Daily Encouragement Net http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/ iUpload Customer Conversation System en-us dc@iupload.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 180 <![CDATA[Last post to this blog service]]> http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=288194

Daily Encouragement Net is intended to encourage!

I ceased publishing to this particular blog 11/28/07 due to flood of spam article submissions I had to sort through and delete. Additional active site feeds are on the main website.

I want to thank Iuplog for hosting this (it was my first blog service).

Regular Iuplog feed readers are encouraged to visit the main site for active feeds.

Thank you!

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

]]> http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=288194 Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:18:48 EST undisclosed@iuplog.com (dailyencouragement) http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=288194 <![CDATA["Transitions"]]> http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=287223
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
· Easy read/print edition

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Lancaster County Sunset
A horse and buggy passing in front of our house.
The distinct sound of clomping horse hoofs and rolling buggy wheels!
(This photo was taken last fall when our daughter Ester went out to eat with our friends Jesse and Anna Ruth.)

ListenClick here to listen to this message on your audio player.

"Transitions"

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going" (Hebrews 11:8).

I recently received a note from a friend who shared concerning the lengthy transition he is going through. Several years ago he left a long-standing position and his family business has been going through hard times. In addition to this he and his family have had several major health challenges. I sent him a brief note of encouragement and reminded him that in a sense we are all in a lengthy transition but then we always will be on this side of eternity!

Seven years ago Brooksyne and I served as chaplains in a large printing plant in New England. We were there for 2 1/2 years before the corporate office chose to close its doors, but many of these people had worked together for 20 years or more. I still recall the deep felt emotions that Bruce, a machine operator, expressed as he left work for the final time. He walked through slowly and said a tender farewell to his fellow employees. Some wept as they acknowledged the end of a long term work relationship which lent itself to a long enduring friendship. I walked to the door with him and saw him off as he left a company he had poured his life into throughout most of his adult years. I found this to be a valuable ministry time in reminding these employees of the things that matter most in life. (Though we've moved 400 miles away from New England we're still in contact with several of these employees who are now our long standing distant friends.)

Transitions are a part of life. Some people have little stability and in a sense they're accustomed to transition. Many have gone from marriage to marriage, job to job and place to place. It's become a way of life to them. I have ministered to people who have had more jobs by their early twenties than I've had in my entire life. As former foster parents we had children who by the age of six had lived in more places than we have in fifty-three! Many years ago I had a request to perform a marriage. In ascertaining the request they told me they wouldn't need pastoral counseling inasmuch as they knew all there was to know about marrige since they had both been married several times before! (I chose not to officiate since this marriage was very likely doomed to fail even before the vows were spoken.)
Menno Brubaker at 100
Menno Brubaker at 100 years

But others know the blessings of long term stability. We have many friends who raised their own families in the same house where they were born or in the neighborhood where they grew up. The most remarkable example is Menno Brubaker, who turned 100 shortly after we moved here to Lancaster County. What a blessing to sit right in the pew in front of him Sunday after Sunday for several years. After hitting the century mark he lived to be 102 years old. We visited with him and his daughter and shared a meal in the very farmhouse where he was born, where he lived his entire life, and where he received his promotion to glory. He was a life-long member of the same church. He was carried to this church as a baby and we attended his funeral in the very same church! Menno wholeheartedly lived for Christ and scores of people recall, in one way or another, his lasting impact upon their lives.

Transitions can be an especially difficult faith challenge. Later in life Abraham, quite settled in Haran, was called into a transition. "He obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." Consider he had no maps, gps and only the most primitive means of transportation and he didn't even know where he was going!

Not knowing where we're going is the hard part of transition isn't it? And some of you are there right now. On the short term you simply don't know where you are going. You don't know what tomorrow holds. (I sure hope you do in the long term!)

Your transition, like Abraham's, may be prompted by a direct call or leading of the Lord. Or more likely it may be due to circumstances beyond your control, such as a plant closing, a lengthy illness, or the death of a loved one. For some it may involve a transition with the church you're attending where you have given so much of your heart, your time, your finances, and your spiritual gifts.

But the powerful assurance believers have is that these circumstances are ultimately ordained by God. He is reigning. He is in control. He will be with you. Stay faithful and experience the wonderful assurance of His love and care through this God-ordained transition!


