“Safe And Sustained”
February 29, 2012
This stately stone farmhouse is on Musser Road(one farm road east of us)
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“Safe And Sustained”
“I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me” (Psalm 3:5). “In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).
What is the best part of waking up? For many of us the old Folger’s coffee jingle comes to mind upon hearing this question. Well, the coffee does taste mighty good and is almost always a part of our wake-up routine, but we feel sorry for those who would say it’s the best part!
David wrote Psalm 3 when his own son Absalom was pursuing him. The rebellion in David’s own home appeared to be a long-term consequence of his sexual immorality with Bathsheba. In fact the chapters following this account show the residual consequences to an act of sin. However David had repented and again had the assurance of God’s presence. He wrote, “But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head” (Psalm 3:3).
The part of the daily text I want to focus on this morning is a timeless truth that can be proclaimed this day by all of God’s people. It certainly should be our earliest awareness as we roll out of bed. “How blessed to be safe and sustained.” Praise God for this aspect of God’s love and care for His own!
Today may very well bring a new set of obstacles for some of us. For others an old set of problems quickly resurfaces that we continue to deal with and overcome. David still had his problems as he wrote the Psalm. In fact he begins it with this statement, “O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, ‘God will not deliver him’”.
But he was aware as he awoke that the Lord had provided safety and sustained him through another night. The Lord continues to grant us safety and sustain us as well, even when others paint a dismal forecast for our future. God will deliver the faithful who place their complete trust in Him. Let us rejoice today in God’s safety and sustaining care over all His creation and over each one of us!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, You sustain me by speaking peace to my heart even in the midst of troubling circumstances. Your unsurpassed peace cannot be defined by the absence of conflict but by the assurance that You will come alongside me in the midst of my conflict and make a roadway for me in the wilderness of my suffering. When I seek You I can be assured that You will hear me and deliver me from all my fears. Thank You for Your sustaining presence that lifts me from my slumber and helps me to trust You for another day. Amen.
Today is the first Wednesday on February 29th that we have ever prepared a daily encouragement message and will most likely be our last. The last time we had a Wendsday, February 29 was in 1984, over twelve years before we began writing these messages and the next Wednesday, February 29 will be in 2040 when we will be in our mid-eighties!
Yesterday afternoon we took a long walk and visited with a farmer neighbor who was unloading 13 heifer calves.
We use a muzzle on Mollie to restrain her barking in settings where she can’t seem to control herself. She can still breathe fine and in fact eat and drink. However it’s only nominally effective if she really wants to bark!
When we returned from our walk a neighbor brought down a four week old Saint Bernard puppy and introduced her to Roxie.
Two years we took our long trail walk along Donegal Creek and Roxie met up with Bruno, another very friendly neighborhood Saint Bernard, who joined us for part of our walk. At that time we welcomed suggestions for captions and they are posted posted here (scroll down to footers).
Today’s Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
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Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.
“Even When It Hurts”
February 27, 2012
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“Even When It Hurts”
“You shall not bear false witness” (Exodus 20:16) “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). ”Lord, who may dwell in Your sanctuary? Who may live on Your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue … who keeps his oath even when it hurts” (Psalm 15:1-4).
On several occasions in this Daily Encouragement series I have drawn illustrative material from the movie “Courageous”. A memorable scene is when Javier, one of the main characters, faces a very difficult test that will reveal to others his truthfulness and integrity, or lack thereof. He passes the test and is awarded for his unwillingness to compromise. In real life it doesn’t always work out that way.
I have a Christian businessman friend who told me about a previous job he had where he was pressured to falsify records and distort manufacturing specifications. He refused to compromise his integrity and as a result lost the job he had for many years.
Particularly painful to him were the attempts by the company to “justify” their actions by maligning him to other employees who were his close friends. This is a man who demonstrated the daily verse. His oath was acting with integrity in the business world because of His Christian convictions and, because he did so, he experienced significant injustice. But he was committed to telling the truth “even when it hurts”.
A childhood memory comes to mind regarding being on the other side of dishonesty. For a number of years my Dad had a heating and air conditioning business. At one point he sold a sheet metal brake he no longer needed and the purchaser apparently passed him a bad check. I still recall how hurt my dad was.
The last part of our third daily verse speaks of one “who keeps his oath even when it hurts.” In life we find that many times being truthful really does hurt on the short-term and the untruthful appear to get ahead. Someone else got that job promotion because he was adept at misrepresentation. (In my observation falsified and misleading educational credentials are rampant in our society.) A neighbor shares with a wink how he got a better deal on his insurance because of an incomplete disclosure. Mankind has been lying ever since the original sin and is becoming more and more skilled in ways of deception.
In a meeting we had with the president and vice president of a large company we asked them, “How can we pray for you?” Without hesitation the president requested that we ask the Lord to help his company leadership to find other businesses of integrity in which they could work with. Then, in a sense of concession to current conditions, he asked for wisdom in dealing with companies that lacked integrity.
Psalm 15 contains a list of characteristics required by God of the one who would dwell in God’s sanctuary and live on God’s holy hill (v. 1). In this present age these characteristics would surely apply to those desiring a close walk with God; those with a heart to live in His presence. The portion of the verse selected this morning is so very important and yet greatly lacking in our modern world.
David is reminding us of the unchanging verity of the Ninth Commandment, “Thou shall not bear false witness.” God wants us to keep our word and speak the truth even if it hurts. In our day of slippery words, half-truths, and embellished facts we need to keep our word even when it hurts. The pressures to violate the 9th commandment are great, but by God’s grace and in His strength we can keep from doing so. God still “desires truth in the inner parts” (Psalm 51:6a), not the airbrushed version many display to impress others or promote themselves. Jesus wants us to hear the truth, speak the truth, and live in the truth! Let us determine to do so “even when it hurts”.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, Your Word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You, for it teaches me to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before You. Even when it brings about hurtful circumstances help me to do the right thing in maintaining and maturing my spiritual nature as I walk in Your truth and speak the truth. May I not be found lacking in integrity but rather be characterized by my integrity as it honors my Father in heaven. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Saturday we participated in a Fire & Ice Chili Challenge here in Mount Joy with 12 other participants. We are pleased to report that Brooksyne’s Chili came in as first prize as several hundred community folks came through to sample and vote for their favorite chili! This fun contest helped to support community events such as Fire & Ice since each vote cost $1.00 (we were unaware of the way the contest was held – samples were free but votes cost money). We did have some of our D.E. readers stop by and it was delightful to get to know them better.After the contest I managed to get Brooksyne to sit on the ice chair (one of many ice sculptures in front of businesses downtown). She is holding a pewter serving bowl from Wilton Armatale, a local business that she received as a grand prize along with three local restaurant gift certificates. Obviously that made our day extra special. (Because of the very frigid cold weather, with wind gusts of 50 MPH, the event was moved indoors for which we were very thankful.)
