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 Sunday, Wednesday and Friday and welcome your comments on any post!
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Category Archives: Living as Apprentices
Choosing to be a Blessing
Recently, I attempted a conversation with my husband about feeling taken for granted. Anyone who has been in a long-term relationship has probably had these thoughts at some point and perhaps has even tried to talk about it. My husband was shocked … Continue reading
Posted in Living as Apprentices
Tagged Carmelites, false narrative, relationships, Therese of Lisieux
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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 Living as Apprentices, My journey
Tagged giggling children, joy, library story time
4 Comments
The Mark of a Great Disciple
“The mark of a great ship handler is never getting in a situation that requires great ship handling skills” (Retired Admiral James Stavridis in his new book Sea Power). I heard this gem during an interview with Admiral Stavridis on NPR’s … Continue reading
A Cloak of Perfection
This blog now hosts more than 640 posts. I’m re-blogging this post from September 9, 2015 because it deals with our number #1 spiritual problem – the endless search for perfection. “All this preoccupation with your own imperfection is not humility, … Continue reading
Posted in Living as Apprentices
Tagged Evelyn Underhill, false narratives, perfection
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Patterns
Recently I watched a TV show focused on the difficulty of understanding the Trump presi- dency. One commentator offered a suggestion as to why many of us are so puzzled (and aggravated) by the president’s words and actions. He said that the … Continue reading
Posted in Living as Apprentices
Tagged continual spiritual formation, Donald Trump, patterns
7 Comments
What if We were Put to the Test?
Recently, I watched Silence, Martin Scorsese’s latest movie about two Jesuit priests who travel to 17th century Japan looking for a missing fellow priest. They are befriended by a covert group of Japanese Christians who suffer extreme persecution by the Japanese government which … Continue reading
Digging for Truth
This blog now contains over 630 posts. Here, slightly revised, is a post that was first published on June 10, 2015 – and is even more important today. “Is the Pope a communist?” This opening line of a Heart and Soul … Continue reading
Posted in Living as Apprentices
Tagged fact checking, looking for the truth, Mark K. Shriver, Pope Francis
2 Comments
The Baffled Mind
“It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not … Continue reading
Posted in Living as Apprentices
Tagged Albert Einstein, faith, questioning, Wendell Berry
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