Daily Encouragement (08/28/08) "Heavenly Dwellings"

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A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home   ·   About Us   ·   ·  Podcast  ·  Free email See here for more info. <Previous Message    ·    Archives    ·     Archive/print edition Thursday, August 28, 2008 Cliffwalk in Newport Rhode Island (Click on photo to enlarge) This is a 3.5 mile walk alongside the ocean with the back view of Newport's famous gilded mansions on the other side.  (An earthly inspiration of what we might view in heaven.) Listen to us share this message on your audio player. "Heavenly Dwellings" "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10).  "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).  We enjoyed our brief visit to Newport Rhode Island where we often enjoyed taking day trips and our out of town guests when we lived in New England. It is a very popular vacation area and for many years was the summer getaway for the wealthy who built huge mansions as "summer cottages." Now many of the mansions are open as tourist sites and Brooksyne enjoys touring them (not Stephen).  An old song says, "A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They're building a palace for me over there." God is the Master Builder. "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible" (Hebrews 11:3).  He's still at work building His church and transforming the individual lives of the millions who are daily turning to Him in faith and obedience.  He's also at work in preparing a place that people of faith through the generations have been anticipating.  In the first daily text I rejoice in the line that states, "if it were not so, I would have told you."  Jesus always tells us the truth and just what we need to know.  Today, we, like the great man of faith Abraham, "look forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."  We only have glimpses of what this "city" will be like, but we can be assured it will be indescribably wonderful.  "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come" (Hebrews 13:14).  Today on the personal level some of you are dealing with what appears to be a lapse in the building program.  At times it may even seem that God has abandoned His building project in your life.  Your prayers seem to be unanswered.  Issues in your life aren't getting resolved as you would like.  There may be strife in your marriage and home.  Some are dealing with a long-standing stronghold of pornography or other destructive addictions they're seeking to overcome.  Others are dealing with lengthy career transitions that have thus far not worked out as they had anticipated.  What issue are you dealing with today?  Don't give up.  Hold to your faith!  Here's a promise that we can all count on; "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion!"   Fellow believer, wherever you live, whatever you're going through; stay faithful to the Mansion Builder, for the Mansion Builder is ever faithful to us. "Do not throw away your confidence, for it will be richly rewarded." "Why should I worry, why should I fret, Cause I've got a Mansion Builder who ain't through with me yet." * Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Lord Jesus thank you for the absolute truthfulness of your Word.  We can rely upon your promises even when the temporal evidence we are experiencing suggests otherwise.  Thank you for the promises in Scripture concerning our eternal home.  Help us as we deal with what Your Word says are "our light and momentary troubles" and to recognize that they are "achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."  Today "we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (See 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 for further inspiration) Brooksyne's Note:  When we pastored in Taunton, MA we lived only one hour from Newport.  One year I joined the Preservation Society in Newport which made it possible for me to tour all the available mansions during that year.  My mother was always intrigued with mansions so I suppose she heightened my interest in seeing these places of amazing architecture and grandeur.  The Cliffwalk is an inspiring place to walk and view the vast, mighty ocean as well as the impressive mansions and their beautiful grounds.    Recommended Resource Money, Possessions and Eternity, Revised and Updated  By Randy Alcorn/Tyndale House Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources (Click on the link to play) "Mansion Builder"  Audio "I've Got A Mansion"  Audio "A Child of the King"  Audio Info about multi-media files used on daily encouragement. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.

Stephen and Brooksyne Weber - May 6, 2008 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 04/15/08 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 encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thank you for your consideration.  See here for details. (2008 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net through 8/26/2008: $14,229.00) Join: To receive these free "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. You can also subscribe to the rss feed. Cancel:  To remove your address from this mailing list 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" - The daily prayer from each daily encouragement message. "A Little Foolishness" - A collection of humorous and satirical stories drawn mostly from our years of ministry, as well as my sometimes fertile imagination. "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the church. 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. Used by permission; 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 "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net

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Daily Encouragement (08/27/08) "Encore, Encore"

