A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Click here to support our ministry.The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archive edition Wednesday, July 10, 2013  Koch Farm View in Southern Missouri (click on photo to enlarge) "Collecting Friends"  Listen to this message on your audio player. Note: Due to travel a podcast was not prepared for this message."Thinking He was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for Him among their relatives and friends" (Luke 2:44). "Friends always show their love. What are brothers for if not to share troubles?" (Proverbs 17:17). Today we are visiting with Dave and Sandy. Dave is the friend I've had the longest contact with. His large family were our neighbors in Belton Missouri over fifty years ago when we both began first grade. We went through grade school and Junior High before my family moved from the area. But Dave and I have stayed in contact all these years. Neither Brooksyne nor I are much of collectors as far as specific items but we do tend to collect alot of "stuff." I am particularly inclined to have my Dad's depression era thriftiness regarding disposing of anything that might ever be remotely useful at some point in life. I still recall the oily rust covered Folgers coffee cans filled with miscellaneous nuts and bolts he kept in the garage till the day he died. Now I have a propensity to do the same thing! However we both collect friends. We've continued to collect friends all along life's journey and keep adding to our collection. Of course since our marriage we have mutual friends. For many years now I've been taking photographs of these friends. They are placed in a folder on my computer labeled "friends" and many have been placed up on this site. It's quite a collection and periodically I go through it and reminisce. If you join us for a meal in our home you will be asked to sign our guest registry. It helps instill memories of enjoyable visits from friends and family over the years. Jesus was twelve when the occasion of the events concerning the daily verse occurred. This was when his parents "lost" him after a trip to Jerusalem. What caught my attention was His parents' sought for Him among his relatives and friends. Of course we know that Jesus was actually back with the religious leaders, but the wording of the text indicates that it was Christ's practice to spend time with relatives and friends. That's where His parents assumed He would be and where their search began. I suppose we don't think much about Jesus having friends as a little boy. But He surely did. It's normal and healthy to have friends and the Scripture declares that Jesus "grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:52). Growing in favor among men would surely include developing lasting friendships. Jesus considered His disciples to be friends. He said to them, "You are my friends if you do what I command" (John 15:14). And after the resurrection in one of His encounters with His disciples He has this exchange, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" (John 21:5). The Apostle Paul was also blessed by many friends. I enjoy this rather obscure passage, "The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs" (Acts 27:3). Paul seemed to have friends wherever he went which means he was regularly making friends along the way. I thank God for my friendship collection. The really neat thing about this collection is that, unlike other earth bound collections, for the most part I can take them with me to heaven. All my friends who follow Christ will be among those with whom I spend eternity! Perhaps you will consider your friendship collection today. Make an effort today to contact an old friend. You might also consider making a new friend. It will bless you and it will also bless your friend! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, we want to show our love to friends in regular conversation and in tangible ways as we reach out to them and express personal interest in their lives. Proverbs 17:17 teaches us that "Friends always show their love", not only in the good times but we share together in times of trouble upholding, supporting, and bearing their burdens with them on their life's journey. As we mutually bear our burdens we are strenthened and encouraged together. Our lives are greatly enriched by the friendships we establish and grow from day to day. Amen.* Due to travel we are temporarily suspending the preparation of regular podcasts with each message. It is a complex set-up and time-consuming to prepare in a hotel room. We expect to periodically prepare some messages as podcasts while on the road and resume regular podcasts when we return home. Collectible Items: Collectibles require certain maintenance practices such as dusting, at times acquiring storage or display units, the expense of collecting, making room in your home, etc. They can be a pleasure to the eye and are often a conversation piece. Friendships require maintenance as well: making the time, listening with interest and follow-up, corresponding or getting together, practicing forbearance and forgiveness, working through differences, lending a helping hand, etc. But the reward of good friendships makes life so much more meaningful. Some scenes along our journey:  Four years ago we made friends with Ilene and Clarence Koch. A longtime reader of dailyencouragement, Ilene learned that we were going to be in their area a few miles outside of Springfield, Mo when we came through four years ago. She invited us to their farm and we had a wonderful visit and have kept in touch since then. Several months ago she was diagnosed with cancer and we were unsure as to whether we'd meet up yesterday but they invited us to their home and we had another wonderful visit. Ilene is greatly supported by Clarence, her loving husband of 59 years, her daughters, a caregiver, and the hospice team. As we were singing a few hymns she told me (Brooksyne) how she and the hospice chaplain have compared notes about the hymns and sing them together during his visits. The family welcomes your prayers on their behalf.  In rural southern Missouri we passed this ivy covered silo with a tree growing out the top!  "Jericho Station - Our Door Is Always Open" (Couldn't resist this photo at the lower end of the Koch farm)  Dave and Sandy Simpson at the popular Lamberts Restaurant in Springfield, MO. Dave's friendship with Stephen goes back to first grade in Belton, MO. Ester insists on stopping at Lamberts when we're in Springfield where the waiters come around with their kettles of fried okra, fried potatoes, black-eyed peas, sorghum, and of course they regularly throw the rolls to you when you're ready for another one. That's on top of your entree so you leave waddling like a duck once you fill up on their country food, tho' we passed up the hog jowls, chicken gizzards and a few other hillbilly food items on the menu.  Brooksyne's ham and bean meal at Lamberts came with a cigar. Note: She did not smoke it!  Brooksyne fully returned to her country roots and requested sorghum with her throwed roll. Breakfast in her growing up years in Oklahoma always included homemade biscuits and a gallon of sorghum sitting in the middle of the kitchen table.  Anyone recognize this old farm device in front of the Missouri Hick BBQ in Cuba Missouri? "Eternal Vacation" Video Dailey and Vincent Yesterday, on a portion of our journey to Springfield, we got off I-44 and drove down old Route 66 and I was in the mood for some real country gospel. "Old Friends" Video Bill Gaither and his many friends (more than a few who are now with the Lord!) "Friends" Video Michael W. Smith "Old Friends" Video |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber (Click on photo to enlarge) "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/31/12)  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 an offering to 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. Click here to donate online. 2013 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 7/9/13: $10,923.00 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  If a friend forwarded this to you, you can subscribe here.These messages are never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR it was forwarded to you. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or as an email subscription through Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.) Cancel: These messages are only sent from us to people who request it; please accept our apologies if it reached you in error. You can unsubscribe from this list at any time. 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. Other versions are also occasionally used. © Copyright 2013 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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