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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Tag Archives: spiritual formation
Transformed Lives Transforming the World in 2019 – Treasures Old and New
“Holy habits deepen into fixed patterns of life. We experience a growing preponderance of right actions flowing from a right heart” (Richard Foster in Streams of Living Water). This powerful quote from a major figure in the revival of the … Continue reading
Posted in Transformed Lives Transforming the World - 2019
Tagged gratitude, Melodie Beattie, spiritual formation, The 12 Steps
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Transformed Lives Transforming the World in 2019 – Introduction
When I became the first Director of Spiritual Formation for my church, my goal was to teach and motivate people to strive to “be like Jesus.” When a new pastor arrived not long afterwards, the staff set out on a … Continue reading
Becoming Me
“‘The most important thing God gets out of your life is the person you become’ (Dallas Willard). The person you become is largely unseen, although that person is constantly leaking out of your facial expressions, body language, and tone of … Continue reading
Becoming Prepared
Lately, I have had several dreams about organizing and preparing for a teaching assignment, a presentation or an event. In the dreams, I’m recruiting volunteers or creating an agenda or writing PR material or lining up a venue or outlining … Continue reading
Spiritual Dawdling
“The opposite of seek is dawdle. To live aimlessly and listlessly. (Eugene Peterson in As Kingfishers Catch Fire, p. 137). Picture a three-year-old captivated by the world around her. Her eyes follow a squirrel scrambling up a tree. She bends over … Continue reading
Posted in Living as Apprentices
Tagged Eugene Peterson, Renovare Weekly Digest, seeking, spiritual formation, the With-God life
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Becoming a Gritty Christian
I’m “back in the saddle again,” co-leading a group studying Breathing Under Water, Spirituality and the Twelve Steps, by Richard Rohr. The lesson this week focused on the life-long process we engage in as we look deeply into our “private … Continue reading
Posted in The 12 Steps and Spiritual Formation
Tagged Becoming like Jesus, discipleship, grit, shadow boxing, shadow self, soul-training exercises, spiritual formation
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The Spaces Between
I removed the glass plate from the microwave to wash it. Since I’m still as spatially challenged as I was the last time I washed it, I hoped that I could put it back without asking my husband to explain … Continue reading
From My Reading
“[There is a particular resistance] that invariably crops up any time we consider times of genuine solitude. It is the almost overwhelming feeling that we will be passed over. Now, what we say is, “I want to be available to … Continue reading
Posted in Quotes
Tagged Joan Chittister, poverty, Richard Foster, Richard Rohr, Sojourner, spiritual formation, unconditional love
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Living as Apprentices 