Thank you, Father

                       "This is the day the Lord hath made
                           let us rejoice and be glad in it."
                                            Psalm 118:24
                This is a picture of my backyard and the fields behind.
                     I greatly appreciate where He has "planted" me.
                      God is so gracious with His many blessings.


Thank you for this opportunity.

A pending surgery doesn’t sound like an opportunity
   to say thank you
   but it is.

You are giving me the opportunity to surrender
   to You and Your love,
   Your grace and Your peace.

You are giving me the opportunity for spiritual growth
   and for You to work on my soul.

You are the potter
   who is constantly tweaking His work to improve it.
I am the clay that is being tweaked.

I started out as a big lump that needed shaping.
You had a plan and started working on me.
You poked and prodded. You nudged.
You removed the excess that is not part of Your plan.

Sometimes it was painful for me.
Sometimes I didn’t want to give up that excess.

However, You are the Master Potter. 

I am only the clay.

Who knows best?
You, of course.

This upcoming surgery is another opportunity
   for You to work on me.

I am learning to trust. I am learning to have faith. It’s not always easy.
Sometimes I have control issues.

However, I need to remember
   that You made everything that exists.
You absolutely know what is best
   and how everything will turn out.

I need to remember that You are my loving Father
   and that I rest firmly in the palm of Your hand.
I need to remember that You will never let go,
   never drop me,
   that You said,
   “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

I need to remember that Your love for me is limitless
   and that You suffered a horrendous death
   to pay my way to spend eternity with You
   in Paradise.

Therefore, I know I can trust You with my surgery.

Thank you, Father. 

                         "Consider how the wild flowers grow.             
                              They do not labor or spin.
            Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor
                     was dressed like one of these." Luke 12:27

                              I found this "arrangement" 
                        growing wild beside my garage.
                        I've never seen the two color lily before.
                     It must be one of those little "God surprises"
                                 that God uses to bless us.

As I was putting this on my blog post, a tremendous storm came up.  The skies opened and the rain poured.  The wind blew hard and the thunder roared.  A very large limb broke off a tree that is against my house and the limb with all the adjoining branches fell against my house.  It partially blocked the entrance BUT there is absolutely no damage to my house.  There will be a lot of work to clean up the mess but no repairs to make.  God is so good, all the time.  He takes care of us through everything that life and Satan can throw at us.

                      This is what I saw when I opened the door 

     after the branch broke.

                   This is what it looked like from outside the house.

This is my husband starting to cut up the branch.  

We got it cleaned up in less than an hour.

"It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, 

and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain."  

Isaiah 4:4

I wrote the "Thank You, Father" prayer because I am facing abdominal surgery that may be laparoscopic or may need to be major surgery if the polyp that needs to be removed is in the "wrong" location.  I came away from the surgeon's office frazzled.  I know I'm not supposed to worry, but I was.  I called to ask for prayers from my church family and I wrote this prayer.  I am now at peace about the surgery.  It is in the hands of a very good surgeon but ultimately in the hands of my Loving Father who will take the very best care of me.  I am fortunate that the surgeon believes in prayer and I asked that he pray for me.  I am so blessed that God put me where He did, among so many Godly people who are my church family and friends.  I am loved and cared for.  I can only wish and pray for this blessing for all of you.

        Another beautiful sunset from my backyard.
              I have so many things for which to say
                                  "Thank you, Father."

****************************
Save the date.  Mark your calendar.
YUMMY  YUMMY  YUMMY
Knapps Station Community Church will have its
Annual Chicken Pie Dinner 
Thursday,  September 19, 2019 

Times:  starting at 5 pm for the dining room
     take outs will be available starting at 4:30 pm

You can call ahead for take outs if you wish
  Call Barb at 315-212-9771 
      or June at 315-244-3149 for take outs 
Or to order a whole chicken pie for $10.00
Whole pies must be pre-ordered by Sept. 12.

