“Good Friday”

Friday, March 29, 2024

“Good Friday”

Message summary: Today join us in proclaiming, “I love that old cross”.

Listen to our message on your audio player.

“Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).

Today is Good Friday, a day when Christians all over the world remember Christ’s supreme sacrifice in dying on the Cross of Calvary for our sins. We will be attending a service this evening to remember and reinforce our faith.

It’s a beautiful day here in rural Pennsylvania but the weather is not what makes the day good.

Some linguists believe at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, “good” may have referred to “holy” in Old English. Others feel the “good” in Good Friday was derived from “God” or “God’s Friday”.

For Christians, Good Friday is a crucial day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most pivotal day in the history of the world. On Good Friday, Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins (1 John 1:10).

Joseph, who is a type of Christ,* told his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20). Christ demonstrated this to the human race who meant evil but God meant good.

Theologian D.A. Carson wrote,

“It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was His unqualified resolution, out of love for His Father, to do His Father’s will—and it was His love for sinners like me.”

Today is a good day because Christ willingly traded places and took our place on the Cross we deserved. As an old song states “I should have been crucified”. It is a good day because it was the day He conquered sin and death so that we will never be apart from God on this side of heaven or the other.

Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is final and absolutely adequate to provide forgiveness for sins. Christ died once for all on Calvary’s Cross to redeem fallen mankind. No better plan is needed. No revised, customized or modified version of the original account should even be suggested.

The mission of the faithful church and faithful Christian is to steadfastly proclaim the salvation message of the cross for “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).

The apostle Paul said, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14). Today join us in proclaiming, “I love that old cross”.

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross,
Where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Jesus, we consider everything that You went through was for our benefit. Your tender response to betrayal and cruelty serves as an example to us when we are treated unjustly. Your obedience in life and especially Your death on the cross shows us how to remain steadfast in the face of tremendous opposition. You embodied the very teaching You delivered to Your followers as You carried out the will of the Father no matter the cost. Each wound that tore Your flesh brought us spiritual and physical healing. You were numbered with the transgressors so that we could be numbered with the saints. The dark cross of Calvary has a wondrous attraction to me where You, the dear Lamb of God, left the glory of heaven and died for me. We will be forever grateful. Amen.

* What is biblical typology?

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Today’s Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

“The Old Rugged Cross”   Watch on YouTube  Reawaken Hymns

“I Love You (From An Old Rugged Cross)”   Watch on YouTube  Joseph Habedank

“It Is Finished”   Watch on YouTube  Passion  ft. Melodie Malone

“It’s Still The Cross”     Watch on YouTube  Sacred Heritage

It’s still the cross,
It’s still the blood of Calvary;
That cleanses sins,
And sets the captives free.
It’s still the Name,
The Name of Jesus,
That has power to save the lost;
It’s still the cross.

“I Should Have Been Crucified”    Watch on YouTube  Gordon Jensen

For further study: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Friday”

“It’s Still The Cross!”

(A selection of Scripture verses focusing on the Cross for personal, family or congregational reading.)

Worship leader: Here they crucified Him, and with Him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. John 19:18

Congregation: This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. Acts 2:23

Worship leader: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

Congregation: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14

Worship leader: By abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.  Ephesians 2:15-17

Congregation: He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name.  Philippians 2:7-9

Worship leader: For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19,20

Congregation: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13,14

All: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  Hebrews 12:1-3

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“Major Events of the Holy Week”

The four gospels cover the life of Christ, a period of about 33 years. Most of this material deals with the 3½ year period of His ministry. However an astounding 30 of the 89 accumulative chapters in the gospels deal with the period from Christ’s triumphal entry through His resurrection and post-resurrection appearances. Mathematically this means that approximately 33% of the written material in the gospels deals with a mere .05% period of His life! In the providence of God we have a much greater proportion of material dealing with God’s greatest act of mercy in providing our redemption.

Here’s an interesting chart from a Study Bible that may be helpful as you study the life of Christ this week. It sure helps me to have a sense of when the events took place and is inspiring to read these Scriptures in the daily sequence leading up to Easter.

