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 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home About Us Archives Free email subscription  Listen to these messages  Text only for printing  See here for more info. <Previous Message · Archive edition Listen to us read this message on your audio player."But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).  Yesterday churches around the world celebrated Pentecost Sunday. Many consider Pentecost Sunday to be the birth of the church. At the suggestion of a senior member we sang "Happy Birthday" to the church, something neither Brooksyne or I ever recall doing before in our church backgrounds!The Amish and old order groups take the identifiable days of significant events in the Bible very seriously including Ascension Day, which for some reason doesn't get a lot of attention in most churches, perhaps because it falls on a Thursday. The Amish also acknowledge Pentecost Day and take the next day off to be with family and friends.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven He promised the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and stated very clearly the purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit in our daily verse. It can be summed up in the phrase, "Power To Be My witnesses."Some 724,000 days have passed since the initial outpouring when God's Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 who gathered in the Upper Room. Yet today the Holy Spirit continues to empower men and women, young and old to touch people for Christ even to the ends of the earth. Today, most of you do not have the day off like the Amish. You may be at work and have left the spiritual comfort zone of your church and entered the mission field God has called you to. Many of you are surrounded by people who curse and blaspheme God. Increasingly, people may mock and revile you because of your stand for Christ. These are the very people that God has empowered you to be a witness to! The rubber is meeting the road when you are in their presence. God has called you to BE a witness (Gr. "martus"). Now this will certainly include the verbal defense and explanation of our faith. However it really involves all that we are; Christ's character being formed and demonstrated in our lives. It is God's plan to continue to fill His people with the Holy Spirit even as He did in the book of Acts. Peter preached a great sermon following the initial outpouring in Acts 2 and 3,000 people were saved! We need the power of the Spirit today. In examining Peter's sermon we note that God gave Peter power to proclaim the Gospel message and he demonstrates four characteristics we need in our witness:
Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, it would seem that we would become orphans of the faith when Jesus departed from the earth and ascended into heaven. But You did not leave us comfortless or without guidance. Instead Your Holy Spirit empowers us so that we can effectively proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ through Scriptural teaching and through our godly example. Help us to be faithful in our walk and witness in the mission field You've appointed us to. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Last Monday we shared a story about Patty Kurtz. Yesterday we visited Longwood Manor where we saw Patty in the dining room. She patted the seat in the empty chair beside her indicating that I was to sit down so we could talk. As mentioned in my writing last Monday talking with Patty is like playing a game of charades. "A...BIG...THANK...YOU" she repeated and dramatized about six times before I finally got her message. Due to cerebral palsy Patty's ability to speak clearly is a challenge and she speaks in a halting and labored type of speech. On Friday last week she was able to read the story we wrote about her and she put it like this, "I...was...o-ver-whelmed" as she took her index fingers and wiped the tears that fell from her eyes."From...the... bot-tom...of...my...heart... I...was....touched" she said repeatedly. With the dramatization and repetition of her words I got the intended message. When she placed her hand below her stomach instead of her heart each time I finally said, "Patty, that's your belly not your heart". She sputtered, grabbed my hand, and started her usual laughing beyond silly. I told her we received such nice notes from our readers regarding her story that I was going to add this note today. She responded with big words and big movements, "NOW ... I ... AM ... REALLY ... O...VER...WHELMED!!" If you didn't read about Patty you may just want to hit the link to her story above and learn about our friend. Today we share some scenes from Lancaster City. Generally each week in the course of our chaplain visitation we pass through the heart of Lancaster.  Friday we stopped by Penn Square at the heart of Lancaster and Brooksyne bought some fresh produce in Central Market. Central Market is the oldest continuously operating farmer's market in the US.  Inside the Central Market.  While in Lancaster Brooksyne played a public piano on Penn Square. She played several Christian songs since that's about all she knows. One song comes to mind that seems so fitting for any passersby, should they know the words: Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter, Feelings lie buried that grace can restore; Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, Chords that were broken will vibrate once more. Do any of our readers recognize from this verse the title of the hymn? (See below for answer)  Playing another public piano near the old southern market.  Yesterday we sat back a few rows from our usual pew in church. Opening the hymnal from the rack in our new spot we saw an interesting record some diligent church member kept. He or she apparently had sat in that spot for many years. All through the hymnal the songs and readings were marked with the date they were used. It made for some interesting perusing. We found apparent church favorites among them by the frequency of the dates recorded. (Looks like the song we sang yesterday was a favorite). We also note the dating stopped about the time the PowerPoint came in but do not know for certain this is a factor. In our church they project all the songs on the screen including hymns although they also reference the hymn # for any who may choose to sing from the hymnal. (Brooksyne's note: It may have also been a hymn book that made its way to a pew rack that had been used by the main song leader in the past who kept track of the selected hymns since that's what good songleaders do, attempting to have a nice variety of hymns over the years.) Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God " Video Keith and Kristyn Getty Even apart from the wonderful lyrics the violin solo in the beginning will bless you. "Spirit of God Descend Upon My Heart" Video "Spirit Of The Living God" Video FFH (stands for "Far From Home) is group with roots here in Lancaster County. In the first photo of Brooksyne playing the street piano we shared a portion of the old hymn, "Rescue The Perishing". Here's a nice version on video. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne  Stephen and Brooksyne Weber (Click on photo to enlarge)About Us "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 10/21/13) 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.2014 YTD offerings to Daily Encouragement Net: $5,422.00 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  If this email was forwarded 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. 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"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 2014 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
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