Prepared for the Times, Part 32 Rick Joyner : MorningStar Ministries

Prepared for the Times, Part 32 Rick Joyner : MorningStar Ministries

I Wonder Why, Even When I Know

I wonder why people are so often drawn to darkness rather than light.

I wonder why people would rather read and commiserate with someone else's pain and unforgiveness with no answers, than read the hope-filled testimony of someone who has found forgiveness and healing in God and offers the same to them.

I wonder why Christians have taken to writing horror novels, supposedly in the "Christian" genre.  I wonder why Christians read them, comparing them to Stephen King, and think it's OK. 

I wonder why people choose fear over faith, even when they call themselves people of faith.

I wonder why people choose art with no meaning, or art with a dark meaning rather than art with life in it.

I wonder why people choose to serve dead gods rather than the living Christ.

I wonder why people trust themselves when they can't trust anyone else or God.

I wonder why I sometimes do things that don't fit who I am.

I wonder, even though I already know.

Pirated Music

I was unhappy to discover that songs on my music playlist were disappearing.  My friends' music from Morningstar was no longer available at all.  This was alarming to me, so I did some research into Playlist.com.  Apparently, lots of the tracks on there are pirated, and there has possibly been some legal action against the company.  I guess I should have done my research first-- it was never quite clear so I shouldn't have used it. (They give you links to the source for each track, but I don't like to risk clicking on unknown links; they were putting the responsibility on the consumers, who of course, are just not going to pay attention.)  Well, sorry about that.  I knew better.  I have deleted the playlists from my blogs and have deleted my Playlist account. I would much rather pay for licensing than infringe on others rights, and I hope I can find a reliable and legal source for online play.  I still enjoy Pandora in spite of the fact you're never quite sure what will show up on your station.  At least it's legal.

Prayer Storm

This morning, the Lord led me to a great website with Jim Goll.  If you don't know him, he's a wonderful minister who focuses on intercession.  I've read his book, The Lost Art of Intercession, and will probably reread it now.  It will really "turn your wick up" as my pastor used to say. 
Prayer Storm website

Jesus is interceding for us 24/7.  If we want to be part of what He's doing, intercession is a great way to do that.  It's the foundation for any other type of ministry-- really, it should always be the first thing we do.  Intercession is also a way to minister to the Lord (I received this understanding by revelation from the Lord, so you'll have to research it out for yourself). 

International House of Prayer is another ministry that holds a 24-hour worship and prayer vigil.  The Moravian prayer watch is the model for these ministries, but as Goll points out in one of his videos, this type of ministry was happening back in Davidic times. 

There are quite a few videos on this site, and I watched one before posting this ("The Day of the Watch of the Lord Has Come").  Jim Goll's very inspiring, and a great person from whom to learn intercession.

Global Day of Prayer

I didn't get to this website until today, but it's not too late to begin to participate in what looks to be a great initiative for the Body of Christ to join together in prayer.  Please check out this website and consider being a part.
Global Day of Prayer Website

And for my friends in the Jacksonville area, the specific info is here:
First Coast Global Day of Prayer

These websites contain preparations and prayers we can pray in unity with other believers from around the world.  There really is a strong anointing on this, which you can feel when you visit the websites.  I hope you will add your prayer to the prayers going up around the world. 
I certainly will.

A Touch From God

I've been getting The Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin by Bill and Marsha Burns for a couple of years now, at least, directly to my email. "Small Straws in a Soft Wind" by Marsha Burns is wonderful, and so are the words from Bill Burns.   I can't count how many times those messages from the Spirit of God have been exactly what I needed at the moment.  Here's a link so you can check them out.

Faith Tabernacle Website

Cool Presentation and The Next Overused Word

I'm quite impressed by the video "news" presentation called "Who Knew?"
http://whoknew.news.yahoo.com/?vid=19847128

The visuals are cute and interesting, and the information is creatively presented. Whoever writes these does a great job! I like the humorous approach and also how historical backgrounds and connections between things are referenced. I've learned things every time I watch it. Informative and entertaining.

