Daily Encouragement (04/30/09) "Maintaining The Foundation"

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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, April 30, 2009 Bass Harbor Lighthouse Bass Harbor, Maine (Photo by Howard Blichfeldt) Listen to us share this message on your audio player. "Maintaining The Foundation" "Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals among ruins.  You have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD.  Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. They say, "The LORD declares," when the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled" (Ezekiel 13:4-6). Our church building was built in 1878 and has large native field stones for a foundation. Yesterday I walked around the building and observed these stones.  I considered the initial hard work of the laborers who laid the stone without modern equipment.  Masonry work is hard enough with skid loaders and lifts so I can only imagine how hard it was back then to erect such a strong foundation. Although they built it to last I wonder if they could even imagine that, over 130 years later, a future pastor would be calling attention to their diligent work through such a thing as a computer and sharing it with people all over the world on the internet! Although a stone foundation is among the most durable construction materials and is built to last it still needs maintenance through the years, especially repointing, which is the process of renewing mortar joints in masonry. The joints are the most wear-prone component in a masonry building. Over time, dust, weathering, and decay causes voids in the joints between stones allowing the undesirable entrance of water. Water entering through these voids can cause significant damage through freeze/thaw cycles.   In the process of repointing the mortar joints are cleaned out and packed with new mortar. Thus far the maintenance needed in our church foundation has been due to the inevitable weathering of the stone and mortar, not due to human destruction or vandalism. Of course in many instances people have to deal with this as well, particularly defacing with graffiti. Likewise we all have a foundation in our own life, in our church and in our nation. Again I urge our international readers to apply this message to their own nation as I believe what I write is quite similar regardless of where you may live. Also today's "foundation analogy" is certainly not perfect but hopefully will give readers a visual analogy to think about. I wrote yesterday about the destructive elements chiseling away at the foundation of our nation which is increasingly more like an army of jackhammers. Day by day there are new cracks and efforts to tear the foundation wall down. But I consider how this has always been the case to some degree. America has never been a 100% Christian nation, although I firmly believe many of the founders were devoted Christians from historical records. They were guided by the Bible and Christian principles by which we have lived for over 200 years.  But there have always been unbelievers and those who are opposed to the ways of the Lord and a Bible-based foundation. All along there have been varying efforts that chisel away at the foundation. But through much of our history there has been an army just as strong who is at work repairing the foundation, keeping up with maintenance so to speak; preachers standing up for righteousness and holiness, individual Christians earnestly following their Lord, scores of local churches and para-church ministries shining as lights in their communities. It's always been a battle, but for many years the repairers of the wall kept up with maintenance on the foundation. In my observation the last generation particularly (I suppose I mean my own) has gotten sloppy with the maintenance since the deteriorating foundation can easily be observed. Some cry out, "It's not my calling; let someone else do it"  or they've compromised their faith and choose to look away from the crumbling foundation. Thank God for those who take up the mantle of faith and boldly declare the truth; the principles based upon the unchanging truth of God's holy Word, not the ever changing politically correct position as deemed by Washington or elsewhere.   Today's text is rather obscure and probably little noticed by most. The prophet Ezekiel is renouncing the false prophets and among the illustrations he uses is, "You have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it."  Now of course there could have been a literal sense in which this was written since cities built walls for defense against their enemies. In the Scriptures there's teaching about repairing these walls, especially in Nehemiah.  However based on the context, Ezekiel is writing about false prophets so I tend to view his use of the phrase "breaks in the wall" as figurative, similar to the foundation analogy I used above. He rebukes them for their failure to repair the breaks in the wall. Let us boldly stand for truth and righteousness as we valiantly patch and restore the foundation walls, seeking to rebuild and preserve a godly foundation for our children and our children's children, until our Lord returns. Today may we all seek to do our part in maintaining the Christian foundation! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, You laid in Zion a sure foundation, a Stone.  That tried but proven Stone is Jesus, one whom the builders rejected, yet a precious Cornerstone to those of us who are building our lives upon this Rock.  It is only in Him, our solid Rock, that we can anchor our soul so that it does not drift aimlessly by the strong winds, the fierce storms or rising waters. Nor the mirages that counterfeit the reality of Your timeless truths as revealed to us in Scripture.  Help us to be on guard against false prophets and keep us in maintenance mode, no matter how much we may feel like giving up. For it's not the one who runs the swiftest, nor the one who runs for just a day, but the one who endures to the end who shall be saved.  Amen. Inscription on tombstone 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. "The Solid Rock"  Video  Although this is not the tune I am accustomed to singing this song this is a beautiful version. "Wallbuilders" Website WallBuilders is an organization dedicated to presenting America's forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on the moral, religious, and constitutional foundation on which America was built, a foundation which, in recent years, has been seriously attacked and undermined. In accord with what was so accurately stated by George Washington, we believe that "the propitious [favorable] smiles of heaven can never be expected on a nation which disregards the eternal rules of order and right which heaven itself has ordained." An example of this is a blog article I read from a local pastor in Louisiana who is standing up against the gambling craze.  It's an illustration of one of many who are standing up. Today's photo of the Bass Harbor lighthouse is by Howard J. Blichfeldt and is used with his permission. His website is here. Howard desires to honor the Lord through his photography. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.

