformed Journal: The Twelve, Thomas Merton
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