The Knot

                 Does your life ever get twisted and confused?

                          Do you ever feel like you are tied in a knot
                      and have no idea of how to get straightened out?

Sometimes my life is so difficult 

  that it seems to be tied in a knot.

I get anxious.

I absolutely cannot manage things on my own 

  and tend to make them worse 

  when I try to proceed.

However, when I pray 

  and put everything in God's hands, 

  He untangles the threads one by one 

  that were tied so tightly. 

He smooths out the bumps and loops. 

It seems so simple when He gets done. 

I can see clearly now, 

  when before it had been such a tangled mess. 

He puts His hands on my shoulders 

  and I can feel His loving presence 

  calming my anxiety 

  and taking my worries away. 

He shows me the way to proceed. 

And it always works.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
               Proverbs 3:5-6

       Jesus has the incredible ability to straighten out our messes 
                    when we surrender to Him and His love.

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Monday July 9 through Friday July 13
      6:00 to 8:00 PM

(Registration starts at 5:30 on Monday night 

   or you can pre-register.  

   Registration forms are available at Church.)
Vacation Bible School
at Knapps Station 
            Community Church

Children ages 2-12 are encouraged to come and 
     learn more about Jesus and the bible
     through stories, crafts, games, snacks, 
     music and fun.

There is no charge 
  and each child receives a free t-shirt.

There is also a free hotdog cookout with bouncy house, smores and much more on Friday July 13.  Everyone is welcome for a fun night.

Here are a few moments of the great fun from last year's VBS whose theme was "Operation Arctic".

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Prayer Request

5 people were shot and killed at a newspaper in Maryland yesterday.  2 more were injured.  This makes my heart ache.  There has been way too much violence.  Please pray for everyone involved.  Please pray that all people allow God into their hearts and allow Him to work.  This world needs Jesus more than ever.  He is the only solution to all our problems.  He can work out solutions where none existed before.  And He always will - if we just cooperate.  Please pray that we all cooperate.

All photos taken by Debbie unless otherwise noted.

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 on July 14, 2018.

                                          Both flowers are beautiful.
The one in the sun is more beautiful just because the sun shines on it.
                          We and our lives are so much more beautiful 
                                when the Son (Jesus) shines on us.

May God bless you greatly, 
           my friend!

Your Choice?

Two different kinds of rainbows that I have seen in the past 2 weeks.
Both are beautiful and both are gifts from God.

        "Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it
          and remember the everlasting covenant between God
           and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” 
                                         Genesis 9:16
                     God always chooses us and all things ultimately
                                   in our best interest.
                                  What do you choose?        


Jesus tells us: I will never give up on you.
"Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

Know with confidence that you are His and He fiercely protects what is His.

Jesus, son of God prays for you. Imagine what that means, that the son of God prays to His father on your behalf!

You are so special.
You were chosen by God from the beginning of time.
You are loved beyond all measure!
So much so that God in the person of His beloved Son suffered a horrendous death to pay for your sins and mine and to buy our ticket to heaven.

God seeks us.
He knocks daily on our door.
He wants to spend eternity with us.
That’s why He created us.

He also gives us free will to choose.
He loves us so much that He will not force us to choose Him and heaven.

He wants us to take our rightful place as His chosen and beloved children.
We only have to choose to join Him.

What will you choose?

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15

               Photo taken yesterday at Black Lake, NY.
                     Life has some very dark times for all of us.
                    When we choose God, He leads to still waters 
                                   and restores our souls
                     regardless of whatever life sends our way.




Prayer Request:
The people of Puerto Rico, the people in Guatamala, the people in Hawaii who are all suffering the devastation from nature's fury.

Please pray for healing for this country.  There is so much division in thoughts and actions.  We were all created by God and He loves all of us dearly.  Please pray that God helps us find common ground and work together to make our great nation the wonderful, free democracy that it was meant to be "One nation under God with liberty and justice for all."

All photos taken by Debbie unless otherwise noted.

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 on June 30, 2018.

                          Anybody know what kind of moth this is?
                             It visited my house last weekend
                              and kindly posed for this picture.
                          I love the colors and the huge "eye" spots.

O How I Need You, Father

         Just as the earth needs the warmth of the sun to survive,
                   I need the love and the grace of my Father.
               

Every moment of every day
And every step along the way

I need You so badly.

I need You to breathe.
I need You to walk.
I need You for all the parts of me to function.

I need You to help me with my pains and with my troubles.

I need You to hold the stars and the moon in place, so I can delight in them at night. 

I need you to make the sun shine to warm me and to make the grass, the flowers and the food grow, to feed my body and my soul. 

I need You to hold this wonderful world in Your loving hands and keep all its parts functioning properly to house me, until I go to heaven.

I need You to correct what is wrong in this world, so it works the way You meant it to.

I need You to direct me, to do my part to make it work right.

I ask You to make me, Your hands, Your feet and Your mouth to do Your work.

I ask You to touch me and whatever I do in a mighty way to give You all honor and glory and to spread Your love.

I humbly ask You to forgive me for all the things I do wrong. I am well aware that my sins are many and happen every day. Without Your love, mercy and grace I would be absolutely lost.

I thank You Loving Father, for the people You have put in my life. I am so blessed with wonderful family and friends.

I ask that You teach me how to treat them as You would treat them and to bring Your Love and Your Word to them by my words and actions.

I need even more than I can even think of or be aware of.

You know everything I need, and You always provide.

I thank You so much for always being in my life, even when I didn’t know that I needed You.

Thank You so much and Blessed Be Your Most Holy Name.

Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5

                 Photo taken last spring near Saranac Lake, NY.
                           The beauty of this sunny day 
                   makes my heart sing praise to the Lord.

On a yummy note:  Keep June 14 available for the Strawberry Shortcake Dinner at Knapps Station Community Church.

It is a dinner not to be missed!

Prayer request:  My dear friends, please pray for the people of Puerto Rico.  They are our American brothers and sisters who are still suffering terribly from the effects of Hurricane Maria which hit them in 2017.  4645 souls have died since then!  The island is still in a shambles and the new hurricane season has begun.  If you are able to do more than pray, I humbly ask you to do whatever you can to help.  

There but for the grace of God could be any one of us. 

May God bless you greatly for whatever you are able to do!

All photos taken by Debbie unless otherwise noted.

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 on June 16, 2018.

                This Johnny Jump Up is growing outside my garden.
                   I didn't plant it there but I am enjoying it anyhow.
              We all need to remember to bloom where we are planted,
                     even when it isn't where we think we should be.
                                God puts us where we need to be.