"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 01/20/09 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 4/29/09: $3,305.00) 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. Cancel:  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. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed 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.  (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" - 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 "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net

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Daily Encouragement (04/29/09) "When The Foundations Are Being Destroyed"

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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 Wednesday, April 29, 2009 Squirrel enjoying lunch (Photo by Doris High) Listen to us share this message on your audio player. "When The Foundations Are Being Destroyed"   "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3). The summer after I finished high school I worked at a large pre-stressed concrete plant in Kansas. They made huge prefabricated concrete components for bridges and parking lots. For a couple of weeks I had the most brutal physical job of my entire life; working a jackhammer. Most of you know what a jackhammer is but I wonder how many of you have ever run one as a job?  Even a ten minute stint should give you an idea of how hard the work is! I am thankful that after a couple of weeks I was assigned to the quality control team and comparatively speaking I stopped working! I suppose if many of us were to think of a single notable dam in America it would be the Hoover Dam in Nevada. I enjoyed watching a television program that described how it was built and the various engineering challenges that were overcome in its construction. I am sure if I went to the base of the dam with a jackhammer and began chipping away I would quickly be arrested. Due to the massive size of the dam my individual chipping would have little effect, but persistently chipping away at the foundation of that great dam over time it would eventually have an impact leading to critical stress failure. I look at the state of America (and this message certainly applies to the godly remnant living in other countries as well). The foundations are rapidly being destroyed. Each day it seems that a chunk falls from the base of our early father's foundation. I consider the loud distinct sound of a jackhammer as I observe current events.   "The foundations are being destroyed…"  The incessant chipping away at the foundation of our Judeo Christian heritage should be obvious to all who have any degree of spiritual and moral discernment. Merely consider the lies, violence, and perversions that abound.  Yet it seems that for many people all that matters is the economy and their own personal godless pleasures.  The observations of the historian Edward Gibbons comes to mind, whose summary of conditions at the fall of the Roman Empire seem so similar to conditions today.  Here in America a vile but growing minority is diligently seeking to abolish any evidence of Christian faith from the public square. A group called "Freedom From Religion Foundation" is seeking to ban chaplains (actually the group would better be named "Freedom from Christianity.") These and many other groups are relentless in their attempts to destroy the foundations.   "What can the righteous do?"  That is the throbbing question for believers of every generation.  Most of you reading this daily message have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and live under His authority.  We are part of the righteous remnant that God has sustained through all ages.  This remnant can be seen early in Genesis, when shortly after the Fall, "men began to call on the Name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26) and all through the Bible, through church history and right up to the present.    What a great joy to be among those standing up for God in our own day!  What can we do as we see the foundations being destroyed?  If our primary stock and focus are in the foundation of this temporal life we will surely despair. Paul's words come to mind, "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men" (1 Corinthians 15:19).   But, if like Abraham, "we are looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10) we will stand firm as the godly have done through all the ages.   Psalm 11 gives at least three contemplative answers to the question, "What can the righteous do?"  We must recognize that the Lord alone is our Refuge (Psalm 11:1).  We must realize that God is in His holy temple observing the sons of men (Psalm 11:4). We must recall the glorious truth of His character "for the LORD is righteous, He loves justice; upright men will see His face" (Psalm 11:7). Finally, we must remember that no person, law, legislation, or imposed ideology can remove what God has revealed to our hearts and concealed within our spirits. Stay faithful today! As a regular sub theme of this ministry declares at the very bottom of each footnote we are indeed, "living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation."   How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! What more can He say, than to you He hath said, To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?     Be encouraged today,     Stephen & Brooksyne Weber   Daily prayer: Father, help us to be ever watchful and always prayerful as we see the foundations of our Christian faith attacked.  Through the power of Your Spirit we want to take a firm position against the enemy and be strong in our faith. We stand with our Christian brothers and sisters all over the world who are going through the same kind of struggles, or worse, and especially pray for those who are paying a great price for their uncompromising stand.  You assure us that after we suffer for a little while, You will restore, support, strengthen and sustain us as we remain firm on Your foundation.  Amen. Note: Today's email version is delivered later then usual due to a problem with the listserver. Tomorrow's message will be a follow-up to this one, again using the analogy of the foundation. Many of the great hymns have more verses than we are accustomed to singing in the typical hymnbook where four, or at most, five verses are typically provided.  I found a fuller version of "How Firm a Foundation" and listed a few less familiar verses for you to contemplate: 1. How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! What more can He say than to you He hath said Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled? 2. In every condition, -- in sickness, in health, In poverty's vale, or abounding in wealth, At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea, -- The Lord, the Almighty, thy strength e'er shall be. 3. "Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed, For I am thy God and will still give thee aid; I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand. 4. "When through the deep waters I call thee to go, The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow; For I will be with thee thy troubles to bless And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. 5. "When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply. The flames shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine. 6. "E'en down to old age all My people shall prove My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love; And when hoary (snowy) hairs shall their temples adorn, Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne. 7. "The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose I will not, I will not, desert to his foes; That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never, forsake!" 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. "How Firm A Foundation"  Video  Piano instrumental More Doris High squirrel feeder photos. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.

