Please welcome Karen Craig
Hello Readers,
God connects us to and through people when we least expect it. I have been writing “Inspired Messages” for over 5 years in addition to other offerings. During those years I have often mentioned to others that I would love to have a “contributing author”. One of my long-time sisters-in-Christ came through with a connection that is truly God inspired. After speaking on the phone and a few messages back and forth, we realized that we were kindred spirits with the same goal of getting our stories of faith out to the real people in the real world. Drum roll please…… Introducing Karen Craig
Hi!
My name is Karen Craig. I am a retired clinical educator who has had careers in pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, R & D, Customer Service, public education, and healthcare. I spent decades following my own path only to discover that my ‘career ladder’ was positioned against the wrong building. Only Christ offers a firm foundation and a ‘stairway to Heaven’. My journey was much more difficult and filled with trouble than it needed to be. God blessed me with many gifts and talents, and I allowed Satan to misroute me through problems with drugs, alcohol, a failed marriage, and careers fraught with stress and anxiety.
About ten years ago, when considering pursuing yet another advanced degree, a local Pastor challenged my life goals. He asked me – “What is more important to you: the pursuit of scholarship or the pursuit of discipleship?” I had been an intermittent church attendee and “pew warmer” but was more interested in accruing biblical knowledge than internalizing the wisdom of the scriptures. The conversation marked a fork in the road of my life. I made a decision to follow Jesus Christ with a renewed passion and became thirsty for the Holy Spirit. My ‘rebirth’ was celebrated with a baptism by immersion in Pennsylvania’s Jordan River.
I claimed Psalm 42:1 as one of my favorite life verses:
A dear friend and wise woman from one of my bible study groups, was prompted to confirm the strength of my writing skills and to introduce me to Cindy Lee and her Connecting the Light outreach. The Holy Spirit orchestrated this divine connection. This is the first piece that He is prompting me to write in response to that calling. I hope my journey will inspire you to pray for God to use you in new ways that will give you great joy.
He has a plan to use ALL of His children to build and expand His kingdom foundation. We are on the cusp of revival in America and all of our voices and passion will be needed to fan the fires of the Holy Spirit!
My second, life-long passion has been for the care and nurturing of all things great and small in His animal kingdom. I’ve been a 4-H’er since I was a young child and God rekindled my earliest memories of ‘club membership’ with my dad as a leader. Those were fun times and sparked my love for rabbits and guinea pigs, then chickens, ducks, goats, horses, cows, and pigs. As I was recently skimming through the local paper trying to secure firewood for an aging friend, I spotted an ad for a PT “farm hand” nearby. I went for a farm tour, and to my delight, discovered that the founder uses the farm education center as a ministry! She teaches school children, interns, and pastors from 3rd world countries – the practice of stewardship for God’s earth and His animals under our care. New “city transplants” are educated on the value of these precious gifts from God and are taught basic animal husbandry and the crafts of milk production, cheese aging, wool spinning, soap and candle making. Consumers are converted into producers and back yard homesteaders. The messages of God are interspersed throughout the tours. We BOTH cried when we realized that SHE had been praying for God to send a Christian with a background in education and farm life – and that I had been praying for God to use MY gifts and experience in a way that would glorify Him! The joy that this endeavor will bring to me is an “added bonus” that reminds me that God ALWAYS exceeds our expectations when we come to Him in prayerful submission.
I am looking forward to beginning this outreach ‘ministry’ in March when about 2 dozen baby goats are expected to be birthed. Curriculum is being prepared and classes are filling rapidly. God is good.
I plan to periodically share my journey forward as God unfolds His plans for me in the future. I hope you will be inspired to ask God to fill you with new plans to use your life experiences to serve His kingdom in novel ways. He is waiting for you to ask Him to do so. Be prepared to submit to His plans. An exciting journey awaits you!
