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. 
                                                      
              

Would You Be Washed Whiter Than White?

          The snow covers the brown earth and making it appear clean.  
              The blood of Jesus actually washes away all our sins 
              and makes our souls whiter that the whitest snow.
                             Jesus takes our twisted lives
              and turns them into something absolutely beautiful.

Original sin muddied the water that we are all bathed in. No matter how hard we try, we make mistakes, we sin. The blood of the Lamb washes away that mud, those mistakes, that sin.

How can blood wash anything clean?

When I first heard about blood washing us clean, I turned my nose up. Yuk. Who wants to be bloody? Not me.

When I read about the Old Testament priests killing sacrificial animals and sprinkling the blood. My nose again turned up. Yuk.

Somewhere along the line, it dawned on my brain that the sacrifice of those animals took away the sins of the Israelites.

It the Old Testament, people repeatedly had to pay for all the sins they continued to commit.

Jesus, the Lamb paid for my sins once and for all.

I used to think that St. Peter would meet me at the pearly gates when I died and that he would weigh my good deeds against my bad.

                         Cemetery located near Saranac Lake, NY.           
            When eternity comes for you, how will you measure up?
                  I could never be good enough on my own.
              Only the blood of Jesus can pay my way to heaven.
                                      How about you?

I came to realize that I could never be good enough to make up for all the sins I commit and continue to commit day after day. I could never possibly pay my debt.

However, the Perfect Lamb, who never committed even one sin, sacrificed His precious life for everything I ever did or ever will do.

He died for me - and for you.

He offers a free pass to bliss for eternity.

He loves us so much that He holds out His wonderful hand and asks “Would you be washed whiter than white? Will you join me in paradise for eternity with all your sins forever forgiven, buried, never to be heard from ever again? I paid the debt that you owe. Come join me, My love for you is limitless.”

Will you take His hand?

       View of Lake Colby from Adirondack Medical Center window
                where my husband was recently in-patient.
         Just as the setting sun and the cloud formations reflected on the lake                                     create a magnificent image,
                       so too does God's love reflected in us 
             create something beautiful beyond our imagination.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 

 1 Peter 1:18-19


Update:
Many thanks for all your prayers.  My husband's total knee replacement surgery was a success.  He is still in lots of pain and had to be re-admitted to "iron out" a couple of issues but he is well on his way to recovery and much better mobility than before surgery.  His readmission to the hospital is the reason that this blog is late.  My apologies.  I do appreciate your understanding and faithfulness in following my blog.

                   Another view of that sunset from Tim's hospital room.

May God bless you greatly, my friends for all you do for His honor and glory.

In light of all the horrific events that are taking place in the world, I challenge you to sow at least 7 acts of kindness each day.  (Why 7?  7 is the perfect number!)  If we each counter hate with our love, the world has to be affected in a positive manner.
And pray like your eternal life depends on it because it truly does and so does the eternal life of everyone you know!

                  We were blessed with a wonderful view of Lake Colby.

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 December 9, 2017.

                         And yet another beautiful sunset on Lake Colby.
                              In the midst of any adversity,
   God always gives us reason to give thanks and praise His most holy name.

Just for Today, Lord

                                  As I gaze at this beautiful sunset, 
                              I am in awe of Your might and majesty.

Just for today, Lord, let me live Your way.

                       Please, Lord, open my eyes to  see You
                    and Your love in the beauty of Your creation.

Let me know that I cannot live in tomorrow.

I cannot relive yesterday.

Let me know that this moment is the one You give me now.

Let me make the most of it.

                            Your creativity and love, Lord
         are mirrored in the beauty You provide for our enjoyment.

Let me hear You knocking at my door this morning and invite You in.

Let me open my heart and soul to You.

Please fill me with Your love and Your JOY.

Just for today, please take hold of the strongholds of my flesh 
     and open my will to do Your will.

                             These lilies are beautiful 
         because they are true to the plan that the Creator made for them.                                            We too are made beautiful 
                       when we do our best to follow the Word.  
                              We cannot do this on our own 
                  but only through the grace of our Loving Father.
         

I’m not strong enough to handle all the things      
     that will take place in my tomorrows
     or to redo all my mistake and sin filled yesterdays
     but please give me the grace to live today
     to the best of my ability as that ability is guided by You.

I am weak and You are strong.

I am a speck. You are the creator.

I am sinful but You love me so much
     You want to spend eternity with me.

            (Cross on steeple at St.Gabriels Church near Paul Smiths, NY)
                   Lord, may I never forget what You paid for my sins. 
                        Please help me to live as You taught
                     so I can enjoy paradise with You forever.

Please forgive me my sins and help me Lord not to sin for today.

Please take my hand.

Please help me to make this my best day ever.

Please come back tomorrow and repeat.

Amen

                 Because we are made in the image and likeness of God, 
                       we too can reflect Him in all we say and do.
            Please Lord, let me be a loving, Godly reflection of Your love and JOY.
               Let Your light shine in and through me to everyone I meet.

