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, September 27, 2010  Union Mill Acres near Mount Joy, PA  Listen to this message on your audio player."Turning Downtimes Into Uptimes" "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances" (Philippians 4:11). We were visiting with a friend Saturday night who had a very serious and painful injury at work this last spring. He is recovering slowly and will not return to work for quite some time. This is hard for him as a responsible person with a strong work ethic and it led us into a discussion regarding how he is handling his "downtime". By nature more a doer than a reader he shared how he has been spending more time in the Bible and reading books that are challenging him to grow in his Christian walk. In the providence of God we will all have periodic "downtimes" in life. We are not referring here to emotional ups and downs (which is another topic altogether), but rather those seasons when our busy routine is interrupted and circumstances, beyond our control, slow our pace of life. The Apostle Paul was an active man; vigorously persecuting Christians in the New Testament church prior to his conversion. Luke paints the picture of a ruthless zealot in the following verses: "Saul began ravaging the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison " (Acts 8:3). "Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord…" (Acts 9:1). Only through a miraculous encounter with God could Saul's venomous, hate-filled messages of death turn into positive, life-giving messages of salvation. He was no longer motivated by hatred but motivated by love for mankind. No longer an enemy of the disciples of Christ he became a co-worker in the cause for Christ. As a result of his remarkable conversion Saul became known as Paul. He remained very active, but he was now adding to the church instead of subtracting from it! He traveled, establishing churches and testified for Christ wherever he found an open door. But then doors closed (seemingly) and because of his stand for Christ he was persecuted and imprisoned. Now on the receiving end of that which he dished out for years he was beaten and dragged into prison. We read of his imprisonments in Acts and at least three of his epistles were written from prison including Philippians. This must have been emotionally, spiritually and physically trying for him apart from the obvious discomforts and entrapments of a prison cell. Before his imprisonment Paul was constantly on the move. He was an achiever and now his zeal for spreading the gospel message was confined to the four walls of a jail cell. Did he wallow in his despair and bitterly complain about how unfair life was? Not from the writings do we detect any such attitude. Rather, a variety of Scriptures indicate that which Paul did in his "downtime":
Today we want to encourage any of our readers who may be going through a "downtime". God will use this experience in your life to grow you in ways that you would not expect. Remember, nothing is impossible with God! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, we are thankful that You are present in the daily routine of our lives but also in the quiet, seemingly inactive periods when we are forced to slow down, think more, and do less. Your Spirit is at work in us as we invite You into the throne-rooms of our mind and into the recesses of our heart to shape us into Your likeness. You take negative circumstances and make them work for our good. We find great consolation in acknowledging that "all things work together for good to those who love You and are called according to Your purpose." May Your intended purpose be achieved in our lives as we fully submit our circumstances to Your divine plan. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Added note from a news source: Our message today is interesting in light of a report we just heard on the news concerning a growing problem in prisons. It seems cell phones are being smuggled into prison cells which allows prisoners to oversee criminal operations while still in prison! This is an example of using downtime for evil purposes. There are untold numbers of prisoners who turn their lives over to God once they are confined and separated from the circumstances or co-conspirators who contributed to their wrong doing. Confinement can bring refinement if we consider it as a blessing rather than a curse.  Union Mill Acres One of our favorite fall decoration spots is Union Mill Acres along Elizabethtown Road. In 2008 I shared several photos from our visit at that time.  They have pumpkins and gourds of all colors and sizes.   In the background you can see the equipment for making a new bridge over Little Chiques Creek, a project that seems to be taking longer than it took to make the Golden Gate Bridge! This is a small bridge over a small creek but you sure wouldn't know that by seeing the sign with mandatory posted messages for the several employees at the site!  I like this view from the drive-through barn. (except for the soda machine)   The Scottish Highland cattle enjoy eating the pumpkins deemed unsuitable for sale! 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.) "Praise You In The Storm" Video Casting Crowns "Be Glorified" Video Ron Kenoly "Godliness With Contentment" Audio mp3 This is a song written and sung by Mike Book, a friend of ours. "Unshakable Christian Contentment" An online teaching message For local readers: Union Mill Acres is here (google map) |
  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 9/26/10 $11,183.00 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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