Knowing some of our readers will ask: ”What’s the recipe?” I’ll have Brooksyne write it up and we’ll try to post it tomorrow. She didn’t have a recipe so she will have to write out ingredients, measurements and directions and we’ll post it once she’s done.
Ester with two of our local friends that we met when we both lived in Massachusetts.Dennis “Bunny” and Peg O’Hare stopped in for some chili. They serve as chaplains with Transport for Christ, a ministry to truckers.
Finally on Sunday evening Brooksyne and Ester were volunteer ushers with the CMI Productions which hosted a concert at Lancaster Bible College. They heard Bebo Norman and Point of Grace and came home last night quite pleased with their night out. Ester is posing with (L to R) Leigh, Shelley, and Denise, The Point of Grace “Girls”.Today’s Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
“Turn Up The Music” Video Point Of Grace This is a toe tapping happy song that reminds us that life is truly above the way we live from day to day!
“There Is Nothing Greater Than Grace” Video Point Of Grace A touching sing for those hurting. This is presently Ester’s favorite song by Point of Grace. We dedicate this to the Kokonaski family who said goodbye to their wife and mother, Beth Kokonaski. She battled cancer for many years and joined the angels in heaven last week. Ester thought of this hurting family as the women sang this song last night. This family was a part of a church we served over twenty years ago but through daily encouragement net we stay in touch.
Some comments from Friday’s message on “Sleeping In Church”
*”At my church, the pastor says that anyone who has a ringing cell phone during service has to buy him a pizza!” Now that’s a good idea!
*Thank you for today’s message. I really needed a laugh! Reminded me of not getting up in time for breakfast before church and having my stomach growl loudly during a quiet minute in the service!! Stephen’s note: I recall my Mom made the loudest stomach growling noises in church which really embarrassed the family.
“Jazz For Cows” The message spoke of attentiveness in church and an alert reader shared this video of some very alert cows enjoying an impromptu jazz concert! Have a laugh!
No relation to absolutely anything today but another funny video!
For deeper study! A careful reader reminded me I forgot to follow-up on a message several weeks ago. I shared a message concerning “Finding Out What Pleases The Lord” and referred to seven things the Lord hates which included “a lying tongue” and “a false witness who pours out lies.”
There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:
- haughty eyes,
- a lying tongue,
- hands that shed innocent blood,
- a heart that devises wicked schemes,
- feet that are quick to rush into evil,
- a false witness who pours out lies
- and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
We want to consider how we can find out what pleases the Lord based upon this Biblical revelation of what God expressly hates or is displeased by. However as students of Scripture we also consider what pleases the Lord based on what He hates with a correlating Scripture.
The Lord hates:
1) A proud look but He is pleased in our dependence upon Him and humility, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
2 A lying tongue but He is pleased when His children “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).
3) Hands that shed innocent blood but He is pleased with the one having “clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:4)
4) A heart that devises wicked schemes but He is pleased when we seek to do the will of God from our heart (Ephesians 6:6)
5) Feet that are quick to rush in to evil but He is pleased by the “feet of those who bring good news” (Isaiah 52:7).
6) A false witness who pours out lies but He is pleased with a truthful witness giving honest testimony (Proverbs 12:17).
7) A man who stirs up dissension among brothers but He is pleased with peacemakers (Matthew 5:9).
I find the same approach as used above concerning that which the Lord hates to be helpful with the Ten Commandments, eight of which are expressed as a prohibition. For those who may desire to dig deeper I encourage you to use the approach above for the Ten Commandments. I will express the heart of the commandment and encourage you to express a positive command as taught elsewhere in Scripture. (In the case of the two commandments expressed as a positive command find a correlating prohibition.) Below I share what I came up with in this regard based on my study of God’s Word and my ongoing quest in life to “find out what pleases the Lord.”
1) “You shall have no other gods before Me.” ”Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.” (Jesus at His temptation in Matthew 4:10)
2) “You shall not make for yourself an idol.” I was unable to think of a positive way to express this prohibition. Any ideas from readers?
3) “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15)
4) “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Elsewhere expressed as a prohibition in Nehemiah 13:17, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day?”
5) “Honor your father and your mother.” (Expressed as a mark of godlessness in the last times in 2 Timothy 3:2. “disobedient to their parents”
6) “You shall not murder.” “Love one another” You can’t murder somebody if you really love them!
7) “You shall not commit adultery.” ”Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” (Hebrews 13:4).
8) “You shall not steal.” ”He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need” (Ephesians 4:28).
9) “You shall not bear false witness” ”but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ” Ephesians 4:15
10) “You shall not covet.” ”Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have.” (Hebrews 13:5)
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.
“Sleeping In Church”
February 24, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
The squirrels may annoy us in regard to eating the bird feed but they sure are diligent! We took this photo out the window right in front of our office.
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“Sleeping In Church”
Signaling for the children to be quiet with her index finger poised over puckered lips, a Sunday School teacher asked her young children, upon entering the sanctuary, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?” One observant little girl replied, “Because people are sleeping.”
Acts 20 has an interesting “sleeping in church” story. The apostle Paul was traveling and stopped by Troas, where he stayed for seven days. On the last day he was with them they gathered to break bread and Paul spoke to the people. He kept talking till midnight in an upstairs room with many lamps when a most unusual event took place.
“Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on.” I can imagine that lengthy service as I’ve sat through a few of those, myself, and I’m pretty tired by midnight. Lamps of their time surely would not have provided the type of light conducive to wakefulness. And Eutychus sat in an upstairs window; surely a recipe for disaster as “Paul talked on and on.”
Sermons have gotten shorter during my lifetime and certainly some of the recorded sermons in the Bible and church history. For example many consider Deuteronomy to be a single sermon! Or consider Ezra’s message in Nehemiah 6: He read “from early morning until midday” and the people were “attentive” (v.3). I believe I speak for preachers everywhere of the blessing they find in preaching to attentive people!
Pilgrims of the 1600′s would sit on backless log benches for the hour long opening prayer, followed by a two hour sermon each Sunday. If a parishioner fell asleep he was quickly awakened by a bone fastened to a string lowered on the head of the offender by an assigned deacon. Perhaps we should reinstate this practice by assigning ushers to this exercise!
These days most people don’t want the preaching to be more than half an hour in much of the western church and the pastor sure better have some bells and whistles to keep the people’s attention, like PowerPoint, props and video supplements. But people still fall asleep in church!
