Please Help Me, Father.

              Father, God, please help me to clear away the clouds of my pride
                          so I can see the beauty You have created.

I’ve made a mess with my pride.

It got the better of me.

I just had a wonderful prayer time at the Prayer Vigil
   and Satan struck when I got home.

I got so mad over something
   that wasn’t that important.

I’m afraid I hurt my husband.

I deserve to be upset, to feel guilty.

It bothers me so much that I hurt my husband,
   that I hurt You with my pride.

I thought I had it under control.

My pride goes so deeply into me.

I’m just starting to learn how much so.

I can’t fix this. 
You can, You can show me what to do.

I allowed Satan an inroad and he took it. 

I was so wrong and I am so sorry.

Please help me.  I really don’t know what to do
   but I know You do.  

Amen

             Please help me to be open to Your love 
       so it can blossom in me like this crab apple tree.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
   and will forgive us our sins and purify us
   from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

                                     Brook near Nicholville, NY

The Greening

It’s slowly creeping into sight.

Dirty snow is finally gone.

Mottled green and tan grass is slowly becoming that glorious “spring green.”

Puddles are quietly receding, taking the mud season  with them and firming up the ground.

Overhead, the sky seems bluer
   and the sun seem brighter.

           Norwood Pond on back road between Norwood and Norfolk, NY

Even the air smells fresher.

The weather man said yesterday was very warm
   with a record-setting high temperature of 78
   degrees.  The sun felt wonderfully warm.

         Nature Center on St. Lawrence River near Louisville, NY

Today is overcast and cooler
   but my tulips are poking out of the earth
   giving me faith that Spring is surely on its way.

I have heard the birds sing,
   calling for warmer breezes.

I have heard the Canadian geese honking
   on the way to their summer homes.

My lilac tree is budding, producing tiny leaves.

I am beginning to see the sun shining
   through the lacy green filigree
   of new leaves on many trees.

The “froggy song” of the peepers
   never fails to delight my soul.

The air has changed and winter’s bite has departed.

The greening of Mother Earth is upon us
   and my heart rejoices
   the coming of this new season.

He has made everything beautiful in its time.
   He has also set eternity in the human heart;
   yet no one can fathom what God has done
   from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

Book Reviews:


Create Your World by Patricia King

Would you like to improve your world and your life?  Ms. King gives help and instructions on how you can do that by following God's word and ways.  She does not say you will never have problems or strife but shows keys and insights into the creative power that Christ placed in you to help you live a fulfilled life.

***************************************************



Knapps Station Community Church


Stay tuned for more information about Operation Arctic Vacation Bible School in July at Knapps Station Community Church.  It promises to be very COOL!

*********************************************************



Hope in the Strangest Places

Is your hope running thin?  Do you need some encouragement?  Please check out my friend, Jean Oathout's blogpost and you may find hope in the strangest of places.
****************************************

How Do I Respond to Sadness and Happiness?

To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. Through it all God uses our experiences to shape us into the children He wants to live with Him for eternity. Some of the shaping is very difficult and painful, some is so joyful. If we only cooperate, the results will be heavenly. Please check out my friend Jane Ault's new blogpost for her inspirational message.
******************************************

Voice of the Martyrs 

Please pray for our brothers and sisters who do not have the freedom to worship as they choose.
Many suffer and die for their faith.
We are so blessed to worship as we choose.
Many died to give us this freedom
May we never lose this freedom.
And may we never take it for granted.

********************************************************************
Blessing:

 When I decided to print my Please Help Me Father prayer, it tugged on my pride.  God was trying to shape me and remove the parts that stand in the way of me becoming His child.  I really didn't want to let go of the parts He wanted to remove.  It hurts to lose parts of yourself that have always been there.  To grow, you must let go and let God.  It is really freeing when you can let those pieces go and not try to grab them back. I'm working on it and I wish this blessing for you and for me too.

I wish us the blessing of always trusting God,
   of always knowing He is working all things for our good,
   of surrendering to His will 
   and giving our all to Him.
He suffered and died for us, holding nothing back.
He rose and offers us the same.
May we be blessed forever by His love, His Grace and 
  His neverending JOY!

********************************************************************

All photos taken by Debbie and Tim McEwen unless otherwise noted-
used with permission

All bible reference from the NIV
   unless otherwise noted

If you are interested,
   you can click on the Blog Archive 

  dates on the top right side of this post
  to connect to previous blog posts

I would love to hear from you either on the
   comment section of this blog post
   or through my email

   debbieamcewen@gmail.com 

I post every other Saturday 

The next post will be May 6, 2017

May God bless you greatly until we meet again

    May we always remember that the sun may set 

           but God's love remains forever.

   

You are Jesus’ Precious Child

Jesus protects and cares for us just as this egret protects her babies.

Picture taken near Black Lake, NY

Do you feel precious?

                            You are so much more important to Jesus 
                                    than this fawn is to his mother.

Jesus knows you are.

He went to hell and back just for you.

He would do it all over again
   if that was what it would take to save you.

But He doesn’t have to.

He paid the price for your sins and for my sins once
   and for all time.

That covers everything everyone ever did wrong
   or ever will do wrong.

You and I are so important to God that He wants us
   to spend eternity with Him in Paradise.

Can you possibly fathom what that means?

I feel overwhelmed to think about it.

The One, the Great I Am, the Great Jehovah planned
   each and every one of us from the beginning of time.