Sunday    

    Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19

Monday    

    Jesus Clears the Temple: Matthew 21:12,13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45,46

Tuesday/Wednesday                 

    Jesus’ authority challenged in the temple: Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8
    Jesus teaches stories and confronts the Jewish leaders: Matthew 21:28-23:36; Mark 12:1-40; Luke 20:9-47 
    Greeks ask to see Jesus: John 12:20-26
    The Olivet Discourse: Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21:5-38
    Judas agrees to betray Jesus: Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10,11; Luke 22:3-6

Thursday

    The Last Supper:  Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20
    Jesus speaks to the disciples in the upper room:  John 13-17
   Jesus struggles in Garden of Gethsemane: Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46; John 18:1
    Jesus is betrayed and arrested: Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12

Friday

    Jesus is tried by Jewish and Roman authorities and disowned by Peter: Matthew 26:57-27:2, 11-31; Mark 14:53-15:20; Luke 22:54-23:25; John 18:13-19:16
    Jesus is crucified and buried: Matthew 27:31-56; Mark 15:20-41; Luke 23:26-49; John 19:17-30

Sunday

    The glorious resurrection: Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-11; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-18

(This material is developed from an outline in the Life Application Bible) ​​​​​​​

“A Day of Good News”

First Snowfall of the Season!

Listen to this message on your audio player.

“A Day of Good News”

“Then they said to each other, ‘We’re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves'” (2 Kings 7:9).

Weather forecasters predicted our area would get 1 to 3 inches of snow through the night so we expected to awaken early this morning to a white outdoors. But it was simply a chilly, wet ground when I turned on the porch light. A couple hours later the moist snow began to fall and is still doing so now, though there will be little accumulation from the looks of things since the temperature is above 32 degrees.

Ester went outside since she always gets excited about the first snowfall and excitedly brought back a vibrant fall leaf covered with snow that she found from the many leaves in the yard. She was chattering about the beautiful leaf (seen in photo) as she wiped the snow away, only to be very disappointed when Brooksyne alerted her that it wasn’t a real leaf, rather a leftover cloth leaf from the fall decorations I took down over the weekend. She argued for a moment but when the snow was removed she disappointingly admitted Brooksyne was right. (You were probably fooled by the photo as well.)

Ester gleaned a fake leaf from among the real ones lying all about our yard. The act of gleaning is collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. A few years ago Brooksyne took advantage of our farmer friend’s offer to glean his tomato field after the professional harvesters had loaded many trucks with tomatoes over a week’s time. We had lots of tomatoes and salsa that winter!

Many years ago A.W. Pink wrote a book titled “Gleanings in Genesis” in which he expounds on interesting passages that may tend to be overlooked in the main harvest of one’s Bible reading. Golden gleanings usually come in times of unhurried meditation.

Today’s passage is found in the historical section of the Bible and may be easily overlooked but what a timeless message it teaches us! It’s one of those lessons we can learn from an actual event in Israel’s history in 2 Kings 7:1-14.

Here’s the background: The Aramean army had laid siege to the city causing a famine and the situation looked hopeless. But Elisha, the prophet of God, had encryptically foretold the deliverance, but was not believed (7:1-3).

During the desperate siege four men with leprosy who sat at the city gate reasoned, “What do we have to lose?” and went outside the besieged city into the Aramean camp to surrender. But God had performed a remarkable deliverance and the armies had scattered in fear, leaving everything. The four lepers stumbled on the bounty and “ate and drank.”

Then the lepers were struck with remorse as we read in our daily verse. Ponder with me on one phrase, “This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves.” These four men had been social outcasts and were not even allowed in the city. Life had been very rough and isolation could only exasperate the situation. Could this be their way to get even?

No, their conviction to share the good news with the besieged city overwhelmed them. I find it interesting that after they shared, nothing more is heard from them. Yet they did the right thing and are forever memorialized in this Scripture for their action. Often it’s that way when we do the right thing. Man may not acknowledge, but God sees and, “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them” (Hebrews 6:10).

Today let us consider our bountiful blessings; our salvation in Christ, God’s written Word, a Christ-honoring church, good medical care, a loving family, a supportive friend; the list goes on and on.

But are we keeping it to ourselves? Clearly like these lepers we are called to share. What can you do to share God’s blessings? Remarkably, as we share, these blessings are not diminished but multiplied. This principle is taught throughout the Scriptures. Jesus said “give and it shall be given unto you…” Let us do so today!

Be encouraged today,

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, we are a blessed people who have so much to be thankful for that we can’t keep it to ourselves. We don’t boast in ourselves for we are but human flesh, but we boast in who You are and all that You provide for us. Father, You are the eternal, sovereign God who sends down the rain and snow, who raises up the trees and flowers, who sets the sun and moon in place and yet You have such tender compassion toward the human race that You gave Your only Son to make atonement for our sin. You are great and greatly to be praised among Your people and throughout the universe You created. We honor You through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

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We appreciate feedback from our readers and share two from yesterday’s message:

“Thank you for this awesome message! I loved the Thanksgiving prayer after the message also! Just had to let you know that once again the verse you chose for your message is the same one I wrote down to meditate on all day! God is so awesome! Your message on this verse really inspired me too. I had a long shopping list and after reading this cut many items out of it realizing I indeed had all I needed or could ever want!! After all Jesus has already lifted me out of the pit of drugs, guns, prostitution, despair, defeat and emptiness and blessed me with a new life full of restoration to family, a church home full of loving friends, a wonderful job where I can be of service to Him and others, and a quiet and peaceful, contented home with my baby cat!!

