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

                                

You are Jesus’ Precious Child

Jesus protects and cares for us just as this egret protects her babies.

Picture taken near Black Lake, NY

Do you feel precious?

                            You are so much more important to Jesus 
                                    than this fawn is to his mother.

Jesus knows you are.

He went to hell and back just for you.

He would do it all over again
   if that was what it would take to save you.

But He doesn’t have to.

He paid the price for your sins and for my sins once
   and for all time.

That covers everything everyone ever did wrong
   or ever will do wrong.

You and I are so important to God that He wants us
   to spend eternity with Him in Paradise.

Can you possibly fathom what that means?

I feel overwhelmed to think about it.

The One, the Great I Am, the Great Jehovah planned
   each and every one of us from the beginning of time.

         Despite the immeasurable power and might of our Father,
            not a bird falls without Him knowing and caring.
                 Think how much more He values you
           when even the hairs of your head are numbered.
             Picture taken from boat launch Ogdensburg, NY

And He loves us.

Each of us has value beyond measure. 

That means that God loves us without limit,
   without conditions, without strings attached.

However, to get to spend eternity with Him in Paradise,
   we have to accept His love, His free gift.  
We have to believe in Him and love Him back.  

We have to tell Him we are sorry for the things
   we do wrong. 

He forgives each and every time we ask Him to.

When the thief crucified beside him, asked Jesus
   to remember him when Jesus got to His kingdom,
   Jesus said, “You will be with me today in Paradise.”

The thief was Jesus precious child
   and so are you for all eternity.

And don’t you ever forget it!

See what great love the Father
            has lavished on us,
  that we should be called children of God!
           And that is what we are!
                    1John 3:1

                                      In the eyes of the world,
           we may mean no more than the fluff of a dandelion who is gone by.
             In God's eyes we are worth than the life of His beloved only son.

Praise You Lord
    for All Your Creation

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

Nature Preserve on St. Lawrence River near Massena, NY

Praise You for the hills and mountains, for the rivers
   and streams
   that fill our lives with animals, fish, birds, trees, flowers
   and bountiful foods for us to enjoy, to nourish our bodies
   and our souls

                                      Lake Placid, NY  in winter

                            Brook near Nicholville, NY in Fall

                     River in West Stockholm, NY in Springtime

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

                     St. Lawrence River in early Spring with ship and tug boat.

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

                         Canada geese in bare cornfield in Spring

                            Brook near West Potsdam, NY in Summer

                               Flat Rock Road, Potsdam, NY in Fall

               Back side of Norwood Pond after ice storm Feb. 2016

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

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

” God created mankind just a little lower
   than the angels,
   and crowned him with glory and honor.”
   Psalm 8:5.

   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   

Blessed be Your most holy name.  Amen

            Even on gray days, God makes all things beautiful - including us!

Book Reviews

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller

Every once in a while I inadvertently find a real treasure.  I had no idea how great this book was until I started reading it.  Phillip Keller raised sheep and describes in detail what a good shepherd goes through to take good care of his sheep.  He draws remarkable parallels between a shepherd caring for his flock and Jesus caring for us. This is one I plan to reread and hopefully do a study on.  It is really that good.

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Begin Where You Are is the new blog post by my Jean Oathout encouraging us to begin where we are to reach our place in eternity.
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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Check out the production at Christian Fellowship Center
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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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What it Takes to Give Others Grace is the Jane Aunt's newest blog post.  Do we only soak up God's grace or do we pass it on to others?  Can we become a bridge between God and others to share God's grace and love?
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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:

May you be blessed in the knowledge that 
   you are indeed Jesus' precious child
   that He loved enough to die for.
May you never forget just how special 
   that makes you - and all His other children too!
May you never take the magnificence of His creation
   or God's love for granted.
And may you daily receive great JOY 
   through your relationship
   with our Creator and Father.

                                   Lighthouse in Ogdensburg, NY

Know that His love and JOY will guide you over any troubled waters that life sends your way on your journey to an eternity with the Father in Paradise.

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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 April 22, 2017

May God bless you greatly until we meet again

      Paul Bunyan and Babe the Big Blue Ox live on Route 56 near Colton, NY

Imagine you’ve never owned a Bible. How would you feel when they called your name to give you one? Kumar experienced that joy.

And the Angels Rejoiced!

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:14 KJV

Why all the celebration?

          Where darkness had filled the world, 
                     God has sent JOY 
      in the person of His most beloved, only son.  
                 Let the world REJOICE.  

The greatest event since creation has just happened.

Was it the presents?
Or the trees?

                      Tree at Knapps Station Community Church

Was it all the decorations?

Or the festivities?
Or the great food?

No!

It was the Child

The One born in a stable

This barn is on the Barker Road Potsdam and probably has electricity and running water. Those amenities were not available when Jesus was born.  
Would you want your baby born in a barn, even a "modern" barn?  God did!!

