Daily Encouragement (06/08/10) "Lessons From An Amish Youth Meeting"

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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 Tuesday, June 8, 2010 Amish youth playing volleyball The level of volleyball proficiency I witnessed at an Amish youth meeting (boys and girls) is equal to any I have ever seen! Note: This photo was not taken at the Amish youth service described below. Listen to this message on your audio player. Note: Today's message describes a visit to an Amish youth service which many find interesting. However the exposition and challenge begins at the paragraph marked with a *   Note to international readers: The Amish are a religious group that holds to an older way of life.   "Lessons From An Amish Youth Meeting" "The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old" (Proverbs 20:29). Sunday evening I (Stephen) attended an Amish youth hymn sing.  Now we have been to an Amish church service, a wedding, and a viewing of a deceased loved one, but had never a "youth service" that we've often heard about.  Although the Amish are friendly, you just don't show up without an invitation, but some friends assured me I was welcome to go with them.  I drove into the property in my white van so I suppose my arrival was hard to miss amongst all the biggies and carriages! (Brooksyne has a bad case of poison ivy and was feeling too miserable to attend). It was a beautiful evening and the service was held in a barn on a large dairy farm. There were scores of people in attendance of all ages (I guessed between 150-200, perhaps even more).  But it was clearly a youth event. Although I arrived about 7:00PM the youth had been there all afternoon. The morning church service had been held on the same property earlier in the day. I did not take photographs since the Amish are reticent about having their photos taken in such a setting. Two volleyball nets were set up and the youth were playing, still dressed in their Sunday best, although the girls were all barefoot. The level of play was amazingly good and was actually quite interesting to watch from a sporting viewpoint alone. All throughout the property youth were clustered together talking with one another and there was clearly some teasing and flirting go on as well such with boys chasing girls and so forth.  But something prevalent among most youth was absent and delightfully so I might add. Can you imagine what that would be? (See final note below footers.) I visited with several of the Amish men for about an hour till we were ushered down a long lane to the barn for the hymn sing.  We were seated with the men as is the Amish custom, although they seated my friend's wife very close by, as we have noted they do in consideration for non-Amish at their functions. After awhile the youth came in. Amish activities are not dictated by the clock nearly so much as the English (the Amish call non-Amish English regardless of ethnicity). Groups of boys and then groups of girls from various church districts came in. They walked around the room greeting and shaking hands with everybody. (My friends and I were the only non-Amish in attendance).  We noted that the boys sure had been taught to give a firm handshake, not the yucky wet fish kind. The youth sat in the center of the room on long benches with the girls facing the boys. It appeared that the youth leaders were in the very center and they selected the songs. Gallon jugs of water were passed around along with a single drinking cup to share, although I didn't find myself particularly thirsty at that point! After everyone was in the barn the singing began without any fanfare or even an introduction or prayer. There were no instruments, just voices. They sang many verses of song after song for some 2 hours in German, although we recognized many of the tunes such as "Sweet Hour of Prayer", Just As I Am, "Amazing Grace" and also several of what we would call choruses such as "Father I Adore You" which were harmonically sung in rounds. The singing was beautiful and many seemed earnest in their expressions, although I observed that the Amish youth like all youth (and adults) are capable of being inattentive and horsing around, but even that was at a minimum with the watchful eye of the elderly leaders around the room. I realized half way through the service that I had left my cell phone on and managed to discreetly turned it off. Now that sure would have been rather embarrassing if it would have gone off! The service ended as inspecifically as it began and as if on cue large trays of cookies, bowls of pretzels and popcorn were passed around and the young people began talking to one another which I believe lasted quite awhile longer, although I left the meeting at that point, walking down a very dark lane to my van. When I turned the lights on with my key fob it looked like a lit up Christmas tree due to the contrast! * One point among many that we really admire among the Amish is the esteem they have maintained for their elderly. The formal greeting and handshake I received was an expression of this, making it quite intentional that the youth make direct contact with the older adults and elderly. This brings to mind Menno, an elderly man who attended our church when we first moved to Lancaster County and who lived to be 102. As I recall he attended church right up to the time of his homegoing.  He was a rather short man with a long, straight, white beard and no mustache, so his big smile was especially prominent.  He got around really good using a cane.  