Just for This Moment, Lord

Just for this moment, Lord,
may I enjoy my time with You.
May I praise You
and thank You for the multitude of blessings that I enjoy.
Quiet my thoughts.
Slow my breathing.
Close my eyes.
Just for this moment, Lord,
may I enjoy my time with You.
Amen

                            St. Gabriels Church near Paul Smith's, NY.
                   May we always make time to worship and fellowship 
                                  at the house of our choice, 
                          giving all glory and honor to the Creator 
                              who gives so much to us daily.

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 Wednesday and Saturday
The next post will be August 5, 2017

  

  

                     Take time to reflect and REJOICE!

Please Help Me, Father.

              Father, God, please help me to clear away the clouds of my pride
                          so I can see the beauty You have created.

I’ve made a mess with my pride.

It got the better of me.

I just had a wonderful prayer time at the Prayer Vigil
   and Satan struck when I got home.

I got so mad over something
   that wasn’t that important.

I’m afraid I hurt my husband.

I deserve to be upset, to feel guilty.

It bothers me so much that I hurt my husband,
   that I hurt You with my pride.

I thought I had it under control.

My pride goes so deeply into me.

I’m just starting to learn how much so.

I can’t fix this. 
You can, You can show me what to do.

I allowed Satan an inroad and he took it. 

I was so wrong and I am so sorry.

Please help me.  I really don’t know what to do
   but I know You do.  

Amen

             Please help me to be open to Your love 
       so it can blossom in me like this crab apple tree.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
   and will forgive us our sins and purify us
   from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

                                     Brook near Nicholville, NY

The Greening

It’s slowly creeping into sight.

Dirty snow is finally gone.

Mottled green and tan grass is slowly becoming that glorious “spring green.”

Puddles are quietly receding, taking the mud season  with them and firming up the ground.

Overhead, the sky seems bluer
   and the sun seem brighter.

           Norwood Pond on back road between Norwood and Norfolk, NY

Even the air smells fresher.

The weather man said yesterday was very warm
   with a record-setting high temperature of 78
   degrees.  The sun felt wonderfully warm.

         Nature Center on St. Lawrence River near Louisville, NY

Today is overcast and cooler
   but my tulips are poking out of the earth
   giving me faith that Spring is surely on its way.

I have heard the birds sing,
   calling for warmer breezes.

I have heard the Canadian geese honking
   on the way to their summer homes.

My lilac tree is budding, producing tiny leaves.

I am beginning to see the sun shining
   through the lacy green filigree
   of new leaves on many trees.

The “froggy song” of the peepers
   never fails to delight my soul.

The air has changed and winter’s bite has departed.

The greening of Mother Earth is upon us
   and my heart rejoices
   the coming of this new season.

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

Book Reviews:


Create Your World by Patricia King

Would you like to improve your world and your life?  Ms. King gives help and instructions on how you can do that by following God's word and ways.  She does not say you will never have problems or strife but shows keys and insights into the creative power that Christ placed in you to help you live a fulfilled life.

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Knapps Station Community Church


Stay tuned for more information about Operation Arctic Vacation Bible School in July at Knapps Station Community Church.  It promises to be very COOL!

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Hope in the Strangest Places

Is your hope running thin?  Do you need some encouragement?  Please check out my friend, Jean Oathout's blogpost and you may find hope in the strangest of places.
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How Do I Respond to Sadness and Happiness?

To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. Through it all God uses our experiences to shape us into the children He wants to live with Him for eternity. Some of the shaping is very difficult and painful, some is so joyful. If we only cooperate, the results will be heavenly. Please check out my friend Jane Ault's new blogpost for her inspirational message.
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Voice of the Martyrs 

Please pray for our brothers and sisters who do not have the freedom to worship as they choose.
Many suffer and die for their faith.
We are so blessed to worship as we choose.
Many died to give us this freedom
May we never lose this freedom.
And may we never take it for granted.

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Blessing:

 When I decided to print my Please Help Me Father prayer, it tugged on my pride.  God was trying to shape me and remove the parts that stand in the way of me becoming His child.  I really didn't want to let go of the parts He wanted to remove.  It hurts to lose parts of yourself that have always been there.  To grow, you must let go and let God.  It is really freeing when you can let those pieces go and not try to grab them back. I'm working on it and I wish this blessing for you and for me too.

I wish us the blessing of always trusting God,
   of always knowing He is working all things for our good,
   of surrendering to His will 
   and giving our all to Him.
He suffered and died for us, holding nothing back.
He rose and offers us the same.
May we be blessed forever by His love, His Grace and 
  His neverending JOY!

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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 May 6, 2017

May God bless you greatly until we meet again

    May we always remember that the sun may set 

           but God's love remains forever.

   

Praise You Lord for All Your Creation

Praise you Lord for the beauty that is always right in front of us.  
This is Lake Colby across from Saranac Lake Hospital.  
An overcast day had been predicted. 
God gave us a beautiful day to visit the doctor in Lake Placid.