Blessings,
Karen
God connects us to and through people when we least expect it. I have been writing “Inspired Messages” for over 5 years in addition to other offerings. During those years I have often mentioned to others that I would love to have a “contributing author”. One of my long-time sisters-in-Christ came through with a connection that is truly God inspired. After speaking on the phone and a few messages back and forth, we realized that we were kindred spirits with the same goal of getting our stories of faith out to the real people in the real world. Drum roll please…… Introducing Karen Craig
Hi!
My name is Karen Craig. I am a retired clinical educator who has had careers in pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, R & D, Customer Service, public education, and healthcare. I spent decades following my own path only to discover that my ‘career ladder’ was positioned against the wrong building. Only Christ offers a firm foundation and a ‘stairway to Heaven’. My journey was much more difficult and filled with trouble than it needed to be. God blessed me with many gifts and talents, and I allowed Satan to misroute me through problems with drugs, alcohol, a failed marriage, and careers fraught with stress and anxiety.
About ten years ago, when considering pursuing yet another advanced degree, a local Pastor challenged my life goals. He asked me – “What is more important to you: the pursuit of scholarship or the pursuit of discipleship?” I had been an intermittent church attendee and “pew warmer” but was more interested in accruing biblical knowledge than internalizing the wisdom of the scriptures. The conversation marked a fork in the road of my life. I made a decision to follow Jesus Christ with a renewed passion and became thirsty for the Holy Spirit. My ‘rebirth’ was celebrated with a baptism by immersion in Pennsylvania’s Jordan River.
I claimed Psalm 42:1 as one of my favorite life verses:
- “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul thirsts for God, for the Living God.”
A dear friend and wise woman from one of my bible study groups, was prompted to confirm the strength of my writing skills and to introduce me to Cindy Lee and her Connecting the Light outreach. The Holy Spirit orchestrated this divine connection. This is the first piece that He is prompting me to write in response to that calling. I hope my journey will inspire you to pray for God to use you in new ways that will give you great joy.
He has a plan to use ALL of His children to build and expand His kingdom foundation. We are on the cusp of revival in America and all of our voices and passion will be needed to fan the fires of the Holy Spirit!
My second, life-long passion has been for the care and nurturing of all things great and small in His animal kingdom. I’ve been a 4-H’er since I was a young child and God rekindled my earliest memories of ‘club membership’ with my dad as a leader. Those were fun times and sparked my love for rabbits and guinea pigs, then chickens, ducks, goats, horses, cows, and pigs. As I was recently skimming through the local paper trying to secure firewood for an aging friend, I spotted an ad for a PT “farm hand” nearby. I went for a farm tour, and to my delight, discovered that the founder uses the farm education center as a ministry! She teaches school children, interns, and pastors from 3rd world countries – the practice of stewardship for God’s earth and His animals under our care. New “city transplants” are educated on the value of these precious gifts from God and are taught basic animal husbandry and the crafts of milk production, cheese aging, wool spinning, soap and candle making. Consumers are converted into producers and back yard homesteaders. The messages of God are interspersed throughout the tours. We BOTH cried when we realized that SHE had been praying for God to send a Christian with a background in education and farm life – and that I had been praying for God to use MY gifts and experience in a way that would glorify Him! The joy that this endeavor will bring to me is an “added bonus” that reminds me that God ALWAYS exceeds our expectations when we come to Him in prayerful submission.
I am looking forward to beginning this outreach ‘ministry’ in March when about 2 dozen baby goats are expected to be birthed. Curriculum is being prepared and classes are filling rapidly. God is good.
I plan to periodically share my journey forward as God unfolds His plans for me in the future. I hope you will be inspired to ask God to fill you with new plans to use your life experiences to serve His kingdom in novel ways. He is waiting for you to ask Him to do so. Be prepared to submit to His plans. An exciting journey awaits you!
- “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”. Mathew 7:7 NIV
Blessings,
Karen
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Want more?Cindy Lee, the author of Connecting the Light, publishes "Inspired Messages" every few weeks. Each of these messages provide insight and inspiration in a world gone a muck! Drawn from her own life and often reflecting current events, you will find these messages have a practical side when facing life in the real world.
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