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, year after year our lives are marked by change which brings growing transformation in our lives just as You rotate the seasons of the calendar bringing about distinct change in the weather pattern transforming all of nature. As Solomon writes, there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. Our pilgrimage includes a time for gain and a time for loss, a time for plenty and a time for want, a time of understanding and a time of perplexity, a time for listening and a time for speaking, a time for searching and a time for finding. In the midst of all these changes we are assured that You do not change, for You are the same yesterday, today and forever. And in all these changes we are assured that You are working for our good, for we know that in all things You work for the good of those who love You, who have been called according to Your purpose. We thank You for Your immutable nature that remains when all else changes. Amen.


Today let us share with our readers a revised ministry update.

Suggested Music

"God Is In Control" (Audio)

"Worth It All" (Video) is a powerful song by Rita Springer.
"All My Days" (Video) another song by Rita Springer.

"Yesterday, Today, Forever" (Audio) from here.
"Yesterday, Today, Forever" (Audio)

I was actually looking for an audio of this old hymn I recall singing as a young Christian that has a great message! I am sure a few of you have sung it but it's rarely heard these days.
Info about multi-media files used on daily encouragement.
Administration Information
Weber family 11/23/07
Stephen, Brooksyne and Ester Weber
"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!"
(Click on photo to enlarge)
Personal Ministry Update
Revised 11/28/07
DonateEach weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this encouragement ministry? Thanks! See here for details.

Join: To receive these free "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. You can also subscribe to the rss feed.
Cancel: To remove your address from this mailing list merely use the link automatically placed by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each message. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed for those who do not check their email regularly. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.)

Please feel free to pass this message on! *
Our other blogs:"A Daily Prayer" - The daily prayer from each daily encouragement message.
"A Little Foolishness" - A collection of humorous and satirical stories drawn mostly from our years of ministry, as well as my sometimes fertile imagination.
"Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the church.
Christianbook.comDaily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com (Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD!)
Personal Mission Statement:
"I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."

How to become a child of God
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.
© Copyright 2007 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552Contact us
Chaplaincy logo

"Living securely today anchored
in God's solid foundation"
www.dailyencouragement.net

]]> http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=287223 Wed, 28 Nov 2007 11:17:45 EST undisclosed@iuplog.com (dailyencouragement) http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=287223 <![CDATA["Formed At God's Command"]]> http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=286997
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
· Easy read/print edition

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Lancaster County Sunset
Lancaster County Sunset
(Photo by Doris High)

ListenClick here to listen to this message on your audio player.

"Formed At God's Command"

"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible" (Hebrews 11:3).
Peanut
What do you think of when you see or eat a peanut? I often think of George Washington Carver!


One of my most memorable childhood trips was going to the National Monument where George Washington Carver is honored in Southwest Missouri. But I suppose I also like George Washington Carver because he has the same name as my Grandpa, George Washington Steincross!

George Washington Carver was born into slavery, orphaned as an infant, and traded for a broken-down racehorse. He had all kinds of excuses to fail and be bitter.
George Washington CarverYet he grew up with a faith and love for God and an appreciation of nature that would sustain him throughout his entire life. His forte was the peanut and he was a pioneer in the field of chemurgy, a branch of applied chemistry that is concerned with preparing industrial products from agricultural raw materials. Testifying before the Senate Agriculture Committee, he said that he got his knowledge of peanuts from the Bible. Asked what the Bible said about peanuts he replied, "The Bible does not teach anything regarding the peanut. But it told me about God, and God told me about the peanut."

I especially appreciate Carver's outlook in life. He was able to see the hand of God in nature. He certainly believed in intelligent design and an intelligent Designer. Carver said, "I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour if we will only tune in." As a devout Christian, Carver considered his laboratory, "God's Little Workshop."

I read this in an encyclopedia concerning Carver's faith: "God and science were both areas of intrigue, not warring ideas in the mind of George Washington Carver. While contemporary scientific endeavors may practice methodological naturalism, an approach which believes the universe to be unguided or chaotic, Carver reasoned that the God who created the universe also created the rules by which it was governed. He was opposed to the scientific theory of evolution and believed the creation of the world to be the Biblical creation account from the book of Genesis verbatim. He would testify on many occasions that his faith in Jesus was the only mechanism by which he could effectively pursue and perform the art of science."

