Daily Encouragement Net - A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Monday, July 26, 2010  Mascot Roller Mill Built in 1760 along Mill Creek in eastern Lancaster County, PA. For 250 years it has stood the test of driving rains, rising streams, and roaring winds. Undoubtedly it has a strong foundation!  Listen to this message on your audio player."Digging Deep" "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete" (Luke 6:46-49). On Saturday we attended a wedding. Our neighbor's daughter, a young lady the same age as our daughter, got married. For the past several summers she has watered Brooksyne's flowers when we go on vacation and that's no small deed. The blessing for us was that she seemed to enjoy the chore and even though we tried to pay her for her services she always gave it right back to a charity. Perhaps the reason she has such an attitude is that she comes from an old order Mennonite family with an inborn work ethic. Many of our readers enjoy our observations as we interface with "Plain" groups and we will share some reflections concerning the wedding service below. (Plain people is a name given to the old order Amish and Mennonite groups in our area.) In one of the three messages preached at the wedding the minister made an interesting point I hadn't considered before. I have long enjoyed Christ's teaching concerning the wise and foolish builders (which is an analogy to life) but have always focused on the account that concludes the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. The minister instead shared from Luke's account where he added an interesting detail. This was on a different occasion and as a preacher I know that we tend to preach sermons and tell stories a bit differently each time unless we read verbatim from a manuscript which I sure don't think Jesus did. In Luke's account these words are included concerning the man building the house, "who dug down deep." The minister was stressing the need for a good foundation in marriage specifically and life in general. Building a good foundation requires "digging deep" which invoves greater effort and persistence.  Anyone who has used a post hole digger is tempted to stop early when encountering rocks. The effort increases the deeper we dig although deeper is better. This spring my friend Ken Pierce and I set two posts for a sign and encountered some very obstinate rocks. We decided it was deep enough and, so far no problem, but we both knew it would have been better to go deeper! All throughout Lancaster County there are many old stone mills, normally situated along streams for the water power. I took the photo above of the Mascot Roller Mill in Eastern Lancaster County along Mill Creek. When we first moved to this area in 2001 we lived around the corner from Risser's Mill, an impressive three story cut stone mill, erected nearly 200 years ago along Little Chiques Creek. It stood next to a covered bridge that we regularly crossed when we lived over that way. Sadly an arsonist burned the bridge to the ground eight years ago. Don, the present owner of the mill, gave us a personal tour which has been closed since 1940. He described the great effort made by the builders to lay a firm foundation with layers of huge stone going down far below the surface. He told us that the foundation went as deep in the ground as the building stood above the ground! Brooksyne and I were astounded as we sized up this three story mill and considered the time and labor expended as laborers used primitive tools to chip away deeply into solid earth. These mills were built to last and, although few are still used now due to our current way of life, they stand strong to this day. Their longstanding resilience is attributed to their deep, strong foundations. We consider the call of Christ to "dig down deep." A song we don't hear much anymore is "Deeper, Deeper" which conveys this thought. We want to encourage our readers today to dig deep for a solid foundation in life:
Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, our faith is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as our chief cornerstone. It is through Him that our whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple bringing glory and honor to Your name. May Your indwelling Holy Spirit transform us into Your image day by day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Reflections on a "Plain People" wedding service: The wedding was held in a large Reception center that is used for these types of functions by a variety of churches. The building was large enough to host both the service and the meal in separate sections with an estimated 300 in attendance. We walked through the reception area with the tables all set up for the meal to the room where the service was held. The service started at 9:30 with the bride and groom walking in together from the side and taking a seat directly in front of the ministers. Two hymns were sung Acapella with oustanding harmony. The acoustics were very much alive and it was heavenly! After the first stanza, Ester looked at Brooksyne and mouthed very expressively, "Wow!" Three different ministers shared challenges from the Scriptures to the couple and for all in attendance. It was excellent sound Bible teaching, the type we all need to hear with practical challenges. The people were very attentive and respectful. We were heartened as we sat behind a young couple who following along with an open Bible as the ministers read from a number of different passages. We like to see open Bibles in church! There were lots of babies and at any given time one was crying but the mothers were attentive and took them out to care for their needs. The exchange of vows is done very quietly and is actually a small part of the service. There was no display of affection as is typical in most weddings we attend (the wedding kiss or even holding hands). Toward the conclusion of the service we were all asked to kneel at our seats (if we were able) while one of the ministers said a prayer ending with the Lord's prayer. The service concluded with two more acapella hymns ending with "Take Time To Be Holy". That struck us as a very appropriate song. We were ushered out row by row by the younger brother of the bride (who often feeds our pets when we're away) and we walked through the line and greeted the newly married couple and family and then waited a few minutes to be seated at the meal. People were friendly although we were by appearance outsiders. Several sought us out guessing that we were "the neighbors." The meal was served family style with large platters of food passed down the table beginning from the inside. It was a very good country lunch! We visited for a few minutes after the meal and then when others began leaving we departed as well around 1:00 as I recall. Some additional observations:  This particular group has the distinction of driving black vehicles although the vehicles varied from thrifty to luxury. Some young people told us the black pickup parked right in front would be used by the couple to depart in. As we walked in people carried in wedding gifts; many unwrapped since it is customary to display the gifts for others to see, during the reception. We walked in behind a man carrying a ladder with a shovel duct-taped to it. Now that's a very practical wedding gift and much more useful than some wedding gifts!  On the way home from the wedding we passed this old side sickle mower in front of a barn. Brooksyne said it looks a little like a turkey - skeletal, that is!  Last night we had a group of friends over for an evening of ice cream & fellowship. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources (In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.) "How Firm A Foundation" Vocal Video Instrumental Video "Take Time To Be Holy" Video Instrumental with lyrics (This was the hymn we concluded the service with at the wedding.) "Thy Mercy, My God" Video Nice lyrics (posted) This interesting website chronicles mills. This man sure put a lot of time into this project! This specific page has photos and some information about Risser's Mill, which we mentioned in today's message. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
  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.2010 YTD financial offerings as of 7/25/10 $8,888.00 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. 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 2010 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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