Friday, November 28, 2008

Daily Encouragement (11/28/08) "The Foundational Promise"

  Daily Encouragement Net    Trouble reading this message?  Read online or see archives
RSS feed       Podcast feed
 Daily Encouragement Net Header
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.

Home   ·   About Us   ·  Donate ·  Podcast  ·  Free email
See here for more info.
<Previous Message    ·    Archives    ·    Print Archive/print edition

Friday, November 28, 2008

Junco bird
I follow Doris High's blog and particularly enjoy her nature photos.
In light of today's topic I thought I would inject a little humor by
wondering what this bird may be thinking.
However Christ has answered this question!
 

ListenListen to us share this message on your audio player.
Play podcast instrumental music only

"The Foundational Promise"

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'" (Hebrews 13:5,6).

Yesterday we passed an interesting sight that lends to the color of our area. A group of about ten Amish teenage boys was walking up Main Street in our town.  Apparently they were hanging out together after attending their customary Thanksgiving celebration. Of course they were identifiable by their black pants and jackets and as we drove closer we could see their distinctive haircuts.  We were simply observing the walkers when Ester exclaimed, "Daddy, look!  They're listening to iPods with their headphones." All of a sudden their distinctiveness blended into the sameness of other young Americans listening to the latest electronic gadgets (and not just young, but many of us).

The Amish of course are known for their attempts to live a simple life but having befriended many, in our nearly eight years here in Lancaster County, we find that they certainly have the same struggles with materialism and worldliness as we do in the larger culture. It is a bit incongruous to see a group of teenage Amish girls standing around piddling with their cell phones (probably text messaging each other) or a quaint buggy passing by with a stereo system blasting out rock music. My favorite is the story of an older Amishman who had hidden a big TV so he could watch the football games.

Today here in America is a day devoted to materialism; Black Friday. Early this morning Ester headed off to her job at TJ Maxx, excited and a bit apprehensive about her projected busyness through the day.  

How much is enough? Just a little more!

It's human nature to want just a little more.  It goes back to the very beginning.  Adam and Eve had so much but they wanted just a little more.  They wanted what they weren't allowed to have.  They weren't content with the multitude of blessings God gave them in the Garden and that's a condition that has afflicted the human race ever since. 

Line on black FridayHow contemporary the daily verse is!  Although, surely applicable to the initial readers and to believers in all generations, it seems to especially fit our prosperous times as our lives are loaded with stuff. Today, at least in America, it's typically the top sales day of the year for many stores. Scores of millions are out shopping as I sit here preparing this message.  Sadly, some stores did not even choose to honor a day officially set aside for giving thanks yesterday.  Instead they kept store hours attempting to ring up large sales for those who just couldn't wait for bargains the next day!

The writer of Hebrews calls us to, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have." The real issue is being content with what we have, which is really one of the greatest blessings in life. Frankly this does not read as I would expect it to or even necessarily desire. I would expect the promise to be something along the lines of "For God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" which of course is a very valid promise found elsewhere in Scripture (Philippians 4:19).

But here in Hebrews the call to contentedness is based on this foundational promise; "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'."  The basic foundation of contentedness is the realization that God's presence in our lives is enough.

Isn't that great!  If we really understand this promise and embrace its truth we will experience ongoing blessed contentedness.  May the Lord help us all to do so today, this season, and all through life which will help us to overcome the tyranny of discontent!


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, so many of us live in a state of discontent when we find ourselves loving things and using people.  It distorts our priorities and gives us temporary thrills with things, but leaves us with long-term dissatisfaction within ourselves and in our relationships. Help us to enjoy material things but to place a higher value on greater pursuits such as growing friendships, solid marriage relations, developing godly character, giving without receiving in return, and other worthy goals. We will be content as we rejoice in the fact that whether we are in want or whether we have plenty You have promised that You will never leave us nor forsake us.  What a treasured promise for the believer in times of need and in times of prosperity. We are content when we realize our all-sufficiency is in You, Lord. You will never leave us nor forsake us and You will meet all our needs according to Your glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  Amen.