I believe God is still speaking today through His creation and one of the keys to a positive, faith-filled outlook in life is to tune into His voice. In the daily verse the word "understand" translates a word that means "to exercise the mind, observe." I once again affirm, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, we long to hear Your voice which gives us direction, affirmation, conviction, reproof, and comfort. Help us with the spiritual exercise of observing how You are working in our own heart and in the lives of those around us. And we especially need to observe the ways You are present in the daily grind of life. The daily routine can easily squeeze out those special sightings of Your glorious presence and supernatural workings where You make visible that which is not seen with human eyes, but only through the eyes of faith. Faithful and True God, just as You formed the universe with Your own hands, You also shape the human heart with Your own Spirit, bringing it into conformity to Your will for our lives. Help us to surrender ourselves fully to You so that we are among those who have supernatural faith which makes us confident of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see with human eyes.


Today's lead photo is by Doris High and is found in this context on her photo blog. She has a creative way of sharing her photos with a quote from George Washington Carver that I also used in today's message. Here's an online article about him (scroll down for a description of his Christian commitment). Here's info about the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond Missouri which I visited as a child.

Here's another example of Doris High's photo work that really blessed me!

Suggested Music

"How Great Thou Art" (Video) George Beverly Shea at 98 years old!

"How Great Thou Art" (Video)

"How Great Thou Art" (Audio)

"How Great Thou Art" (Audio)
"How Great Thou Art" (Video)
"How Great Is Our God" (Video)

"God Of Wonders" (Audio)
Info about multi-media files used on daily encouragement.
Administration Information
Weber family 11/23/07
Stephen and Brooksyne
"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!"
(Click on photo to enlarge)
Personal Ministry Update
We share our hearts with you as we continue in this online ministry.
DonateEach weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this encouragement ministry? Thanks! See here for details.

Join: To receive these free "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. You can also subscribe to the rss feed.
Cancel: To remove your address from this mailing list merely use the link placed by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each message. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed for those who do not check their email regularly. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.)

Please feel free to pass this message on!
Our other blogs:"Daily Prayer" - Simply the daily prayer from each daily encouragement message.
"A Little Foolishness" - A collection of humorous and satirical stories drawn mostly from our years of ministry, as well as my sometimes fertile imagination.
"Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the church.
Christianbook.comDaily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com (Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD!)Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."

How to become a child of God
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.
© Copyright 2007 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552Contact us
Chaplaincy logo

"Living securely today anchored
in God's solid foundation"
www.dailyencouragement.net

]]> http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=286997 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 09:58:45 EST undisclosed@iuplog.com (dailyencouragement) http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=286997 <![CDATA["Contending For Sound Doctrine"]]> http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=286804
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
· Easy read/print edition

Monday, November 26, 2007

Central Market in downtown Lancaster Pennsylvania
Central Market in downtown Lancaster

ListenClick here to listen to this message on your audio player.

"Contending For Sound Doctrine"

"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine" (Acts 2:42). "Watch your life and doctrine closely" (1 Timothy 4:16).

I have a friend who is a science teacher in a Christian school. He shared of an encounter he had with a student in his class who expressed that the Biblical accounts describing Adam and Eve and the flood were not really true, but merely myths.

My friend expressed his belief that the Biblical record was indeed a reliable account and later received a call from the student's father. He identified himself as a PhD who taught Theology in a culturally Christian college. He stated that his child was merely reflecting his beliefs and was seeking to defend them. Thankfully my teacher friend was not swayed by his apostasy!

A major emphasis in 1 Timothy is the importance of maintaining sound doctrine. I have a tremendous burden when I see the slipping of sound doctrine, yet this has been a battle the true church has faced from its earliest years.

Too often, in the history of the church, apostasy begins in the church's educational system. Schools pride themselves in educational excellence and academic respectability. Professors are often hired based primarily upon their educational attainment, not their adherence to sound doctrine, particularly if their degrees are from "prestigious" colleges. After all, it looks good to have PhD's from Harvard, Yale or other elite schools on the faculty.

The daily text gives us a glimpse of life in the early church: "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine." I believe as we dedicate our lives to Jesus we will also continue to devote ourselves steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine. I believe the Bible from cover to cover. I believe it is the authoritative, infallible, inerrant, wholly inspired Word of God. I sure don't understand all of it and some of the accounts are difficult to comprehend, but I attribute much of this difficulty to my own limited comprehension! Much understanding will take place at a later date, perhaps on the other side.