“When he (Eutychus) was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.” Now I’ve experienced some interesting disruptions in church services. I recall, as a boy, someone dropping the offering plate off the balcony with a loud clanging of change spilling out in all directions on the tile floor (thankfully it didn’t hit anybody below.) Or when a child was playing with a speaking toy and the entire congregation got to hear the space ranger, Buzz Lightyear, call out to Sheriff Woody of Toy Story fame, “To infinity and beyond.”
A common disruption in churches today are cell phones that don’t get turned off. It’s one thing for parishioners to forget to turn off the ringer; quite another annoyance when they have one of those blasting quirky ring tones and even worse when they feel obligated to take the call right in their pew, which actually happened one time when I was preaching!
But Eutychus’ story really takes the cake! If the internet were available in the New Testament period this would have gone viral, been a top of the news story, hitting every public and cable network and major newspaper. Reporters surely would have been on the scene with their interpretation of the situation. Surely politicians would be introducing legislation to limit the length of a sermon. See below for a link to the entire Scripture text and “the rest of the story!”
Only God knows the full meaning of the story, but clearly this is an account of human weakness and divine intervention. The next time you get sleepy in church perhaps Eutychus’ story will come to mind and it will prompt you to sit a little taller and lean forward as you listen more intently to what God has to say through His appointed messenger. But one practical lesson we will end with: Don’t sit on the window ledge in church, especially if you’re sleepy!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, we thank You for Godly messengers who faithfully feed Your children by diligently teaching the whole counsel of Your Holy Word. Some attend church with an intense spiritual hunger, while others may come out of a sense of duty and still some to be seen by others. Give us a hungry heart that yearns for more of You so that our lives are set apart to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all that we do. May we be attentive to Your life-transforming truths as You impart them to our hearts in our personal devotions and through Your anointed messengers. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
“Fire and Ice”: This weekend our community (Mount Joy, Pennsylvania) is having a Main Street “Fire and Ice” Festival with ice carvings and a Chili Cookoff Challenge. Brooksyne will be making chili and we’ll be serving it, along with others, as part of an amateur contest on Saturday from 11:00-3:00 on Main Street in Mount Joy (at the Union Community Bank Portico.) It would be our pleasure to meet and serve chili to our local readers! For details visit www.msmj.org
Misc. notes:
The story of Eutychus is found in Acts 20:7-12
Many years ago Christianity Today had a humor column I enjoyed called “Eutychus and His Kin”.
Here is the text of Jonathan Edward’s final sermon preached at the First Church in Northampton, MA on July 1, 1750 after being voted out as the Pastor. Note especially the challenge to the youth.
C.H. Spurgeon’s messages stayed within 40-45 minutes. This was necessitated partly by the length required for the printed sermons. For the first six years of Spurgeon’s ministry, paper was heavily taxed, so individual printed sermons were formatted to use as little paper as possible. That is why the type is so small in the New Park Street Pulpit series, but it becomes more readable in the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. Spurgeon delivered the messages with ringing vocal tones and perfect articulation of each word. All observers testified that he had no difficulty whatsoever in making himself heard clearly in the furthest parts of the largest auditoriums!
Brooksyne’s Note: I have very vivid memories of growing up in church with a father who frequently slept during the pastor’s sermons. Daddy was a laborer who would fall asleep in most any setting if he wasn’t in conversation or physically laboring. As we grew older my siblings and I would sit a few rows in front of my parents, but we’d know when Daddy fell asleep. There’d be a deep, masculine snore and then it would suddenly stop. Mom kept Dad’s snoring under control by kicking her foot against his ankle. He’d wake up momentarily but fall back to sleep in a short time.
One Sunday evening Daddy fell asleep in the front pew of the church. Even in the “resting of his eyes” he could often follow the order of the service. In his sleepy stupor he mistakenly thought the pastor said, “Brother Sherrell (Sherrell was my maiden name), would you close our service in prayer?” He suddenly awoke, stood up and began to pray out a dismissal prayer……..only to be informed that the pastor was in the middle of his sermon! Imagine how mortified my family was at Dad’s mistake!
Perhaps that extremely embarrassing experience kept him a bit more alert for, at least the following Sunday!
Finally today:
A man sobering up from the night before is sitting through the Sunday sermon, finding it long and boring. Still feeling hung over and tired, he finally nods off.
The preacher has been watching him all along, noticing his apparent hangover and is disgusted. At the end of the sermon, the preacher decides to make an example of him.
He says to his congregation, “All those wishing to have a place in heaven, please stand.” The whole room stands up except, of course, the sleeping man.
He has the people seated then the preacher says even more loudly, “And he who would like to find a place in hell please STAND UP!”
The weary man catching only the last part groggily stands up, only to find that he’s the only one standing.
Confused and embarrassed he says, “I don’t know what we’re voting on here, Preacher, but it sure seems like you and me are the only ones standing for it!”
Video Humor: Tim Hawkins – Church, Christians, & Sleeping in Church Video
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Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.
“Considering The Heavens”
February 23, 2012
On our walk west of our home we enjoy walking the grounds on the Cameron Estate Mansion and Inn.
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“Considering The Heavens”
I like this picture but I didn’t take it!
“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place” (Psalm 8:3).
I recently started using a “smart phone” and am exploring the scores of apps available. Since we take lots of long walks we are enjoying one that records our walk; how far we’ve gone, our precise route (using gps) and even the calories burned (don’t ask me how they figure that out!). When we get done it keeps a history, including a map of the route.
Another one is called Google sky. I can take the phone out at night and point it to the sky and it shows on the screen what I am looking at. (I suppose it somehow uses the gps.) Last night was somewhat overcast but I managed to look up and identify Sirius, which is the brightest star in the night sky. I don’t see how anyone can look up at the sky and claim to be an atheist!
We enjoy the little stories of what happens when children misunderstand adult concepts and wording that we simply take for granted. Jim, a pastor friend of ours, shared one that sure brought a chuckle. A Sunday School teacher asked the class, “What does God do?” A little girl responded, “God is an artist.” The teacher smiled and asked her what she meant. Recalling the line from the Lord’s Prayer (as she understood it) she replied, “Our Father who does art in heaven.”
That illustration prompted me to picture God as an artist and I suppose you could call Psalm 8:3 “divine finger painting” (the work of Your fingers). Psalm 8 is a wonderful Psalm written by David who extols God’s greatness. It’s only eight verses long and can be read (or listened to) in about 1 minute. Listen here. Yet it’s packed with majestic truths concerning God’s glory and man’s dignity.
When I read this passage I picture David as a young boy lying on his back out in a field on a clear night, looking up to the stars. Do you ever do that? I recall doing so a child and even in recent years this still creates a sense of awe in me. In fact, when the weather gets warmer, I’ll be out in our front lawn using Google sky to view the heavens!
