Is This World Broken?

                                      This rock is called "Split Rock" 
                     and it is located on the Split Rock Road 
                               near Saranac Lake, NY.
                     It reminds me of how our world is broken
                          Nature has grown around this rock
                     making it  quite attractive and interesting.
                                 If we give God a chance 
                              to work on our broken world
                       He will make it and us beautiful too.

Is it beyond repair?
Is it hopeless?

Hurricane Dorian is raging 

in the Carolinas but has at least diminished to a Category 1.

The Bahamas are absolutely devastated, leveled, beaten to a pulp with the death and destruction of Dorian when he was Category 5 raging through the islands.

There was another mass shooting in Texas.

Then there was the horrible boat fire in California.

This is the news for the United States just this one past week and does not include what is happening abroad.

There is so much heartache.

So many people’s lives are broken. Both the victims and the perpetrators.
Is it hopeless?

I don’t believe it for a moment.

Believe it or not, I firmly believe that God is in control.

I don’t know why God allowed all this to happen.

I don’t know why so many people had to suffer and so many to die.

But I do know God has a plan.

And I know in my heart of hearts that if we all turn to Him, He will guide us through the storm of this life.

I know He wants us to love and honor Him first in our lives.

I know He wants us to reach out to the people He puts in our paths to treat them as we want to be treated.

I am certain that if we can do these, which are the commandments that Jesus gave us, that we can turn this world around.

And remember to pray, the power of prayer is incredible. God does love us and really does answer prayers in the way that is the very best for us.

There will still be storms, there will still be problems, but if we follow God’s laws, the world will no longer be broken.

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

           This swamp is located near Waddington, NY. 

                     It joins the St. Lawrence River

                       I took this picture last fall.

                      Some of the trees are bare.

                       The colors are past prime.

                    But it is still a beautiful scene.

                   God makes all things beautiful,

                          at the right time,

                                His time.

                 Another beautiful swamp scene.

               This one was located near Lisbon, NY

It has been almost 2 months since I posted a blog.  I have been busy and had a couple of major illnesses.  I apologize that it has been so long.  This piece obviously was written last month.  The message is at least as vital today as it was a month ago.  Our country is in turmoil today and desperately needs our prayers to unite us.  We need to put our differences aside and become one nation under God.  I'm not saying that there are not issues that need to be dealt with because there are. I pray to God that they are dealt His way. We need to return to decency, manners and consideration for all our brothers.  Who are are brothers?  Are they just Americans? What would Jesus answer to that question?  Listen to your heart and follow what it says.

            The moon is covered with craters.
          Sometimes we can see "the man in the moon"
                           in the craters.
              It has been seriously damaged by meteors
                       that caused those craters.
                 Our land has been damaged 
                          by so much turmoil
                         from so many sources.
                    If we all turn to God and pray,
                        He will heal our land
                     and we will be whole again.
*************************

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 

continue to interfere.

Blessings on you, my friend.

May our Loving Father bless you 
   and all your endeavors

May you see Him in the colorful leaves 

   from the changing season

May you see Him in the eyes 
   of your loved ones
May you feel the peace, love and JOY
   that only comes from the Great I Am.
And may His grace mend our land
   as only He can

                As the sun sets on our day
         God gives us hope for our tomorrow.
              
            

         

Come, Loving Father

        I took the photo of this magnificent sunset about a week ago.
            As you will see in the pictures that follow the prayer, 
                           the more I zoomed in on the sun, 
   the more beauty and intense color that the camera was able to pick up.
        In our prayer lives, the more we "zoom in" on God, 
                      the more JOY we find in our lives
                         and the happier we become.

I sit here and wait for You to come
I welcome You into my heart and soul
I ask You to fill my being
I long for Your heavenly presence

I am empty
And You fill me up

I am insignificant
You are my everything

For many years, my heart had longed for You
I didn't know what I was seeking until I found You

Now my whole being knows that I need Your presence every day

I need Your wisdom
I need Your love
I need Your grace, Your mercy

I have humbly repented my many sins
and asked Your forgiveness
As my loving Father, my Abba,
I know that You have forgiven me
And welcomed me back into Your loving arms

I need Your essence to be complete

With You, I am as I was meant to be

My whole being rejoices when You are with me
You are the lover of my soul who makes me whole

Thank You, loving Father
for always being so accessible
Always being so present in my life

You have all of creation to attend to
And yet I matter, everything about me
is important to You

You are too wonderful for words

You dearly love all Your children
You made all of us in Your image and likeness
And we are all so precious to You

You are always present and available
for each of Your children
We only have to ask You, Our Loving Father
and You come to us

Blessed, blessed be Your most holy name

...that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:20

     This is what I saw with my eyes without benefit of a zoom lens.