Today, wherever you are, whatever you do, keep contending for the apostolic doctrine. Hold fast to that which the Scripture teaches. Discern and resist the evil influences that would seek to discredit the teaching of God's Holy Word.


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Your Word is eternal and it stands firm in the heavens. You give me understanding to learn your commands and the fortitude to apply these principles which is a life-changing process over my lifetime. You established Your Law to last forever though it is often mocked by modern philosophers and those who want to sway the truth to their own liking. Help us not to be intimidated by those who claim "more education" has made them wiser than the miraculous black and white truths delivered to us by the Holy Scriptures. Help us to carefully exegete the Word of God as we earnestly contend for the faith once and for all entrusted to the saints. Amen.

PS: I had a similar experience as my science teacher friend several years ago when I was at a training conference in Springfield, Missouri. I attended a special meeting where one of the speakers also had an interest in astronomy. In the course of his lecture he scornfully mocked the Biblical teaching concerning creation and bragged that he was able to persuade the entire class he taught at Evangel College as an adjunct professor in the reasonableness of "theistic" evolution. (In essence it means that the current teaching of evolution is correct, but God is somehow at work behind the scenes. In this view the teaching of the Bible concerning creation is essentially a myth.)

This is a critical issue facing the Church. So many worship at the shrine of academia. In fact my teacher friend conveyed that the professor seemed to assert that his having a PhD would settle the issue and place his beliefs in an authoritative position above any criticism from my teacher friend (who ironically had a degree from the same college the professor taught.)

I have a new blog that will have periodic postings but with longer articles. I named it "Clear Minded" based upon this Scripture text from 1 Peter 4:7, "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." I have posted my first article on the site, a message I wrote about ten years ago when I had an overseer role in Southeast Massachusetts. Read it here.
Weber family Thankgiving 2007
Saturday we gathered with two of Stephen's three siblings for a meal at our place. His sister Genelle and her husband Cesar were up from North Carolina and his brother Pat and his wife Laverne along with their daughters Heidi and Gretchen and Gretchen's husband Greg drove down from Easton Pennsylvania (in the Lehigh Valley). Mike, his oldest brother, who lives in California, was unable to join us.

Today's photo is taken at Central Market in Lancaster, Pennsylvania which is the oldest publicly-owned, continuously-operating farmer's market in the country.


Suggested Music

"I Believe" (Audio) Not necessarily my taste in music but an emphatic statement of faith that is surely related to today's message!

"I Believe" (Audio) Different song but same observation as above!
Info about multi-media files used on daily encouragement.
Administration Information
Weber family on hayride 9/22/07
Stephen and Brooksyne
"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!"
Personal Ministry Update
We share our hearts with you as we go forth in this online ministry.
DonateEach weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this encouragement ministry? Thanks! See here for details.

Join: To receive these free "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. You can also subscribe to the rss feed.
Cancel: To remove your address from this mailing list merely use the link placed by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each message. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed for those who do not check their email regularly. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.)

Please feel free to pass this message on!
Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com (Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD!)

Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."

How to become a child of God
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.

Other blogs:"Daily Prayer" - Simply the daily prayer from each daily encouragement message.
"A Little Foolishness" - A collection of humorous and satirical stories drawn mostly from our years of ministry, as well as my sometimes fertile imagination.
© Copyright 2007 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552Contact us
Chaplaincy logo

"Living securely today anchored
in God's solid foundation"
www.dailyencouragement.net

]]> http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=286804 Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:44:44 EST undisclosed@iuplog.com (dailyencouragement) http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=286804 <![CDATA["Satisfied?"]]> http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=286344
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
· Easy read/print edition

Friday, November 23, 2007

Amish buggy from hot air balloon
ListenClick here to listen to this message on your audio player.

"Satisfied?"

"When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me" (Hosea 13:6).

Did you fill up yesterday? Were you satisfied? In our home we enjoyed a veritable feast with my sister and her husband joining us for an abundance of delicious food. I know so many of you had a similar meal yesterday, particularly those living in America where the Thanksgiving feast is both a celebration of our blessing and an expression of overabundance. Following our meal we went for an invigorating wind-blown walk through the country. The winds must have surely been blowing at 40 MPH.

Why are we so blessed? How much longer will this long season of plenty and abundance last?

Consider the cycle in our daily verse. Where are we as a country in that cycle? I ask myself, where am I as an individual?