A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home · About Us · · Podcast · Free email See here for more info. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive/print edition Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Last night's sunset over Newport Rhode Island (Click on photo to enlarge) Listen to us share this message on your audio player. "Encore, Encore" "They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy" (Psalm 65:8). During my lifetime there have been nearly 20,000 sunsets but only a few I specifically recall. In the mid-nineties we visited with Hope (whose funeral I preached at yesterday), her late husband John and late sister Rachel on Martha’s Vineyard. At that time Rachel had a modest summer home on the island that had been in her family for several generations. Hope told us that the sunset view from Menemsha Harbor was acclaimed as one of the most outstanding in the world. She also said that a good sunset view has not just water but a land element and the sunset view from the beach at Menemsha Harbor on the northwest side of the island had both. On a lovely late afternoon in July we joined many others at the beach for the display. As the sun disappeared over the distant horizon everyone on the beach stood up, broke out in applause and some shouted, "Encore! Encore!" (We didn't get one.) It was an astounding sight and memorable experience. Most were clapping for the sheer beauty they witnessed, but for my family and friends, it was another opportunity to praise the Lord for the awesome power of His mighty works. For many years I have enjoyed watching sunrises and sunsets. In fact I have shared that often and the current ministry logo for our Daily Encouragement internet ministry is a sunrise photo over the Atlantic off Cape Cod. As the sun rises I contemplate the activities that will occupy my day. As the sun sets I consider what was accomplished throughout the day. Wherever you live on this planet you have a sunrise and sunset but it's not a distinct visible moment for all to view at the same time. Today's Scripture verse declares, "You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy." That sure is an interesting way to view a sunset; shouting for joy. Sunrise and sunset are signs reminding us of God's greatness and faithfulness that all who dwell in the ends of the earth can see. This evening wherever you live, even to the ends of the earth, remember this verse when the sun sets and join with the sunset in praise to the indescribable God of the universe! Be encouraged today, Stephen C. Weber Brooksyne's prayer: From the rising of the sun until the time that it sets I praise You, Almighty God! Your name is to be praised when the day is yet before me and as the day comes to an end. Your faithfulness reaches to the heavens, spreads throughout the earth, and is personally experienced in my life daily. Amen. Personal note: We prepared this message from our hotel near Newport, Rhode Island (google map). Today we will travel back down I-95 through Connecticut, around the north metro of New York City and through New Jersey and spend the evening with my brother and his wife in Easton Pennsylvania before returning home on Thursday. Also for map afficianado's like me here is a Google map showing where Menemsha Harbor is. Yesterday's funeral service for our 89 year old friend Hope Winchoba was a blessed event. She lived her life well and prepared for her departure both spiritually and practically. Her daughter Ellen gave me a letter she had written to me detailing several points she wanted me to make as well as a brief reading called A Parable On Immortality she wanted me to read. I made another one of my many ministry faux paus when I solemnly introduced the reading by saying A Parable On Immorality and then immediately realized what I had said! Henry Van Dyke, preacher and poet, who wrote the hymn text to Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee, also penned this beautiful description of our transition from earth to heaven. He writes, A Perspective on Immortality I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength and I stand and watch until at last she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says, "There she goes!" "Gone where? Gone from my sight....that is all." She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says, "There she goes!" there are other eyes watching her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!" ******* A highlight and most unusual component of the service was that Hope had written her own eulogy longhand and recently appointed her oldest grandson to read it! Please allow me to share one page from her eulogy that is most applicable to all who read our message today. She wrote: Now as the song says, "There's a better home awaiting" with none of those nagging questions such as, "How do I get rid of all those falling leaves? What do I do about those dead spots in the lawn? Why does the furnace make a buzzing noise? Should the house be painted this year and who will do it?" None of these are important now. Only this; "Is Hope's name written there?" Well, those who knew Hope are confident that her name was written down many years ago in the Lamb's Book of Life and she now enjoys the eternal joys of heaven where sickness, aging, and separations no longer exist. Below are photos of several friends we visited. Joyce Reed, Ester, and Veda Shibilo Joyce is the Women's Ministries leader and Veda was my very competent and diligent secretary who continues to serve the congregation in Taunton, Massachusetts. Kathy Viera is a friend we've known only through Daily Encouragement Net until yesterday. Hope introduced her to our ministry and she now lives in Florida. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources (Click on the link to play) "Indescribable" Audio "Just A Glimpse" Audio Info about multi-media files used on daily encouragement. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.

