Lead Us Not into Temptation

                                       Sunsets are beautiful.  

                       However some are more beautiful.
                                        Living as God directs us,
                        which is actually the way we were created to live
                               makes us so much more beautiful
                             than we can possibly be any other way.

Did you ever have an itch
   that you knew you shouldn’t scratch?

Ever have words on the end of your tongue
   that you are dying to say but absolutely shouldn’t?

You know better.

You know you shouldn’t
   but you feel that you just must.

That’s temptation.

An old train station at Whitehall, NY.  Photo is in "sepia" color.

                          Same scene taken in "full" color.  
               God's love brings us color and life in the fullest.

I can resist some things with no problem
   but others are so difficult.

Sometimes the lines get blurred
   and I don’t realize that Satan is tempting
   and giving messages that it’s no big deal to give in.

Sometimes I spend a lot of time arguing with myself
and fail to go to the only One who can really help.

I must sound pathetic.

I feel that way at times.

Sometimes my life is in such a muddle.

I am a work in progress and am realizing
   that I will be till the day I die.

                   So many people go through life just getting by
                          having no idea what they are missing.

However, I am blessed with a Father
   who loves me in spite of all my shortcomings
   and they are so many.

If I knock, He answers.

If I seek, I will find Him.

If I ask, He always comes to my rescue.

I truly need so much help.

Fortunately, Our Father has an unlimited supply
   and He never tires of coming to my rescue.

I tear up when I think of how much
   God really loves me.

I will continue to pray the Lord’s Prayer
and when the temptations come,
I will stress the “lead us not into temptation” part and know He will come to my aid
and I will succeed because
   “with God all things are possible.”
         Matthew 19:26

     God will make even our gray days beautiful if we let him,
            if we only cooperate.  He has the "plan."
              We only have to hang on for the ride.



Commentary

Has Spring come?  It's way too early.  

But it feels and smells like spring.
Mud season is upon us.  It snuck up.  

Sin is like that.  It sneaks up when we least expect it.    We only have to let down our guard for a moment. 

It sneaks in when we are stressed, tired, busy
   and especially when we turn our eyes from God
   for just an instant.

God knows we are vulnerable.
He knows we will make lots of mistakes and commit lots of sins.
However He loves us so much that He sent
His only Son to pay for our mistakes and sins.
Our Father wants us to spend eternity
   with Him in paradise.  

We only have to turn to God,
   acknowledge that we were wrong
   and ask for forgiveness.
   He will give it freely as many times
   as we ask for it.  

With God it is perpetually Spring.  

We make our messes and He turns them into beauty.
He made us out of dust
   and He makes us into His beautiful children -
   if we only let Him.  

Will you reach out, take His loving hand
   and hang on for the ride?  

I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

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

            How long will it be till we start to see the colors of spring?

Springtime Battles

Muddy, muddy, gush, gush
As my feet go push, push
Across the soft and wet, wet ground

Mud tries hard to suck me down
Tries to take my shoes and keep me
But I stand firm and keep on going
Shoes stay on but mud is showing
Remnants of my springtime battle
With that soft and gushy ground

Snow in places still is showing
As my feet do keep on going
Across the muddy, gushy ground

My destination soon I'm reaching
As my feet continue breaching
Springtime muddy, wet, wet ground

I look back and see my journey
Footprints rapidly are learning
Power of the soft and gushy ground

How amazing is the power
Of the mud that makes us cower
When we wage our springtime battles
With the soft and muddy ground

Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.  
   Psalm 37:5  New Living Translation

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Knapps Station Community Church 

My church has many ministries and activities.
It sponsors a Girls Club that is held every other Sunday from 12:30 to 2:30 pm.  It is for girls ages 8-14.  They do not have to attend Knapps Station Church to participate.  There are always at least 2 female leaders present at each meeting.  The girls cook, do crafts, sew, play games, do plays and have great fellowship.  There is no charge for the girls to participate.  They learn and have fun in a Christian setting.  The next meeting will be Sunday March 4, 2017 at 12:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall at Knapps Station Church.  All are welcomed!

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Draw Near To God  is a popular post from my friend Jean Oathout's blogpost "Treasures in Christ."  Her emphasis is praying.
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Learning to Listen Well is the 2-17-2017 blog post from my friend Jane Ault.  She discusses and gives a great example of the value of listening well - especially to God. She gives terrific ideas of how to improve your listening to God skills in your prayer life.

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Voice of the Martyrs

Raise a prayer force for Christian prisoners

Marat Niyazaliev

Yklas Kabduakasov

Yuri Pak

Zhao Weiliang

Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel

Asia Bibi

Alimujiang Yimiti

Ebrahim Firouzi

Imran Ghafur

Hassan Abduraheem

Haile Nayzgi

Kidane Weldou

Lacheng Ren

Petr Jasek

Yang Hua

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Blessing:
May our Loving Father bless you with a great      appreciation for the beauty He has created. 
No matter what the weather brings you, may you feel  the warmth of His mighty love.
And may you be greatly blessed in the knowledge    that He is always anxiously waiting for you -
 that He will never leave you or forsake you -
 NO MATTER WHAT!
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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,
   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 March 11, 2017

May God bless you greatly until we meet again.

       We had a flock of 13 robins
          on our lawn last week.
    Are they trying to tell us Spring is here?

I Am Broken

                           This rock is permanently cleft in two.
                       However broken we may become, God can repair us.
                           We only have to ask and trust in Him.  

I am broken, Lord, I am broken

I totally surrender to You

I give it all to You

       When the future seems "foggy" read the "God's Word" for guidance.
                                  It has all the answers
               God will speak to you in ways you cannot imagine
                                   and give you peace.

My pride is gone
My spirit is broken

There is only You

And that is enough

You empty me out

                              I trust You to take me around the blind bends of life
                                and know You will take me to safety.
                   You guide me along the right paths and restore my soul.


And then fill me up with Your love

You mold me into a new person
Your person

My way is gone, broken, laid aside

I surrender to Your will and Your love

Thy will be done, not mine

And it will be perfect

                           The snow covered path is not easy
            but with God as your guide, the destination will be wonderful.

Surrender yourself to the Lord,
   and wait patiently for him.
      Psalm 37:7 God's Word Translation

            When you surrender to God, He makes all things beautiful.

I Lay It All at Your Feet, Lord

I give You all our problems

I give You all these pains, all this sickness,
   all these worries, all these concerns

            

We are all broken, Loving Father

Only You can mend us

Only You can take all these issues,
   all these problems,
   all this pain and make it right

          God's love and blessings will break through the ice of life's troubles
           and flow upon us if we only look to Him who is reaching out to us.

I give it all to You

I lay all of us at Your feet, at the foot of the Cross

I give You our talents and shortcomings

I raise our joys as well as our sorrows to You

I give You everything about us

We are weak but You are strong

We cannot handle our problems on our own

You can overcome them all

          Jesus is the light in the storm who will guide us to safety.

I lay them all at Your Feet, at the foot of the cross

You sent Your only Son to free us
         from the power of sin
   and to give us life everlasting,
         to give us life in the fullest

       God gives us a rainbow when and where we least expect it
                  so be alert for your unexpected blessings.

I offer us to You and humbly ask Your forgiveness
   for all our sins

I ask for You to take us, all that we are
   and make us into the children You want us to be

I humbly ask for that life in the fullest for us
   now Lord

I humbly ask You to help us now,
   in the time of our great need

   The clouds in this sunset seem to reach out to us as do the hands of God.
                              We only have to hold out our hands
                and He will take us and hug us in His loving arms.

Thank You Loving Father for loving us so much,
         for listening to our prayers
         and for coming to help us

Blessed be Your most holy name.  Amen

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

            I am nothing compared to the glory and majesty of our God.
                             But He loves me so much
                  that even the hairs of my head are numbered
                       and He knows that number so well.

Book Reviews



Why I Am a Christian by John Stott

Rev. Stott discusses why God who is "the hound of heaven" pursues us and why He values us so greatly. Rev. Stott says that Christianity explains who Christ is, what He achieved on the cross and explains who we are and much more..  Jesus never stops inviting us to come to Him. This is a very interesting and compelling book. I heartily recommend it. 




Billy Graham God's Ambassador by Russ Busby

God put it on my heart to check out Billy Graham. When was he born?  What did he do?  What did he stand for?  This book is full of helpful information and pictures that give a brief overview of exactly that. It has been in the back of my mind to learn about him for a long time.  The first time I experieneced the Holy Spirit was during one of Billy Graham's televised crusades. I borrowed this book from the Knapps Station Church Library. 

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Knapps Station Community Church has started a 13 week bible study entitled Preparing to Hear From God by Pricilla Shirer.  


