It is Only Through Your Grace, Father

I could not have made it on my own.
You were with me every step of the way,
every single day.

I was never alone, never lonely.

You spoke to me, directing me, encouraging me, helping me.

Your love is absolutely amazing.
Your kindness is so wonderful.

You are so wonderful.

You are faithfulness from forever to forever.

I am so blessed to be Your child.

Blessed be Your most holy name.


My dear friends.  I apologize that I am once again late getting my post out.  I had my left knee replacement on May 7 and went to a rehab in Tupper Lake, NY on May 10 to May 23.  The surgery was successful and the rehab was most beneficial.  I am doing very well and am in out-patient therapy.  However, I am very slow with everything I do.  

God was with me all through the surgery and recovery.  Actually He has been with me ever since He thought of me and caused me to be born.  I had to learn that He was always there.  Now I can look back through my life and see His footprints and His love.  

I also know that all the prayers and love that I received from my family and friends made all the difference in the world.  
May God bless you all.  Thank you.

Anyhow, it is late Monday night and I wanted to at least touch base with my friends with an update on me and the following important news.

Knapps Station Community Church, Norwood, NY will have their annual Strawberry Shortcake Dinner 
on Thursday June 13, 2019
Dinner consists of  roast pork, potatoes, vegetable, applesauce, rolls and strawberry shortcake.
starting at 4:30 for takeouts and 5 pm for eat in.
Dinners cost
age under 5 and over 90 are free
age 5 -12 are $4.00
ages 12 to 90 are $8.00
extra shortcake is $2.50

Sorry I didn't have time put in pictures.  I will try to do better from now on.

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. 
                                                      
              

Time Races By

"but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

My life is passing so quickly.
Days merge, a blur
Weeks and months disappear, gone forever

What did I do?
Did I make each day count?
Did my life count?
Am I living in the moment?

Or am I just existing and riding the tide of life passing by? 

Will I leave my footprint as I pass?
Will it matter that I lived, that I existed?
Will I make a positive difference in anyone’s life?

Can I try to do that each day?
With little kindnesses and encouragements and smiles?

Can I treat my brother as myself, reflect a little of God’s love on each so each sees God through me?

If I can do that, then my life will matter as I race to my eternal home.

Then I will leave each of my footprints topped with the Cross for others to follow, 
as time races by.

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace. Acts 20:24

               As I race through my life, 
      am I racing for the gold or to the Son?
      It really does make quite a difference
                  when I get to eternity.
                       Think about it.

Prayer Request:
Please pray for kindness, love and tolerance for all of us.  There is so much hate and intolerance that is growing in our country and around the world.  Please pray for God to take our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh so we love God first and foremost.  And then that we love each (that is every other person in the world) as we love ourselves.  These are the 2 great commandments that Jesus gave us.

May God bless you greatly, my friend with His mighty love and grace.

Apology:  I apologize that it has taken me 2 months to publish another blog.  As my blog says, I have been very busy and the days flew by.  I will try very hard to publish every 2 weeks from now on.  I ask your forgiveness and appreciate your understanding. 

                    As your life races by,

            stop by the church of your choice,
               to review your road map for life.
                   God's Word, the Bible 
        is the best road map for life that exists.
     This church is near Paul Smith's College, NY.

                      This my church, 
          Knapps Station Community Church.
                   I feed my soul here 
            as I worship and study the Bible 
              and fellowship with others. 
         

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.

                      As your life races by,
            remember to check out the beauty 
              that God places on your path.

Ask and You Shall Receive

                               We reach out to our Father 

                     and put our little hand in His big, loving hand 

                                that is reaching out to us.  

                                   We ask "Daddy can I?" 

                       and He always answers what is best for us.

The Bible verse says:

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9

Does that mean that God gives us everything that we ask for?

How about if we pray for our requests in Jesus’ most precious name?

How about if we ask for it for years?

Regardless of our request and prayers, our Father knows what is best for us. He also has a plan for us and for all creation.

Sometimes He does say yes. Other times He says no. Sometimes He says, not now.

All things must be His will, His way and in His time.

Does that mean that He doesn’t listen and doesn’t care? Absolutely not!! He certainly does listen and care and does answer prayers BUT the ones He says yes to must be “in His will”, which is what He knows is best for us.

Many of us are parents and have had our children ask for any number of things. Some are good for them. Some are not. Sometimes they are too young for those things. When my son was 4 years old, he wanted to use a paring knife and was absolutely certain that he could use it and not get hurt. I could not say yes at that age but did say yes when he was older and more experienced. A 14-year-old may want to drive the car. We have to say no until they are old enough and have a learner’s permit. Even then, we must ride with them and teach them the right way to drive. Then they have to pass all the required tests to earn the right to drive alone.