But I'm really getting tired of the word "gaffe"! Wow, I've seen it on the internet every day for weeks. Is this just Yahoo!News, or is everybody in America caught up in catching the latest "blunder", "oops" & "trip-up" of anyone in the public eye? This is an attitude I want to avoid like the plague. Pride comes before a fall, and I don't want to be the next one to wear the "wrong" outfit in public and have a candid shot of me posted on Flickr ;)

P.S. Perhaps we can blame the creators of Wallace and Grommit, "The Wrong Trousers" for the fashion/etiquette-police mentality. ;)

A Better Version of The Psalm 3 Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BW5K9qqkRc

Will 'The Dawn Treader' Float? | Movies

Will 'The Dawn Treader' Float? | Movies & TV | Christianity Today

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Two Women in the Social Networks

I've been thinking a lot about the book of Proverbs' picture of two women crying out in the streets, at the gates, and in the highest places of the city.  Wisdom and Foolishness.  You can see these two "women" being very active in the social networks and the ecommerce marketplace, everywhere something is happening.  The Scriptures describe their opposing platforms, and they are both very influencial. 

I'd like to do some art depicting this, but it is so dynamic, I don't know where to start.  Anyway, I thought you might enjoy keeping your eyes open for these two "women".  Who is gaining ground?  Which one speaks through us in the marketplace?  Are we doing what is needed to take the high places for Christ?

Fixing My Blog Backgrounds

Good morning, peeps!

It's time for me to do my online spring cleaning (we'll get to the house later, oh, and the deck-- ugh!).  I am fixing my backgrounds to make them more readable.  My husband, Bob, has been complaining about the distractions for a long time.  Actually, since I first put them up!  At first, I was oblivious to it, but it's actually starting to bother me now too.  So, here goes.

Mainly, I'm trying to make just the scrolling part plainer, and get the annoying graphics from flopping all over the words-- like this overgrown rose!  Over it goes!!  It's some work, but not that bad, so I've just been lazy.  It's time to do it.

If you have any suggestions, complaints, or reasonable advice, please post it in the comments, or mail me on Facebook or at painting4jesus@yahoo.com
Speak now or forever hold your peace!  (Just kidding! You can tell me later, but I may not respond-- or you'll have to wait til next spring!)

Lots of love!
Karen

Update:
OK, this is a newer version, cleaned up.  There is still a little bit of design behind the words.  Am I paranoid of a blank space?  Oh, maybe a little.  Is it distracting to you when you try to read?  I can't fix the header image to make it fit the border, even though it's supposed to auto fit.  Any help?  And the image I use for the background is the right size when I upload it to Flickr, but it seems to shrink when I put it here, and the edges are tiled a bit (you can only see this with a very large screen like mine 1900 X 1200 px.  Don't know how to fix that either.

OOps!  Silly me!  My screen resolution is 1929 X 1200.  That could be the problem!  I told you I wasn't good at numbers ;)

Everybody Needs Friends

Today I am feeling very grateful for my friends, old and new.  Friends who are willing to help me out of a ditch.  Or tell me what I need to hear, not just what I want to hear.  They don't expect me to be perfect, but they want me to be an overcomer.  Thank you, friends, for being truthful, real,  and encouraging.

You may birth something and be all excited about it.  I've experienced that, and it's great.  It's hard work, but it is worth it.  But the work isn't over when a baby is born.  I'm having to defend my babies-- things the Lord has birthed-- from a mean and deceitful enemy who certainly doesn't want anything to exist that glorifies God. 

When I am being assaulted by the devil day after day, I need my friends.  Sure, I need the Lord, I always need the Lord.  But I can't be an island,  because nobody survives that way.  I need people who will pray for me, and people who will encourage me.  Otherwise, I can get confused with thoughts that try to make me think I am a failure before I've really begun.  Some of those thoughts come from my natural temperament that is filled with weaknesses.  I need to be reminded that God is strong in my weakness.  Some thoughts come from the devil as he hurls lies at my mind to get me to quit.  I need to hear the truth of God. 

If you have ever been under emotional and spiritual assault, you will know what I mean.  I am part of the Body of Christ, and so are you-- and Jesus is the Head.  Please be willing to speak His Words to me when I need them.  I thank all my friends who are willing to do that.  For although I put out a lot, and hear from the Lord, that doesn't make me a hero.  I am still a vulnerable human being.  I need friends, faithful spiritual friends, just like everybody else.

