It is an honor to speak at a time when we are remembering a great lady. And though I may be speaking, I am speaking for all the ladies of our church. Many of them have known Karen longer than I, and some only knew her for a short period of time, but EVERYONE loved Karen.
Karen was the first lady from First Assembly in Conroe that I met. We met her in December of 1982 on our first trip to Conroe to meet with the board concerning the pastorate. The lady I met was kind, gentle, warm, hospitable, loved her family, was deeply committed to her church, and genuinely loved people.
Last fall, Karen and I met and had an enjoyable evening together. We talked about projects that we were working on. But mostly, we talked about family. Karen was VERY proud of Jeremy and Shanna, Chris, and Kevin. We talked about their growing up years -- the laughter and the tears. She expressed her joy and happiness at seeing her sons grow and develop into Godly young men. We talked about her hopes and dreams for their future. She shared her desires to encourage Lowell in pursuing his dreams and aspirations. She was very determined to lift up her husband and encourage him.
I had been reading in "Streams in the Desert" and had it lying on the coffee table that night, so we decided to play the game of opening up the devotional book to your birth date and reading your devotion. Since Karen's birthday was coming up, we read hers. Second Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficent for thee." We didn't fully comprehend the sufficiency of the grace that we were discussing. For His grace is great enough to meet the great things:
The roaring winds that leave us stunned and breathless --
Or the sudden storms that are beyond our life's control.
But it's grace, marvelous grace. . .
From the first day of Karen's courageous battle with the unseen enemy, she could recall each person who had called her -- visited with her -- sent a card or a letter -- prayed with her. Nothing -- absolutely nothing -- escaped her attention or her appreciation. I do think she was partial to the phone calls though . [lol]
Karen gave us a very unique and encouraging look into her journey. ... We sang her song "Spring up, oh Well, within my soul" ... And then on April the seventeenth, I opened my Bible to Psalm 17, and read "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness."
When I think of giving and loving others, I will remember Karen.
When I think of hospitality and sharing, I will remember Karen.
When I think of Missionette uniforms and Royal Ranger badges, I will remember Karen.
When I see Jeremy, Chris, and Kevin walking in a right relationship with God and man,
I will remember Karen.
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