The One whose mother and earthly father
said “Yes” to an angel

          Nativity scene at Knapps Station Community Church

The One who loves you and me so much He came from His throne in heaven to save us from ourselves

The One born to die to save us from our sins
The One whose love for us is limitless
The One who is the Son of God Almighty

The One who chose to become the lowliest
and most helpless of people   
a tiny baby born to a teenage girl
who was a nobody in the eyes of the world

The One who is Lord of all creation

That’s why the angels sang and rejoiced

Will you join in and celebrate
the greatest love story of all time?

For God so loved the world 
that he gave his one and only Son, 
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

                               Nativity Scene in Norwood, NY             

Commentary:

Route 56 between Potsdam and Norwood, NY.  Are you ready to open your heart to the light and love that the Father is patiently and lovingly waiting to give you?

We are about to celebrate Christmas. Are you ready? I'm not asking if your shopping is done, tree decorated and presents wrapped. I'm asking if you are ready to receive Christ in your heart?

Do you realize that the Almighty One who created everything that exists, loves you so much that He sent His Son to become a human baby? 

This was THE God who became a human baby who was born and lived to teach us how God wants us to live and how to treat each other. 

He taught how much He, Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit love us and want us to spend eternity with them. 

He taught us to love God first and foremost and to love each other as we love ourselves.

We cannot do this or anything without God's help. 

We only need to ask Him and He will help us. 

He never stops loving us and will guide us to the Home we were meant to live in for eternity - if we cooperate.

Are you ready for Christmas?

                Church in Lake Placid.  
         Whatever church you choose, go home for Christmas and always.
                         Open your heart 
         and allow the JOY that is Jesus fill you with peace and love.

Knapps Station Community Church would be a great one to visit and stay with.  It is a true church family that will love you where and who you are.  It will nourish your soul and lead you to the Lord who loves you and is waiting for you to come Home.

Have you opened your heart to the One who loves you enough to become a human like you and me and die for our sins? 

Just open your heart. Ask Him for His help. Ask His forgiveness for whatever you have done wrong.

Follow the One who will never lead you astray and get ready for the ride of a lifetime as He leads you Home.

Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.  Psalm 62:18

           Road to my neighbor on Route 35 near West Potsdam, NY

Can You Hear the Cheering? 

I watched a video on Facebook of a young hockey player helping a younger mentally challenged hockey player make a goal.

The younger one could just barely stay upright and skate forward. 

The older one would move the puck in range so the younger one could hit the puck a little and skate closer and closer the goal. 

The goalie got out of the way so the younger one could hit the puck into the net. 

The little guy raised his arm in victory and the goalie rubbed his head in approval. I’m sure he was beaming under his mask.

I think my trip with God is like that
 and I am the challenged child.

Jesus doesn’t force me to follow.

He doesn’t push me toward the Goal. 

He encourages me. He puts the puck in my reach. He helps me every step of the way. He stays beside me when I am afraid and having difficulty. 

He has been there. He lived as a human so He knows what I am going through. 

He helps me get up when I fall down as I have so many times. 

I can choose to go the wrong way and He won’t stop me but He will try to redirect me if I only cooperate. 

He has never given up on me regardless of my sins and missteps. 

Just as everyone watching the event on the video must have been cheering, I believe the angels in heaven cheer for us as we take each little step forward and cooperate despite the many difficulties that life and Satan put in our path. 

We only have to trust in the one who loves us more than earthly life itself and He will guide us to our heavenly Goal. 

Can you hear the cheering?

He holds each of us in palm of His Mighty Hand and loves us each so much that "even the hairs on our heads are numbered." 

Taste and see that the LORD is good; 
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.  
Psalm 34:8




Book Reviews:



Cradle, Cross and Crown by Billy Graham

This tiny gem has writings by Billy Graham and poems by Ruth Graham celebrating what Christmas is really all about.



On This Holy Night The Heart of Christmas

Another little gem with writings by some of the most popular modern authors giving insight into the reason we need to celebrate this blessed season.



The Life God Blesses by Jim Cymbala

Another great Jim Cymbala book that discusses why God blesses some people more than others.  Why would that be?  Read it and gain insight and hopefully be greatly blessed by God!  Available at the Knapps Station Church library.




A Biography of Jesus 32 Simple Lessons from His Life by Tom J.Crowley

Short snippets that give insight into the life of the one born to save us from ourselves.  Available at the Knapps Station Church library.


Faith Conquers Doubt
Blog post by my friend Jean Oathout.


Blessing:
May the light of the Christmas Star
  shine brightly on you 
  today and forever more
May it bring you the Peace, Love and JOY
  of the Christ Child!

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 12-31-2016, the last for this year!

                    Is this Charlie Brown's Christmas tree??

           All creation knows instinctively to look to the Creator 

                                  and to honor Him.

                          We people need to realize this
              and REJOICE in the One who is come to save us.