"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 01/20/09 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 4/28/09: $3,305.00) 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. Cancel:  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. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed 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.  (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" - 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 "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net

Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday.  To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below.  However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!

You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com To unsubscribe click here or send a blank email to leave-1411199-29778931.3ca482100b92072753461f79e13fb4f8@pr4.netatlantic.com

Daily Encouragement (04/28/09) "The Tyranny Of The New" (Part 2)

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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 Tuesday, April 28, 2009 The little white country church in Harwood Missouri I went to as a child when I visited my grandparents. My Mom went here growing up. The photo shows some of my cousins when we gathered in 2006 after my Mom's burial service. Listen to us share this message on your audio player. "The Tyranny Of The New" (Part 2) "This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it'" (Jeremiah 6:16). Yesterday's message dealt with the obsession our society has with the "new". I tend not to be an "early adopter"; that is, embracing the new as soon as it comes out. I figure someone else can do the testing and pay the higher price. However if you visit our home you'll see that we have indoor plumbing and electricity, something relatively new in human history, along with a lot of other new stuff unique to our generation. But today I consider the "tyranny of the new" in regard to the church. As I write this I am sure there will be those who will quickly dismiss me as just an old-fashioned preacher in his mid-fifties, but please hear me out. My concern is not the adoption of the new. Really, hasn't every generation done that to varying degrees?  In fact here in Lancaster County with the influence of the Plain people we have a colorful history of church disputes among the brethren in regard to what degree to adopt the new.  Some of their issues are now dealing with the use of cell phones and computers, especially the interface with the internet. A faithful reader in this series has been an old order Amish man who has an email account at work. He is the one I send music to on his cell phone voice mail, which I refer to as my Amish Music Ministry! Our church uses PowerPoint and I have learned to prepare my sermons for projection just like the famous conference speakers. We sing a mixture of new and old or what is often referred to as a "blended service." But most churches now want to be identified as contemporary (whatever that really means). Wouldn't most churches in 1900 or at any other time in history have been contemporary during their age? My annoyance at the contemporary church is not the embracing of the new, something I feel has been done all through history, but rather the tendency to devalue and disparage the old.  Among so many I encounter a snobby attitude toward older music, i.e. hymns or even music written within the past twenty five years. I was visiting with a friend after Easter who attends a self-identified "contemporary" church in our area. He's my age and has a history in the church. I asked him about the service, "Did you sing some of those great Easter songs like 'He Lives' or 'Christ The Lord Is Risen Today'?"  He told me, "Oh no, we just sang new choruses." I asked if they sang any songs dealing with the Resurrection. He told me they sang an "old" song from 1999 that he thought might have had something to do with the Resurrection! That's Sad. I don't think this church is that untypical. Many churches of our day view any use of the old as a turnoff. I recently visited a church that is aiming to go entirely contemporary in style. They previously had two services with one being a "traditional service".  The brochure stated that they would be singing all new choruses with a band but would periodically include a hymn, but assuring the congregation that the hymn would be sung in a modern arrangement! Pity them if they actually sang the hymn as it was written and has been sung by believers for generations! Do young people realize the great heritage we have through 2000 years of church history? Do the new among us realize our faith is not a new thing, but rather a continuation of the faithful servants of Christ for 2 millinium? Here's how one typical church seeks to describe itself: "Celebration worship times are 9:00am and 10:15am. We’re not big on doing church the traditional way, so dress casual and come worship God in a relaxed, contemporary, and informal setting! Gather your family around a table, have coffee or juice, and a treat while one of the bands, Down to Earth and Altar Ego play uplifting and contemporary music. The sermons are short, practical, and positive. The entire worship service is approximately forty five minutes." Actually since many churches now describe themselves similar to the above example they are by no means distinct, although I find it amusing that each acts as if what they are offering is new and original! Essentially it seems to me that there is widespread competition to see who can be the newest, or as one article states; to be "trendier than thou".  