Brooksyne's Note:  We illustrate the problem of discontent with Black Friday shopping day but also acknowledge for many it is a fun day from work and a time to save a bundle of money on purchases intended for Christmas presents.  It has become a traditional shopping event for those who don't mind crowds or standing in line. We prefer to stay home on this day!


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.)

"Enough" Audio

"Everlasting God"  Audio

Doris High's photo blog

Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.
Photo of Stephen and Brooksyne Weber
Stephen and Brooksyne Weber
"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!"

Personal Ministry Update
Revised 10/21/08

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 daily encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thanks!  See here for details.
(
2008 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net through 11/27/08: $18,521.00)

SUBSCRIPTION INFO

Free email subscriptionWere you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net?  To receive these free "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed.

Cancel: 
We respect and value your time and privacy. If this newsletter no longer meets your needs we will be happy to remove your address from the list immediately. To remove your address merely use the link automatically inserted 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 these messages on!





Our other blogs:
"A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message!
"Clear Minded" -
Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church.
"A Little Foolishness" - A humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!)  I haven't had time or "inspiration" for this for awhile but it has several stories that get regular page views.
"Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. We are distributing this CD without charge in our ministry. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. If any reader in this series would like a CD merely write us and request one.


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."

Four Spiritual Laws

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, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.


© Copyright 2008 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved

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

"Living securely today anchored
in God's solid foundation"

www.dailyencouragement.net



Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday.  To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below.  However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!


You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com
To unsubscribe click here
or send a blank email to leave-1195602-29778931.3ca482100b92072753461f79e13fb4f8@pr4.netatlantic.com

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Daily Encouragement (11/27/08) "A Thanksgiving Prayer"

  Daily Encouragement Net    Trouble reading this message?  Read online or see archives
RSS feed       Podcast feed
 Daily Encouragement Net Header
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.

Home   ·   About Us   ·  Donate ·  Podcast  ·  Free email
See here for more info.
<Previous Message    ·    Archives    ·    Print Archive/print edition

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thanksgiving clipart
A local community paper placed this Thanksgiving proclamation on their front page.

ListenListen to us share this message on your audio player.
Play podcast instrumental music only

"A Thanksgiving Prayer"

Today we want to share a prayer we earnestly pray for our family, friends and readers.
It is from Colossians 1:3-14 with slight adaptation.

ListenListen to this prayer on your audio player.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus

and of the love you have for all the saints

the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven

and that you have already heard about in the Word of Truth,

the gospel that has come to you.

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing,

just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it

and understood God's grace in all its truth.

You learned it from faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you

and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord

and may please Him in every way:

bearing fruit in every good work,

growing in the knowledge of God,

being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might

so that you may have great endurance and patience,

and joyfully giving thanks to the Father,

who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness

and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves,

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Amen.



Since our extended family is spread all over the country it will just be the three of us for Thanksgiving dinner today.  This Saturday my brother Pat and his family will be joining us for a meal, driving down from the Lehigh Valley about 100 miles northeast of us.

For newer readers both sets of our parents have gone on to be with the Lord. Brooksyne has two brothers, Jody and Jerry, in Oklahoma and a sister Elaine in Texas and in addition to my brother Pat, I have a brother, Mike, in California and a sister, Genelle, in North Carolina.


Today's suggested Music
and Supplemental Resources

(Click on the link to open and play)

"Blessed Assurance"  Video  We heard this version on the radio the other day and really liked it.

"Now Thank We All Our God"  Audio hymnstory prepared and read by Brooksyne with an instrumental background.

"Thanksgiving Medley"  Video  



Special Thanksgiving Resources
We want to offer these ideas to families and church leaders
to enrich the spiritual impact of the Thanksgiving holiday.
(We'll be posting these resources all week.)


Thorns"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! Some of you are not in charge and are only visitors at your Thanksgiving gathering, but if it is possible share 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 "Stories of Great Hymns""Hymns of Hope" 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 most are 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 or know someone whose spirit might be lifted by listening to these meditative hymns.

A Thankgiving prayer - (written by Joe Sherer, pastor of the Mount Joy Mennonite Church, and shared as the benediction at our community Thanksgiving Eve service last year.)  Webpage  For those who enjoy written prayers this would be a beautiful prayer to read together at the Thanksgiving table.

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)

"ThanksLiving" Bob Southard  shares a weekly online sermon. Here's a pdf version of his thanksgiving sermon.

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

Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.
Photo of Stephen and Brooksyne Weber
Stephen and Brooksyne Weber
"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!"

Personal Ministry Update
Revised 10/21/08

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 daily encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thanks!  See here for details.
(
2008 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net through 11/25/08: $18,446.00)

SUBSCRIPTION INFO

Free email subscriptionWere you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net?  To receive these free "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed.

Cancel: 
We respect and value your time and privacy. If this newsletter no longer meets your needs we will be happy to remove your address from the list immediately. To remove your address merely use the link automatically inserted 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 these messages on!





Our other blogs:
"A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message!
"Clear Minded" -
Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church.
"A Little Foolishness" - A humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!)  I haven't had time or "inspiration" for this for awhile but it has several stories that get regular page views.
"Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. We are distributing this CD without charge in our ministry. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. If any reader in this series would like a CD merely write us and request one.


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."

Four Spiritual Laws

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, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.


© Copyright 2008 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved

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

"Living securely today anchored
in God's solid foundation"

www.dailyencouragement.net



Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday.  To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below.  However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!


You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com
To unsubscribe click here
or send a blank email to leave-1194898-29778931.3ca482100b92072753461f79e13fb4f8@pr4.netatlantic.com

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Daily Encouragement (11/26/08) "The Highest Thanks"

  Daily Encouragement Net    Trouble reading this message?  Read online or see archives
RSS feed       Podcast feed
 Daily Encouragement Net Header
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.

Home   ·   About Us   ·  Donate ·  Podcast  ·  Free email
See here for more info.
<Previous Message    ·    Archives    ·    Print Archive/print edition

Wednesday November 26, 2008

Thanksgiving clipart
A local community paper places a Thanksgiving proclamation on their front page.

ListenListen to us share this message on your audio player.
Play podcast instrumental music only

"The Highest Thanks"

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Layer house
The other day I stopped by to visit my friend Ken who packs eggs in a large chicken house.  His work for most would have an element of drudgery but Ken has a contagious attitude of gratitude. He's likely to greet you by rejoicing that his heart is pumping steadily and after he draws in a deep breath he expresses thanks for the freshly oxygenated air. He tends to elaborate on the often unconsidered gifts from God. This gives him a joyful outlook which spreads to those around him.

This week in our encouragement series we have been focusing on the topic of thanksgiving.  May we be full of gratitude to our Lord Jesus knowing that all we are and all we have is a gift from Him.

Many of us will give and receive gifts at Christmas, a custom that for so many is the main thing. The origin of giving gifts (at least in the Christian sense) probably goes back to the gifts the Magi presented to the baby Jesus. 

What is our response to these gifts? Some will likely be returned. They didn't fit, wouldn't work or weren't what we liked. Others will soon be forgotten. Others are appreciated but will wear out or break in a relatively short time. And there will be a few that we will cherish for many years, perhaps our entire life. It might even be passed down to our children and be meaningful to them.

PaPa's cane
I have my PaPa's old wooden cane. It might have been a gift he received at one time but for him it was also a practical aid in his walking. In fact I never recall seeing him without it.  My Mom used it some and now it is a sentimental treasure in my possession.  Who knows – someday it may not just serve as a warm memory of my PaPa but it may be a functional aid to assist me in walking as well!

But no gift we receive on this earth even remotely compares to the spiritual gift of our Lord Jesus Christ, the gift we can all receive and share regardless of where we live or how much of this world's possessions we have or don't have. Jesus Christ is certainly the greatest Gift and deserving of our highest thanks!

Paul concludes a section in his second letter to the Corinthian believers by expressing appreciation to them for abounding in good works and for their generosity in supplying the financial gifts needed by the Jerusalem believers. He concludes his expression of thanks with today's marvelous exclamation, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"  Many years earlier Paul had been converted and had moved from an attitude of hateful rejection to grateful acceptance of God's gift of salvation through Christ. Through the years his gratitude to God grew and that's the way it should be for all of us.