            Just starting to zoom in and getting prettier.

           The sunset also gets more beautiful as it progresses.

     Never underestimate the power of prayer to affect our lives for the better.

Prayer Request:
There is so much going on in our world.  There are almost daily tragedies with shootings, crashes and so much more.  Never forget that God is in charge and will make all this right.  Please pray for the victims.  Please pray for the perpetrators.  Please pray that God will touch these people in a mighty way and prevent further tragedies.  Please pray for unity under God in our country.  Whatever you choose, please pray.  Pray for God to make all the wrongs right and know that He will in His time, His will and His way.  He does all things for our good and this too will turn out right.  Please, just pray at all times.

May God bless you greatly, my friend.

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 post every other Saturday.

The next post will be on September 1, 2018.

                  This is a moon shot that I took about a month ago.

             This world where God has placed us is absolutely amazing 

      from the sun, moon and stars down to the tiniest molecules in our bodies.

                   Everything is a testimony to God's infinite power 

                          and the incredible love He has for us.

                and God

Your Choice?

Two different kinds of rainbows that I have seen in the past 2 weeks.
Both are beautiful and both are gifts from God.

        "Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it
          and remember the everlasting covenant between God
           and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” 
                                         Genesis 9:16
                     God always chooses us and all things ultimately
                                   in our best interest.
                                  What do you choose?        


Jesus tells us: I will never give up on you.
"Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

Know with confidence that you are His and He fiercely protects what is His.

Jesus, son of God prays for you. Imagine what that means, that the son of God prays to His father on your behalf!

You are so special.
You were chosen by God from the beginning of time.
You are loved beyond all measure!
So much so that God in the person of His beloved Son suffered a horrendous death to pay for your sins and mine and to buy our ticket to heaven.

God seeks us.
He knocks daily on our door.
He wants to spend eternity with us.
That’s why He created us.

He also gives us free will to choose.
He loves us so much that He will not force us to choose Him and heaven.

He wants us to take our rightful place as His chosen and beloved children.
We only have to choose to join Him.

What will you choose?

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15

               Photo taken yesterday at Black Lake, NY.
                     Life has some very dark times for all of us.
                    When we choose God, He leads to still waters 
                                   and restores our souls
                     regardless of whatever life sends our way.




Prayer Request:
The people of Puerto Rico, the people in Guatamala, the people in Hawaii who are all suffering the devastation from nature's fury.

Please pray for healing for this country.  There is so much division in thoughts and actions.  We were all created by God and He loves all of us dearly.  Please pray that God helps us find common ground and work together to make our great nation the wonderful, free democracy that it was meant to be "One nation under God with liberty and justice for all."

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 30, 2018.

                          Anybody know what kind of moth this is?
                             It visited my house last weekend
                              and kindly posed for this picture.
                          I love the colors and the huge "eye" spots.

Are You Ever Overwhelmed?

              Do you ever feel like you are at the end of your rope
                           and hanging on for dear life ?

Do you ever feel like you have too many obligations?

No time for yourself?

Thoughts swirling in your head?

Do you ever feel like there's just too much to do?

Do you ever have people coming at you from all directions with requests and demands?

Do you ever feel like there just isn’t enough of you to go around?

Do you ever feel totally depleted, empty, like there is nothing left of you and your essence?

Is that how Jesus felt when the crowds followed him?

Pleading, yelling, demanding, requiring, “heal me!” “help me!” “save me!” “speak to me!” “give me what you’ve got, all you’ve got!” “I’m needy” “feed me” “It’s all about me!”

Did anyone have a care if Jesus ate, if he slept, if he had any comfort, any peace?

Did He complain?

Did He send the crowds away?
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Matthew 9:35-36

Or send the children away?

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14 


Was He ever sick?

