What Was It Like?

What was it like to carry that person 
   inside her?

Did she worry if she tripped and fell?

Did she wonder if He was active enough 
   or too active?

What was it like to ride that donkey 
   to Bethlehem when every bone, 
   every muscle screamed to lie down 
   and rest?

What was it like to find out 
   that the only place she could deliver 
   the Son of God was a dirty stable 
   and her only midwife 
   was her new husband?

Did Joseph know how to help?

Did she have all the baby things 
   that she needed?

Did she wonder and worry 
   if she was doing everything right 
   as most new parents often do?

I remember watching my new son 
   while he slept and sometimes 
   touching him just enough 
   to get him to move a bit, 
   needing the reassurance that he was ok.

Did Mary ever do that?

What was it like to take her newborn son       to the temple, being able to afford 
   the least expensive offering 
   only to hear from Simeon, 
   the ancient holyman?

And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be      opposed— and a sword will pierce    even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34-35

What was it like raise this Child?

To nurse Him from her body and hope 
   she is feeding Him well enough? 

Did she pick Him up when He fell, 
   did He cry when He got hurt, 
   did she kiss the boo boos 
   of God’s little Boy?

Did she have to correct Him 
   and teach Him or did He know?

Did she teach Him about God?

How did He get along with His siblings?

With other kids?

What was it like to carry in her heart 
   the most awesome burden 
   that any mother ever carried 
   knowing that God trusted her 
   with His only Son?

What was it like?

*************************

God gave me an inquiring mind and I think about things.  I'm a mom and I got thinking about Mary and what it might have been like to have and care for God's little Boy.  The Bible doesn't tell us so we have to fill in the blanks with our imagination.  What do you think it was like?  If you are a parent, you probably have some idea but may wonder if it really like that.  Someday we can ask Mary when we go to heaven.  

In the meantime, pray for everyone.

Pray for the world, for all the leaders,

for all the people, for the victims, for the essential workers and medical providers who put their lives on the line for all of us during this pandemic.

Wear your masks, social distance, wash your hands.

Love everyone you meet, try to do every kindness you can.  We are living in a hurting, fallen world that needs all the love and kindness it can get.

And know that Our Father loves you dearly. 

He holds us in the palm of His loving hands and will help us through these black times.

May God bless you greatly, dear friend.

But the Greatest of These is Love

                    As the sun shines through the clouds 
                             and reveals the beauty 
                            that only God can create, 
         His love is shining through the COVID clouds of life 
                            and revealing His love.  
             You can see His love in the eyes of those 
             who are sacrificing to take care of others.  
             So many people have stepped up to help.  
                          There are so many heroes.  
                     "Greater love has no one than this: 
            to lay down one's life for one's friends."  John 15:13

There is no greater calling than to love.
We love because God first loved us.
We are living in a time of great change.
So much is unknown.
The rug was pulled out from under us.

This COVID has totally changed our lives.
It may never be the same in my lifetime.

Everything is in God’s hands.
It always was.
We just had the illusion 
that we were in control.
There is no longer that illusion.

However, we do have control 
of how we conduct ourselves.
We can choose how we behave. 

We can choose positive.
We can choose negative.
God wins or Satan wins.
It is really that simple.

We can choose to be courteous and loving.
Or not.

We need to think about our choices because they will have eternal consequences for us.

Our choices also have immediate consequences for those around us.
Our choices matter so much to others and to God.

Think about each choice and each action as though it were your last and what legacy you would wish to leave. 

Choose love.

“If I speak in the tongues of men 
or of angels, but do not have love, 
I am only a resounding gong 
or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy 
and can fathom all mysteries 
and all knowledge, 
and if I have a faith 
that can move mountains, 
but do not have love, 
I am nothing.

If I give all I possess to the poor 
and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, 
but do not have love, 
I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. 
It does not envy, it does not boast, 
it is not proud.

It does not dishonor others, 
it is not self-seeking, 
it is not easily angered, 
it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil 
but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails....

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 
1Corrinthians 13: 1-8, 13


I know this is a very long quotation, 
but I really love it 
and it completes this piece. 
I loved it 
long before I started my walk with God. 
It has always touched my heart. 
I pray it touches your heart too. 
Nothing is more important than love. Especially in this COVID time.

                           Spring is here 
       along with the beautiful sunsets that I love.
                 The Canada geese are back.  
               It is a time of renewal and hope.
                   I hear the peepers at night.  
                I hear the birds singing all day.  
             They don't know it is COVID time.  
              They only know it is springtime 
             and time to rejoice in being alive.  
                     And they do rejoice, 
                 giving glory to the Maker 
             who loves them and loves us.  
       "This is the day the Lord has made, 
           let us rejoice and be glad in it."  
                     Psalm 118:24

        There was a very red moon in the wee hours 
              of the morning about 3 weeks ago.  
             I had never seen one so deep a red.  
                   It appeared even redder 
            than the camera's eye captured. 
                          Is this an omen?
              Or just a beautiful phenomenon?
     Is God saying that His heart is bleeding for us 
        and for what is happening in the world?

            New grass and tiny leaves on the trees 
           greet us as we stop by the bend in the river 
       on the Potsdam Norwood Road near Norwood, NY.  
            I love the "veils" of new leaves on the trees 
                that almost hide the sky in spring.  
      God is speaking His language of love and of hope.  
                We only have to look and listen 
   and wait expectantly for what He has in store for us. 
                  God is love and God loves us!!! 



Blessings on you dear friend.
I pray you have enough to eat, 
a roof over your head 
and whatever you need to live.

I pray you can feel the love of our Father who is always close to you, 
watching over you 
and caring about everything about you.

I pray you and yours are healthy and safe and stay that way.

If you have suffered tragedy, 
if you lost your job 
and are struggling,
I grieve with you 
and know our Father is sitting beside you and grieving too. 
Our Father weeps when we weep. 
Only He can help us through this time.

Regardless of what the world says, 
God brings JOY in the morning!!

And there will be JOY again in your life!!

                These are my grandsons: 
             Mark, Luke and Kodda
               God is my first JOY.
     My grand babies are a close second.

Are You Hopeless or Hopeful?

            I discovered this beautiful petunia growing out of the asphalt in front of a restaurant in Waddington, NY.  It didn't worry about where it was growing.  It just bloomed for all it is worth and gives glory to God in the process.  We need to bloom with all that is in us in spite of our circumstances and God will bless us.

Lately I’ve been moping a lot. It’s been difficult to focus and get much of anything done. We are confined to the house most of the time due to this coronavirus and it’s pretty scary.

I think I’ve been a little depressed. I know I’m not supposed to worry but I really think I was worrying a lot about family, friends, shortages, the economy, the country, the world. The poor, the helpless, the little children, the elderly. And the list goes on.

Yesterday I put a name on my feelings and decided to tackle them head on. I will make To Do Lists and cross off stuff as I get it done. I will listen to upbeat music, especially good worship music. I will read the Bible more and pray more. I will watch movies with happy endings and limit how much I watch updates on the virus.

This mess is in God’s hands. He is so much stronger than this or anything Satan can dish out. And I do think Satan played a part in this virus. It’s tearing apart the country and the world. Satan is laughing and rejoicing at our problems and our terror.

We can fight back. We can go to God and acknowledge our powerlessness and ask for His help. God is in control and always has been. I don’t know why this pandemic is happening, but God knows, and I trust Him. We can always trust our Father.

I know that my Father loves me and you dearly. I know that He does all things to help us (in the long run) and not to hurt us. Jeremiah 29:11.

In life we go through many trials and this is one of them. We are being tested and tried to bring out the good in us. 

A diamond is found in the ground bound to lesser rock. That lesser rock must be cut away. A diamond in the rough is not pretty. It must be cut by a master cutter to show its facets and beauty. All of this cutting would have to be very painful to the diamond – if it had feelings. 

We are being cut and prodded to try to remove things that do not form our eternal souls in the image and likeness of God. If we cooperate, and it’s not easy, we will shine with the beauty that is God and give glory to Him in the process. We will enjoy God’s company in paradise as reward for our cooperation.

If we do not cooperate, we will still be cut and prodded but will end up distorted and our souls will not enjoy the company of our Father for eternity. That will not be a happy ending.

Right now, all extra activity is cut out of our lives. We must get back to basics and back to God. 2Chronicles 7:14 says “ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 

God is calling us to return to Him. In Him there is HOPE.

God said “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 He’s not going to forsake us now. He’s just waiting for us to turn to Him and ask for His help.

Outside the ground is bare. The grass is dull green and brown. It looks lifeless. However, in my garden, there are shoots poking out of the ground with the promise of new life,

Somewhere there is hope in this crisis. There are stories of people helping people. Strangers helping strangers. 

There is a shortage of some medical supplies. I found a pattern to make face masks that maybe our hospital can use to protect our medical staff. I sew so I think I can do this. I called our local hospital but since today is Sunday, I must call back tomorrow and speak with Infection Control to see if they can use the masks. A friend told me her daughter in law is making the masks for her local hospital. Businesses are donating supplies to hospitals.  Schools are taking meals to kids who might go hungry otherwise.  There are certainly negative things that are happening but there are so many stories of people reaching out to help those in need.  

And that makes me very hopeful.

How about you??

   The ground may be brown and dull but when the        Son shines  on us, it makes us sparkle like the          sunshine on the water. 
                 He gives us HOPE and JOY.