Surely we've been fed. Plenty of food for most of us and lots and lots of other stuff as well.

This leads to satisfaction, which is a blessing and that's not a bad thing. But then we have to be on guard against our pride swelling which leads to forgetting God. Ironically this leads to dissatisfaction. Instead of being satisfied and content there's just never enough.

Today is a massive day of shopping extravaganza here in the states. I just wonder how much of it is driven by dissatisfaction. I read this yesterday in regard to the increasing amount of stores now open on Thanksgiving Day: "Some people just can't wait until Friday," said Kirsten Whipple, a Sears spokeswoman. "Thanksgiving dinner is done and they have moved on."

Moses warned the people of God some 600 years before the prophet Hosea lived: "Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery" (Deuteronomy 8:11-14).

Jesus warned of "the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things (that) come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful" (Mark 4:19). The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy (and to all of us), "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17).

Today as you work off the extra big meal and likely enjoy some leftovers, keep remembering the Lord. And learn the real joy of satisfaction as we truly put and keep our hope in God, who always richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer (written by Joe Sherer pastor of the Mount Joy Mennonite Church and shared as the benediction at our community Thanksgiving Eve service):

May the Lord bless you and keep you, May He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

May the broad expanse of God's love and the abundance of His riches in glory, shape your perspective on your own life and needs,
including those things which disappoint you.

May the eyes of your heart be open to all the blessings which surround you; may this awareness produce a harvest of generosity in your spirit.

May thankfulness rise up within you, not just during this short season, but day after day, from the early morning watch until you retire for the night.

May your prayers reflect gratitude, while also acknowledging the needs of others whose situations are so drastically different.

May thoughts of Jesus fill your mind, and hunger for God drive your soul, and love for Lord guide your speech and your actions.

And finally, may the grace, peace, and love of the triune God, protect, defend, and empower you to run with perseverance the race marked out for you.

Amen.

Cesar and Genelle
My sister Genelle and her husband Cesar.
Today we are taking them to some of the local "Farmer's Markets"

Suggested Music

"Godliness With Contentment" (Audio) Original by our friend Mike Book.

"Thank You Lord" (Audio)

"Enough" (Audio)
Info about multi-media files used on daily encouragement.
Administration Information
Weber family on hayride 9/22/07
Stephen and Brooksyne
"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!"

Personal Ministry Update
We share our hearts with you as we go forth in this online ministry.
DonateEach weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this encouragement ministry? Thanks! See here for details.

Join: To receive these free "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. You can also subscribe to the rss feed.

Cancel: To remove your address from this mailing list merely use the link placed by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each message. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed for those who do not check their email regularly. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.)

Please feel free to pass this message on!

Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com (Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD!)

Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."

How to become a child of God

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.

Other blogs:
"A Little Foolishness" - A collection of humorous and satirical stories drawn mostly from our years of ministry, as well as my sometimes fertile imagination.
"Daily Prayer" - Simply the daily prayer from each daily encouragement message.
© Copyright 2007 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved

 Daily Encouragement Net
 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552
 Contact us
Chaplaincy logo

"Living securely today anchored
in God's solid foundation"
www.dailyencouragement.net

]]> http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=286344 Fri, 23 Nov 2007 09:41:41 EST undisclosed@iuplog.com (dailyencouragement) http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=286344 <![CDATA["Thanksgiving"]]> http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=286221
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
· Easy read/print edition

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Amish buggy from hot air balloon
Amish farm taken from a hot air balloon.
Photo by Debra Zimmerman (Used by permission)
Click here for a larger size suitable for computer desktop
ListenClick here to listen to this message on your audio player.

"Thanksgiving"

"Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise" (Psalm 79:13).

Today's message will be a bit different. It's Thanksgiving here in the USA, a national holiday and great day to especially give thanks to the Lord and gather with family and friends. Today my sister, Genelle, and her husband, Cesar, are coming up from North Carolina and late this afternoon we will share our traditional Thanksgiving meal. Saturday my brother Pat and his family from Easton, PA will join us. (My brother Mike, who lives in California, will not be able to join us this year.)

Last night we attended our community thankgiving service with a mix of churches participating. We sang songs of praise and thanksgiving together and had Scripture readings, testimonies and special music.