Was Jesus ever exhausted?

Did He ever have a bad day and just not feel like “doing all that?”

Although fully God, Jesus was fully human so He must have felt that way at times.

The time He spent in prayer with His Father kept Him going.

He knew He was opening the door, paving the way for all of us to spend eternity with Him and His Father.

He knew He was paying a terrible price to atone for all the sins of humanity.

When Jesus was overwhelmed, He thought about the end game and how precious we are to Him.

When you feel overwhelmed, turn to Him, reach out to Him and He will give you eternal peace and never-ending JOY!

                              This was my yard just a month ago.

                        This is my yard today.  The snow is gone.  
                                 New growth is everywhere.  
                  I have heard the peepers and Spring is here.  Yeah!!
          When I turn to God, He takes away the cold in my heart and soul. 
                                   He gives me new growth.  
                          He warms me and makes me come alive.  
                    I may still need a lot of cleaning up like my yard
                              but He puts me on the right path. 
                            And He puts JOY in my heart and soul!

Blessing:

My friend:  I wish you the peace of knowing that when you are troubled, when your life is in turmoil, that our Brother and Savior, Jesus is only a heartbeat away, waiting anxiously for you to call out.  When you do, He always answers.

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 May 19, 2018.

              2 pictures of a beautiful sunset this past Monday night.
             No matter how bleak and foreboding your life may seem,
                   God can take you and your life and make you
                                 absolutely beautiful! 

Where are You, God?

                                                          The sun is setting. 
                           Light is leaving the world for the night.
                                      Have You left us, Lord?
                                            NEVER!
                               Jesus said, "Never will I leave you,
                                  never will I forsake you!"

Hurricanes have ravaged.
Droughts, forest fires, earthquakes,
tsunamis have struck.
Shootings, shootings, shootings!!

People are being oppressed.
Others are starving to death.

Man is hurting man.
Where does it end?

Where are You in all this?

You say You love us.
You say You are with us?
Where do You fit into all this chaos and pain?

I hurt for all these people.
My heart breaks.
When I open my heart to You, I feel that Your heart is breaking for all of them.
I can’t imagine how badly it must hurt You.

But where are You?

Why don’t You fix everything so there isn’t so much pain?

You let me know that You have given us free will, the power and right to choose how we behave.

People making terrible choices have caused so much of the pain we see.

The earth was perfect when You created it and then, Adam and Eve chose their own way, refusing to follow You.

Life became hard for all of us.

I suspect that their choices and resulting banishment from the Garden of Eden affected not only them and the rest of mankind but nature and the weather as well.

Who knew that eating one little piece of fruit could cause so much trouble!

Satan knew.
He knows today that every choice we make has repercussions.

It’s like throwing a pebble in a pond.
The ripples go on forever.

One sin causes so many things to happen.

One prayer does too.
It’s power goes on forever.

One act of kindness - to feed the starving, the give aid to the victims of the disasters, of the shootings.

One act of kindness and a lot of praying might even prevent some of the shootings, some of the oppression, some of the pain.

We are God’s hands, feet and tongue.
He acts through us.

That is where You are Lord
You are with us, guiding us to live as You taught us.
If we follow You and Your Way, we can make incredible differences in our world.
If we pray, if we do what You put in our path.
If we listen for Your still small voice directing us.

If !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
Matthew 25:31-40

      This bee is gathering pollen to make honey to feed the hive for the winter.  

      This is  her job.  It is what God made her to do and she does it well.

                                      Are you doing your job?

      Do you love God first and foremost and love your neighbor as yourself?               

               Nature reflects the beauty and wonder of the Creator.

                       Since we are made in His image and likeness,

             we also reflect Him when we follow His teachings and His love.

                  (a little brook on a side road near Saranac Lake, NY)

                 

Blessing:

May you be blessed my friend
by listening and watching carefully
to find the jobs that Our Father has in mind for you that no one else can fulfill quite the way you can.

May you have much JOY and peace 

in completing those jobs!

Be Blessed!!

                    Don't let the sun set without finding the true JOY 

              that comes from doing a little of the Lord's work each day.

                             If we each do our little bit each day,

                            truly amazing results will be achieved!

NOTICE!! NOTICE!! NOTICE!!