Praise You Lord for the stars and moon
   that light our nights
   and bring our time of blessed sleep

Praise You for the sun that lights
   and warms our days so we can marvel
   in the glory of Your mighty hands

Praise You for the hills and mountains,

                Whiteface Mountain Lake Placid, NY

   for the rivers and streams

                     Eel Weir near Black Lake, NY

   that fill our lives with animals, fish, birds,

                             White tail deer

               A groundhog who makes his home under our shed.

                       A blue heron at Black Lake, NY

                  

   trees, flowers and bountiful foods for us 

Monarch butterfly on a Zinnia

                   Flowering crab apple tree in my back yard.
   to enjoy, to nourish our bodies and our souls

Praise You for the oceans filled with endless fish
   and amazing creatures.
   The seas are vast and deep
   like Your amazing love.

       On the shore of the St. Lawrence River near Massena, NY
           The sun shines on the water like God's love shines on us

                      My husband Tim with Rev. Dave Tulloch 
                       and the large mouth bass they caught.

Praise You for the four seasons
   that bring us variety and allow nature to rest,
   revive, grow, mature and be fruitful.        
   Your creation never ceases to amaze me
   with its variety and beauty

Near West Potsdam, NY

Ice storm Feb. 2016  Plumb Brook Road Norfolk, NY

Spring on the banks of the St. Lawrence River near Massena, NY

The trees are anxiously awaiting the coming of Spring
just as our souls are anxiously awaiting the touch of God.

                             River near Santa Clara, NY

                         Canada geese families at Black Lake, NY

                                       Summer wildflowers

                                  From bridge near Brushton, NY

                                Route 11 after Malone, NY

                                    Mown hay field near Lisbon, NY

Praise You for the rain and snow
   that bring life-giving water
   to our lives and our environment

                              Bank of frozen Black Lake, NY

 Praise You for all of nature that shouts Your praise         saying “The Almighty Creator and Lord of all,
    the Great I Am, made me. 
    Look at the beauty and infinite creativity
    of His loving hands.”

Praise You Loving Father for making me,
   “for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   Your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.” 
          Psalm 139:14

   The details of Your creation are infinite.
   No photograph has sufficient pixels to capture
       all the details.
   No painter can begin to duplicate the Master.

Praise you Lord for the wondrous majesty
   that is You!

Praise You for Your incredible love
   that caused You to call all creation
   into existence” to create mankind
   just a little lower than the angels,
   and crown him with glory and honor.” 
        Psalm 8:5.

Blessed be Your most holy name.  Amen


Commentary:

Look to the Lord, keep your eyes on Him.  
There is so much turmoil in the news right now.
It is so upsetting, so distracting.

Satan is working overtime.
He's polarizing us, dividing us.
He is taking our eyes off God.  

We must stand together in this
United States of America
to solve our problems and we must turn to God
for the solutions of these problems.
We cannot solve them on our own.

Our Loving Almighty Father can solve ANYTHING! And He will.  "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."
   2Chronicles 7:14

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Knapps Station Community Church 

Roberts Wesleyan College Wind Ensemble
Monday Feb. 20, 2017    7pm    
Free Concert
Directed by Dr. Paul Shewan
at Knapp Station Community Church
3035 County Route 47
Norwood, NY  13668       353-5093

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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. 
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Give God Time To Answer

I heartily recommend this new blog post by my friend Jean Oathout.  It reminds us to keep praying for those things that are really important to us.  

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What Do You Need To Be Intentional?
Jane Ault's new blog post gives great advice on keeping focus in life, something I always need help with. 

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Book Reviews

 
Dirty Faith by David Z. Nowell

Do you feel that God is calling you to do more than go to church on Sunday, give your offering and "follow the rules?"  This book makes one think seriously about what it means to be a Christian and to do it the way Christ lived.  Great "food for thought."


Arms Open Wide by Sherri Gragg

Do you like a good story?  I do and this book takes well known Bible passages about Jesus and His followers and makes them into short stories.  These stories help us to better understand the Bible passages. 


The Lost Letters of Pergamum by Bruce W. Longenecker

This is a fictional set of letters between the apostle Luke and a Roman nobleman named Antipas.  The historical background gives us much insight into the horrible conditions that the early Christians lived in. It also gives incredible insight into the power of living as a real Christian and how that causes lives to be transformed.

Blessing

May you be greatly blessed as you see the magnificent beauty that our Loving Father has created for us.
May you always look to our Loving Father for guidance through the turmoil that life is throwing at all of us. Remember...God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
And may your days be filled with the knowledge that your Loving Father deliberately chose you and loves you so much that even the hairs on your head are numbered and He knows that number so very well.

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 25, 2017

May God bless you greatly until we meet again.

And Happy Valentine's Day!

   Pictures of the 2017 Lake Placid Winter Festival Ice Castle taken 2-8-2017