         Despite the immeasurable power and might of our Father,
            not a bird falls without Him knowing and caring.
                 Think how much more He values you
           when even the hairs of your head are numbered.
             Picture taken from boat launch Ogdensburg, NY

And He loves us.

Each of us has value beyond measure. 

That means that God loves us without limit,
   without conditions, without strings attached.

However, to get to spend eternity with Him in Paradise,
   we have to accept His love, His free gift.  
We have to believe in Him and love Him back.  

We have to tell Him we are sorry for the things
   we do wrong. 

He forgives each and every time we ask Him to.

When the thief crucified beside him, asked Jesus
   to remember him when Jesus got to His kingdom,
   Jesus said, “You will be with me today in Paradise.”

The thief was Jesus precious child
   and so are you for all eternity.

And don’t you ever forget it!

See what great love the Father
            has lavished on us,
  that we should be called children of God!
           And that is what we are!
                    1John 3:1

                                      In the eyes of the world,
           we may mean no more than the fluff of a dandelion who is gone by.
             In God's eyes we are worth than the life of His beloved only son.

Praise You Lord
    for All Your Creation

Praise You Lord for the stars and moon that light our nights
   and bring our time of blessed sleep

Praise You for the sun that lights and warms our days
   so we can marvel in the glory of Your mighty hands

Nature Preserve on St. Lawrence River near Massena, NY

Praise You for the hills and mountains, for the rivers
   and streams
   that fill our lives with animals, fish, birds, trees, flowers
   and bountiful foods for us to enjoy, to nourish our bodies
   and our souls

                                      Lake Placid, NY  in winter

                            Brook near Nicholville, NY in Fall

                     River in West Stockholm, NY in Springtime

Praise You for the oceans filled with endless fish 
   and amazing creatures.
   The seas are vast and deep like Your amazing love.

                     St. Lawrence River in early Spring with ship and tug boat.

Praise You for the four seasons that bring us variety
   and allow nature to rest, revive, grow, mature
   and be fruitful.
   Your creation never ceases to amaze me
   with its variety and beauty

                         Canada geese in bare cornfield in Spring

                            Brook near West Potsdam, NY in Summer

                               Flat Rock Road, Potsdam, NY in Fall

               Back side of Norwood Pond after ice storm Feb. 2016

Praise You for the rain and snow that bring life-giving water 
   to our lives and our environment

Praise You for all of nature that shouts Your praise saying 
   “The  Almighty Creator and Lord of all,
   the Great I Am, made me. 
   Look at the beauty and infinite creativity
   of His loving hands.”

Praise You Loving Father for making me,
   “for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   Your works are wonderful, 
   I know that full well.”  Psalm 139:14

” God created mankind just a little lower
   than the angels,
   and crowned him with glory and honor.”
   Psalm 8:5.

   The details of Your creation are infinite.
   No photograph has sufficient pixels
      to capture all the details.
   No painter can begin to duplicate the Master.

Praise you Lord for the wondrous majesty that is You!

Praise You for Your incredible love that caused You to call all
   creation into existence   

Blessed be Your most holy name.  Amen

            Even on gray days, God makes all things beautiful - including us!

Book Reviews

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller

Every once in a while I inadvertently find a real treasure.  I had no idea how great this book was until I started reading it.  Phillip Keller raised sheep and describes in detail what a good shepherd goes through to take good care of his sheep.  He draws remarkable parallels between a shepherd caring for his flock and Jesus caring for us. This is one I plan to reread and hopefully do a study on.  It is really that good.

******************************************

Begin Where You Are is the new blog post by my Jean Oathout encouraging us to begin where we are to reach our place in eternity.
******************************************

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Check out the production at Christian Fellowship Center
****************************************



Knapps Station Community Church
Stay tuned for more information about Operation Arctic Vacation Bible School in July at Knapps Station Community Church.  It promises to be very COOL!
******************************************

What it Takes to Give Others Grace is the Jane Aunt's newest blog post.  Do we only soak up God's grace or do we pass it on to others?  Can we become a bridge between God and others to share God's grace and love?
******************************************


Voice of the Martyrs 
Please pray for our brothers and sisters who do not have the freedom to worship as they choose.
Many suffer and die for their faith.
We are so blessed to worship as we choose.
Many died to give us this freedom
May we never lose this freedom.
And may we never take it for granted. 

****************************************
Blessing:

May you be blessed in the knowledge that 
   you are indeed Jesus' precious child
   that He loved enough to die for.
May you never forget just how special 
   that makes you - and all His other children too!
May you never take the magnificence of His creation
   or God's love for granted.
And may you daily receive great JOY 
   through your relationship
   with our Creator and Father.

                                   Lighthouse in Ogdensburg, NY

Know that His love and JOY will guide you over any troubled waters that life sends your way on your journey to an eternity with the Father in Paradise.

******************************************

All photos taken by Debbie and Tim McEwen unless otherwise noted- 

  used with permission

All bible reference from the NIV
   unless otherwise noted

If you are interested,
   you can click on the Blog Archive 

  dates on the top right side of this post
  to connect to previous blog posts

I would love to hear from you either on the
   comment section of this blog post
   or through my email

   debbieamcewen@gmail.com 

I post every other Saturday 

The next post will be April 22, 2017

May God bless you greatly until we meet again

      Paul Bunyan and Babe the Big Blue Ox live on Route 56 near Colton, NY

Imagine you’ve never owned a Bible. How would you feel when they called your name to give you one? Kumar experienced that joy.