I have never lived through a pandemic before and sometimes really don't know what to do.  Am I staying far enough away from other people?  Am I washing my hands and whatever I bring in my house enough?  Am I being careful enough?  Only God knows and only God can get us through.  I pray we all do enough to protect ourselves and our families and those who are vulnerable who cannot help themselves.  And leave the rest to God.  He really is in control and He will get us through this.

Blessings on all of you, dear friends.  

      I took this picture after an ice storm 
             in February, 2016.
     The sun shining on the ice covered trees 
      is quite beautiful despite the danger and                   devastation that an ice storm can cause.
   God makes all things beautiful in their time.
                  He will bring beauty 
       out of the ugliness of this pandemic.
               Just as He brought beauty
       out of the ugliness of His Son's crucifixion.

What Will You Do to The Walls You Meet?

                                              Each of us is "under construction".                                       

If you think of everyone you meet
   as a wall under construction, 
   what will you do when you encounter them?

Do you add bricks and mortar?   Do you smooth the mortar and settle the bricks,
   or do you loosen the mortar 
   and knock down the bricks?
  
In other words, do you build up
   or do you knock down?

Every time we interact with other people,
   we do exactly that.
Our words and actions will either build up
   or knock down others.
We can either brighten someone’s day or darken it. We can bring Jesus’ light or Satan’s darkness.

It costs us nothing to give a store clerk a kind word       but may take the sting out of
   someone else’s thoughtless remark. 
A misbehaving child may need a hug 
   more than anything else. 
He or she may have been acting out 
   just to get attention. 
An act of love can turn around a life.

Our lives consist of a series of choices
   and each choice leads us to our final destination. The love we show may be passed on.
The bricks we lay make that wall stronger. 
The lack of love only tears down walls and lives. 

When we build up, it strengthens someone else, 
   it also shores up our souls against the darkness 
   that fights every moment to take over. 
Our building up, our laying of bricks can be small 
   or large actions. 
Even a smile can brighten a day 
   and spread Jesus’ love.

Sometimes we think we don’t matter, 
   that what we do really isn’t important, 
   but it is. 

There is a battle waging in the heavens 
   for each of us. 
Light versus darkness. 
What we do, gives ammunition to one side 
   – or the other.

I choose to lay bricks. I choose light!

What will you choose?

Ephesians 4:29 tells us ”Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give good grace to those who hear.”

  We've lost the brilliant reds and orange colored trees but the sun shining on                     these golden trees is beautiful on this glorious day.
   This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"
                   Psalm 118:24

                  This is a side road near Paul Smiths, NY a week ago.
                              I can choose to dread the snow
                 or choose to see the beauty that God places in my path
                     and edify others with the beauty that I see.

     The image of the trees on the water is only a distorted image of reality.
                                Do we only see the reflections of life?
                    For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; 
                                then we shall see face to face. 
                      Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, 
                    even as I am fully known.  1 Corinthians 13:12

                           I challenge you to choose the light
                and to soar above the evil that tries to fill this world. 
                 When you fly to the light, your heart will sing.
       Your choices to build up others will give strength to your wings
                                   and JOY to your soul.
                  When you fall short, as we all do, keep trying. 
                    God sees your efforts and loves you for it. 

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.

The next post should be in about 2 weeks.

                           

                Be blessed, my friend 
       and may your life reflect the beauty 
                of God's love in you.

This is the Day!

This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Psalm 118:24
My 4 year old grandson Mark and I took a ride to see the beautiful day and take pictures.  We stopped at a playground in Waddington, NY.  Here Mark jumps for joy, just to be alive and enjoy the day. Our Lord wishes us to become like little children, to jump for joy and to delight in Him and all He has done for us. 

Something startled the Canada geese and they took flight.  On a day like this one and every day, my heart takes flight when I see the wonders that God has made for my delight.

A ship traveling somewhere between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic.  This part is the St. Lawrence River.

There is still some beautiful color on the trees at Brandy Brook at the McGuinnes Road Waddington, NY.

There is so much beauty to be see around each bend in the road if we are looking.  (McGuinness Road)

              The beauty that the Lord has created 
              makes my heart sing.
            This photo was taken at Fobares near Waddington, NY.

              I zoomed in on still brilliant trees across a mown field.

                                                      More of Fobares

                                                   More of Fobares

Did God compose this just for me to find today?

How many other JOYS
are waiting around the next bend,

waiting for me to say: 

This is the day the Lord hath made, let us  rejoice and be glad in it!  Psalm 118:24

Notice, Notice

Knapps Station Community Church
Women's Bazaar
Saturday November 3, 2018
8am to 3pm
There will be a bake sale and lots of great stuff.
Something for everyone!
Another one of those Knapps Station events that is not to be missed!

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.

The next post should be in about 2 weeks.

As all grandparents know, there is nothing more special than our grandchildren, especially when they are being silly.  I believe that God also delights in us, who are His children. Especially when we are enjoying His wonderful creation.

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.