In recognizing the majesty of God in His creation we sense our own puniness. David considers, “What is man that you are mindful of him?” Reflecting on God’s greatness can certainly give us a proper perspective on the Almighty power of our sovereign Lord. We may wonder how such a great God can even be mindful of us.
But thanks be to God, He is mindful. He loves and cares and watches over all His creation. Today He, who never changes, is concerned for each one of us. We find our rightful place when we, like David, live with the awareness of God’s greatness. The Psalm ends with this great declaration, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!” Amen!
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, “My God, how great Thou art!”
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father God, Your magnificence surrounds us from every direction. Your glory is revealed throughout Your creative design in nature, humanity, and all throughout the universe. Even as You rule over nature and the universe I am grateful that You are the Supreme Ruler of my life. Bring into conformity my thoughts and actions as You search my mind and know my heart. I am in awe of Your greatness and declare with the Psalmist today, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!” Amen.
Today’s Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
“How Majestic Is Thy Name” Video Keith Green
“O Lord, How Majestic Is Your Name” Video Unknown
“Majestic” Video Lincoln Brewster
Cameron Estate Mansion and Inn
For the curious here is the app I mentioned that records my walk. (It was free when ordered on my phone.)
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.
“Grace Alone”
February 22, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Our friend Greg Schneider shared this photo of a wintry mountain cabin. I suppose I wouldn’t mind spending several days there sitting in front of a crackling wood fire! We really aren’t complaining but we sure haven’t had much winter where we live this season, so far anyway. Today it’s already warming up and may reach 60 degrees.
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“Grace Alone”
“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15). “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect” (1 Corinthians 15:10).
Today’s devotional perspective is written using a golf analogy. Two fellow native Missourians make these observations about golf: Mark Twain called golf a “good walk spoiled”, which we appreciate as walkers! My Uncle Gentry, a very colorful, folksy farmer in southwest Missouri, called golf “cow pasture pool”.
In my early adult years when I lived in upstate Pennsylvania I tried to get into golf. Many of my peers really enjoyed it and for awhile I played regularly with a pastor friend. But I was simply terrible at it. I could never get the hang of hitting that little white ball with the long stick (club). I would either drive the club into the ground or scalp the ball with a mighty whack and it would only dribble a few feet.
Then if I would hit it half way decently I’d slice it and the ball would go off to the side, at one point hitting a car along a road parallel to the fairway on the first hole of the course we played in Saint Marys, PA. However every now and then I would really connect well and then understand why people actually enjoy this sport!
Typically when I played I’d try to concentrate and follow good technique. “This time I’m going to do it right”, I’d tell myself. I mustered all my concentration. Bend slightly, keep a firm grip, head down, eye on the ball, remember to follow through. I’d bite my lip. This is it. I’d back swing and … alas another bad golf stroke. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
Life is kind of like that isn’t it?
Paul’s candor in Romans 6 & 7 is astounding. These chapters are among the most difficult portions in the entire Bible to interpret. Devout expositors have grappled for centuries with just what Paul was seeking to communicate.
I believe Paul is indeed writing from the perspective of his current relationship with Christ since in 7:22 he writes, “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.” (Another interpretation views Paul writing Romans 7 from the perspective of his unregenerate state before he was converted.)
He writes, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Can you identify with Paul? I sure can.
What are the issues you battle as you seek to conquer sin’s strongholds and the cravings of the flesh in your life? I can think of several in my life. These are the obstacles that I believe are referred to in Hebrews 12:1 as “everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” that we are to throw off.
We don’t know the personal issues that Paul was dealing with and any conjecture as to what they were would most likely be based upon the interpreter’s own experiences. But he bluntly confesses his inward frustration, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24).
So who will rescue us? The great apostle tells us in the very next verse, “Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25). In 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul writes, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect.”
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.”
Romans 8 goes on to speak of the power of the Spirit that enables us to live a victorious, overcoming life. Now that is encouraging!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, the words of a song come to mind; “I’m not what I wanna be, I’m not what I’m gonna be, but thank God I’m not what I was.” There is a major difference in my actions and attitudes since I made You the Lord of my life. If I trace back to the beginning of my relationship with You I see more clearly the major changes You made in my heart. But since my life is a living sacrifice there are always new challenges to tackle, temptations to resist, and trials to endure as a believer. It is not in my own physical strength or power that I am equipped to conquer the enemy, but it through Your Holy Spirit that I come against the giants of doubt, fear, bitterness, greed, lust, discontent and all the other negative foes Satan throws in my path. Though I’m far from perfect and always will be on this side, help me to endure to the end when that which is imperfect will be gone. Sin will no longer have a grip and finally I will be completely whole. All because of Your amazing grace as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ in whose name we pray. Amen.
A local tradition:We’ve appreciated living in different regions of the country. We were both born and raised in the Midwest but practically our entire adult married life has been here in the northeast USA in three different regions; the mountains in northern PA, New England near Boston and yesterday we marked our 11th year in Lancaster County (Pennsylvania Dutch). Here in Lancaster County yesterday was Fasnacht Day, something we never heard of prior to living in this area. Tradition says it’s good luck to eat a fasnacht on Shrove Tuesday, as written in our local paper yesterday.
The idea comes from a time when Christians fasted during Lent and cleared the lard, butter and fat out of their pantries and celebrated with a big Fat Tuesday, as they call it in other parts of the country. The Lenten season began the next day. Fasnachts came to Lancaster County with German immigrants.
The fachnachts pictured above were delicious. They have a different sort of taste for a sweet pastry – kind of like potato bread vs. white bread. The German version is made from a yeast dough, deep fried, and coated or dusted in sugar or cinnamon sugar. Pennsylvania Dutch fasnachts are also sometimes called potato doughnuts. More info.
Today’s Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
“God Of Grace” Video Lou Fellingham
“Grace Greater Than All Our Sin” Video Prestonwood Baptist Choir & Orchestra
“I’m Not Who I Was” Video Brandon Heath with testimony and interesting graphics.
“He’s Still Working On Me” Video Southern Gospel kids Real cute!!!
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.
“When Little Is Much”
February 21, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
This quaint colonial home on Main Street in Mount Joy has been beautifully restored, giving us a sense of a bygone era, as we walked by during an afternoon downtown walk yesterday.
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“When Little Is Much”
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:9).
There’s a scene in the movie “Courageous” that really touches me. It shows a young man handcuffed in the back of a squad car after being arrested from a shoot-out with the police officers. Nathan Hayes, one of the officers, knowing the young man was just with the wrong crowd at the wrong time, asked him, “Derrick, what are you doing? Why are you with these guys?” Through a tear soaked faced the boy cried, “I ain’t got nobody, Man. I just ain’t got nobody.” Nathan places his arms on the boy in a compassionate gesture.
