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Saturday, November 5, 2016

Do I Bug You, Lord?





         Part of Norwood Lake seen from Sober St. Road between Norwood and Norfolk, NY

Am I annoying?
I certainly make lots of mistakes,
            commit lots of sins
            some accidental
            some deliberate

Sometimes I’m good
Sometimes, I’m rotten
Sometimes I don’t even like me

Why do You always love me?


         God demonstrates His mighty love for us 
                    in unexpected ways.
         Notice the unexpected beauty He provides
                   in out of the way places.  

I’m just a very minor creature, no one special
But You always treat me special
            no matter what I do or don’t do



              My neighbor's trees are so pretty

You are the Creator and Lord of all the exists
            and You love me so much

I could never do enough to earn all You do,
            all You give



What would happen if we could see our world through God's eyes?  Would we see how beautiful it is and would we come to realize a tiny fraction of His mighty love?

You are so amazing
You bless me so greatly


      View from my back yard


Blessed, Blessed be Your most holy name.

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




Before It’s Too Late


Some say the end is somewhere around the bend, sometime in the future
But when?


                     View from dry bridge near Norwood, NY

How much time do I have?
Can I do everything I want and still “get ‘er done”?

I really don’t want to go to hell

But all that work to learn about Jesus, the Bible,
    the rules, going to church
Is it really necessary?

I want to have fun now
I want to do as I please
Isn’t that what everybody says and does?

Why do I have to be different?

I guess I like the way some of “those church people”    treat me but what they do looks like so much work



They do look happy

They invited me to church
     and said “no strings attached”

I suppose I could go just one time
     and see what this stuff is all about

They seem really concerned, even worried about me.
They said I need to be saved before it’s too late.


                    Cemetery near dry bridge Norwood, NY

But do I really?

They said this guy Jesus loves me.
Why should he?

They said He died just for me to make up for my sins

I’ve done a lot of sinning in my time

Why should He care what happens to me?
Maybe I’ve done too many bad things
   for Him to ever love me

They said I’m His child and He loves me so much
   that He died a terrible death just for me,
   to pay for all the sins I’ve ever done or ever will do

I guess it wouldn’t hurt to check out someone
   who loves me that much.

They said He’s reaching out His hand to me
  Is the shadow reaching out to the trees like God's loving hand reaches out to us, His precious, beautiful children?

That all I have to do is accept
   that outstretched hand
   and tell Him I’m sorry for what I’ve done wrong        and I can spend eternity with Him in heaven



   The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
   Psalm 23 1-4

Otherwise when I die, I go to the other place
   that’s “hot as blazes” for eternity.

They said Jesus is calling,
   telling me that His love for me is limitless

“Those church people” said they’d help me too.

What do I have to lose?

Maybe I better check this out before it’s too late.


                          Same cemetery

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who 
wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.  
1Timothy 2:3-6
  



The Old House in Fall


Rain thrums on her roof

Car wheels whoosh on the wet pavement nearby

Her flowers are asleep awaiting winter’s passage

Her still green lawn is littered with leaves
   from her near naked trees





Inside, the clock on the wall tick, tick, ticks

Faint hums come from the computer on the desk

The old house is quietly breathing

Witnessing the passage of time

Having seen decades of season changes

Having sheltered many families
   who have called her “Home”

Patiently enduring the changes
   they have made to her

Patiently facing whatever awaits her.

For everything there is a season, a time for 
every activity under heaven.  Ecclesiastes 3:1
(New Living Translation)




Book Review:




Christian Caregiving by Kenneth Haugk

This book gives insight into the world to Christian Caregiving, into giving care to the whole person from a Christian perspective. It discusses that we need to provide the care and leave it to God to provide the cure.  It discusses how caregivers' jobs are to meet the needs of their patients and to look to God for guidance.  It discusses things like even when we pray with someone, we should ask what they would like in the prayer to make our praying as beneficial to them as possible. This book is the basis of the Caring Ministry at Knapps Station Community Church.

Jesus said, " the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."
Matthew 9:37-38

We at Knapps Station Community Church plant, tend, and harvest crops, but God causes the growth, the healing and the cure in people's lives.
Our God gives us the strength and compassion to reach out to others.
The motivation for our Christian caring is summarized in 1 John 4:19
"We love because he first loved us ".

We show our love for others by reaching out to those in need by phone calls, sending cards, making meals, hospital visits, nursing home visits, home visits, nursery coverage and the power of prayer. Individuals do not have to be members of our church to be recipients of these services.  We extend our minisry to anyone in our area and pray for everyone whose need is made known to us.

Our ultimate reason for caring is Jesus Christ. Knowing this affects our identity, attitude, confidence and perspective as a Christian Caregiver.


Knapps Station Community Church


Commentary:

Don't forget to set your clocks back tonight.
The old saying is that we "fall back" in Autumn and "spring ahead" in Spring. Let us resolve to try our best not to fall back on our old habits but to always spring ahead striving toward Our Father and our eternal home with Him.

This is my 26th blog post, the completion of my first year of blogging.  It has been a great blessing for me and I am so grateful that you have shared it with me. You will bless me greatly if you join me for this next year. I would welcome your comments and suggestions to make my blog relevant and helpful for you.  God's blessings on you.





The Spirit Help Us To Pray
is a new blog post from my friend Jean Oathout.  You may find it informative and helpful.

                 When we follow Jesus,
           we shine with His light and love.



Blessing:

May the blessings of our Loving Father fall on you
   as the leaves fall from the trees.

And may His blessings remain with you
   all the days of your life.




