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   The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home · About Us ·  · Podcast · Free email<Previous Message · Archives · Archive edition Friday, October 15, 2010  Amish home on Stumptown Road in Lancaster County, PA  Listen to this message on your audio player.Note to email subscribers: Today's email message is sent quite early due to a conference we are participating in at Lancaster Bible College. "Hard Teachings" "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" (John 6:60). "From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. After many of His disciples walked away, "Jesus then said to the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?'" (John 6:66,67).  We think our pets Roxie and Dottie are pretty satisfied living with us. I don't know about you but we sometimes talk to our pets. We are confident by her enthusiastic response that Roxie knows what we mean when we ask, "Want to go for a walk?" She runs to the door and jumps up so I can attach her leash to her collar. It sounds quite silly, but I find myself asking her and Dottie at times if they ever wonder what it would be like living with another family. Do they ever dream of some nice home where they'd get more attention, high-pedigree pet feed (not the less expensive generic that we use), a knitted sweater and so on? I really don't think they think much about leaving us for another home. I believe they love us (to the extent pets are capable of loving). But when it comes to the human race, I've met more than a few people along the way that follow Christ for a little while and then quickly check out another home. Surely our daily text is one of the saddest expressions in the Bible. It is the response by many who, upon hearing the teachings of Jesus would also say, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" (John 6:60). This remains the reaction of many when confronted with the teachings of Christ. Some of His teaching seems hard in the sense of being hard to understand. Some issues make sense to us, others we accept by faith, not fully understanding with our mind. However I have learned that there are many previously hard teachings that become easier to grasp after a period of maturation and experience as a Christian. But some of His teaching is hard in the sense of being hard to live by. The call to serious discipleship is hard. Many years ago I read a book dealing with discipleship that uncomfortably and with conviction expressed the teachings of Christ without any soft-pedaling. Our daily text is surely one the saddest verses in the Bible: "From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him" (v.66). This was the response by many to the teaching of Jesus and it remains the reaction of many when confronted with His teaching or in some cases after living under His teaching for awhile. "Jesus then said to the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?'" (v.67). Peter spoke up to answer this question and uttered one of the most profound yet simple statements of belief in the Bible. He was speaking for the group: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God" (vv.68,69). Amen, that's my sentiment today as well and I hope everyday! Today, may we, like Peter, consecrate ourselves to God and continue as His follower. "A faithful follower I would be, for by His hand He leadeth me." By the grace of God I'll never go back to my old life! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, there is no one nor anything that deserves our complete allegiance, but You, our Lord, who holds the words of eternal life. Though others may refuse to listen or turn away from the message of salvation we choose to persevere, for to Whom else could we turn. We persevere in trial and in victory, in the ups and downs and in the in-betweens of everyday circumstances. We seek to do Your will in all things so that we will be richly rewarded at the end of this life. In the name of Jesus we persevere. Amen. The following photos and notes were posted by Brooksyne:  Yesterday Stephen celebrated his birthday along with two friends, Jay and Doug, who share the same birthday. In fact Doug (right) was born on the same day and year while Jay (left) shares the same day but is two years younger.  Yesterday I had some fun at Stephen's expense by sharing a college photo on Facebook of his twentieth birthday (though I listed it accidentally as his 19th). He was holding a cake I gave to him so he could share it with his dorm mates. One of his friends took photos and gave them to me. (It was the only glimpse I had of his dorm room since there were strict rules regarding guys and gals not being allowed in each other's rooms. Too bad it isn't that way at all colleges!) I asked him to pose for me the same way again, 36 years later, to see if there's much change. You'll notice he's trying to suck it in, but he's not fooling anybody - he doesn't in any way approach the slim profile posted on my facebook page. I'm having fun but I'm probably going to get this right back in my face when it's my turn. 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.) "He Leadeth Me" Video The London Fox Singers 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 10/14/10 $11,578.00 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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