Thank you once again for putting things in perspective for me! After all not only do I have a new life on earth but I have been given the greatest treasure of all! Faith in Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life!! Makes that new Kindle pale in comparison!!”

– Lori

“I am so thankful for and appreciative of the service and encouragement the two of you provide. This article brought to mind a sidebar (that’s what I call it) to my daily scripture for today, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. “Why is it we spend so much time focusing on the concerns of the world we’ll soon leave and so little time on the eternity we’re headed for?” I can truly say like the words of the song, ‘I’m Happy With Jesus Alone.’  Thank You.  I believe you are too.”

– Mary

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Today’s Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

“Jesus Saves”  Video  Travis Cottrell

“Don’t That Sound Like Heaven”  Video  Palmetto State Quartet

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“The Glorious Gospel”

Monday, January 30, 2012

Listen to this message on your audio player

“The Glorious Gospel”

 

“The glorious gospel of the blessed God, which He entrusted to me” (1 Timothy 1:11). “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1). “I am so eager to preach the gospel” (Romans 1:15). “I am not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16).

The “Jesus” film has been a remarkable tool in the proclamation of the Gospel all over the world. Wendy Murray Zoba writes: “In Peru, during the insurgence of the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), a Wycliffe couple was traveling to show the “Jesus” film in a village. Their vehicle was intercepted by the Senderos, and they feared for their lives (with just cause). Instead of killing them, however, the terrorists decided to seize their equipment, including the film projector. The husband boldly suggested that they might as well take the film reels too.

Sometime later, a man contacted them to say that he had been among the Senderos who had robbed them. He told them they watched the film seven times (out of sheer boredom), and some had been converted through it. He came to apologize and to tell of his ministry in preaching and evangelism!

Among words rich in theological meaning but increasingly cheapened is the word “gospel”. For instance I came across a blog named, “The Gospel of Good Cooking” and a news headline, “The gospel of Occupy Wall Street.”

The Gospel is foundationally the truth concerning the mission of Jesus Christ to earth and very specifically His atoning death, burial, and bodily resurrection. (See 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). For many who have been in Bible-preaching churches it’s the old, old story but one we should be hearing and preaching unceasingly; to use the words from an old hymn “for those who know it best, seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.”

I find this succinct description helpful: “The Gospel of Christ is the message of how Jesus is the promised Messiah and how He was conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit and was born the Son of God and how He received the Holy Spirit and went forth for 3½ years preaching and doing great miracles and wonders by the power of the Father. At the end of the 3½ years Jesus fulfilled His ministry by dying on the cross for our sins on the cross of Calvary and was resurrected from the dead 3 days later by the Father.”  This Gospel is surely at the very core of the true church, “contending earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3)

Let us consider three attitudes that Paul expressed concerning this Gospel in the first chapter of Romans. As I read them I ask God that they would be mine as well.

1) “Set apart for the gospel” What sets you apart? People who know me may consider the suspenders that I’m almost always wearing sets me apart (utilitarian purpose in keeping my pants up!) People try so many outward things to set them apart, but Paul states that he is “set apart for the gospel of God.”  We may not all be called into vocational ministry but we should all be set apart for the gospel!

2) “Eager to preach the gospel” Paul demonstrates this abundantly following his miraculous conversion to Christ. In 1 Corinthians 9:16 he states, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” It would seem that preachers can readily apply this, but we should all be prepared and eager to share the Gospel.

3) “Not ashamed of the gospel” This in my view is one of the greatest verses in the Bible and an essential truth to live by.  The world has always been hostile to the truth that is in Christ Jesus. Paul certainly experienced this hostility and many times paid a price for his unwavering commitment to preaching the Gospel. This hostility can contribute to feelings of embarrassment, apology, or even shame to those who preach the Gospel, if they’re not well-grounded in the Scriptures. The evidence is overwhelming that this hostility is increasing as is commonly expressed in various settings and on numerous fronts. And sadly many are compromising the message in order to be acceptable to the world.

Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers, “Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:21).  The “apostle’s teaching”, expressed in the Scriptures, form the foundation for genuine Christian discipleship. It is surely the faith delivered to the saints once for all that Jude in verse 3 instructs us to earnestly contend for.

