I Can Hardly Wait For Tomorrow

This beautiful sunset promises a beautiful day tomorrow.  When we walk with our Father, He promises "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."

When I started my walk with the Lord, I saw that He was already walking beside me, waiting for me.
He held out His hand and said,“Come follow me.”

I took His hand gingerly because this was a new experience.

The longer I walked with Jesus, the more I saw evidence that He had always been there, always loving me, always taking good care of me.

Wild flowers grow amid rusty barbed wire.  Jesus is with us amid all the chaos and ugliness that the world throws at us.  He makes all things beautiful in His time.

I remember the car crash when I fell asleep at the wheel. My 2 older grandsons were in the car.

The car was totaled but no one got hurt.

I hadn’t started my walk yet and only thought I had been very lucky.

I remember having pains, finding out I needed my gallbladder removed and in the process the doctor found Crohns. Since it was discovered so early, I do not suffer the terrible effects that so many have. Again I thought I was lucky.

Recently I again had abdominal pains only to discover an inflamed appendix and a cyst on an ovary. Surgery removed both. The ovary contained a benign tumor.

This time I knew how very blessed I am and knew exactly who to thank for my blessings.

As I have continued my walk, I see His hand in so many areas of my life and in the lives of others.

Just as this doe is protecting her fawn, Jesus has been protecting me and you. We may have troubles but Jesus is always with us, helping us.

The longer I walk with Him, the more I realize that I need to reach out my hand and firmly take His outstretched hand to help me.

The older I get, the more I realize that I cannot manage on my own. I make messes on my own.

When I allow God to lead, He takes me where I need to go. I may not realize it at the time. Sometimes it really seems like a wrong turn but it never is when He is leading the way.

I finally realize that when I hold His hand tightly, that I am safe and so secure. I may have troubles, pains and serious problems but with Him at my side, I will never be alone and He will lead me along the right path.

I have come to see that He is working on me, shaping me into the child that He will take home.

I look forward to the next steps on my walk. I have come to see that every step leads to an adventure with Jesus.

I can hardly wait for tomorrow.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

This is what the road in front of our house looks like now.  We keep wondering what's happening next?  When will it be done?  What will it look like?  Will it be the improvement that we were led to expect?  When Jesus works on us, there is no question that we will be perfect when He gets done with us.


I Just Don’t Understand, Lord

I just don’t understand, Lord, why bad things happen to good people.

I just don’t understand why such bad things happen to innocents, especially children.

I don’t understand why You answer some prayers but not others.

I don’t understand why such terrible people sometimes truly prosper.

There are so many mysteries that my little mind cannot fathom.

The sunset through dead branches and leaves.  When we die to sin, we are born again in the light of the Lord.

I also don’t understand why You love us so much all the time, even when we are rotten to the core.

I don’t understand why you give us limitless second chances for redemption in this life.

We are so imperfect and I really do speak for myself.

Milkweed flower.  God sees the beauty in all of us.  Remember, we are all made in His image and likeness.

Yet I feel Your incredible love and caring.

You are my father and I guess I don’t have to understand everything to feel Your love and know You are working in my life.

It's difficult for me to care for outside flowers but I like my orchids.  When one door closes, another opens.  God give us limitless opportunities to enjoy the beauty of His creation.

In my heart of hearts, I know You work in my best interest and in the best interest of everyone else.

I know that sometimes it’s our job to right a wrong or help someone in need. You put us in a situation to fix something that is broken, to do our part to fix a world that is broken.

I am confident You will give us whatever we need to accomplish what You want us to do.

I know You see the big picture from beginning to end and know how it all turns out and what needs to happen to get there.

God can see everything from the beginning to the end of time just as we can see all the craters of the moon at the same time.  We can have absolute confidence that He will make everything come out right in the end.

I know You love us so much that You became one of us to teach us how to live; how to love You first and best and to love one another as we love ourselves.

I know You, the Lord of all Lords and creator of all that is was tortured to death by Your creatures to redeem us from our sins and give us a way to eternal paradise with You.

There is so much that I just don’t understand but I know enough to know that I can completely trust You and Your way.

I will accept my lack of understanding in the areas that are too much for my little mind and be confident that my Loving Father has everything under His loving control.

Trust in the LORD and do good;

Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
Psalm 37:2-10

Spirea bush after the blossoms have fallen off.  There is such beauty in all of creation.  God is making all things beautiful - especially YOU!

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Knapps Station Community Church

Operation Arctic Vacation Bible School.

Mark your calendars: 6 to 8 pm on July 10 to 14 (Monday to Friday)for a really cool time.  Come for the fun, the snacks, the crafts, the great music, the fellowship and learn how much God loves you.
  
Come to the puppet show and meet Bashful Little Bear, the baby polar bear, Ditty the husky puppy, the musk ox, Toothpick the Narwhale, Artie and Brownie the bunnies and more. Learn about the original Operation Arctic where the men and sled dogs traveled 600 miles across the frozen arctic to rush medicine to very sick children.

As an added bonus, there is NO CHARGE for your child to attend.

Friday night is Family Fun Night and the whole family is invited for fun and a barbecue. 

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Come and see our float at the 4th of July Parade in Norwood, NY.

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Rejoice With Your Friends is Jane Ault's latest blog post to share with us how she has learned to find Restful Living and JOY in the Lord while enjoyng her friends at the same time.

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Prayer, the Nemesis of Satan is Jean Oathout's new blog post about how we can actually become an effective opponent of the devil through prayer.

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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.

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Blessing:

My friend, may you always know that your Heavenly Father has your back.

You can absolutely trust Him.

When you follow Him and His ways, you can rest assured that you will end up in paradise for eternity.

May you be blessed in the assurance of your 

   heavenly "insurance policy."

It pays incredible dividends!!

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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,
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I would love to hear from you either on the
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   debbieamcewen@gmail.com 

I post every other Saturday 

The next post will be July 15, 2017

The orange "thing" on the blade of grass is a snail in the field behind our house.
We have interesting "wild life".

                                                   Peonies.

Some kind of wild flowers that grow near our house.  Something (maybe that pretty doe that was in the earlier photos) ate the tops of my stella dora lilies and hostas so Tim has to photograph the wild flowers!