You Can't Stop Delivering A Baby Once Labor Begins

Hello, friends!  I'm not doing much on my blogs right now, and the title explains why!  I'm "having a baby"!  No, not a baby baby.  A book!  I'm finishing a project which has really gone quickly.  But there is still a lot of work to do.  This is a childrens' "chapter book" (it seems people use this term to differentiate it from a "picture book"), for elementary school readers.  I don't think I'm qualified to give an exact age range, as it depends on the child and their reading level.  I have left some "big" words in to help develop thinking skills and encourage building a vocabulary.  The book will have a Glossary at the end.  This is one of the things that feels like "work" to me, compared to just writing a story.  It's things like this that make me wish I could afford an assistant.  Maybe someday!

My husband's been a great help in reading, editing and making great suggestions.  He is also helping me with the research when needed.  At this point, we are going for publisher status.  Reason being, it's easy!  All you have to do is buy ten ISBNs and that isn't so expensive as you might think.  That gives us the benefit of being listed by the big distributor in the industry, with books available in the warehouse for the big sellers such as Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.  I think that's awesome.

One of the things that bothers me is this phrase going around: "shameless self-promotion"!  To me, this goes hand-in-hand with a really strong leaning in the USA towards socialism, and even communism.  The attitude seems to be that "selling is wrong" and "if you're rich, you owe me some."  Well, I'm wondering then why anyone buys anything!  That is total hypocrisy if you ask me.
I could reeeeaaaally go on, but let me get off my soapbox.

I'm not out to get rich, but if I happen to get that way while I'm doing God's will, then it's for the Kingdom.  How could anyone send money to Haiti, for example, if there was no one with any riches?  I would rather bring some miracles over there anyway-- that is heavenly riches I think, and I'd rather have that.  But God's given me a desire, maybe even a burden, to write for children, and adults too eventually.  How will they be able to read what the Lord gave me if I don't get it printed and distributed?  How will anyone know there's a book if I don't tell them?  There are too many people waiting around to "be discovered"!  That really is an attitude of entitlement.  I have heard the Lord speak very plainly that I am to WORK it!  Take what I've got and do the work to get it to who needs it and wants it.  And since there are opportunities available to do it "indie" style, I opt for that: it's quickest, most lucrative, and it gives the Lord the most freedom to take it as far as He wants. 

So, if you think I'm shameless about my self-promotion (and it really isn't about myself, because I couldn't do the things I do without the Lord's inspiration and constant help), maybe I am.  Shameless that is.  Because I don't need to be ashamed of something that isn't wrong.  Social guilt is not true guilt-- I learned that in psychology class!  I'll promote God and what He's doing any day, even if I happen to be part of what He's doing. 

A word of encouragement for you:
If you've got something in you, start doing it.  Don't give up when it gets rough.  When you get an inspiration, let it incubate and grow.  Protect it, nurture it.  Don't abort it with doubt and neglect.  And when it's time to go into labor, be willing to drop everything else and push that baby out.  Don't give up when you get tired.  Go to the Lord for strength.  He will give you what you need to carry through.  And then, when your baby's born, clean it up, wrap it up and keep it safe and secure.  Watch over it and feed and until it's grown, and you can let it out into the world to do its work.

A New Blog and A New Group

I got inspired to start a new devotional as I read my One Year Bible.  I started a little bit late, but that's OK!  I tend to get bogged down trying to commit to something too extensive to do on a day-by-by basis, but this is something I absolutely know I can accomplish.  A new group is now in place on Facebook if you're interested in participating.  I've opted to repeat my own insights here on Blogger for those who aren't into all the "hub-bub"!

I hope you will come along with me and read the wonderful, living, life-giving Word.  The One Year Bible is a plan and format I have enjoyed for many years.  If you don't prefer it, that's alright, just get into the Word of God.  I have discovered, though, that this particular plan brings pieces of the Scriptures together in such a great way!  I'd call it "serendipitous" except that I know God knows what He's doing, and He had it all in His mind already.  I really enjoy the way the Scriptures flow together, enhance each other, reveal each other: the Word illuminating the Word.  Try it and see!