In his grateful burst of praise he uses a very interesting Greek word to describe the gift.  Linguists use the term hapax legomenon to describe a word or phrase that appears only once in a manuscript.  The Greek word translated indescribable is used only once by Paul in all his writings.  It essentially means, "not expounded in full."  Other versions use phrases such as "beyond telling", "inexpressible", and "unspeakable". One words it this way; "a gift too wonderful for words!"

Indeed that is the case with God's greatest gift; a gift too wonderful for words but deserving of our highest thanks.  Today and each day let us join with Paul in thanking God for His truly indescribable gift of salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord!


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, You gave first and foremost as you selflessly gave of Yourself through the person of Jesus Christ. Your gift of grace exceeds human description, for the far-reaching effects in our lives is truly indescribable. It's too wonderful for words, but it brings unspeakable joy and glorious hope that makes our spiritual journey so worthwhile.  We receive Your indescribable gift that brings forgiveness for our sins and reserves for us a home in heaven for all eternity.  Thank You, Father!  Amen.



Technical note: Today the email list is sent using a new listserver. If I set things up correctly you should not see any difference at all! Hopefully it will improve deliverability to several domains, specifically Comcast.



Some people we are thankful for:
Oberholser FamilyJason and Rebekah Oberholser are serving among the Navajo Indians in New Mexico. Rebekah was in our church in northern Pennsylvania as a little girl and her parents Greg and Linda Burns remain friends.  It is a great joy to see a young couple establishing their home for Christ based on Biblical principles and seeking to serve Him.

Here's their Life Mission
statement - We were created to worship and glorify the Lord through our whole lives. We desire to be a reflection of Christ by sharing His love with others. God desires to be glorified among all People Groups of the world, including the Navajo People of the Southwestern USA. That is why we have moved our family to New Mexico. Our desire is to live and work among the Navajo People. Through the witness of Christ living in us and through our love for one another, we're praying that many Navajo will come to know and worship the true, living God!!


Today's suggested Music
and Supplemental Resources

(Click on the link to open and play)

"Now Thank We All Our God"  Audio hymnstory prepared and read by Brooksyne with an instrumental background.

"Thanksgiving Medley"  Video  A beautiful arrangement of several classic Thanksgiving hymns.

"Thank You Lord"  Video  Don Moen



Special Thanksgiving Resources
We want to offer these ideas to families and church leaders
to enrich the spiritual impact of the Thanksgiving holiday.
(We'll be posting these resources all week.)


Thorns"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! Some of you are not in charge and are only visitors at your Thanksgiving gathering, but if it is possible share 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 "Stories of Great Hymns""Hymns of Hope" 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 most are 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 or know someone whose spirit might be lifted by listening to these meditative hymns.

A Thankgiving prayer - (written by Joe Sherer, pastor of the Mount Joy Mennonite Church, and shared as the benediction at our community Thanksgiving Eve service last year.)  Webpage  For those who enjoy written prayers this would be a beautiful prayer to read together at the Thanksgiving table.

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)

"ThanksLiving" Bob Southard  shares a weekly online sermon. Here's a pdf version of his thanksgiving sermon.

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

Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.
Photo of Stephen and Brooksyne Weber
Stephen and Brooksyne Weber
"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!"

Personal Ministry Update
Revised 10/21/08

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 daily encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thanks!  See here for details.
(
2008 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net through 11/25/08: $18,446.00)

SUBSCRIPTION INFO

Free email subscriptionWere you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net?  To receive these free "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed.

Cancel: 
We respect and value your time and privacy. If this newsletter no longer meets your needs we will be happy to remove your address from the list immediately. To remove your address merely use the link automatically inserted 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 these messages on!





Our other blogs:
"A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message!
"Clear Minded" -
Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church.
"A Little Foolishness" - A humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!)  I haven't had time or "inspiration" for this for awhile but it has several stories that get regular page views.
"Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. We are distributing this CD without charge in our ministry. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. If any reader in this series would like a CD merely write us and request one.


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."

Four Spiritual Laws

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, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.


© Copyright 2008 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved

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

"Living securely today anchored
in God's solid foundation"

www.dailyencouragement.net



Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday.  To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below.  However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!


You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com
To unsubscribe click here
or send a blank email to leave-1194273-29778931.3ca482100b92072753461f79e13fb4f8@pr4.netatlantic.com