God is our parent and He only wants what is absolutely the best for us. He does not say no merely because he wants to punish or does not love us. Actually, God delights in pleasing us just as we delight in pleasing our children. He is also delighted when we talk with Him, that is pray to Him. He craves our company, just as we crave the company of those we love.

Go ahead and ask God for the things you want. Talk to Him about everything that is on your mind. He would love to hear from you. Hearing from you every day would be just right.

Just know that when you ask, He will always give you exactly what is best for you and precisely what you need and when you need it, even if you don’t realize it at the time.

That’s what the best Parents do.

Springtime Battles

Muddy, muddy, gush, gush
As my feet go push, push
Across the soft and wet, wet ground

Mud tries hard to suck me down
Tries to take my shoes and keep me
But I stand firm and keep on going
Shoes stay on but mud is showing
Remnants of my springtime battle
With that soft and gushy ground

Snow in places still is showing
As my feet do keep on going
Across the muddy, gushy ground

My destination soon I'm reaching
As my feet continue breaching
Springtime muddy, wet, wet ground

I look back and see my journey
Footprints rapidly are learning
Power of the soft and gushy ground

How amazing is the power
Of the mud that makes us cower
When we wage our springtime battles
With the soft and muddy ground

This World is Not My Home

               God filled this world with incredible beauty for us to enjoy 

                                         while we are here 

                                BUT we are only passing through.   

                            We have a different final destination.

                  Photo is of little side road near Waddington, NY Fall 2018.

This finally dawned on me to the point that it’s getting ingrained in my thoughts.

What does it mean?

It means that nothing in this life is my final goal.

It means that I’m in school, in training for a different place.

A place called Eternity.

It’s where we live forever and ever without end.

The choices, the deeds, the activities we choose, the goals we work toward will direct us to our final destination.

Our behavior and choices here will determine if we like our final destination or not.

There are two possible final destinations: heaven or hell.

There are no other choices.

And everyone goes one place or the other, no exceptions.

One place is heavenly and the other absolutely is not.

Our loving Father wants us to spend eternity with Him in Heaven where life will be unimaginably wonderful.

However, He gives us free will and lets us choose to go to heaven or not.

All the while we live, God nudges and encourages us.

He gives us almost unlimited opportunities to live in such a way that we get to go to heaven, but He doesn’t force us to choose Him and heaven.

He wants us with Him in Paradise for eternity so badly that He became one of us in the person of His beloved son who lived to teach us how to live. We can only go to heaven if we are holy as God is holy and no one of us is capable of being that perfect. God knows that and made plans for us anyhow. God loves us so much that He choose that His beloved son, Jesus, would take on all the sins of all men for all time, past, present and future. Jesus chose to be tortured to death to pay for all our sins. God offers forgiveness for our sins if we only repent, tell Him we are sorry and try to not sin again. He knows we will sin again, so He keeps forgiving as long as we keep asking for forgiveness. Our debt is paid.

The road to Heaven, to spend eternity with our Loving Father, who loves us without measure requires us to love Him first and foremost, to love and treat others as ourselves and to repent our sins. Repent means to tell God we are sorry for what we have done wrong.

Somewhere along the way of learning about God and what He wants me to do and how He wants me to live, I figured out that I want to go to Heaven, that Heaven is my final home. As a result, I don’t care as much if I have all the stuff that this world tells me that I need. It isn’t as important to be first or best – except in God’s eyes. It doesn’t matter if I “win arguments”, only that I win souls for God. That does matter. I hope to see all of them and all of you when I do go home.

Will you join me? Our Father is waiting to welcome us with outstretched arms.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Philippians 3:20

                     At the end of our toils, Jesus will be waiting for us.

Prayer Requests:

So much is happening these days.  There has been terrible weather.  There was a partial shutdown of our government and thousands of people suffered terrible financial difficulties as a result.  There is a virulent flu going around and the flu shot does not prevent it.  I was very sick with that "bug."  More severe weather is expected this week.  The list of problems goes on and on.  So many people are in need.  Our country and our world are in great need and the only one we can really turn to for solutions is Our Father.  He already has all the solutions.  He tells us: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  Matthew 7:7. 

Our world needs our prayers and our acts of kindness too.  Every prayer and every act of kindness will light a candle to brighten the darkness in this world and make it a much better place to live.

May God bless you greatly, my friend and thank you in advance for your prayers and your acts of kindness. 

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.

                               Here's another one of my sunsets.
                        Sometimes I think God sends so many my way 
                          because He knows how much I enjoy them.
                            The colors are sometimes so glorious that 
                          they are almost like a little piece of heaven,
                                      my little piece of heaven
                               that I share with you, my friend.
                                            Blessings.

What Would You Have Me Learn from This, Lord?

                             The sky is gray.  Is a storm brewing? 
                     What am I facing?  What's going to happen to me? 
                                         Why is this happening?

Why did that happen?
Why are You allowing this to happen to me, Lord?

I ask and sometimes He lets me see that this world is not my home. I have not arrived home yet. I’m in school, in training. Each experience is a learning event. I am being evaluated by how I react, how I treat others as I would have them treat me. I am being evaluated on my attitude, how hard I try – even when I fail.  Am I learning?

God knows I am weak, but He cares when I keep trying, when I turn to Him for strength. He always knew I couldn’t make it on my own. He has been waiting for me to learn and accept the fact. He’s been waiting for me to turn to Him and make Him my strength. 

My flesh...may fail but God is the strength of my heart.   Psalm 73:26

He’s been waiting for my heart to soften from a heart of stone into a heart of flesh and to forgive as He has forgiven me my many sins – just because I ask, not because I could ever earn His forgiveness and will never deserve His forgiveness. 

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 
  Ezekiel 36:26

God has plans for me, plans to help and not to hurt. He as a job for me to do and I will be here until I complete that job.

He is molding me into the child He knows I can be and really am, deep down inside. I can stop Him with my willfulness. I can choose not to allow.  He did give me free will, but do I really want to use it to oppose Him?  Do I trust Him completely with my life and my future?  Do I trust the Creator of all that exists to make good plans for me?  I’d be a fool not to.

So, I put myself in His hands and when stuff comes up in my life that is difficult, that I may not want to do, I ask “What would you have me learn from this, Lord? and listen for His answers.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.    Jeremiah 29:11

                           God can change gray skies to blue.  

            There may still be clouds but the outlook is much brighter.  

               The scenery changes from gloom to brilliant beauty.  

            This is what happens to my life when I trust in the Lord, 

      when I trust that He has a plan for me and it involves teaching me, 

                               molding me into His child.

                      View is near ski jump at Lake Placid, NY.

Prayer Request:

There is so much turmoil in our country right now.  Please pray for everyone.  Please sew the seeds of kindness every chance you get.  We can only fight the darkness with God's light.  We can only fight evil with God's goodness.  And guess what?  God has already won the final battle for us. 

                          In the midst of darkness, 

                                 God brings His light and His love.  

                                 We only need to walk to the light 

                                   and to His outstretched hands.

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.

As we live our lives and trudge through the problems and heartbreaks and JOYS that life brings, we need to remember that there is a heavenly reward waiting for us when we choose to follow God's way.  God is the golden light waiting for us on the other side. His eternal reward is beyond anything we can imagine.

And the Clouds Parted

The clouds are gray and threatening.
It’s been raining.
The wind blows leaves hither and yon.

My mood is down-cast.
So much is happening
So many problems at home and in the world
So many issues to deal with.
Sometimes it’s over-whelming.

And the clouds parted.
The sun shone through.
The sky is still gray with patches of blue

But the day brightens
My mood brightens

My father is telling me that regardless of how dark my life becomes, He is with me always, beside me, helping with all my problems, with all life’s issues.

He says “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”  Hebrews 13:5
He never has and never will.

I am never alone.

He has a plan for me, a plan to help and not to hurt me – or you.

Be blessed, my friend.

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

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11

                        God gives us rainbows to remind us 
               that He walks with us through each of life's trials.

Happy New Year dear friend.
It's the time to reflect on what happened in 2018 and think about what we would like to accomplish in 2019.  I would encourage you to pray and ask God what He would like you to accomplish in 2019.
Your true happiness and fulfillment will come when you are working with your Father and living the life that He has planned for you.  I wish that happiness and fulfillment for you and that 2019 is your best year yet.

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.

                               I'll close with a beautiful sunset.  

             I am so blessed that God has planted me in a beautiful area 

             and that He sets up wonderful scenery for me to photograph.

                            When I look at His wonderful sunsets, 

                 God seems to be saying "See you in the morning, child.

                                         Tomorrow is a new day, 

                             wait till you see the plans I have for you.

                      "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 

                           plans to give you hope and a future. "