A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Click here to support our ministry.The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archive edition Tuesday, August 27, 2013  Colorful Flower Box Ferris Wheel morphed by the big ferris wheel in the background at Knoebels Park near Elysburg, Pennsylvania "Look, Grandma! Jesus Is Playing The Piano!"  Listen to this message on your audio player"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Here in Lancaster County we are blessed to have Sight & Sound Theatre, sometimes touted as the "Christian Broadway", which has been dramatizing adventuresome Bible Epics for over 35 years, complete with story, song, and spectacular staging. Currently a revision of Noah is playing at our Sight and Sound Theater. We have enjoyed several of these outstanding presentations through the years and each one ends with a clear presentation of the Gospel. Of course, the actors are actually local "real" people known throughout our community and in area churches they attend. A number of years ago Juanita, my mother's longtime friend, shared the following story with us during a visit in her home located in the Branson, MO area. She and her late husband, Warren, had many contacts in the Branson area and were able to get us some free or discounted tickets to several shows and attractions. In fact in three days we attended five! The attraction that stood out most was the presentation of a drama called "The Promise" which powerfully presented the message of the Gospel. Randy Brooks, the actor who portrayed Jesus, did an outstanding job and is himself a devout believer. In a remarkable way he really fit the stereotypical art image we have of Christ. Juanita told me they had taken their grandchildren to see the play one Saturday evening and the next day Randy attended their church and was playing the piano. Their grandson in wide-eyed amazement proclaimed, "Look, Grandma! Jesus is playing the piano!" Most of us do not fit the art image of Christ, but as believers we are all called to reflect His glory in our thinking, in our conversation, and in our actions. Today, if you are a believer, you will be reflecting His glory. People will be observing your life. Do they see the character of Jesus in you? The verse goes on to declare that we "are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit". When people see us today they're unlikely to see a physical resemblance to Jesus as the little boy did when pointing out the actor at the piano. But can they see the resemblance in our way of life? Several verses earlier Paul had written to these Corinthian believers: "You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts" (2 Corinthians 3:2,3). What would the life you are living today look like if it were written down on paper tomorrow for others to read? Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, we want to resemble You in our attitudes and our actions, as we are being transformed into Your likeness with ever-increasing glory. How grateful we are that the people we are today will improve with time as we stay the course and invite the work of the Holy Spirit to continue its sharpening chisel making less of us and more of You. May all our thought and words and doings honor You and reflect Your Holy Spirit. Be magnified in our lives, whether in our suffering affliction and loss, or achieving a life-long goal. In all we do we seek to honor You. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.Another memory regarding an actor who played Jesus: A number of years ago our family had an experience on our vacation. We attended the Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It was an inspiring experience and the site actually has several interesting attractions including a model of the Holy Land, an extensive Bible museum and at the time the original art of Ron DiCianni, one of our favorite artists. It also has a huge statue of "Christ of the Ozarks" which can be viewed from miles away. Just prior to the Passion Play there is a short dramatic presentation called "Parables of the Potter." A man dressed in authentic-looking Bible costume dramatically explains the symbolism of the potter illustrations from the Old Testament while he forms a vessel at the potter's wheel. What touched me especially was that he gave a very impassioned testimony of his own personal faith in Christ. After we left the hotel early the next morning Ester and I noticed that the man cleaning the hotel sure looked like the Potter but we didn't say anything. However Brooksyne, who was following us out, made the same observation and, with no hesitation, asked him directly. Sure enough, he was! She noted his voice sounded similar to the voice of Jesus in the Passion drama and asked him if he also played the part of Jesus. Yes, indeed he played the role of Jesus. And there he was early the next morning cleaning the small hotel, which it turns out was owned by his in-laws! He indicated that he and his wife try to help his in-laws manage the hotel over the weekends. You learn alot by asking! Brooksyne's troubling remembrance of actors in real life playing godly characters: When I was a young teen (some 25 years earlier than the memory shared above) my family had also gone to Eureka Springs to see the Passion Play. It was outstanding and truly moved us as we viewed Christ's life, His death on the cross and His resurrection. A short time later we went to a restaurant where these actors had gathered for a meal. Their salty language was that of a sailor's and it left a very bad impression on us. It took away from the worshipful feeling we carried from the message they had just presented a couple hours earlier. Some Christian drama presentations use actors with acting skills, first and foremost. I'm very thankful for those who use actors who are Christian in belief and in behavior, who also have acting skills. Additional thought: Similar to the above story, there are many who claim to be Christians whose behavior reflects that of the world. It certainly leaves a bad witness to those who see or hear it, and sadly it adds truth to the oft quoted cliche, "The church is full of hypocrites." This thought isn't necessarily related to today's message but I saw it on a blog post last night and it really is food for thought:    Our first ride was up the mountain ski lift to see an overview of the park.  We didn't get sick on this ride but we sure were high above the ground at some points along the way!  The park is replete with fresh flowers and even in late August they are vibrant.  Thiis blacksmith demonstration reminded me of Silver Dollar City.  A carousel museum with old wood carved menagerie animals. I learned why most carousels have only horses. Do you know? (see below)  Way up high on the Ferris Wheel with Ester. She also had a friend along and they rode some of the thrill rides. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "JUST AS I AM - I Come Broken to Be Mended.." Video Travis Cotrell This song goes to the core of what it is to come to Christ empty-handed and be filled with newness of life fully equipped to do His bidding. A beautiful arrangement that will remind you of the great mercy of our God! "In My Life" Video Maranatha Singers Sight And Sound Knoebels is located here (Bing map) Carousels often had lions, zebras, elephants, and other wild animals through the early 1900's, but children tended to ride just the horses because they were afraid of the less familiar animals, so craftsmen began to design only horses. Merry-Go-Rounds still feature various animals.  Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber (Click on photo to enlarge) "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/31/12)  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 an offering to 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. Click here to donate online. 2013 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 8/26/13: $13,087.00 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  If a friend forwarded this to you, you can subscribe here.These messages are never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR it was forwarded to you. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or as an email subscription through Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.) Cancel: These messages are only sent from us to people who request it; please accept our apologies if it reached you in error. You can unsubscribe from this list at any time. 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. Other versions are also occasionally used. © Copyright 2013 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
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