Blessings for you,my friend for a wonderful week 

All photos taken by Debbie and Tim McEwen - 
  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 11-19-2016


                                    An Amish buggy

Saturday, October 22, 2016

My Knight in Shining Armor


                   Deserted house on Potsdam-Morley Road  Potsdam, NY

God's love shines down on us at all times 
    just waiting for us to accept it.




During many times in my life,
I have wished for a knight in shining armor
to come and whisk me away,
taking all my problems
and making everything better.  

He would know exactly what to do
and know exactly what I wanted and needed.
 
Needless to say, it never happened
and no human being can do all that.  

I have a wonderful husband of 42 years
but even he can’t do all that.


However, God truly is our knight in shining armor.  
He absolutely knows what is best for us.  

He truly understands us
like no one else possibly c
ould.  

He knows what we want and if we allow,
shows us what will make us truly happy.
 


      This beautiful vine thrives on this dead tree.
          God's love can make our hearts thrive
            even in the worst of circumstances.

He doesn’t take all our problems away
but He helps us to solve them in ways
that guide us on the right path,
the path to eternal joy.
  

Most of us seek happiness and peace in our lives whether or not we realize it.  

The only way to find true and lasting happiness and peace is through our walk with Jesus. 


    If we only allow, we too will blossom with His love.

It’s not an easy trip but so worth the effort.  

The end result is heavenly
with our blessed knight in shining armor.

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19


Jesus is standing there waiting for us to turn to Him.


Life can be dark all around us but we can blossom with God's love



Is Your Heart Ablaze for the Lord?

Do you run to Him?
Do you take all your problems to Him?

Do you tell Him about all your hopes and worries?

Do you lay all your troubles at His feet,
at the foot of the Cross?

Do you answer when He calls?
“Come to Me, My love for you is limitless.”

He’s calling.

His heart is aching for you to answer.

His arms are open wide.


  His love is shining down on you where ever you are 
                and whatever you are doing.
                Just open your eyes and see.

His love for you is so amazing.



                           Windmills between Malone and Ellenburg, NY
    
        If you let Him in, He will energize your life.


He died just for you,

You are so precious to your Loving Father.

Open your heart
and He will fill it with an awesome JOY
that nothing else can possibly compare to.

In Matthew Chapter 11 verse 29, Jesus says
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.”



              Little brook behind barrier before Ellenburg.

         He will provide rest for your soul 
            when you least expect it.

When you open your heart to Him,
your heart will blaze with a JOY and peace
that will carry you through anything
that this life can dish out
and it will bring you to an eternity of bliss
with your Loving Father.



       When life is at it's darkest, turn to the Son.

Run to Him, walk to Him, crawl to Him,
reach out to Him with your arms open wide
and He will set your heart ablaze.


But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.  Deuteronomy 4:29












   
   Each of these trees stands out because each is different and beautiful.  Each of us stands out because God gives each of us our own special talents to work for His honor and glory.

A Means To An End

Is this life a means to an end?

Is what we go through
a way to prepare us for what is to come?

Do our hardships, our sufferings
and those of our loved ones
teach us and soften our hearts
to the problems of others?

Do we allow our Loving Father to love on us,
to teach us, mold us, shape us into His children
for eternity?

Do we see problems and say
“Why aren’t You fixing them, God?”

Or do we see these are our appointments
to be His hands, His feet and His voice
to do His work?

Is that our purpose,
the reason we were born and live?



         To everything there is a season
   and a time to every purpose under heaven.

    Is this your time to shine with God's love?

Is our life the means to an end
to fix the issues Satan uses to undermine God?

Do we listen for the still small voice speaking, nudging, urging, always molding His precious children to His vision of perfection for eternity?

He has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,  2 Timothy 1:9

Book Reviews:

Angels (Paperback)

Angels by Billy Graham

Do angels exist?  Or better yet, do they exit today? Are they really all around us, guarding us, fighting our battles with the forces of darkness?  Read the book and see what you think?  I heartily recommend this easy to read book.




The Church God Blesses by Jim Cymbala

Why would God bless a certain church or person more than another one?  Jim Cymbala has some inspiring ideas to enrich your life.  Another I heartily recommend.

I borrowed both these books from the Knapps Station Church library which has a lot to offer.




Knapps Station Community Church

This is my church.  I have been fed spiritually here as I never had before.

(Check out the website for directions and lots of other great information.)

Knapps Station Church is a great place to feed your soul with the "good stuff" from the Bible.

My church is always providing new bible studies. We have begun one on what it really means to be a Christian.
The class takes place every Sunday at 6:30 pm and runs 2 more weeks. It's never too late to start and find out what the word "disciple" really means.
Christian Study Guide: It's Not What You Think  -     By: Andy Stanley

Christian, It's Not What You Think

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I would also like to suggest that you check out the blog page for my friend, Jean Oathout.  I have received much good information and many blessings from her blog:


Resurrection Power  is a current post that is very inspiring.


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Commentary:

The beauty of the fall season is upon us.  My husband and I drove both to Saranac Lake and Burlington last week and took pictures on the way.  It seems that the colors are especially beautiful this year and that the colorful season is extended longer than expected.  Is God blessing us in a special way? We could never earn all He gives us and none of us deserves all the good we get BUT He loves us so much He gives it anyhow.



Blessing:

May your life be blessed with the JOY
   that God gives to each season of your life.

May you see the beauty all around you
And may you be blessed by the JOY
   of knowing how much God really loves you.



Blessings for you,my friend for a wonderful week and a safe Halloween for you and all the little ones in your life. 

All photos taken by Debbie and Tim McEwen - 
  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 11-3-2016





 Wild deer eating fallen crab apples in our backyard at dusk