I often greeted him in church and he looked up at me and said, "We've sure got a lot to be thankful for don't we?" Now I've heard that rhetorical question quite a lot through the years, but when he would say it, it made me pause and really consider the depth of such a statement. We believe one of the great underlying causes of social dysfunction in our land is the intergenerational breakdown and the segregation of age groups.  God has ordained the progression of life from young to old and places His blessing upon each.  And I believe each are needed for a healthy society. What a blessing when the older show love and interest in the younger and when the younger show love and esteem to the elderly. "The glory of young men is their strength."  The truth of this phrase is very evident.  My, how youth is extolled, particularly in American culture. The Amish boys are especially strong, many of them accustomed to hard physical labor on the farm.  No membership in health clubs needed; muscle is built just keeping up with the daily chores. Considering the obesity problem in our country with children and youth, it's interesting to observe that it's practically nonexistent among the Amish youth.  As they were playing volleyball I recalled when I had the energy and strength to play hour after hour. But in time the youthful strength has waned. "Gray hair the splendor of the old."  I wonder how many of the elderly consider their gray or white hair a source of "splendor"?  How many of the rest of us in our culture do so?  (I wonder how many millions of dollars are spent annually to cover it?)  Last nogh Brooksyne cut my hair as Ester watched and teased me about my graying hair.  The splendor is a recognition of the experience, perspective, and wisdom the aged have. Today I encourage you.  If you're a youth, young adult, or middle age recognize the "splendor of the old" and honor them, gain wisdom from their life's experience.  If you are old and gray realize that God has a planned purpose in your remaining years on this earth as you share your splendor with those around you. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, we're grateful for the teaching and example of those who are older.  So much wise advice can be gleaned from the elderly who have experienced the ups and downs of life, the putting into practice of your Scriptural truths, the overcomings and even the failings that teach us what we should avoid and what we need to put into practice.  We need each other; the young need to observe the senior's life's experiences and endurance and the older need the help of the youth's strength and vitality. It's all a part of life's cycle here on earth.  Help us to appreciate, respect and observe each season of life. In Jesus' name.  Amen. A word about the Amish and photos: The Amish vary in how strict they take the prohibition of facial photos.  However based on my conversation with Amish friends they consider the inevitability of having their photos taken when they are out in public, especially in touristy eastern Lancaster County.  But like most of us would they resent the paparazzi type gawking photographer. When going onto their turf I purposefully leave my camera unless I am invited to bring it. We also often take photos when we are driving about (Brooksyne does from the passenger side) such as this site Sunday morning on the way to church. Apparently the father (right in the photo with the straw hat) was allowing his boys to drive to church in the open carriage while he rode in the closed buggy with the rest of his family. However when we rounded a corner the carriage was in a farm field with the horse misbehaving and rearing up. Dad jumped out of the buggy, ran to the carriage and quickly got the horse under control. He then took over for the boys and followed the buggy to church as the younger children looked on. I want to share one more photo and story from the wedding we attended in Philadelphia this last weekend. I shared about the marvelous redemptive work that God has done in Yvette and her son Joey.  We also saw Nicole, Yvette's daughter, who has also had a tremendous spiritual transformation. She is now married to a minister and is presently attending Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. 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.) It would have been interesting to share some of the music I heard the other night but of course I didn't take any recording device in.   "God's Been Good"  Video  This morning as I listened to WDAC, our local Christian radio station, I was touched by this song. What a great perspective by a group known as the Legacy Five. Verse 1 Lately I've been looking back, along this winding road To the old familiar markers of the mercies I have known I know it may sound simple but it's more than a cliche There's no better way to tell you, than to say Chorus God's been good in my life I feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams when I go to sleep each night And though I've had my share of hard times, I wouldn't change them if I could 'Cause through it all, God's been good Verse 2 Times replay and I can see that I've cried some bitter tears But I felt His arms around me, as I faced my greatest fears You see I've had my gains than losses and I've known more joy than hurt As His grace rolled down upon me undeserved Chorus Bridge For God has been my Father, my Savior and my Friend His love was my beginning, and His love will be my end I could spend forever trying to tell you everything He is But the best that I can say it is this Chorus We shared a message similar to this last year in a daily encouragement message titled, "The Wisdom Of The Aged" What I did not see any of the Amish youth doing: Playing with  handheld electronic devices such as their cell phones, texting, etc. (However in other contexts I have seen some Amish youth playing around with these devices.) Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.

