 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Messages · Archives ·  Archive/print editionFriday, July 31, 2009  We passed this colorful flower display in New Holland, PA. Somebody in that house likes to work with wood, paint, and flowers!  Listen to us share this message on your audio player"Considering God's Wonders" "Stop and consider God's wonders" (Job 37:14). Our home overlooks a country lane that parallels a large field presently planted in tall field corn. We are so blessed to have this "preserved farmland" across from us, meaning there is a restriction on the deed limiting present and future use to agriculture. This outstanding view is one of the main reasons we bought our home. During this season thousands of fireflies appear each night like tiny twinkling Christmas lights strung all through the field. I sure wish I could capture it in a picture and share it with you. It's a stunning scene.  The firefly is a bioluminescent insect, scientifically known as Pyractomena borealis. It sure is an interesting creature and we marvel as a family observing this special creation of God. I sure hope you've all caught a firefly and held it in your hand at some point in your life. They have a very distinct odor, which I can still remember from playing with them as a child (we called them lightning bugs). It's not necessarily an unpleasant odor but it is distinct and is believed to be from defensive chemicals the fireflies secrete to deter predators. Birds, spiders and lizards have learned that fireflies will make them sick, so they leave them alone!A firefly is not hot or even warm to the touch. Amazingly nearly 100% of a firefly's luminescent energy is converted to light, while a typical light bulb only gives off 10% of its energy as light, with 90% being wasted as heat. By the way, the light has a "romantic" purpose as well.  Because fireflies tend to fly low to the ground and are not very fast, they are easy prey for children. In Baltimore in the 1950s, thousands of children caught fireflies and took them to Johns Hopkins University researchers, who paid 25 cents per hundred live bugs. In the summer of 1952, one boy turned in more than 37,000 (was he capturing these bugs in his sleep?). Some feared the area's firefly population would be wiped out, but if it was ever threatened, it recovered just fine.During Job's trial he had four human "comforters". Elihu, who was younger, spoke after the three older friends. His viewpoint on Job's suffering is surely not the final one, and like all human perspectives on this mysterious subject, it is flawed and incomplete. (God has the final word later in the book.) But Elihu makes some interesting points in trying to minister to Job that I believe are very helpful, particularly at the end of his discourse where he points to God's creative wonders. He urges Job to "Stop and consider God's wonders." I believe that's a good exercise in getting a proper perspective on any matter. A few verses earlier Elihu declared, "How great is God--beyond our understanding!" (36:26). How can you explain the firefly using an evolutionary model? I am sure it's been attempted and various theories have been postulated. Believing these theories is like taking a leap in the dark but is the only available option for those who have rejected the Biblical Creator. The firefly is just one of scores of God's unexplainable wonders. Today, let me encourage you to consider God's wonders. They abound surrounding us night and day. And then hear this important reminder from Elihu; "Remember to extol His work, which men have praised in song" (Job 36:24). Well, I noticed last night the fireflies in our area are nearing the end of their two month life cycle as there were a lot fewer twinkling lights on the corn rows. However another distinct observation of a summer insect has begun as we turn the summer calendar page to the dog days of August; the nearly deafening noise of the cicada synchronizing their buzzing in the trees! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, we do extol Your work and praise You with our lips, with our voice and with our devotion to follow You all the days of our lives. We stop and consider Your great wonders and mighty works as we acknowledge You to be the Creator of all things. Your ways are perfect and beyond human understanding. It is all the more reason why we must rely on Your guidance and not lean on our own understanding. Today we acknowledge You in all our ways and ask You to direct our paths and increase our understanding in the name of Jesus. Amen. Yesterday was a beautiful summer day and we want to share a few photos from the course of our journey.   Yesterday we came up behind this Amish youth galloping his horse right down Main Street in Bird In Hand, PA. It looks like the tourist family was enjoying the riding demonstration! This area has a lot of tourists due to interest in the Amish way of life. Yesterday as Brooksyne and I stepped out of our car preparing to make a chaplain visit a man with a European accent approached us in the company's parking lot. He was lost and seeking directions to a local restaurant. He was from Russia on vacation. 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.) "God Of Wonders" Video Chris Tomlin A great song with powerful words set to some nice photos but I sure can't figure out what the screaming is all about! About The Firefly Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 05/08/09  Each 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. (2009 YTD financial offerings through 7/30/09: $7,015.00)SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net? If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "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 either signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed. or as an email subscription update through feedburner. Subscribe to Daily Encouragement Updates by EmailCancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If these messages no longer meet your needs (providing encouragement) you can remove your address by merely use the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Weekly Version: The weekly version is intended for those who may 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. Please feel free to pass these messages on! "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! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) Last updated with the story of Mildred Swanson, who joyfully discovers her "spiritual gift" is sending forwarded emails! (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "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.  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, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. © Copyright 2009 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
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