Due to his crime Derrick is sent to prison but late in the movie Nathan Hayes is seen visiting him in prison and studying the Bible with him.
Today I consider three men I know who are actively doing this very type of work; Jim, Mike and Rick, each serving the Lord as volunteers in prisons in New Jersey, Massachusetts and North Carolina. Their faithful week after week, year after year (Rick has been leading a weekly Bible study for 19 years). They, as a result of God’s grace, are fulfilling the Biblical command by Jesus. They have many challenges to work through as they obey God in sharing the gospel within the prison walls.
All over the world I believe that most of what will happen today to honor God and help others will be rather “small things”. They may even seem insignificant at the time. You can be virtually certain they will not make the news. These are the scores of encounters when food will be given to the hungry, water to the thirsty, hospitality to the stranger, visits to the sick and those in prison (see Matthew 25:34-40).
Today’s Scripture portion is taken from the account of the feeding of the five thousand. Our human inclination in dealing with the dilemma described in this story would be to hire a huge catering service or expect a government agency to come in and deal with the problem. But it didn’t work that way. And so often it still doesn’t today!
I want to consider the boy in today’s story. Seeing the need, he approached one of the disciples with his lunch and the disciple in turn went to Jesus: “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”I wonder if the boy was mature enough to feel sort of foolish to think that his small offering could really make any difference. I wonder if any of his friends might have taunted him for his apparent irrational thinking. But Jesus used that little lunch, miraculously multiplying its impact and meeting the needs of all who were present.
I recall a phrase from my years of ministry training, “Do something big for God” which is a great aspiration. But something big for God is often a series of small, seemingly insignificant attempts to be the salt of the earth Jesus called us to be. Most of us just aren’t in a place today that we can do something really big for God, but we can find ways to spread the salt and let our light shine to a dark world in the small things that touch other’s lives. Let us take the proper steps to step out in faith, believing God will use us for His glory!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, my little becomes great as You inspire me to do good works in Jesus’ name. Help me not to reach a standstill based upon my limited abilities, wisdom, or resources. I don’t give to others according to my limitations but I give to others from the abundance of blessings that You’ve poured into my life. Grant me creative means and willful determination to extend myself to someone who needs a lift today. Direct my footsteps according to Your Word as You give opportunity for divine encounters this day. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Several years ago we joined another couple for dinner in a restaurant in York, Pennsylvania. Following the meal I called the server over to thank him and also gave him a small magnet with a photo and Scripture verse on it. He looked at the card, read it and thanked me as he went back to his work.
Ten or fifteen minutes later as we were leaving the restaurant I heard someone behind me calling out, “Mr. Weber!” I turned around to respond and realized it was the server. He told me, “You just wouldn’t believe how much I needed to read the message on this card today!” Boy, that little act sure made my day! (I’m not sure how he knew my name as I had never met him before and it was not on the card. As I recall we were being treated so he wouldn’t have got my name off my credit card, but perhaps we had signed in as Weber party as we waited for a table.)
In regard to today’s message consider the Apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthians: “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).
Yesterday we stopped to visit Stan, a friend of ours who runs a business restoring pallets, employing several Amish laborers.
This restored tow truck can be found along Main Street in Mount Joy.
Today’s Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
“Ordinary People” Video Danniebelle Hall
“Shine” Video Evie
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.
“Hand To The Plow”
February 20, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Click here for larger photo and to see just how straight the line is!
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“Hand To The Plow”
“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). “Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
Saturday afternoon Brooksyne, Ester and I took a 3 mile walk along the Lancaster Junction trail, a former railroad grade turned to walking trail, here in Lancaster County. After getting along the trail a ways and leaving the loud noise of a busy 4 lane highway (RT 283) we enjoyed a peaceful walk through the countryside. It was a beautiful and relatively warm day for February. The dogs sure enjoyed getting out. We can let Roxie off leash as she obeys and stays near. Mollie on the other hand must be kept on a leash or no telling where she would run off to! (Ester was behind us when I took the photo on left.)
Along the way I noticed an Amish farmer plowing his field. On the way back I stopped to visit him as he approached the road where he was going to turn the team around. I greeted him with a big smile and then proceeded to quote our daily verse: “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (I knew he was more likely to be familiar with the KJV). He smiled in recognition and said, “That’s right.” We visited a few minutes, having some mutual friends, and I commended him for his hard work and straight furrows. I was especially impressed that by a simple verbal command he could get the team to “back up”.
Jesus often used agricultural allusions and illustrations to connect with his listeners. In many cases we must have some agricultural knowledge to understand them.
It takes a great deal of strength, concentration and perseverance to plow a field, especially using a team of horses. In plowing a field a farmer keeps the rows straight by focusing on an object in front of him, off in the distance (such as a tree).* If the farmer started to plow the furrow, but kept looking behind to see how far he’d advanced, he would never be able to make straight rows.
Jesus used the above illustration to emphasize the nature of genuine discipleship; counting the cost of following Him. In our Christian life, we keep our eyes on Jesus in front of us, and never take our eyes off Him. Most importantly, we don’t look back!
Many of you who know me personally have often heard me say farewell with one of two phrases; “Stay faithful” or “Keep your hand to the plow.” I’ve done this for many, many years.
“Staying faithful!” What a quality. It’s not dramatic. It’s not sensational. But think with me for a few moments. Consider those who, over the long haul, have been a genuine and enduring blessing to you. Right at the top of the list of their good qualities is that of faithfulness, isn’t it? I’ll take faithfulness over flashiness any time. God said regarding Moses, “He is faithful in all my house.” What a gratifying affirmation to receive from God Himself!
In Matthew’s gospel Jesus gives us a glimpse of what we’ll hear when we finish the race. It sure won’t be “Great job, O thou flashy one.” No, it will be according to the Bible, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:23). And in the book of Revelation we have a recognition of His “called, chosen and faithful followers” (17:14).
Indeed let us “stay faithful” and keep our hand to the plow today, not looking back but instead, “looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.”
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, it is the desire of every earnest believer to remain faithful to You. The world often uses the expression, “Be true to yourself” intending that people stand up for what they believe in, but those of the world, by and large, stand for causes and beliefs that often conflict with the holy Word of God. We are also subject to error and our emotions cannot be trusted, so with absolute resolve we choose to be true to You, rather than self. Once we put our hands to the plow we choose to cultivate Christian values and Biblical principles. We fix our gaze on Jesus so that we don’t lose our way. We join with others of the Christian faith who hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, even as we spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Amen.