Today we want to merely share Scripture reading from Psalm 136 that is very suitable for responsive reading, even for those with very young children who can simply respond, "His love endures forever."
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

To Him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.

Who by His understanding made the heavens,His love endures forever.

Who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.

Who made the great lights "
His love endures forever.

The sun to govern the day,His love endures forever.

The moon and stars to govern the night;His love endures forever.

To the One who remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.

And freed us from our enemies,
His love endures forever.

And who gives food to every creature.His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven.His love endures forever.


Be encouraged today and be overflowing with thanksgiving!


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
A Thanksgiving Prayer

In thanksgiving we lift our voices of praise from grateful hearts, Father, as we sing songs of praise and adoration to You, our blessed King. Whether in seasons of prosperity or in seasons of want we find Your grace sufficient to meet each one of our needs. You guide us, protect us, and You provide for us as we journey here below. Every good and perfect gift comes from Your hand. Thank You, faithful Father! Amen.


Some more balloon photos

Lancaster County PA (Photo by Debra Zimmerman)
I'm quite sure I have been on this road.
It sure beckons for a country drive on a beautiful autumn afternoon!

Amish cart (Photo by Debra Zimmerman)
This is sure an interesting photo, especially the variegated surface. See this photo for zoom-out context.

Today's photos (like those on yesterday's post) were take by Debra Zimmerman, daughter of our friends Cerwin and Doris High. More photos are on Doris High's photoblog site. Here's another great photoblog with a country theme. These photographs are outstanding!

Thanksgiving Resources

ThornsNew "Thankful For The Thorns" - A family reading and exercise that is a wonderful way to give a thoughtful focus around your Thankgiving Table (webpage)

Most every year our Thanksgiving celebration is first and foremost the turkey and trimmings. Lots of food with little meaningful conversation. Why not add some stimulating discussion about the ways God has worked in your life over the past year! I realize that some of you are not in charge and are only visitors at your Thanksgiving gathering. But if it is possible I recommend sharing together around the table the theme of "Thankful for the Thorns" or the questionnaire we've provided in the link below. Perhaps you could just use it as a discussion guide to provide stimulus for other's reflections.CD label for New "Hymns of Hope" A project that has been in the works over several months is now completed. Brooksyne has compiled eleven hymns that deal with the recurring theme of loss and ongoing trial and titled it "Hymns of Hope" based on Romans 12:12, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer." Amber Martin plays the hymns on the keyboard and Lauren Gingrich accompanies her on six of the hymns with the viola. Tracks 12-22 play each hymn softly in the background while Brooksyne shares a personal devotional thought, the biographical setting of the hymn text, and an intercessory prayer. We recorded this in the very modest and limited computerized recording studio of Daily Encouragement so that we could make this ministry project available to all who are in need of such encouragement without huge overhead expense. Thus we realize the audio quality is not what we've become accustomed to. You can go to this site to listen to the songs. You can download one song at a time if you find this to be of special blessing to you or know someone whose spirit might be lifted by listening to these meditative hymns. Here's a sample with a Thanksgiving theme: "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" (Audio reading)

A Thanksgiving Scripture reading - A selection of Old and New Testament readings dealing with thankfulness appropriate for church, family and personal readings. (pdf) (Suitable for printing out and copying.)

A Thanksgiving family exercise - We have used this questionnaire as a stimulus for discussion among family members in the past. We encourage you to share results around the table at Thanksgiving before or after the meal. (pdf)

A Day of Rest in Plimouth Colony - This is a summary of a chapter in the lives of the pilgrims that Brooksyne uses to teach about their Sunday worship. (pdf)

Books used in Brooksyne's research on the Pilgrims:
Saints & Strangers By Vision Video
Three Young Pilgrims By Cheryl Harness / Simon & Schuster
Suggested Music

"I Am So Thankful" (Audio)

"Give Thanks" (Audio)
"Be Unto Your Name" (Audio)

"Godliness With Contentment" (Audio) Original by our friend Mike Book
The offertory for the service last night was a song we hadn't heard for many years but was a favorite while we were in Bible College in the mid-seventies. I am sure some of you will recognize it and it really has a great perspective on thankfulness with the title, "Thank You Lord For The Trials That Come My Way." Here are the lyrics although I could not locate an audio version.
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Weber family on hayride 9/22/07
Stephen and Brooksyne
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Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."

How to become a child of God
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.