Menu:  Chicken pie, mashed potatoes and gravy,  squash, green beans, rolls, and for dessert either apple crisp or pumpkin pie

Prices:  Adult (ages 12-90)  still $8.00
            Child (ages 5-11)    still $4.00
            Free for those under 5 and over 90
            Take outs are available at the same prices
           
****************************

Prayer Request:  I ask everyone to pray that God softens all hearts.  There is so much division, so much hate in our country right now.  Some of you may already be praying for all the victims of the horrendous shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio from this past weekend and I encourage those prayers. I also ask you to pray for everyone who has hardened their hearts and would wish to harm anyone else.  God loves all of us regardless of the color of our skin, where we came from, how we choose to worship Him or who we love.  All lives matter.  God listens and He answers prayers.  If we all pray every week for all those with hurtful intentions, I wonder how many shootings might be prevented, how many lives might be saved and how much heartache might be prevented. Let's call this Preventive Prayer and pray with all our might.  Pray for love and peace and God's JOY to fill the emptiness of those hardened hearts.

              Just as the wax will soften 
                   when the flames melt it,
              so too will hardened hearts soften 
                 when we pray and God acts.

All photos taken by Debbie McEwen

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 have not posted regularly and I apologize to my followers.

Life, health issues and grandchildren interfere.

Mea culpa my friends.

I will try to do better in the future.

Blessing:  

I pray for God's blessings on all of you.

I pray that you experience
    His many "God surprises" 
    on a daily basis.
I pray that you experience 
    the JOY of having

   God touch your heart and soul.

You only have to allow Him in.

Blessings, my friend!!!

           This dragonfly (I think that is what it is)                       
                    is so delicate and beautiful.

          God made us all in His image and likeness.

                      Just imagine how much He loves us.

                     "For You formed my inmost being;

     You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

                             I will praise You,

        for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

                      Marvelous are Your works,

                  and I know this very well."

                                 Psalm 139:13-14
                     
                                 Thank you, Father.

This is the Day…

It’s early May and the weather is finally warm enough to go outside without a jacket. Yeah!! The grass is that wonderful shade that I like to call Spring green. Trees are starting to produce tiny baby leaves that create almost a green translucent veil. The birds are singing. The sky is blue today with white, puffy clouds that I also like to call “happy” clouds because it makes me happy to have clear weather with warm sunshine. Some flowers are starting to bloom in other peoples’ yards. I have one lone blue Siberian Cilla blossoming.

 

          These are my Mother's Day flowers from my 4 year old grandson 

                              that I still have to plant.

 There are very few bugs. In the evening I hear the frogs and “peepers” singing. The frogs croak seeking a mate. The peepers sound a little like tiny jingle bells. Again, another very happy sound. The “muddy season” has passed.

Spring is upon us. It is the time of new growth and a time to rejoice. In all days, God gives us reason to rejoice but today it is especially so. This day truly make my heart sing and praise my Maker who gave me all these gifts just to delight me. This doesn’t mean that my life is perfect. I have as many issues as everyone else, but I choose to put them aside and enjoy this day with all the JOY that my Sweet Lord has given me and say

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Will you join me and celebrate this glorious day?

May God bless you greatly, my friend.

                                       A recent picture of the moon.

                      God has placed so much beauty here for us to enjoy.

Prayer Requests:

There is so much turmoil in this world, so much hate and strife.  So many people have been hurt and killed as a result.  Please pray for all the victims and all the ones who seek to hurt others.  Pray that God change all our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh so we can truly love our brothers as we love ourselves.

I would also appreciate your prayers for me.  I will have a total knee replacement of my left knee tomorrow.  Thank you.

All photos taken by Debbie McEwen

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 usually post every other Saturday.

Lately I have been very busy with Grandma duties on weekends 
    so I may try to post during the week.

                A couple of recent golden sunsets from different days.
                        I live where I get to see a beautiful sunset many days 
                             if I only choose to look in the right direction. 
                                             I think life is like that.
                                   We can find beauty and goodness
                                           in almost any situation,
                                if we choose to look in the right direction. 
                                                      
              

What Makes Your Heart Sing?

                                   Does it take your breath away 
              when you see a beautiful sunset?
               

            How about when you look in the eyes 
              of your children or grandchildren 
        and see them looking back with eyes of love?

                Does it brighten your day
                  and quicken your step
         when you come upon a beautiful flower?

       Or find a woolly caterpillar with no black?
      Can that actually mean a very mild winter?

               Discover the sun sparkling on the water                                  under an old bridge.

       Find the sun sparkling through

               ice covered trees.

          Find the first dandelion in spring.

                       Do you chuckle 
      when you find your kitty peaking out at you 
              from his latest hiding place?

              Or discover that he is an acrobat?

         Experience the magnificence
            of the mighty mountains.

           Or the delicate beauty of a butterfly.

   View the riotous colors of fall in Northern New York.

Find a barred owl perched just outside your home and are able to sneak up and shoot a picture.

Enjoy the friendship and love of friends and family.

Enjoy the beauty that God has created just for me to enjoy.

           I am blessed to be married 45 years 
                   to my best friend, Tim.

These and so many other blessings have brought happiness to my heart and a laugh to my lips.
Some have taken my breath away.
I am so blessed that God has placed me in a time and place where I can experience so many wonderful things.  
I am not a world traveler but I have found incredible beauty in my life. 
So many discoveries have brought me great happiness.
However, when I feel the love and presence of Jesus in my heart and soul, I am filled with an incredible JOY and peace that no earthly event can compare to.
That is why my heart sings!
Have you found that song in your heart yet?
Our Father is waiting patiently for you to reach out and He will freely give it to you.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.  Psalm 28:7

All  photos taken by Debbie McEwen

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 usually post every other Saturday.

The next post should be about October 13, 2018. 

Some blog posts have been late due to my having extra Grandmother duties and enjoying my grand babies.
My apologies.  I will try to budget my time better in the future. 

      I took this picture from the Medical Campus 
              in Canton, NY yesterday.  
     It as a glorious day with mild temperatures 
              and a beautiful blue sky.
I could only say "This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."  
           Psalm 118:24      

Do You Ever Wonder?

    This the swamp on Route 35 between Norwood and West Potsdam, NY.
                    I am amazed that Spring always follows Winter.

              I am amazed the earth always changes its tilt in such a way
        that the sun now warms the earth and the time of new life comes.

           Even this swamp is alive and beautiful with green and new life.

             The sun and the Son bring new life in their appropriate time

                                and make all things beautiful.

I wonder and think about all kinds of things.

I am amazed that a tiny seed can grow into a beautiful flower. 

                     Even the dandelions and wild violets are beautiful.

                      The brook near my house is alive and green.

I am so grateful that I live in a house where I can get a hot shower. I think about the technology that caused the house to be built and all the things that went into it. I think about the fact that there is electricity to pump the water into the house and heat it. And then to gently shower that heated water into a tub so I can get clean whenever I want to. I think about all the inventions that had to be thought up to make the pipes, the electricity and so on and to deliver it to my home. There are an incredible number of components that go into that one activity and I am the fortunate beneficiary.

This is only one little aspect of my life that is amazing.

I have always been amazed that I can walk upright on 2 feet. Being clumsy, I am not the most graceful person, but I am still able to walk upright.

I can think about moving the various parts of my body at will and they usually respond as I direct them to. It is amazing that I can type/keyboard this piece that you are reading, and my fingers respond appropriately to my mental commands. 

                            Even these crab apple blossoms seem to shout,
          "Look at me I am a creation of the Son and I rejoice just to be alive.

           I was created for your pleasure and to give glory to the Father."

I am amazed that I live in such a beautiful world. Winter is gone. Trees and fields are turning green. Some trees are blooming. Some flowers are blossoming. The air is warm. The sky is often a beautiful blue and the sun shines warming me to my core.

I never cease to be amazed by the world that God made for me to live in and enjoy. 

              The beauty and diversity of the world that the Lord has made 

                                  is absolutely incredible.

I am amazed that He made it beautiful and made me in such a way that I can see it as beautiful.

I am amazed and grateful that the act of love of a man and a woman can create a new life and a new person.

The list is endless, and I never stop wondering.

The most amazing and wonderful thought is that I have a Father who loves me no matter what I do and that He made all this just for me – and you.

When you wonder, wonder about that.

Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. Psalm 40:5

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!

              You are so amazing Father. 

       Whenever I reach out, You are there.                            You take my little hand. 

          You hold me in Your mighty hand 

                   and You love me.  

          Blessed be Your most holy name.

My dear friends:  Please pray for the victims of the shooting in Texas.  Please pray for the families, friends, acquaintances, law enforcement and everyone involved - even the shooters.  Please pray that God may touch their hearts and the hearts of all those who would do harm to others.  Please pray that the cancer that is eating away at the goodness of this country can be cured.  Please look for acts of kindness that you can do to fight this cancer.  If we each do our little part, with the help of God we can overcome the evil and darkness.  We can bring light back to this amazing world that our Father created and bring it back to the beauty that it was meant to have.  Let us pray that there will be NO MORE SHOOTINGS!

                   The sun may be setting but there will be another day.
                  Let's work together to make it a better day for everyone. 
            As Tiny Tim in "A Christmas Carol" said "God bless us everyone."
                               And know that God will bless us all.

                             May He bless you greatly, my friend!

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 2, 2018.

                 I saw these tracks at the bridge near my house. 
                         Does anyone know what they are?

Are You Self-Reliant?

                       On the road to Lake Placid from Saranac Lake, NY at dusk.  

                                         Are you self reliant?  

                         Do you stand on your own like this mountain?

                           Self reliance can be very cold and lonely.  

                    Reliance on God brings incredible peace and security.

Since it is the New Year, are you making resolutions to make you into a better you? Will you eat healthier? Exercise more? Save more money? Clean out and organize your home and your life to be more efficient and better for you?

Do you rely on yourself to make things happen for you and for others? How is that working for you?

For years I thought I had to do everything for myself and prided myself in being very self-reliant. How did that work for me?

I thought as well as it could and settled for that situation.

About 4 years ago, God plucked me out of my situation and led me to the church that I attend now, Knapps Station Community Church. I had been attending a church but had not been walking with God.

At Knapps Station, God led me to take a Bible Study, to read the Bible and to pray. I began fellowshipping with other church members.

I broke my leg and needed help. My husband was very debilitated at the time and could not help much. My church family brought meals for a week. A friend took me grocery shopping and to doctor appointments. One of the church elders took Tim, my husband to his doctor appointments. They prayed for us and loved us. We could not have managed without this wonderful church family.

Gradually I came to realize that it’s ok to let others help and that I can’t do everything. I started realizing that God’s hand was working in all of this and that everything really is in His control. I began to see how helpless I am without Him and His love.

I think I had always had a measure of insecurity and thought that was just the way it had to be. I never felt much peace.

I didn’t realize what was happening until it changed. It took a while for me to progress on my walk with the Lord and look back to see where I had been and where I am now.

Now I feel incredible peace. No matter what happens, God is in control and He works all things for my good.

I still have problems and things still break down. The oven of my kitchen stove quit last night and I am waiting for a repairman to call back. God will lead me to food that doesn’t need baking and it will be great. If I can’t find what I’m looking for in a store, I ask God what He wants me to try and it always works out.

He has led me to write this blog and share my thoughts with you. I pray it has blessed you as much as it has blessed me.

I cannot read your mind and don’t know all your circumstances BUT I do know that when I surrendered to Jesus and rely on Him, my life changed greatly for the better.

My new relying on God self, wishes you the peace and blessings that you will find when you give up self-reliance and rely on the only secure Rock that truly exists.

Blessings, my friend.

Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Luke 12:27-31

       Most of these photos of flowers were taken at Montrose, PA last summer.

                  Today is bitterly cold and very difficult for us.  

                             It is important to remember 

            that our Heavenly Father will get us through this difficulty 

                and every other problem that life will send out way.

When relying on your own abilities isn't working, remember this:

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Matthew 19:26

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 next year on January 20, 2018.

Hopefully the weather will be better by the next blog post 

                 and I'll be able to get outside and get some new sunsets.

May the Lord bless you 

   with brighter and brighter tomorrows 

   and may your New Year 

   be filled with His unending blessings and JOY.