You can find and follow me now on Instagram by going to Instagram and entering:

#myheartjumpsforjoy.

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 21, 2017.

            I recently got a new camera. Now I can take moon shots.
    I took these over a few nights when the moon was at different phases. 
           With a more powerful lens I was able to see more details
                              of the moon's surface.  

    

Please Help Us, Loving Father

Lord, hear my prayer,

listen to my cry for mercy;

in your faithfulness and righteousness

come to my relief.

Do not bring your servant into judgment,

for no one living is righteous before you.

Psalm 143: 1-2

Loving Father, I cry out to You on behalf of myself and my fellow man.

This world is in terrible turmoil.
There is war, oppression, discrimination, torture, greed, and all the sins that man can think of.

One country is testing nuclear weapons with the goal of bombing the United States.

There are wild fires in many areas of our country.
There are 2 major, devastating hurricanes in other parts of our country.

Our leaders are dividing our country, discriminating against people because of the color of their skin and their country of origin.
Many groups of people are being treated badly.

Our country was based on tolerance and freedom for all.
It was based on You. Even our money is printed with “In God we trust.”

We may disagree with each other.
Some of these groups may believe things we disagree with, even some that are against Your Word.

But You love us and You love them too.

We desperately need to find ways to deal with each other in loving, Godly ways.
We desperately need Your divine guidance.
We cannot do this on our own.

Please help us to use our hands, feet and tongue spread Your word and Your way.
Please guide us to do whatever we are able to help those in need.
Please guide us to treat all people as Your creatures who are loved dearly by You, regardless of their beliefs.

Guide us to reach out to our politicians to let them know how we feel and what we want.
Please guide all politicians and leaders to You and Your way, to make decisions based on Your Word.

Guide us to bring relief to others to the best of our ability.

Please teach us, guide us each and every day to spread the essence that is You and to bring peace to this world that is in so much turmoil.
Please teach us to pray before we act so all that we do is Your will, Your way and in Your time.

Please help us or we are lost.
I ask this in Jesus most precious name.
Amen

                   Our days may be so dark and foreboding.
                Fear and worry may fill our minds and hearts.
       When we turn to You, our Loving Father, You are always there.
            You are the light shining through the darkest clouds.
                              You will never desert us,
             regardless of what we have done or not done.
            You regard us just a little lower than the angels
           and desperately want us to spend eternity with You.
                          You are Love incarnate.
   I will turn to You, repent of my sins and rest safely in Your Loving arms.

"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."  2 Chronicles 7:14

                           Pictures of the brook near my house.
                   Our Loving Father will lead us to the still waters  

                         in the midst of life's worst turmoil
                                    - if we let Him.
             What will you choose? Where do you put your trust?
                                    Think carefully.

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

YUMMY, YUMMY!

Knapps Station Community Church will have their Annual Chicken Pie Dinner on 

Thursday September 21, 2017.

Time:  Takeouts may be picked up starting at 4:30

     Call (315)244-3159 or (315)212-9771 to preorder

           Dining In starts at 5 pm

Prices:  For a dinner:

            Ages under 5 and over 90   FREE

            Ages 5-12                         $4.00 each 

            Ages 13 to 89                    $8.00 each 

            For a whole chicken pie      $10.00

{Whole chicken pies must be preordered by Sept 19 by calling   (315)244-3159 or (315)212-9771}

MENU: 

          Chicken pie, mashed potatoes and gravy, squash, green beans, cranberries, rolls, apple crisp OR pumpkin pie.  Also coffee, tea, lemonade or water.

Is your mouth watering yet?  Mine is!

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

Blessing:

May you be blessed, my friend, in the knowledge that you have an incredible Loving Father who is watching over you.
May you have the faith to know that He will guide and take care of you through the most difficult times - if you let Him.

And may you have confidence that He will do all things for your ultimate good - regardless of how it appears at the time.

Please pray, my friend, for all the disaster victims in our country and all those suffering all over the world. Please pray for yourself and for me that we will keep to the straight path, stay the course and not give up. Satan is working hard to get our souls.  God is infinitely stronger. He is our strength but we must do our part and never give up. 

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

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 September 23, 2017.

          Live each day as if it is your last 
        and tomorrow, you meet your Maker!