A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archive edition Friday, August 3, 2012  Entrance to the Ohio State Fair By the end of the day we had walked over five miles visiting the many sites at the fair.  Listen to this message on your audio player."The Blessing Of Resourcefulness" "When they had all had enough to eat, He said to His disciples, 'Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.' So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten" (John 6:12,13).  Yesterday we visited the Ohio State Fair in Columbus Ohio. We enjoy state fairs during our travels and Ohio has one of the largest with lots to see. At every fair we visit the horticulture building where we observe growing plants, different kinds of arrangements and also do a little comparing with our own gardens back home. You can usually count on ideas for resourcefulness in the way people display their plantings. In the photo on the left a variety of coleus are displayed covering an old wooden door. We wondered how they could grow them in such a nice big arrangement so we looked closely at the side of the display. A resourceful gardener had taken an over the door shoe organizer, placed soil in each pocket, poked some holes in the pockets and created an interesting means of growing flowers. Perhaps this method might work for some vegetables as well, though it would be a greater challenge. Maybe our readers have some ideas.In our observation this type of resourcefulness is one of the virtues that we see increasing in our day, a stark contrast to the disposable and wasteful habits we've developed in recent decades. Let us consider a perhaps overlooked or certainly lesser considered detail in our daily text. Jesus had miraculously fed 5,000 with a little boy's lunch consisting of five small barley loaves and two small fish. After the meal Jesus instructed His disciples to go through the crowd and collect the leftovers. That detail is amazing to me. Why be concerned for leftovers, when He could do the same thing the next day and every day? Well the Scripture doesn't specifically tell us. Perhaps to indicate that more was actually left over after the full meal than they had in the beginning (even after feeding over 5,000 the pieces of the original five barley loaves filled twelve baskets). That's pretty neat, but I don't think that's the reason. We find that in Jesus' instruction when He said, "Let nothing be wasted." I just have a feeling that some folks had a fine meal on some day-old bread the following day! Or perhaps the disciples were later instructed to take the food leftover to the poor. I believe our resourcefulness is just one more way we can live in obedience to God. Can you think of at least one way that you could be more resourceful? Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, we marvel at the miracles Jesus performed, as recorded in the New Testament. Taking a young boy's small lunch and feeding 5,000 men along with their wives and families is beyond our imagination. And then to have leftovers from such a setting is amazing. Just as the disciples and the crowd learned so much about Jesus through His feeding of the crowd we too learn that nothing is impossible with You. We also learn from this story that You are a resourceful God when Jesus instructed that the leftovers be collected rather than tossed. Help us to be good stewards of all that You provide for us showing us how to be creative and generous toward others as well. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.Ohio State Fair  We met up with Ken and Vickie Bender, some Ohio friends, who walked through the fair with us. Here we are in front of an interactive Smokey Bear (he made it clear that "the" was not his middle name). We met the Benders many years ago through daily encouragement and enjoy visiting with them when we pass through Ohio. They are steadfast followers of Christ and I can always count on having a thoughtful conversation with Ken while Vickie and Brooksyne visit together. When they headed for home they were going to practice their own resourcefulness by picking green beans and freezing some of the corn they had grown!  When at a fair we enjoy trying distinct fair foods such as roasted corn on the cob! It was so good and juicy with a little smoky flavor mixed in for good measure. These potted black eyed susans were holding up Susan's britches. Because we visited on the 7th day of the fair many of the flowers that rely on water and sun were beginning to wither. Ohio is one of many states enduring a drought which is evident with the withered leaves on many of the trees and brown straw like grass.  A long parade went through the main thoroughfare and we stood only about three feet from all the activity. There were several old fire engines that came through along with numerous high school bands and the usual fair officials, queen and all.  This 580# squash looked like a pumpkin at first glance. It comes from the Atlantic Giant family of squash.  Brooksyne and Ester standing alongside a giant John Deere tractor. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resource Traveling today and a schedule, sorry we couldn't think of a song! Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne. |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber Our 36th anniversary photo (Click on photo to enlarge) "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 4/12)  Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider supporting Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. 2012 financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 8/2/12: $9,571.00. We express thanks to all who support our ministry!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. These messages are 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. Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter:  The daily message and prayer on Facebook. The daily message and prayer on Twitter.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! 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!) (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. 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 2012 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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