New Life for a New Year

It has certainly been a while since I've posted anything here!  "Life happens" as they say.  The things we've dealt with in the last year haven't much felt like life, though!  Grieving the passing of a dear friend and pastor, fighting through weeks and weeks of snotty viruses, and watching my faithful husband struggle to maintain and grow a business in a changing economy-- all of these have felt more like death than life.  But one thing I know, and that is that "all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes."  That includes me, and you too, I hope!

We all get pruned now and again, by the Gardener!  It hurts, of course, but afterward we can see the growth and reap the fruit.  I hope my time away from blogging will prove to be just that, and that what I post in all my different pages this year will touch people where they need it, how they need it.  I pray that all those touches will have the grace of God in them.

Be blessed this year!  Make close fellowship with the Lord the highest priority.  Maybe this will be the decade that will see the return of Christ to reign.  Let's pray fervently "Thy Kingdom Come"!

Right Brain/ Left Brain

Hello there! It's been a while since I posted anything here. Doing so many things. And isn't the time going fast, fast, fast!!!

I just got a "news flash" from the Spirit. The Lord wants both our brain halves to work together! I realize I bounce back and forth from right (more global, creative, associative) to left (more linear, logical and verbal) parts of my brain. Some activities like music and driving are inherently right and left brain activities, but when I get into art or photography, I tend to be so much less verbal. This translates into "no blogging". But check out this Scripture:

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. " James 1:5-8

Maybe this seems irrelevant to you, or not related. But to me it says: "Your brain halves are competing with each other, not cooperating. If you want to get the things accomplished you know have been given to you to do, ask the Lord for wisdom. Don't let your right brain tell you that your left brain isn't worth using! Or vice versa! This is simply unbelief, that's all."

This is a little bit different take on these verses, but I think it's applicable:

"Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you." 2 Corinthians 13:11

So, I intend to take authority over these contending brain functions of mine, and now I have some scriptural ammunition! Hope this helps you.

What To Do At Low Tide

I'm at a low ebb right now, after a long period of high creativity. It happens, I think, to everyone. I'm sure you've experienced it, and if you're like me, it's a very uncomfortable place to be. Maybe you've felt drained, empty, or even burnt out. Sometimes it feels like depression. Whatever the causes and accompanying sensations and thoughts, the outcome is the same: low creative output.

Here, I simply enjoy the long walks on the beach, so to speak, listen for the distant voice of inspiration, pick up a few shells, rest, and know that, inevitably, the power to create will return like the tide of the ocean. And just about as suddenly as it went out.

Since I draw my life and inspiration from one Source, Jesus Christ, I take the opportunity to get extra rest in Him, let Him do whatever work He needs to do in me, and do the ordinary daily things in life that have to be done. I enjoy my family and close friends, I get some healthy creative input, I spend extra time in the Word and in prayer, and I wait for His life to well up in me in a greater way. And I resist the temptation to fall into sadness and disappointment, or shame and condemnation, because I'm unable to do everything I think I need to do.

So, I just want you to know I haven't quit on my blogs or anything, I'm just in that low tide place, enjoying the quietness and refreshment of a spiritual getaway.

New Start for "Fireberries"

I've been rethinking some things on here, partly to make it doable for me, and partly to make things better for readers. "Fireberries" is revamped now. I have deleted the previous blog entries, which were mostly long Bible studies (which may or may not be posted in another blog), and I have begun posting short, Scripture based confessions which will appear daily. I am convinced that this is more in keeping with the original vision for "Fireberries", and I am looking forward to the encouragement it will give me as well as though who read it. If you like it, please pass it on!

An Unhappy Surprise

I made a discovery today, and it wasn't a pleasant one. ;( I usually post the entries of this blog from Internet Explorer, and had formatted all these blog pages from there as well. Today I opened it with Firefox and everything looks totally off! Yuck!!