As our world plunges into wickedness and now shamelessly revels in it and even promotes it, Christ’s true church needs to stand firm for the Gospel. Today, as individuals scattered around the world, let us proclaim unashamedly the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the only power of God for salvation from sin!

We have a choice today. Do we stand up for the gospel of Jesus Christ?  Or do we pursue the ever-changing philosophies and trends of our day? We really can’t do both, since trying to do so will bring about compromise, frustration, lack of effectiveness and the real possibility of falling away from the truth once for all entrusted to the saints.

That’s why I am not ashamed of the Gospel,
The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I am not afraid to be counted,
But I’m willing to give my life,
Now I’m ready to be all He wants me to be.
Give up the wrong for the right,
I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Be encouraged today,

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily Prayer: Father, the philosophies, trends, and mind-set of the world stands in great contrast to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Your Word tells us that those who are not for You are against You. We can’t walk on both sides of the fence so we are faced with a choice we must make; the same kind of choice Joshua gave to the Israelites thousands of years ago. We must choose whether to follow after the gods of this world and forsake You or we must forsake the world and devote ourselves to You. Father, I choose to follow after You; You who reconciled me to Yourself through Jesus. You have proven Yourself trustworthy for Your promises are true. You provide the power and presence of Your Holy Spirit to lead me and direct my every path. Your Word illumines my every thought. I choose You today, exclusively and eternally! Amen.

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Today’s Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

“What Is The Gospel?”  A short message by R.C. Sproul (For those who may desire a brief but deeper theological explanation.)

“The Glorious Gospel”  A sermon by C.H. Spurgeon (For those who may desire a longer and even  deeper theological explanation!!!)  Imagine that large crowds gathered to hear a message like this w/o the aid of sound reinforcement or PowerPoint visual aids!

“I Am Not Ashamed Of The Gospel”  Video  Heritage Singers with lyrics

“I’m Not Ashamed”  Video  Newsboys

“Tell Me The Story Of Jesus/I Love To Tell The Story”  Video  Homecoming

Story regarding converted terrorists: Wendy Murray Zoba, “Bill Bright’s Wonderful Plan for the World,” Christianity Today, no. 14 (July 1997), 24; as cited in Larson, Choice Contemporary Stories and Illustrations, 103.

References to examples in the paragraph of how the word “gospel” is being cheapened and misused (I am not recommending these sites!!!)
“The Gospel of Good Cooking”
“The gospel of Occupy Wall Street“

Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne

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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.

“I Am Not Ashamed Of The Gospel!”

Flower Cart at Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse, PA

Listen to this message on your audio player.

“I Am Not Ashamed Of The Gospel!”

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

There is a commercial on television getting a lot of air play lately that is sponsored by iamnotashamed.org.  It features people young and old, black and white, American and international, who joyfully proclaim, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.”  It’s one of the few commercials that I don’t tune out, but instead I give it my full attention from the beginning to the end.  A smile crosses my face each time I hear the Gospel proclaimed in this message, right down to hearing the Scripture reference mentioned from “Romans 1:16.”

As wonderful as I feel during the viewing of that commercial I am quick to acknowledge that the world has always been hostile to the truth that is in Christ Jesus. The hostility of others can contribute to feelings of embarrassment, apology, or even shame to those who espouse Christian views, if they’re not well-grounded in the Scriptures. The evidence is overwhelming that this hostility is increasing as is commonly expressed in various settings and in numerous fronts.

Several years ago I was talking with Bob, a pastor friend, about the modern tendency to label those in opposition to a particular view as “phobic.”  For instance those of us who hold to the historic, traditional, Biblical position on morality in regard to the homosexual agenda are quickly labeled “homophobic.”  More recently those, such as Franklin Graham, who have courageously addressed the issue of violence and terror as the means to a goal in the Islamic religion have been called “Islamophobic”. As Bob and I conversed about this subject he concluded the real issue is that so many are “truthophobic.”  I agree with his assessment as it is a true reflection of our postmodern era where truth is biased and changeable depending on the circumstances!

Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers, “Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:21).  The “apostle’s teaching”, expressed in the Scriptures, form the foundation for genuine Christian discipleship. It is surely the faith delivered to the saints once for all that Jude in verse 3 instructs us to earnestly contend for.

Our daily verse should be the motto of every Christian:  “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.”  As our world plunges into wickedness and now shamelessly revels in it and even promotes it, Christ’s true church needs to stand firm for the Gospel.  Today, as individuals scattered around the world, let us proclaim unashamedly the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the only power of God for salvation from sin!