"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update 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 6/7/10 $6,043.00 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 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 merely the Friday 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! 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!) 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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Daily Encouragement (06/07/10) "Dealing With Pests"

Daily Encouragement Net - A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
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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 Monday, June 7, 2010 Mexican Sunflower Listen to this message on your audio player. "Dealing with Pests" "Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom" (Song of Solomon 2:15). "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings" (1 Peter 5:8,9). Over the past eight years Brooksyne has taken her gardening very seriously and enjoys collecting seeds from spent plants as we travel through other states.  This year she had great success with seeds she had labeled "looks like red Mexican sunflowers" (see photo above) from our travels last summer. She planted them in March and ended up with about 30 healthy seedlings. She excitedly planted them in her flower garden last week, but within a day she came in complaining that something was eating her new plants. Two days later she looked out the window of our dining room and saw a little bunny munching ever so contentedly on the new plants.  Within hours she had the look of a soldier as she armed herself with a homemade mix of cayenne in a water bottle and thoroughly sprayed all the plants.   I doubt that the bunny had the contented look on its face next time it began to nibble!  If a bunny could talk it might say, "Yikes!  What happened to the sweetness of these newfound plants I was enjoying in this back yard the past few days."  Whatever the bunny thought… it has kept him (or her) away from these plants since then. I planted a small plot of sweet corn in an otherwise unused area in my back yard last week. This morning I checked and it was neat to see the tiny sprouts popping up through the soil. In several months we hope to be enjoying our own genuinely home-grown sweet corn but till then I'll be keeping my eye out for the many enemies this corn has; insects, disease, and other pests that will seek to destroy my crop. It seems like life is full of fighting off little pests of one type or another, doesn't it? But today we want to consider spiritual pests. They come in cycles. There are some pests I dealt with 30 years ago that really aren't an issue in my life now, while new pests that I never would have expected have come in to replace them. Bugs are very tiny and yet they can do extensive damage.  Wise Solomon spoke of the little foxes that ruin the vineyards. The pests I am referring to are the many subtle attempts of the enemy to get us off the right track. They come in so many different forms. Let me candidly illustrate: We use our computers a lot. I have several levels of junk email filters to keep the crud out. In fact one of them automatically dumps the stuff into a separate folder that will get hundreds of messages every couple of days. But junk still gets through. I received one with a mildly pornographic image. I immediately dumped it into the deleted folder and then without delay emptied that folder. I don't need that "teaser bug" on my computer and I certainly don't want to invite it in my life!  Little bugs can cause devastating damage, but when caught early and properly dealt with we will have positive results that are compatible with our spiritual goals. Today you will all inevitably deal with a variety of bugs. The daily Scripture text has some wonderful advice: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (I Peter 5:8). The dictionary describes the act of prowling as one who goes about "cruising, moving secretly, undercover, incognito, stealing, lying in an ambush." It's a perfect description of the tactics of our enemy, the devil, who lies in wait trying to steal that which is of most importance to us.  The Spirit through Peter gives us sound advice that will keep us from being tricked, caught off guard, and entrapped by the enemy's sinister schemes. We are to "Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because we know that our brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings" (1 Peter 5:9).  Through our study and application of Scripture we will be wise to the devil's schemes which will help us stand firm in the faith.  We can also be consoled in knowing there are many others undergoing the same kinds of testings and yet have power through Christ to resist the enemy and endure the suffering that comes from such trials. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, through the knowledge of Your Scriptures, through the application of its truths, and through the power of the Holy Spirit we can resist the enemy of our souls.  