I recently opened a gmail account to use as an address with this blog, to keep my other address personal. I also got Firefox installed so I could use an application a friend needed as I helped her with some design work. I don't generally use Firefox, as I don't like how things look and work on the web as I use it. I've been using Explorer for so long, I'm used to it. I do really like a Firefox plug-in I have which is colorful tabs. It is very helpful, and I wish I could have that on Explorer.

So now I'm in a quandary. I don't think I can make my pages look good in both formats, so I'm letting you know that if it looks bad in Firefox, maybe try it in Explorer. I guess that's a bummer for Firefox users. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. In the mean time, I'll explore some alternatives for fixing my looks so they work for everyone. I guess that's what happens when you try to "push the envelope". I just don't want to look like every other blog. Is that a hopeless goal? I certainly hope not. Please leave me a comment if my pages look messed up to you. Thanks so much for your feedback.

Reconstruction

For a while some of my blogs may be offline (marked "private" for a little while) as I create and tweak the backgrounds. Hope that's not too inconvenient for you. Sometimes it's a bit tricky and it takes a while for me to get it right. I'm working on it. I have a widescreen monitor, so the backgrounds are optimized for that, but I'm trying to make them good for smaller monitors too. Hope they're enjoyable for you! Let me know if you're having a problem with anything. Thanks.

New Backgrounds and Virus Attack

OK, I'm feeling a little bit proud of myself for learning how to do code for these new backgrounds! They're not perfect, but I'm liking it much better. Soon I'll have them all done. Hope you like them! Now, it's a stupidly late "wee hour of the morning", and I am going to try to go to sleep. I'm praising the Lord especially tonight, because He and Bob saved me from a trojan attack on my computer. My carelessness I'm not so proud of. I think it's going to be alright though, and I'm very grateful. Be watchful out there!!

Really, the Art Is For Christ's Sake!

I have to admit, I'm addicted to the Word of God! Apparently everyone is addicted to something or other, so I have to choose addictions, the ones that bring me closer to Him.

So what I did was, I added a link on the big picture on the bottom of "Spirit Eyes", so you get related Scripture Bible study. Cool huh?

Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but I'd rather have one Word from the throne room of God than a thousand pictures per day that I don't quite understand. Any comments?

A Link To My Art Gallery

Just in case you're interested, I have a set of galleries at Imagekind.com where you can purchase my artwork. I've added a button on the side of this page too. Here's the link: http://ArteZoe.imagekind.com/

I am impressed with the quality of the paper and printing they offer there, and the usability of the site. You can pick your own sizes, type of paper or canvas, mats and even choose a frame from the large variety offered. You have 30 days to send back the artwork if you're not happy with it. So not too much risk! My personal choices for paper and framing that I've given you on there are archival and not the cheapest, but don't let that deter you from choosing something more affordable.

You can also order high quality greeting cards from any of the artworks I've placed in the gallery. Most of them require a crop, so that will be your own choice. So far I've uploaded only things that can be printed large, and that I am confident will look good printed, but you can choose a smaller size if you prefer. I still haven't been able to order any prints so I can see them myself. Thus, the guarantee is a good thing. Still, I'm confident in the quality of the artwork and the resolution of the prints.

I have a lot of artwork I've done in the last couple of years, and since it takes a long time to upload the large files required to make a good print, I haven't posted much in the gallery. So if you ever see anything of mine here or on Flickr that you "just can't live without", please email me at ArteZoe@gmail.com and let me know what you would like to find in the gallery. I'll do my best to make it available.

Thanks for dropping by!

Karen

Art for Art's Sake

Recently, I had a discussion with a friend about letting art speak for itself. As "they" say, "a picture's worth a thousand words". Being a writer, I suppose I took that as a challenge to write at least a thousand words about my artwork, but I suppose that could also be taken to mean, "shut up and let the art talk".

By now I guess you know that I seem to always start new blogs. In reality, I have only divided up what I have been doing over the past two years on Flickr, and in my original 360 blog. The work was so varied that I began to think it would be better to separate it all, and to give people the choice as to what they would look at or read. So here is ArteZoe, with another blog.

I've created a new blog page "Spirit Eyes", as what I have called my "Daily Gallery". I am putting up a new artwork every day (hopefully). There will always be only one entry: it is gone the next day, no archiving, for a fresh experience.