We have a choice today.  Do we stand up for the gospel of Jesus Christ?  Or do we pursue the ever-changing philosophies and trends of our day?  We really can’t do both, since trying to do so will bring about compromise, frustration, lack of effectiveness and the real possibility of falling away from the truth once for all entrusted to the saints.

Joshua challenged the Israelites to make a choice: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15).  The people had to decide to obey the Lord God who had proven His trustworthiness or the gods of their time derived from the imaginations and philosophies of man.  I consider Joshua’s challenge practically every day and his bold proclamation of faith that follows, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Let’s stand up today, fellow believer, and also declare to a lost and dying world, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.”

That’s why I am not ashamed of the Gospel,
The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I am not afraid to be counted,
But I’m willing to give my life,
Now I’m ready to be all He wants me to be.
Give up the wrong for the right,
I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Be encouraged today,

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily Prayer: Father, the philosophies, trends, and mind-set of the world stands in great contrast to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Your Word tells us that those who are not for You are against You.  We can’t walk on both sides of the fence so we are faced with a choice we must make; the same kind of choice Joshua gave to the Israelites thousands of years ago.  We must choose whether to follow after the gods of this world and forsake You or we must forsake the world and devote ourselves to You.  Father, I choose to follow after You; You who reconciled me to Yourself through Jesus.  You have proven Yourself trustworthy for Your promises are true.  You provide the power and presence of Your Holy Spirit to lead me and direct my every path.  Your Word illumines my every thought.  I choose You today, exclusively and eternally!  Amen.

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We would like to show our readers some photos of our day yesterday. Make sure and scroll down to the last photo for the best story of all!

As we traveled on a beautiful Spring day the Amish brethren were out enjoying the weather as well. This little girl smiled and waved at us as we prepared to pass north of Intercourse, PA. (For new readers and those unfamilar with Lancaster County yes there really is a town by that name.)  You know you’ve become a local when you can ask directions w/o blushing.

In our ministry as corporate chaplains we visit various worksites, greeting and expressing interest and care toward the employees. Yesterday we visited several hundred employees at five different locations. Gesenia and Sue work in the office and were glad to represent this aspect of our chaplaincy ministry.

We then stopped by to see Raymond McGallicher, a 92 year old man who has been a part of the country church we serve part-time since 1937. He now lives with his son and daughter-in-law and is no longer able to attend weekly services but sure is pleased to have visitors.

As we turned toward home in the late afternoon we drove on the rural roads in eastern Lancaster County and there we saw this pony and cart with children coming toward us.  Note: The photo is a bit blurry since we only had about 5 seconds to grab the camera, set it up and take the photo through the windshield!

Dilapidated barns like this are a rare sight in Lancaster County but due to my peculiar photographic interest they remain interesting to me. I suppose they take me back to my childhood visits to Southern Missouri to see my grandparents.  Many in that area had moved off to the cities and the barns were left unused, and eventually rundown eyesores.

Finally, if you’ve stayed with us, the best story of all:

Mike and JoAnna Gardner with Zane Jeremiah

We stopped in at Lancaster County Women and Babies Hospital for a special visit last night on our way home.

Yesterday morning we got a call from Mike Gardner informing us that the baby he and his wife, JoAnna, were expecting had arrived.  The baby was eager to arrive, like his 2 year old sister, Adoree who was several weeks early.

Two weeks earlier than his due date Zane Jeremiah made his debut into the Gardner family at their residence rather than the hospital. In the early morning hours JoAnna realized that the time had fully come, but Mike felt they had a few hours.  He made a cup of hot tea preparing for the countdown of the labor pains but JoAnna warned him that she felt the arrival was more imminent than the previous pregnancy.  Sure enough, she was right.  Mike the father took over as Mike the doctor and caught the baby as he was being born.  He weighed in at a healthy 6lb 15oz. The ambulance drove JoAnna and Zane to the hospital which is where they are now resting comfortably, although I’m not sure Mike and JoAnna are over the shock of Zane’s birth just yet.

We had the honor of praying a dedicatory prayer over this precious little one yesterday. I also had the privilege of conducting the marriage service for Mike and JoAnna five years ago which included a footwashing ceremony. Here’s a photo.

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Today’s Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

Click on the link to open and play.
(In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.)

“I Am Not Ashamed” is the media campaign mentioned in our first paragraph that you have perhaps seen.  Video

“I Am Not Ashamed Of The Gospel” Video Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir This version contains not only the song but also a wonderful testimony.  Here a video of the song only.

“Everything To Me”  Video Avalon

“I Am Not Ashamed Of The Gospel”  A brief sermon segment by Paul Walsher.  A much needed message for our time!  Video I especially encourage my pastor friends to listen to this message!

Village of Intercourse, Pennsylvania

Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.

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