Our faith is tested which is of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, so that it may be proved genuine, and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Faith that is not tested is faith that cannot be trusted, so help us to see that when the enemy is persistently prowling You are giving us opportunity to prove our faith to be genuine as we continue to recognize Satan's ways and resist his influence in our lives.  In Jesus' name.  Amen. Brooksyne's Note:  As we describe the devil as a prowling enemy moving about secretly, I'm reminded that some of the worst and most destructive pests I've dealt with over recent years of gardening are those little pests that wait till the sun is gone, the lights are turned off and the gardener is fast asleep.  But a serious gardener will sneak out with a flashlight as I have done on several occasions and find an industry of pests working feverishly into the night devouring one leaf at a time right down to the stem if not stopped.  At dawn the bell rings for all little pests to find their hiding places until night fall again; unless they've been found out.  Once I discover the mystery pest I spray a concoction that will tell the little pests, "Your nights at the Plant are over."  In a far more serious way, I want to be vigorous in searching my heart regularly for those little attitudes that sneak in and seek to replace the wonderful fruit God has grown in my life.  I want to quickly eradicate those attitudes and behaviors through confession and Scriptural application so that only the spiritual fruit will mature, be productive and be pleasing to God and make me a blessing to other. This weekend we had two memorable experiences. We'll share one here and another with tomorrow's message. On Friday afternoon we went to Philadelphia to attend a wedding. Friday evening we took Florence Bogdan out for dinner. Florence and her late husband Stephen pastored in Clearfield, a neighboring community, when we first moved to Pennsylvania in 1977. They befriended us and were a great source of encouragement as we planted a church. Several years later they moved to Philadelphia and Stephen served as the pastor of the historic Highway Tabernacle near the Center City for many years where they had an outstanding ministry serving the Lord faithfully and impacting many lives for Christ. On a couple of occasions we took groups of young people from our church in northern PA on mission trips to assist them and give the kids from a small town the taste of ministry in a big city. Pastor Stephen and Florence especially had a neat ministry befriending international students and hosting them in their home and Florence continues to have a mentoring role for young people who love her greatly.   On Saturday we attended the wedding of Joey & Lori Cullen. Joey is a young man who had been in the church we served in New England. Wayne & Yvette (Joey's mom) are in the left in the photo. Lori's parents, Pastor Phil and Carol Menditto are on the right side. It was a real joy to attend a wedding for a young couple setting out in life with a determination to mutually serve the Lord. We appreciated reading this clear statement of faith on the back of their wedding bulletin: "We want to thank you all for sharing in the second most important day of our lives.  You may ask what the most important day was.  That day was the day we gave our lives to Jesus Christ and accepted Him as our Lord and Savior." Wayne & Yvette Gallagher are real trophies of ministry and as Paul said concerning the Thessalonian believers, "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?" (1 Thessalonians 2:19). We worked with Yvette (especially Brooksyne) through a very hard time in her life. In fact she has shared her testimony online. Wayne and Yvette are both now in ministry and doing great. John and Lorna attended our church in New England and now live in New York and serve the Lord together.   Lorna led our youth group during a time in Joey's life when he was rebellious but she determined to show the love of Christ to this troubled young man. Looks like he's showing his lasting appreciation! Phil Menditto is a long-time friend from Bible college. He spoke at a little country church near Fair Grove Missouri that I pastored when Brooksyne and I first got married in 1976. He also spoke at our newly formed church in northern Pennsylvania in the late seventies when he served several years as a traveling singer and evangelist. In 1980 he and his wife Carol planted the Philadelphia Christian Center. I spoke for him once when the newly formed church met at a Howard Johnson Hotel. As I recall the adults met in a function room and they also rented a regular room for the kids. Phil has served faithfully ever since and after 30 years serves one of the largest churches in the Philadelphia area that is also the most multi-racial, multi-cultural church I have ever seen. At the reception we sat next to some Nigerian immigrants.  Phil's church is a genuine "soul saving station" with scores of people saved as Phil faithfully preaches God's Word. He is a per in ministry preaching an uncompromised gospel. It is such a blessing to have peers like this in the ministry. We were out of contact with Phil and Carol for many years and what a blessing it was to hear that Joey was dating their daughter, and later came on as their youth pastor! The wedding was one of the most memorable I have attended. Phil preached a great wedding sermon, challenging the couple and all of us to an uncompromising commitment to Christ.  