Stephen and Brooksyne Weber - May 6, 2008 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 04/15/08 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 encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thank you for your consideration. See here for details. (2008 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net through 8/27/2008: $14,229.00) Join: To receive these free "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. You can also subscribe to the rss feed. Cancel: To remove your address from this mailing list 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" - The daily prayer from each daily encouragement message. "A Little Foolishness" - A collection of humorous and satirical stories drawn mostly from our years of ministry, as well as my sometimes fertile imagination. "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the church. 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. Used by permission; 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 "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation"

Daily Encouragement (08/26/08) "Blessed Assurance"

A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home · About Us · · Podcast · Free email See here for more info. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive/print edition Tuesday, August 26, 2008 Fanny Crosby tombstone in Bridgeport Connecticut 1820-1915 Listen to us share this message on your audio player. "Blessed Assurance" '"Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:22). Fanny Crosby is surely one of the most prolific hymnwriters in the history of the church. I am sure most of our readers regardless of language, nationality or even musical taste have sung her hymns. In fact this past Sunday morning we sang "I am Thine O Lord", one of her many well-known hymns. Other hymns you may recognize are All the Way My Savior Leads Me, Close to Thee, To God be The Glory, Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior, and so many others still sung in many churches. Yesterday we stopped along I-95 in Bridgeport, Connecticut at the Mountain Grove Cemetery where Fanny Crosby is buried. The cemetery was designed by the famous circus founder PT Barnum. His monument is very near that of Fanny Crosby's. On a small, very weathered stone at the foot of the grave that we assume to be the original tombstone we read these words, "Aunt Fanny.....She hath done what she could." Although blinded shortly after her birth she faithfully served the Lord. She overcame her disability to leave a lasting impact for Christ. She once shared this remarkable outlook, "It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me." Her main tombstone, which Brooksyne is standing beside in the photo above, has the words to one of her best known hymns, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of the Spirit, washed in His blood." The message from this hymn text is one that is such a blessing to hide deep in our hearts; a musical expression of praise and glory to God for His work of salvation in our lives. Crosby writes about the assurance Christ gives us of His redemptive work in our lives here on earth and a foretaste of the glorious rejoicing that will take place through all eternity. What a great blessing this assurance is. Assurance, not a commonly used word apart from theology, comes from the word assure which in turn comes from the word, sure. It speaks of the certainty of our salvation. In today's text from the book of Hebrews we read a wonderful phrase, the "full assurance of faith." This is surely a sound Biblical basis for Fanny Crosby's song. It's one of the greatest blessing of life to have a full assurance of faith. May the Lord fill your heart with blessed assurance today. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, as heirs of Your salvation, we have been purchased with the sacrificial blood of Your precious Son, Jesus. He gave His all that we might be saved from the eternal consequences of sin and have our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We have the blessed assurance that we are redeemed from sin and saved for eternity in heaven. Thank You for such wondrous love and abundant provision on our behalf. Amen. Today we are in Massachusetts and have a funeral service for our friend Hope Winchoba whom we wrote about in yesterday's message. This afternoon as we head back to Pennsylvania we will travel to Newport, Rhode Island which was one of our favorite day trips when we lived up this way. P.T. Barnum's tombstone is very near fanny Crosby's. Just before his death on April 7, 1891, PT Barnum gave permission to the local paper The Evening Sun to print his obituary so that he could read it before he died! Little Tom Thum, another interesting person in history, is also buried in the same area with a life size statue Barnum purchased and placed at the top of his gravestone. Yesterday on our drive up we saw the Thimble Islands in Long Island Sound off the coast of Connecticut. People have homes on these tiny islands and commute to work by boat! An interesting coincidence in our research about Tom Thum is that he too owned a specially adapted home here on one of the Thimble Islands before his death in 1883. Last night we drove by the Winchoba home on West Island. On the way back to the mainland from their small house we always drove down this dirt road leading right into the bay following our visit. Stephen would pretend the brakes weren't working and that we were going in the water (a stunt his father also did). We had to do it again just for old times sake late yesterday afternoon. Ester will never outgrow the thrill of this little excursion. Last night following the visitation we had a wonderful time of fellowship with Wayne and Yvette who both have great testimonies of changed lives. They are now in ministry and seeking God's direction. Her testimony is here. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources (Click on the link to play) Today we will share music links to two of Fanny Crosby's hymns: "Blessed Assurance" Video "Blessed Assurance" Audio from the Lifespring Hymnstory podcast. This is one of Fanny Crosby's most beloved hymns. This version has the story as well as a nice version of the hymn. "To God Be The Glory" podcast Audio This includes the hymn background and the hymn. Steve Webb does an outstanding job of preparing these messages. Here's the website. Info about multi-media files used on daily encouragement. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.

Stephen and Brooksyne Weber - May 6, 2008 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 04/15/08 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 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 8/25/2008: $14,229.00) Join: To receive these free "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. You can also subscribe to the rss feed. Cancel: To remove your address from this mailing list 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" - The daily prayer from each daily encouragement message. "A Little Foolishness" - A collection of humorous and satirical stories drawn mostly from our years of ministry, as well as my sometimes fertile imagination. "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the church. 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. Used by permission; 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 "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation"