Welcome to this blog about living as apprentices of Jesus!
One of Karen's 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"). We pray that the words and sentences on this blog may also serve as "containers of grace" for its readers.
Joy and Karen
Faithful Bloggers.com
What Readers are Saying
sallyhoekstra on Going Deeper With God: Finding… Joy on Checking In Joy on From Karen Joy on From Karen Joy on From Karen aletalane on From Karen aletalane on From Karen covenyk on From Karen Coral Swieringa on From Karen Mary Kay Schoon on From Karen
Category Archives: Karen’s journey
Going Back to the Big Bang
I do not have a mind for math or science. I do have an orderly and logical mind, but it is fueled and sparked by the nuances and shades of words, by metaphor and images (visual and written), and by … Continue reading
Posted in Karen's journey
Tagged awe and wonder, Big Bang, Krista Tippett, On Being, Webb telescope
1 Comment
The Missing Ingredient
I was in one of my favorite places, the north side branch of the library. As I removed my “on hold” books and DVD’s off the shelf, I heard giggles. I turned around and noticed the Wednesday morning toddler story-telling session, … Continue reading
Posted in Karen's journey, Living as Apprentices
Tagged giggling children, joy, library story time
4 Comments
G.K. Chesterton and Me
I recently read an excerpt from a G.K. Chesterton essay about his being bored to death during a long train ride. He moans that he had no books or newspapers, “not even a pencil and a scrap of paper with … Continue reading
Posted in From My Reading..., Karen's journey
Tagged From My Reading..., G.K. Chesterton, printed words, the lost art of personal writing
Comments Off on G.K. Chesterton and Me
Memorial Day – My Father’s Story
Memorial Day is a time to honor the lives and remember the deaths of soldiers who served in World War II. The town of Raritan, New Jersey, where I was born, knows how to do that! Banners of their hometown heroes … Continue reading
Posted in Karen's journey
Tagged Alamo in the Ardennes, Battle of the Bulge, Captain Rowland Koskamp, John McManus, Memorial Day, NJ, Raritan
Comments Off on Memorial Day – My Father’s Story
Lessons from a Cactus Plant
For many years one of my most beloved treasures has been a large cactus plant. Quite nondescript for most of the year, it burst into a riot of color in late November and early December. It had so many blossoms … Continue reading
Posted in Karen's journey, Living as Apprentices
Tagged cactus, expectations, faith, Richard Foster, simplicity
1 Comment
An Unlikely Friendship
Gregg was a precocious thinker, a born leader, a mature writer, and an “old soul.” He was in the seventh grade during my first year of teaching. I tried to match his thought processes; he worked on perfecting sentences. We worked together … Continue reading
One of a Kind
A friend and I were catching up over pizza. She enthusiastically described plans for a family trip “out West” this summer as well as plans for two of her children to travel in Southeast Asia for a month. I told her … Continue reading
A Hard Life
“You have had a hard life,” she said. I deflected the comment. Later, musing in the early morning, I had to agree. I, like most people, have had a hard life. I have made bad choices. I have made choices influenced … Continue reading
Posted in journeys, Karen's journey
Tagged Jesus, learning from life, life in the Kingdom of God, making choices, The Serenity Prayer
1 Comment
Living as Apprentices 