* Farmers still use this method but many are also using GPS and in some cases the tractor essentially drives itself! See this pdf or this video
The trail runs along Chiques Creek. I enjoy viewing white birch trees.
A rare stand of Bamboo was refreshing given the stark colors of the winter season.
Slightly off the trail (which is in the background) is this old McCormick-Deering threshing machine.
Another photo of the Amish team approaching in the distance.
It was a large field and the work progressed very slowly.
“I Am Resolved” Video A local church with good old time singing!
“I’d Rather Have Jesus” Video Dallas Holm
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.
“A Good Testimony”
February 17, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
This old order Mennonite man devised a creative way to use his open cart in colder weather. He constructed a wooden frame and covered it with clear plastic. I visited with him a few minutes behind the McDonalds in New Holland, PA and he seemed pleased at my interest. As a courtesy to locals the McDonalds provides a hitching post for the horses. However he walked over to eat at the Wendy’s next door (which does not provide a hitching post!!!)Listen to this message
“A Good Testimony”
“Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:7).
Stephen: My dad, Eugene Clark, was born on February 17, 1919, the third of eight children. He served in World War Two and then married my mother and had four children, passing away in 1998 at 79 years of age. I am blessed that my Dad had a good testimony. He ran a small plumbing, heating and air conditioning business in the Belton, Missouri area in the sixties. The year before my mom died in 2005 she received a letter from a business owner in Belton commending Dad for his integrity and reporting that the Carrier air conditioning unit my dad installed at his business in the sixties was still operating at that time (some 30 years later)!
Brooksyne: My dad, Brooklyn Nile Sherrell, had a name that was unique so it was no surprise that he and Mom would make a derivation of his name for their fourth child who happened to be a girl, Brooksyne (Brook seen’), since their much anticipated baby son, Brooklyn Nile Junior, wasn’t born. (Parents plan names beforehand much easier these days due to the modern ultrasound that reveals the sex of a baby.) My dad was one of those people often described as “the kind of man who’d take his shirt off and give it to you”. It got him into trouble with Mom who saw him taken advantage of many times. Neighbors often asked to borrow his tractor and he would gladly loan it to them. It would often be returned with an empty gas tank and a flat tire to boot. Mom sure wanted to give ungrateful folks like that a piece of her mind, but Dad would always stop her. He was generous with his possessions and his labors as well. A very colorful and pleasant personality made him a popular co-worker with his truck driving buddies, church friends, and many years later the hospital staff that tended to his cancer ridden body for six weeks. He joined his parents in heaven on February 17, 2000 at 66 years of age.
We are very grateful for the good testimony our parents gave for Christ. They both had some rough years in between as many do, but in the end their testimony was one of enduring love for God as they honored Him in their words and actions.
Of course, committed Christians are the very ones that are raised up to be leaders in the church. Our daily Scripture is taken from a list of characteristics that Paul says must be used to qualify the fitness of a church leader. Sadly in our day the attempt to establish a “good testimony” is often more a result of spin or illusion than real substance or true character. The word for testimony is ‘marturia’, from which we get our English word ‘martyr’. It is often translated witness, reputation or evidence.
God calls us as His followers to have a good testimony that is truly a witness for Him. Our character is to reflect the standards of Christ and Scripture. The word “outsider” in the text most certainly means those outside the faith (unbelievers) or as the KJV puts it, “them which are without.”
An excellent Biblical example of this type of testimony is Daniel. Even though “the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God’” (Daniel 6:4,5).Today, what kind of reputation do you have with the “outsider”? Most of you work around “outsiders” every day. Are you demonstrating a good, steady witness? Do your fellow workers see the character of Christ in your life daily? Do your children and spouse witness the character of Christ exemplified in your life at home?
Now certainly this may include a Christian symbol at your desk, but it’s so much more. Are you honest? What about your temper? Your language? Your diligence? Your promptness? Are you following through? Do you honor Christ with your lips as well as your life? Do you speak well of your family and church?
Remember, daily, you are developing a testimony; let it be one that builds your character and honors Christ at the same time!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, Your Word indicates the way we interact with those outside the faith will have a positive or a negative influence on whether they choose to follow You. There appears to be no neutral mode in our lives, for we do not live unto ourselves, but regularly give account for our actions and attitudes daily. Inconsistency and double standards have long been a trap Satan has set so that the world will point their accusatory finger and cry, “Hypocrite!” Sadly, it is often a true characterization. May we, as Your disciples, be faithful in our walk and consistent in our talk as we serve You at home, in the workplace, in our churches, and in our sphere of influence. We do not want to bring disgrace on the holy name of Jesus, but we want to honor His name as we glorify You in all we do. It is in Jesus’ holy name that we pray. Amen.
Note: Due to a very busy day we were unable to get a Daily Encouragement message out yesterday. In several months our schedule will be more manageable as we will bring to a close our interim pastoral role in a church we’ve enjoyed serving the last several years.
In Wednesday’s message we shared a photo of a quintessential Lancaster County farm taken along RT. 896 north of Strasburg PA and received this nice note: “How surprised I was today when I saw the picture of the farm. Friends of ours are with us here in Florida where we live over the winter months, and that farm is owned by their family. They enjoyed seeing the farm where they lived in when they were first married 50 years ago! We also enjoyed many visits there.”
We also received several comments about Brooksyne’s brush with eating a stink bug on a chocolate covered strawberry. One reader shared this appetizing experience: “Enjoyed hearing about the strawberry experience. I’ve had a problem with eating ice cream sandwiches; one time biting into a beetle bug and another time biting into a finger bandage that must have fallen off a worker at the ice cream factory. You would think that I would stay away from ice cream sandwiches–NOT. But I will be real careful of strawberries from now on!”
However we do see that in some cultures the stink bug is a delicacy! See here.
Yesterday we visited a homemade mustard canning process run by two sisters-in-law. As we entered the building the smell of vinegar cooking filled the air and quickly cleared our sinuses. It reminded us of the fragrance that fills the air when canning pickles or when Brooksyne candies jalapenos (the boiling process of jalapenos brings about a pungent burning smell that will make a grown man cry! The last time Brooksyne canned them she wore a mask but I still had to come to her rescue with a tissue to wipe her tears and nose – a humiliating process for her, but handling jalapenos makes one’s hands indisposable due to the oils from the hot peppers.)
Kelly and Shauna were delightful hosts as we observed their labors of preparing 11 batches of Betsy Lantz’s hot sweet mustard.
The mustard batch is being cooked and stirred by Kelly, dawned in her invisible hair netting as she is conscious of sanitation details.