At one point in the service a musician sang a beautiful rendition of "He Is Exalted" while both the bride and groom stood before the altar freely expressing their worship to the Lord. But the highlight was at the very end when Laura sang a surprise song to Joey expressing her love and commitment. Joey and Lori used a church bus for their limousine and the youth had fun decorating it!  I suppose that saved Dad a lot of money! My Mom loved all the kids in churches we served and the kids loved Mom. We found this photo from about ten years ago with Joey giving Mom a hug. Actually Mom loved people of all ages. She went to be with the Lord in 2005. Somewhere I have a photo that Joey took that tells a story. When we first moved to Pennsylvania over nine years ago, Joey was (as a friend described him at the reception) a streetwise city punk.  He came down with his mother to visit us. We lived in a large old farmhouse at the time and on one of our walks I had seen a spooky old truck out in the woods by a creek.  It was creepy inside with a broken windshield and trash piled in it. One dark night I told Joey, "If you think you're so tough  go find that truck and then take a picture from the inside of the truck to prove that you really found it". He did it! That was before we had digital so we had to wait a couple days before the proof was seen through the picture.   Tomorrow I will share some reflections about an Amish Youth service in a barn I attended last night! 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 Is Exalted"  Video "My Tribute"  Video  This song was rather new when we used it at our wedding in 1976. What a joy to hear it again at the wedding we attended this last Saturday over 34 years later! Finally today: Homemade Insect Spray for pests and critters: 1 Garlic bulb 1 small onion 1 T. cayenne pepper 1 qt. water Blend together and let steep for a few minutes.  Mix in 1 tsp. liquid non-detergent soap and use immediately or keep in fridge for up to a week.  Insecticide soap may also be used as alternative. (Shortcut:  I simply mixed about 1 tsp. cayenne with water in a pint spray bottle and sprayed.) Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.

"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update 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 6/6/10 $6,043.00 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 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 these messages no longer meet your needs (providing encouragement) you can remove your address by merely use 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. It is merely the Friday 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! 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!) 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

Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday.  To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below.  However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!

 

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Daily Encouragement (06/04/10) "God Rewards Faithfulness"

Daily Encouragement Net - A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
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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, June 4, 2010 Guatemalan Rainbow Our friend Marvin sent us this photo when we inquired concerning the volcano and flooding in his country recently. Marvin lived in our home over 20 years ago while receiving treatment for a medical condition. He is now married and has a son. This young family is faithfully serving the Lord! Listen to this message on your audio player. "God Rewards Faithfulness" "He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again" (Genesis 42:24a).  "See to it that …no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" (Hebrews 12:15). Yesterday we went to see a dramatic presentation of Joseph at the Sight and Sound Millineum Theater here in Lancaster County. As we have come to expect it was outstanding and several times moved us to tears. In fact, at the ticket office, the woman who processed the tickets provided tissues since we didn't have any. She said, "You'll need these." And indeed all three of the Webers shed tears in various scenes. Joseph is a most intriguing Bible character. In his book "Gleanings in Genesis" A.W. Pink notes 101 parallels between Joseph and Christ. Obviously I won't list them all here! One of the more interesting characteristics of Joseph is his freely expressed emotions. In the Genesis account we find him weeping on eight different occasions. Today's Scripture portion records an event that took place during his first encounter with the ten brothers after a separation of 20 years. The last time he had seen his jealous brothers was from the back of a caravan while he was being hauled off as a slave to Egypt, thanks to their devious plot to be rid of him once