Other blogs:"A Little Foolishness" - A collection of humorous and satirical stories drawn mostly from our years of ministry, as well as my sometimes fertile imagination.
"Daily Prayer" - Simply the daily prayer from each daily encouragement message.
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]]> http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=286221 Thu, 22 Nov 2007 11:40:40 EST undisclosed@iuplog.com (dailyencouragement) http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=286221 <![CDATA["Living Better"]]> http://dailyencouragement.iuplog.com/default.asp?item=286071
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
· Easy read/print edition

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Amish buggy from hot air balloon
Amish country photo taken from a hot air balloon!
Photo by Debra Zimmerman (Used by permission)
ListenClick here to listen to this message on your audio player.

"Living Better"

"A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15b).

Here in the USA we are accustomed to our mailboxes and newspapers being filled with ad fliers and we hear the blaring commercials on television that plead with us to buy more stuff. This increases during the holiday season and especially prior to this coming Friday when the retail industry hopes people will come off their Thanksgiving celebration with a shopping binge. Some of the "Can't Resist" sales have now moved up from Friday to midnight on Thanksgiving.
Thorns

Yesterday I received an ad flier from a prominent retailer here in America. It had a lot of neat looking stuff that Brooksyne and I found appealing. The subtitle on the ad was, "Save Money, Live Better."

Interesting the phraseology "Save Money" when they are really trying to get me and millions of others to spend money in their store. But I know what they mean, essentially claiming that I will "save" money by buying the item at their store rather than another retailer that costs more. The true fact is, I will save a whole lot more money if I just stay home! (I'm aware that some of our readers are retailers and this would not be helpful to you if we all did so.)

But I especially consider the phrase "Live Better." If better living is defined by having more stuff we certainly live better than ever before. Every single item on the front page of the sale flier was not even available 15 years ago. In fact as I looked all through the flier most of the stuff is new in my lifetime. Pity our poor ancestors who lived before this stuff was even available. I assume they just didn't get opportunities like us to "live better" by maxing out their charge cards like many Americans where consumer debt is at an all time high!

Actually most reading this message are living pretty good as far as stuff. But the bar of desire, then expectation, then "need" and finally entitlement just keeps raising. I drive through the "poorest" sections of Lancaster City and see rows of satellite dishes on the public housing units.

You may not live in a mansion as currently defined but relative to the masses in many parts of the world you're probably doing pretty good. Just look at the photos coming out of Bangladesh. We live in a long period of peace and prosperity and yet this is one of the most dangerous times for spiritual health.

Jesus said, "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." We are so conditioned to equate the essence of the better life with more stuff or our "abundance of possessions." Stuff can be an aspect of God's blessing but we all know it generally provides a hollow, short-lived satisfaction. We keep needing more and more to maintain and feed that satisfaction.

Satisfaction, contentment, and thanksgiving are closely related in their word associations in the English language. Robert Flatt puts it like this, "Thanksgiving like contentment is a learned attribute. The person who hasn't learned to be content will not be thankful, for he lives with the delusion that he deserves more or something better."

The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Charles Spurgeon also addressed the need for contentment, "You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled."


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, I know that contentment with godliness is of great benefit. It brings about a lasting peace and grateful heart that only You can give. Help me not to focus so much on the material possessions that I lose sight of that which is of vital importance. May the character of my soul and the fruit of my actions be of much greater importance than the perishable goods that capture my attention. I look to You for proper balance in the things You have blessed me with and the attitude in which I receive these good things from Your hands.

Brooksyne's Note: I recently read a touching story about a woman who had learned the secret of contentment. She was a legally blind 92-year old woman who moved to a nursing home after her husband of seventy years had passed away. She waited patiently in the lobby, and when her room was finally ready she maneuvered her walker to the elevator. As she did so she the nurse's aid accompanied her and gave her a visual description of her tiny room. "I love it," she stated with enthusiasm. "But Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room yet." She replied, "That doesn't have anything to do with it. Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged, it's how I arrange my mind. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do."

Amish children (Photo by Debra Zimmerman)
Today's photos were take by Debra Zimmerman, daughter of our friends Cerwin and Doris High. She has a layout and design business here in Lancaster County and had the opportunity to take photos from a hot air balloon over eastern Lancaster County's Amish country. She took this photo just as the balloon landed of some Amish children walking home from school. More photos are on Doris High's photoblog site.

Thanksgiving Resources