Shauna is filling the jars. Brooksyne was pretty impressed with their funnel. Next thing you know she’ll be looking for a similar tool for her homemade jams and other canning ventures
We brought home a jar of Betty Lantz’s mustard last week and the jar is nearly empty. It’s great on sandwich meats and for dipping pretzels.
The mustard is sold in our region as Betsy Lantz’s Mustard
“When All Is Said And Done” Video Tommy Walker
“When All Is Said And Done” Video Matt Redman
“When It’s All Been Said And Done Video Robin Mark
(The above three are three separate songs!)
“Come Home” Video Travis Cottrell
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Ministry Update (Revised 12/11)
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.
“How Sweet Are Your Words!
February 15, 2012
We passed this tidy Lancaster County farm last Friday and what caught our attention most was the huge tree that stood out!Listen to this message
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103). “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16).
Yesterday we shared a photo of chocolate covered strawberries Brooksyne prepared for me on Valentine’s Day. They not only looked appealing but were delicious. However Brooksyne had a different experience while eating one and I’ve asked her to share in her own words:
I was cleaning up in the kitchen and couldn’t resist picking up a chocolate covered strawberry and popping it into my mouth. I was enjoying the sweet taste from the juicy strawberry that was so pleasing to my taste buds when suddenly my sense of smell overrode the sweet taste in my mouth. A familiar though disgusting smell overtook me and I quickly expunged the partially eaten strawberry (sorry to be so descriptive) as I was trying to solve the mystery.
Upon further inspection I spotted the nasty culprit – a stink bug had already staked its claim on the chocolate strawberry that I’d chosen to eat. The brown bug’s color blended perfectly with the thick chocolate and pecan mixture resulting in my nasty surprise. Thankfully I didn’t chew the stink bug nor did I swallow the critter or I might have smelled like a stink bug all day.
When I came down to tell Stephen of my horrid experience I didn’t have to show him the ugly critter, he smelled it on my breath. What a lovely Valentine greeting I brought him!
But there is a genuinely sweet treat we can all partake of. We can take in as much as we want and it will only increase our spiritual vitality! The Psalmist declares, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Elsewhere he stated, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).
Psalm 119 is a wonderful extolling of the Scriptures. David had far less of the written Word than we have today, as portions of the Old Testament and all of the New Testament were not yet written. Yet he declared, “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” May we all have this same attitude concerning His eternal Words. Consider this the next time you enjoy some honey!
Like Jeremiah my prayer is that I may experience God’s words as “the joy and the delight of my heart.”
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, when we examine the Scriptures we see how good you are. Just as we engage our physical senses in tasting food we engage our spiritual senses in learning who You are and how You guide us by Your Spirit. Though we cannot see You, our spirit senses the work You’re doing in our life. Though we cannot hear You, You lead us through Your commands in Scripture. Though we cannot feel You, we are warmed by Your loving words expressed in the Bible. Though we cannot touch You we feel the extension of Your love as You work on our behalf. Your scent is present in the very air that we breathe and the beauty of Your creation that surrounds us everyday. Your words are sweet to our taste as we hunger for your goodness. May we in turn offer up a sweet smelling sacrifice that is pleasing to You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
I just learned this recently; I suppose I had never given it much thought. Each worker bee only produces about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its entire lifetime. The accumulation of such enormous stores of honey in a hive in one day are due to there being anywhere from 20,000 to 80,000 + bees in the hive at one time – all doing the work of nursing brood, cleaning ‘house’, guarding stores, and foraging for nectar. A bee goes out to forage for honey, visiting 100 flowers per each trip out of the hive, making approximately 10 trips per day, for each day of her whole life – as a forager. (Her life is only 42-45 days). She literally works herself to death for one to 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey. Consider this the next time you spread 1 or 2 teaspoons of honey on a piece of toast! Source
We have a friend who has a daughter taking a medication that has an unintended side effect of completely removing her appetite for sweets! Unfortunately, for the young lady, she could stand to gain a few pounds and the medicine is becoming an interference to this physical need. However, for most of us our consumption of high calorie sweet treats is an ongoing battle in which we must make great effort to restrict our intake.
“Fill My Cup, Lord” Video
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? We ask you to consider making a donation to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.
“Lasting Love” – A Valentine’s Day Message
February 14, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Imagine my pleasant surprise when I entered the kitchen and spotted this warm Valentine’s Greeting from Brooksyne – complete with coconut, pecan and chocolate covered strawberries!
Listen to this message
“Lasting Love” – A Valentine’s Day Message
Today is Valentine’s Day when we celebrate romantic love. There’s no shortage of photos and stories of young love, couples in the springtime of their relationship; vibrant, strong, and attractive.
For several weeks we’ve been inundated with ads for flowers, candy, teddy bears and jewelry; tangible expressions of our love for each other. I remember well the first years of my relationship with Brooksyne and the romance that drew us together and eventually the maturing love that kept us together resulting in 35 years of marriage.
Today we want to share a story that goes beyond that of initial romance to one of enduring love expressed in a very tangible way.
Bill Fernan is one of many treasured friends we’ve known through our journey of life. He and his wife, Lenore, lived in the mountains of northern Pennsylvania in a spacious farmhouse with a large barn behind it. He was a retired engineer (at one time the chief engineer for a large corporation) and inventor who was always designing something new and original. We were amazed the day he showed us his own nautilus type fitness center he’d recently designed and built using bricks as weights. When we tried it out we were impressed by the heavy amount of weight the bricks weighed when we tried to lift them. Nearly eighty years of age, he was a thin man but strong, because he worked out on a daily basis. Brooksyne made frequent visits to see Bill who made custom mats and beautiful wooden frames in a room off his large barn. She and Bill did a little bartering; he’d make mats and frames for her cross stitching projects and she’d do calligraphy for select pictures he was framing.
Later in life Bill’s wife, Lenore, had a debilitating stroke and instead of admitting her to the nursing home Bill chose to lovingly care for her at home as long as he was able. That’s why he had built the nautilus so he could gain enough strength to lift her, turn her over, change her (this was before adult diapers), feed her, and every three or four hours day and night, Bill would gently turn her over so she wouldn’t get bed sores. (Stock photo on left.)
Several years later when he was finally forced to place her in a nursing home Bill told us he would still awaken each night at the hour he was accustomed to turning her. While we were living in Massachusetts we received word that our greatly respected friend, Bill Fernan, had passed away. He was in his mid-eighties at the time of his death. His wife was still living and being cared for in a nursing home until she passed away a year later.
Let’s consider another enduring love story over 4000 years old. According to our western customs Isaac had a most unusual courtship. His was clearly an arranged marriage, dutifully executed by Abraham’s faithful servant, and thoroughly recorded in Genesis 24 (which happens to be the longest chapter in Genesis.) They had just met one another on the occasion of our daily verse and I’m intrigued by the phrase “he loved her.”