A dreaded moniker among many of my pastoral peers is to be labeled "old-fashioned". I enjoy singing new songs (which we do) but I also enjoy singing old ones. I prefer singing them in the original words which the hymn writer wrote and in the same tune, not changed to try to be relevant, although on occasion this can be enjoyable as well. Relevance is another buzz word that will have to wait for another message. I don't recall as a young pastor seeking to prepare irrelevant messages, for Bible truth is never irrelevant! My messages are for young, middle-aged, and old. I don't segment the congregation by age.  But the contemporary church acts as if relevant messages are a brand new thing for the present generation. God called the kingdom of Judah to "ask for the ancient paths."  Today the last thing most people have any interest in are the "ancient paths". Our culture is obsessed with the lure of the new. For so many the ancient paths have no appeal at all and are generally scoffed at. "Ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." I believe the meaning here is spiritual and a call to obedience as found in God's Holy law.  This is the "good way" and by walking in it one will truly find rest for the soul.  Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." But many then and so many today emphatically declare, "We will not walk in it."  We need to appreciate the "ancient paths" and those who walked faithfully in them.  We must commit our lives to be obedient servants to Jesus Christ our Lord; to the entire infallible, authoritative Bible, and to the great examples set for us by scores of dedicated, sold-out believers throughout the ages of the Bible and the Church.  My earnest prayer today is this, "I stand at the crossroads and look; I ask for the ancient paths where the good way is, and by God's grace I choose to walk in it and accept Your promise that I will find rest for my soul." Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer:  Father, we look to those who've gone before us, who've walked the ancient paths and remained faithful to Your principles as they have served You.  We all come to the crossroads at various age intervals in our earthly walk and we must choose which path we'll take.  Help us to be careful of the untested path that disregards all that our forefathers taught us either by their example or in some instances their lack of wisdom or self-control.  We thank You for all that You have for us now and for that which is carefully handed down to us from our Christian ancestors.  May we honor You in the way that we choose to honor them.  In Jesus name we pray, Amen.   Brooksyne's Perspective:  Since I've been involved in music and worship most of our pastoral years let me share a couple thoughts.  By deleting the classic hymns in the church services year after year we're soon going to be unable to minister in song to the residents in senior homes.  The intergenerational songs are the hymns that have been sung for centuries.  I love to sing songs like "The Old Rugged Cross" and "What a Friend We Have in Jesus".  On occasion I reflect upon the years I sang them with my parents and grandparents as a youngster.  These hymns are known everywhere and by multiple generations, but are beginning to disappear.  I like to mix familiar with new, for that which we come to love and cherish is that which we've sung enough to memorize and sing on our own.  I'm very thankful for Christian Radio where we can hear lots of newer songs with current artists whom God has gifted with music along with the classic hymns and songs written in the 1900's. Just this morning I was practicing with a Praise Team for an upcoming Mother Daughter Banquet and little David, 22 months, began to sing, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I Know" (also known as "There's Within My Heart a Melody"). His mother said he sings it a lot at home but neither she nor David's father taught it to him.  I asked, "How about Grandma or Grandpa?" where he stays when Mom is working. She agreed that he would have learned it from them since they certainly enjoy singing the hymns (once again an example of intergenerational worship – three generations enjoying the same hymn message).  We've segmented our children, youth, young adults and senior adults so much that it can be difficult to find common ground for worshiping together. We pass this barn, which is right along the road, on our way to church. I like the way they decorate the front with old implements. 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. "Sing Allelu"  Video  I read that this song (or at least part of it) was written in 100AD. "The Church's One Foundation"  Video "Am I Just Tired Of Relevance?"  A brief article with comments on a contemporary church's marketing techniques  A great read! "The Contemporary Church" Article "Five Deadly Sins of the Contemporary Church"  Blog style articles with most recent (yesterday) at top.  Scroll down for earlier articles in series. "Innovative and Relevant Pastor Needed Immediately" Have a laugh! "Most Relevant Pastor"  Another humor post (satire) Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.

"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 01/20/09 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 4/27/09: $3,305.00) 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. Cancel:  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. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed 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.  (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" - 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 "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net

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