You Are Precious in His Sight

                                   This is the 4-5 year old group 
                            at Knapps Station Vacation Bible School
                                         for 2018 Cave Quest 
                                                at snack time.
                                  Our children are precious to us.
                    Imagine how precious we all are to the Father
                            who deliberately chose each of us.


Can that be for real?

Am I special to the Creator of all that is?
Am I worthy?
Am I important?

There have been many times in my life when I absolutely did not feel special or important and certainly not worthy.

I have made so many mistakes, done so many things that I would rather not think about today. Things that I truly regret.

And yet He loves me.

He plucked me out of where I was and placed me firmly in His presence. He has always watched over me and protected me. I can look back now and see His hand in my life, guiding me, nudging me away from the bad and toward the things He wanted me to experience. I always had a choice and can remember the gentle voice calling and encouraging me. Sometimes I listened and heeded the call, sometimes I didn’t. The times when I didn’t are times I now regret.

He never gave up on me even when I deserved it. I guess God never gets discouraged and never gives up on us. He keeps working on us because He loves us so much.

Way back before anything was created. Way back when only God and His incredible love existed, He thought about you and me and He chose us because He loves us and wants us to spend eternity with Him in paradise. He knew back then all the mistakes and sins we would commit and still created us and still loves us. No matter what we do or don’t do, He never stops loving us.

Because only perfection can go to Paradise and we can never be that good, God sent His beloved Only Son to live and to die for our sins. He paid the price so imperfect you and me can spend eternity with Him in Paradise. He loves us that much. We truly are precious in His sight.

However, we can only go to Paradise if we choose to go. We must choose God and tell Him we are sorry for what we have done wrong. We cannot earn this privilege. God freely gives it to all who choose Him.

Regardless of your choice, you are precious in His sight but only those who choose Him get to spend eternity with Him.

I hope to see you there someday. 

Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.  Isaiah 43:4

                                This is most of the group.  
                There were over 70 children and over 50 volunteers
          who participated in the fun learning about and growing in Jesus
                at Cave Quest, the Vacation Bible School 2018
                     at Knapps Station Community Church.

Commentary:  We are going through a very hot spell where the temperatures reached the high 80's and low 90's and it has been very uncomfortable.  We can get relief by using fans or air conditioning.  Cool drinks and cool foods also help.  A cool breeze and shade give some relief. 

What would it be like if there were no relief?  No breeze, no fan, no air conditioning.  Nothing cool to eat or drink and there never would be.  What if the temperature got into the 300s or more and there was never any kind of relief and it went on forever and ever.  You never passed out, you never died.  You just suffered unimaginable agony for eternity.  

Did you just imagine hell?

Would you willingly choose that?

You would if you didn't choose Jesus. 

Think about it!

When you die, there are only 2 places to go and I know where I want to spend eternity.  

How about you? 

Some of our older kids

            This is most of the group who performed a puppet show 
              at the beginning and end of each day of VBS.
                          I am the one on the far left.
                            I really enjoy doing this.

       This is Miner Marlene and Tad who helped the kids learn about Jesus.

                                              Learning about Jesus.

                              Some of the 2-3 year old group.

All VBS photos taken by Beth Shanty and Stephanie Johnson

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 August 7, 2018.

        My grandson Mark having fun and learning about Jesus at VBS.

Always and Forever

        "...He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my soul..."                  Psalm 23:2-3  King James Version
        In the midst of all the turmoil that is taking place all around us,
           we are safe and secure in the care of the Good Shepherd
                who loves us more than He loved His earthly life.
             We will still have difficulties, troubles, pain and hardship
              but He will bring us through and bring us safely home.

O Blessed Lord
You are steadfast and true, always and forever
You are love incarnate, always and forever
You are my patient teacher, my Savior, always and forever
I pledge my life, my soul, my heart, all my resources to You
I am nothing without You
I am straw in the wind without You
I would wander hither and yon without You
I know, I've been there
You give me purpose and peace
Your touch completes my being
You are the lover of my soul who makes me whole
With You, I am as I was meant to be
Without You, I am lost
Thank you, Blessed Lord for finding me and bringing me home
Where I will dwell with You always and forever.

I wrote this to read at my baptism in 2014.  I was baptized as a child but chose to rededicate myself to God and have never looked back. It has been an incredible blessing.

On August 27, 2017, the following people from Knapps Station Community Church chose to be baptized and to rededicate themselves to God at Arbuckle Pond near Higley, New York.

                                       Jacob Frego (black t shirt) with Rev. David Tulloch

   Maddie O'Brien with Elder Charlie Frego, Rev. Dave and Elder Harvey Smith

              Isabelle Matice with Charlie, Rev. Dave and Harvey.

             William Sherman (no shirt) with Charlie and Harvey.

                 Lisa LaBrake with Charlie, Rev. Dave and Harvey

                                             Kris Rozelle

                   Kari Dufresne with Charlie (her father) and Harvey.

                            Al DeLorenzo (white t shirt) with Jacob Frego

We each struggle each day to live as Jesus taught us.
May we always remember that He stands with us 
to help us through all our difficulties and problems. 

When we dedicate ourselves to Him, 
it greatly pleases Him and it surely affects us.  

When that last day comes and the trumpet sounds, our every effort will count.  
I believe that our attitude, our best efforts 
will count more than our worldly accomplishments.

Did we love our Father with all our hearts, 
all our minds, all our strength?  
Did we love our neighbor as ourselves?  
Did we repent of our many sins? 
If the answer is yes, at least we tried our best,
if as many times as we fell down,
we got up and kept trying again and again   
then Our Father will welcome us 
to paradise for eternity.

You and your soul are priceless to God.
He desperately wants to spend eternity with You.

There are only 2 choices 
    to burn forever in agony without God
    to spend forever in paradise with Him

Choose carefully where you put your priorities.
It matters, 
you matter 
always and forever.

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 October 7, 2017.

                              When we make a covenant with God,

                    He promises to keep us in His Loving Hands forever.                                 
                                  We may stray.  We may default.
                                          God NEVER will! 

                              God is faithful from forever to forever. 

                            ...His love endures forever. Psalm 100:5