This is the first time this expression is found in Scripture and indeed Isaac and Rebekah began a long and eventful life together marked by lasting marital love. Although we don’t know how old Rebekah was when she died, we are told that Isaac married at 40 and lived until he was 180! Scripture records that they were buried together.
Isaac’s love for Rebekah is further demonstrated when he prays for her on the occasion of her barrenness (Genesis 25:21).
In a rather interesting and perhaps overlooked detail Scripture records the two expressing their love for one another in a passionate embrace (26:8). (The KJV uses the word “sporting”, the NIV “caressing”.)
Still later we find the aging couple agonizing over the bad decisions their children had made (26:35, 27:46). That’s sure a timeless agony parents of all generations continue to deal with. Just yesterday we prayed with a broken-hearted parent concerning poor choices made by a child.
Like any marriage there was some conflict in the home and much overcoming, yet their marriage endured the storms of life. They surely had many of the same challenges married couples face today. They likely differed in their interests, personality and temperament. They dealt with infertility, sibling rivalry, favoritism and grief over their son Esau’s marriages. Our last glimpse into Rebekah’s life shows her and Isaac heartbroken as they send their son Jacob off to get a wife from her relative’s clan hoping for the best.
What do you mentally picture when it comes to marital love? The passion of newlyweds, a young couple as they push their newborn baby in a stroller, a middle-aged couple like us still holding hands in public or an 80-year-old as he regularly turns his invalid wife to prevent bedsores?
Look at the daily verse. Do you remember the words to a song, “Put a little love in your heart….and the world will be a better place!” What would our present world look like if husbands and wives everywhere genuinely loved their spouses with an enduring and sacrificial love like Bill Fernan demonstrated to his wife, Lenore? Flowers, jewelry, and candies are nice gifts that warmly say “I’m thinking of you this Valentine’s Day.”
But carrying out our promise to love our spouse “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer till death do us part” is the greatest demonstration of one whose love has matured from that of romantic love to that of a tested abiding love. Think about that this Valentine’s Day!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, Your love for us is most visible in the great sacrifice You made in giving us Your only Son to die for our sins. John writes, “God is love” and it is Your love for us that shows us how to love one another. The love we have for our spouse doesn’t always bring about a warm, fuzzy feeling but at times is costly requiring great sacrifice. Help us to take our vows seriously and carry out that which we promise so that our tested love becomes an enduring love. As we do so, we honor the sacrament of marriage that You ordained, we honor our spouse, we are an example to others especially our children, and we fulfill the Scriptural command to be faithful to our mate.
Note from Brooksyne: Earlier this morning I made Stephen some chocolate covered juicy strawberries in celebration of Valentine’s Day as viewed in the earlier photo. As I type this note I see him filling my numerous bird feeders which is a romantic overture to me (since I really enjoy watching the birds eat). Interesting what aging will do in a long relationship to change your perspective on what conjures up a romantic gesture!
Today’s message is dedicated to my childhood neighbors Pat and Lois Simpson who are actively demonstrating today’s call to faithfulness. This July they will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. They lived right across the street from our family on Lacy Lane in Belton Missouri from when I was in first grade till we moved from that area following my freshman year in high school. Their son David, whom I met in first grade was my best friend growing up and we remain close friends to this day over 50 years later!
I spoke to David this morning and inquired about his Mom and Dad. His dad has had Alzheimer’s for several years and no longer is able to live at home. But Lois faithfully visits him a good part of each day. We’re certain that their enduring love is well-pleasing to God.
We last saw Pat and Lois about six years ago when I was out that way and took this photo in their home in Belton Missouri. They raised six children.
“Living By Vows” Video Article A testimony of enduring love by Robertson McQuilken regarding the care he gave his wife with Alzheimer’s disease.
“When God Made You” Video
“Only God Could Love You More” Video
“The Love Of My Life – A Wedding Song” Video
The beautiful rose arrangement photo used in today’s message was taken by our friend Doris High.
What is the Biblical view of marriage? (Notes from my sermon this last Lord’s Day.)
In an age when family values are under severe attack and the traditional foundation of the family seems to be crumbling, we need strong teaching on the Biblical view of marriage and the family.
1) Marriage is God-ordained. “The Creator made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’” (Matthew 19:4,5). God’s design for marriage goes back to mankind’s beginning. The family, as God’s means of propagating His creation, grows out of this primary human relationship.
Jesus reinforced this teaching: Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6).
2) The marriage relationship encompasses the deepest unity of man and woman in its spiritual, social and physical expressions. The first woman was declared to be a suitable helper for the man (Genesis 2:18), the perfect complement (Genesis 2:23). God intended them to share both blessings and responsibilities. Mutual esteem and self-giving love strengthen the marriage relationship. God intended this physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual union to be focused on one partner only.
3) Marriage is to be an exclusive relationship, a lifelong faithful union with one’s spouse. “What God has joined together, let man not separate” (Matthew 19:6). The Old Testament recognized the existence of polygamy (marriage to multiple partners), but still declared that monogamy (marriage to one partner) was the ideal (Psalms 128:3, Proverbs 5:18; 31:10-29; Ecclesiastes 9:9). “Lifelong” means monogamy and sexual fidelity until the death of one partner. Sexual expression with more than one partner violates the holiness of biblical marriage and thus is sin in God’s sight. Thus the fundamental meaning of the 7th commandment.
4) Marriage is a covenant, a solemn binding agreement made before God and man. The religious ceremony of the wedding before church and community emphasizes that marriage is more than a legal agreement between two individuals. The church has a responsibility to support and nurture the marriage that has been affirmed by public vows.
5) Marriage, ideally, the relationship between husband and wife should parallel the relationship between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:23-30). The husband should love his wife “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). The wife should submit to her husband as the Church should submit to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22-24). But it is a misreading of Scripture, however, to conclude that the husband can become dictatorial. The entire passage is introduced by the admonition, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). It is only after each spouse submits one to another from a heart of love that the head/submission relationship will work. The husband has special responsibility for the spiritual leadership and welfare of the wife and family (Psalms 78:5-8, Ephesians 5:23). While the woman has responsibility as a parent, God has called the husband to be the leader in the home. The woman is not inferior to the man. Both have full dignity and equal standing before God. In homes where the father is not a Christian or refuses to provide spiritual leadership, it is right for the mother to assume this responsibility. Strong spiritual training is essential for children to develop spiritually (Proverbs 22:6).
A happy and complete marriage is realized as husband and wife make Christ the center of their marriage relationship. With Christ as the head, the marriage has an excellent chance to succeed.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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