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: My 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 My 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 Living as Apprentices, My journey
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 My journey, Quotes
Tagged G.K. Chesterton, printed words, Quotes, the lost art of personal writing
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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 My journey
Tagged Alamo in the Ardennes, Battle of the Bulge, Captain Rowland Koskamp, John McManus, Memorial Day, NJ, Raritan
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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 Living as Apprentices, My journey
Tagged cactus, expectations, faith, Richard Foster, simplicity
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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
Posted in My journey
Tagged friendship, New Brunswick Theological Seminary, Western Theological Seminary
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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, My journey
Tagged Jesus, learning from life, life in the Kingdom of God, making choices, The Serenity Prayer
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