He Speaks to Me by Pricilla Shirer

It started recently and promises to be a very fulfilling study. It's not too late to join.  I am looking forward to it.

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Treasures in Christ Revival in India

My friend Jean Oathout has a blog post that is focusing on prayer and it's power.  I invite you to check it out.

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Choosing Grace/Partnership in Marriage by Jane Ault

I invite you to check out the blog post of my friend Jane Ault as she give some great insight into her journey as a pastor's wife.

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Voice of the Martyrs

I invite you to check out this link to find out what Christians in some countries suffer just because they believe.  We have no idea how fortunate we are. Please pray for our less fortunate brothers and sisters.  


Blessing

May God grant you the wisdom to seek Him at all times and know that He is always there for you.
May you find the peace that surpasses all understanding when you turn to Him in prayer.
May you be blessed greatly, my friend!

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 February 11, 2017

May God bless you greatly until we meet again.

 

       Buffalo from behind Webster's Meat Market near Knapps Station

     These little footie prints were in the mud outside my house the other day.
             I think they might be from the skunk who gets under our porch
                                      and "perfumes" our house.

New Beginnings

We have begun a new year.  It’s the time for new beginnings.  We want to start over and do better.  We may resolve to eat healthy, to exercise more, to manage our time and money better or to have better relationships with our friends and family.  It’s the time to do whatever will make our lives and our souls better.

There is no time like the present to develop a better relationship with God.

 

If you don’t do it already, read the bible, even a little, every day.  It’s the owner’s manual that God gave you for your life. It may have been written thousands of years ago but people don’t change.  People then were doing the same things that they are today. 

In the bible, God is telling you what you need to do to live the way you were made to live.  Just like your computer or car, you need to read the owner’s manual to avoid problems and to resolve the problems that come up.  If you check out your bible regularly, think of the problems you might be able to avoid in your life. 

Spend a little time every day just sitting and talking to God about your life.  Let Him know what your hopes and dreams are.  Let Him know your concerns.  Ask Him to help.  

And listen for His answers.  Listen for that still small voice that may come from the least likely source. 

God is listening for you.  He really cares and He desperately wants to hear from you. He already knows everything about you but He really wants to hear it from you.  

Your time with Him is so precious.  

Just call out to Him in your heart or your voice and know that He is listening.  

Like any good father, He will answer, and know it will be what is best and when it is best.

. 

Let’s make this the best year yet for our healthy bodies and wallets most importantly for our healthy souls.

For the word if the Lord is alive and active.  Hebrews 4:12
...your father knows what you need before you ask.  Matthew 6:8
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care.  And even the hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don't be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.  Matthew 10:29-31

Snowy Delight

The snowflakes caress my face as they fall
They flutter about as if dancing a ball
They cover the ground with gems sparkling bright
They change the dull world into magical night

The lights from the cars change white flakes to gems
With colors entrancing all living men
The water being frozen in this magical way
With hues of the rainbow flying astray

The night has a veil like a whispery dream
The image implied but not easily seen
It teases our senses, defies our dull sight
The new fallen snow turns our dark world to bright

I open the door and go into the house
Glancing out of the window, the lights I do douse
The fluttering snow creates a mystical sight
Adieu ordinary, welcome snowy delight

They speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.  Psalms 145:5

The Snow

            By Debbie (LaBaff) McEwen written in 1968 at age 18

It falls softy
It falls gently
It falls suddenly
Yet it dominates the world it enters
It changes the dull, complacent earth to a land of enchantment
It changes the brown earth to a white-blanketed wonderland of delight
It’s filled with snowmen and icicles and snowballs
It’s a playground for children of all ages
It’s a font of youth
It brings out the inner self in everyone
The first snowfall creates a kind of madness, the nice type
that makes everyone quite happy
It reflects a special beauty that only snow can bring
It’s a happy, quiet time, a time of thought
It’s Mother Nature’s sleeping time
It’s one of my favorite times
The joy of walking through unbroken snow is great
It can be violent
It can bring sorrow
It can be inconvenient
But for the most part, I love it
It’s one of God’s wonders

May our Loving Father sprinkle His blessings on you
as He sprinkles snowflakes on the earth awaiting His touch
May He fill your life with His bounty, love and grace

And may you bloom with His joy

May you have a blessed week.          Debbie

All bible quotations are from the New International Version
All photos taken by Debbie McEwen