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  Follow Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter    The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition "Ponder Anew" "Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them." (Psalm 111:2). "Proclaim the works of God and ponder what He has done. Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in heart praise Him!" (Psalm 64:9b,10).  The farmers are late getting the crops in this Spring due to the rainy weather and wet fields. However in the last couple of weeks they've managed to plant and now all thoughout our area tiny rows of corn are poking up out of the fields, including the large field across from our house. Of course that's to be expected after sowing but it's still a healthy sight farmers enjoy! In the next several months this corn will be nearly ten feet tall and sure gives us visual variety from our home.A classic hymn of the Church has these wonderful words tucked into one of the verses, "Ponder anew, what the Almighty can do." I believe it's a daily discipline to ponder anew what the Almighty has done, is doing and will do. We enjoy God's creation (nature) and that sure gives us plenty to ponder. We often mention our enjoyment of flowers in this series. Brooksyne takes great delight in her flowers and I thoroughly enjoy photographing them. One of the features I really enjoy about digital photography is the ability to get close-ups.  We presently have a plant blooming in our backyard that initially was a puzzle to us shortly after we moved here nine years ago. We observed one of our flowering plants and were stunned by its beauty as we examined it up close; tiny, delicate pink buttercups that open into beautiful flowers. Since it was planted by the previous owner we didn't know what it was. We wondered if it was some type of exotic, rare plant? Turns out it's the Mountain Laurel, the Pennsylvania state flower! We have often seen these laurels at a distance in mid-June when the Pennsylvania mountain sides are covered with them creating a lovely pink along the roads. However we had never taken the time to get out and see what they looked like up close. That beautiful distant panorama was actually a vast collage of these tiny, beautiful flowers. The same principle is true with Scripture. We benefit from both the panoramic and close-up views of the Holy Word of God! We are often most familiar with the panoramic view when we read larger portions such as a planned reading through several chapters daily in order to read through the entire Bible in a year or the recent 40 day New Testament reading plan. Such a panoramic view gives us a survey sense of the Bible but we tend not to slow down and study shorter portions carefully. But we also need the close-up view in which we really examine and ponder each verse, phrase, or even consider the meaning of just one word. This may include comparing translations, word studies from the original languages, consulting commentaries and so forth. This may even include memorizing portions of God's Word. As we study God's Word and meditate on His precepts let us be faithful to "Proclaim the works of God and ponder what He has done." Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Jesus, I confess to You my need for sensitivity from Your Holy Spirit when I read Scripture. Following the schedule of a yearly reading plan gives me an overall understanding of Your sovereign work in creation and in the lives of individuals as it also instructs me in holy living. But the very personal message that You have for me generally comes from pondering a newly discovered truth or considering a Scripture portion and poring over it throughout my day. It opens avenues of understanding and oneness with You that I miss when I ignore or hurry through my devotions. I want to be purposeful in my Scripture reading and invite the inspiration of Your Word to illumine my path and deepen my faith in You, the Changeless One. Amen.Update On Ester: Ester remains in the hospital today. Her INR, continues to be elevated causing her blood to be too thin, though she has been off coumadin for a week now. She has thoroughly puzzled the cardiology team, other specialists and tomorrow will have a team of hematologists assess her ordeal. Thank you for your continued prayers on our behalf. (She did get a much improved reading about midnight last night but the test followed a plasma treatment. The doctors are looking for her body to produce correct results. We'll see....)  Dwayne is a friend of ours we visit in the course of our chaplain work. Here he holds a hard hat that took some heavy damage from a knife, reminding us of the value of the helmet and spiritually the helmet of salvation! (Note: this was not actually an accident but some humor on the part of another worker who had accidentally crushed his hard hat.) Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Praise To The Lord, The Almighty" Video The classic hymn mentioned in the first paragraph. The Mountain Laurel - Pennsylvania's State Flower Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/31/10)  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. 2011 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 5/23/11: $3,755.00 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 by us 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 through feedburner.Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using 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 or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter: The daily message and prayer on Facebook. The daily message and prayer on Twitter.Reader Survey: Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here. 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. All of these songs are also available for download on the site.  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 2011 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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