In an attempt to show my art without distraction (Flickr has comments and groups, "The Path of Love" is definitely wordy), there will be no words, except the title and copyright notices.

So now you have a choice to see my featured piece in relative "peace and quiet". At the bottom of the page is the art in large form. Enjoy!

A Special Publication

I've just uploaded a collection of 50 haiku, which I have titled "A Floridian Sketchbook." I've been working on this since 2004, and have finally finished it, at least for now. If you like haiku, which I think is one of the most accessible forms of poetry, you might enjoy reading these on my poetry blog, "Words Like Grapes." (links on this page). It is just as the title suggests, all inspired by the theme of life in Florida, with all its beauty, water and wonderful wildlife. I'd love to hear your impression of these. I hope you enjoy them!

Karen

This Is Where You Can Find All My Stuff (an Update)

I created this page to provide people with one location to find everything I do online, with links to everything. So it may look like there's nothing really happening here, but hopefully, it's where you can easily connect to all my places. I'm still working on making everything link together. As I don't have my own website at present, it's the best I can do. I hope I've made this useful and functional. Please let me know if there's a problem, or you have a suggestion as to how I can make it better.

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Occasionally, I expand my blog(s), or add a site to my ongoing activities. I think I will start giving little updates here, just to help you know what I have available. For instance, I recently started networking on Facebook. That's been a fun experience, as I have reconnected with old friends, even people that live in my own geographical area. I've also started a new YouTube channel, which will progress very slowly, I assure you, but where you will be able to check out my new music videos as they as created. So far, I only have one up. It's one of my favourite songs I've written, "See Into Me", that we recorded in our studio, with a slideshow of some of my older artwork. Not bad for a scratch recording and a first attempt at video!

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I have also divided my blogs on Blogger once again, creating a new poetry blog: "Words Like Grapes". The funny poems will still show up on "The Elephant Dropped In For Tea", but as unfortunately I don't write many funny ones, most of my poetry will be on "Grapes".

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"Fireberries" here on Blogger is my Biblical studies blog. I don't post a lot, because I want to make it count, and honestly, each one takes 2 to four hours (or more) to write. These are usually quite meaty, and you have to be willing to read and study along with me. I will try to add some shorter devotionals there, like what I've been trying to post on Multiply.

"Fireberries" on Yahoo! 360 still seems to be getting the most views, unless the counter lies, but I have difficulty uploading there, so I'm trying to steer away from posting there. I don't want to shut any doors that are still open, though.

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"The Path of Love" here on Blogger, is the place I have set up to discuss my symbolic and prophetic art pieces. I was posting poetry there too, but I decided to add the blog I discussed above. This blog was inspired (and was the original blog I started here) by Jesus explaining His parables to His disciples. I don't consider anyone my disciples, however, as I sometimes speak in parables, I think it only right to follow His example and explain to those who want to hear: basically those who are His disciples, or who would like to be.

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"The Zoe Zine" and "artezoekins" have been slow to get going, but it's mostly because I started them right before the holidays. I hope to get them more active and lots of wonderful things for you to check out. This is where I can get others involved, and not just myself. I hope you will read Elizabeth Taylor's short story that I recently posted. It's really awesome!

Flickr is still the place I've had the most action and where I've made the most contacts. I've been spending time away from there temporarily to try and get the other places more connected and functioning better, not to mention do some stuff in the 3D world.

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Although to some it may seem like I'm just being egotistical, my motivation for doing all this is to allow my light to shine, as the Lord commanded us. The only reason I can be creative at all is because He is creative, and He lives in me. When I allow Him to fill me, then there's lots of overflow. This is what I like to share with whoever wants to receive, because then they can receive some living water. I have tried to channel it into places where the most people can easily find it. It's not really me you're connecting to, it's the Spirit of God flowing through a willing vessel. Even though some of my work is "secular" on the surface, you will always find His life and light in it if you will look, and if you will place it in the context of the total body of my creative output.

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Thanks for dropping by and for taking the time to read this. All the links are right there, on the right side of the page. Please let me know if you find mistakes or bad links. I really appreciate it!

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Karen