A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archive edition Thursday, July 12, 2012 World War 2 Lookout Tower on Cape Henlopen Listen to this message on your audio player. "A Strong Tower" "For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy" (Psalm 61:3). "The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10). On Tuesday we visited Cape Henlopen in southern Delaware. During World War 2 lookout towers such as the one seen in our main photo were used to keep an eye on the mouth of Delaware Bay for any sign of approaching enemies or enemy activity. These towers didn't actually have gun emplacements - they were used in conjunction with other nearby towers to observe & triangulate the positions of enemy vessels. The towers ranged from 39 to 75 feet high and consisted of concrete walls 1 foot thick. Construction of these towers took place from 1939 to 1942, with the intention of the buildings having a 20-year lifespan. But quite a few remain over 70 years later! In order to determine the location of a 'hostile' vessel, the coordinates of the lines of sight between 2 different towers were noted & given to the battery commander. The angles were then plotted in relation to the known distance between the two towers to form a triangle (triangulation) to determine the angle & direction of artillery fire. This is actually the same principle used in GPS. Interestingly, the guns at Fort Miles at Cape Henlopen were never called upon to fire at an enemy vessel. The writer of Proverbs uses a strong tower to demonstrate the security we have in the Name of the Lord. In the Old Testament period towers were used for fortresses. Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible states, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower - The name of the Lord may be taken for the Lord himself; He is a strong tower, a refuge, and place of complete safety, to all that trust in Him. What the strong fortress is to the besieged, God is to His persecuted, tempted, and afflicted followers." Likewise we who run to Christ find a place of refuge and safety. The writer of Hebrews cheers the persecuted believer with these words, "We who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged" (Hebrews 6:18). Life is fragile and unpredictable. Now is the day of salvation. Place your hope in Christ, both in this life and the life yet to come. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, You want us to be on the look out for our enemy's activity and beware of his approach through the daily temptations that come our way. The narrative might have changed a great deal had the disciples been on their guard in the Garden of Gethsemane after Jesus warned them to pray rather than sleep through the night. We find ourselves much like them because we often ignore the warnings or we are wearied by them thinking we've heard them all our lives. Yet Your warnings and promises in Scripture are like a watch tower for the soul. You are our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Your words are truth and all Your promises will be fulfilled in time. Your name is a strong tower and we who are righteous run to it and find safety through Christ Jesus our Lord in whose name we pray. Amen. One of these days we'll write a message about this heavy super sized chain! In Lewes Harbor we were entertained by these dogs who fought over the floating toy. It makes us wonder if Mollie would also like to fetch a frisbee in the water. She has now become so adept in frisbee catch that no matter how far or how fast I throw it she manages to catch it. We rented a bicycle built for two Tuesday afternoon and drove through Cape Henlopen State Park. I'm sure we gave the bike quite a workout! I know we got quite a workout. (Notice the missing socks and suspenders due to my unexpected swim in the ocean.) Ester was initially quite reluctant to get in with the waves. She had only waded in the ocean up to this point. Only recently has she learned to swim and go underwater (in great part due to her health issues related to her heart and lack of muscle tone). But I managed to get her to trust me and even laughing as the big waves charged at us (many over her head). She's now 23 but she was like my little girl again as she clung tight to my shoulders. Ester's longtime friend Jenny was also with us. An interesting feature is that a long portion of the beach was reserved for vehicles that drove out on the beach and backed right up to the ocean. If you look in the far distance you can barely see Rehoboth Beach. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resource |
Stephen and Brooksyne Weber Our 36th anniversary photo (Click on photo to enlarge) "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 4/12) Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider supporting Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. 2012 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 7/11/12: $8,321.00. We express thanks to all who support our ministry! SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION 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! 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! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) (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. 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 2012 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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