and for all. During these 20 years in Egypt he had many occasions when bitterness could have consumed him. But in doing so it would have overpowered the sensitive, charitable, and loving spirit that God was developing in Joseph. Interestingly, Joseph's dreams as a young boy revealed that he was going to be a man of great authority but didn't disclose the extremely painful process leading up to his exalted position in Egypt. His place of great honor was acquired by great humility. God had worked on his heart through the numerous and enduring trials. Scripture assures us that God's hand was upon Joseph's life. Repeatedly, in the midst of every major setback, the Bible declares, "The Lord was with him." One of the most compelling themes presented in the dramatic presentation was the fact that "God Rewards Faithfulness." Remember, Joseph was but a boy of only 17 years when he came to this foreign godless nation. He experienced great hurt, fought bitterness and rejection, and deeply longed to see his family and homeland. Yet he remained faithful to the God of his childhood in a land of idolatry, without the encouragement of other believers, no Christian retreats or Men's Conventions, and no written Scripture to sustain him. Yes, indeed, "the Lord was with him." Have others hurt you? Of course they have! Oswald Chambers has observed that "it is nonsense to say that suffering makes saints; it makes some people devils." Joseph's heart could have hardened after the long years of hurt and separation from his family. If anybody had ever been mistreated it was he. Consider all the years he had to nurse his pain thereby feeding it and keeping it at the forefront. Even in Egypt he had experienced several serious, disappointing setbacks before his eventual promotion. Yet he didn't grow bitter. And on the occasion in today's text, while Joseph was in a position of authority over his brothers, he saw their deep consternation and was emotionally overwhelmed. Are the hard experiences of life, including hurts from others, going to make you bitter or better? Joseph expresses one of the great principles of life he had personally realized from this very difficult experience; "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20). May we too look for the bigger picture of God's overall plan and remain faithful no matter the personally painful circumstance of our lives, for the greater good of those whom God has called us to influence. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Jesus, when we are hurt we naturally turn away from the source of our pain. But then we're inclined to carry that pain inwardly where it can easily spread and damage our emotions, distort our outlook, and strain our relations with others. If we don't surrender our bruised emotions to You the growing root of bitterness begins to squeeze out the stored up blessings we receive from You day after day. The by-products of bitterness such as anger, rage, self-pity and other destructive attitudes become the order of the day, paving the way back to our old nature. But You have commanded us to rid ourselves of all such things that violate the new self as we are being renewed in the image of our Creator. We can only do this as we clothe ourselves daily with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Help us to bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances we have against another. We can only do this as we carry out the same kind of forgiveness that You, our Lord and Savior, demonstrate toward us. You are the supreme example of One who embraced enemies who mocked You and friends who betrayed You. Help us, in as much as it is possible, to live at peace even with those who inflict wounds. By Your grace and our surrendered will we choose to cut off the root of bitterness so that the fruit of the spirit has ample room to grow in our lives. Amen. Brooksyne's Note: It was Ester who first grabbed a pen during the Joseph presentation and wrote down a quote so that she could share it with her Facebook friends.  Perhaps you too can appreciate a few of the notes we took during the presentation: During Joseph's long imprisonment he was mockingly asked, "What happened to Joseph the great one?"  His response:  "It's not about me being the great one.   It's about serving God who is the Great One." "Humility is like a precious gem so rarely worn by men." "They are grave robbers bringing back what I buried." (Joseph referring to the brothers' arrival in Egypt which stirred up old troubled emotions he had finally buried through forgiveness.) "Father, when will you ever trust us?" the brothers asked their father, Jacob.  "When you prove that I can" was Jacob's response. When Joseph could not emotionally deal with his brothers his wife reminded him, "You may judge over man's lives but not their souls." A Slice Of Life In Lancaster County, PA One of the old order Mennonite groups here in Lancaster County often use bikes. We see them all the time along route 322 east of Ephrata. Yesterday we came up behind this group who had apparently just been shopping at the Walmart and the men had loaded their boxes for the trip home. The lady was pulling a nice cart! Banjo Jimmy Yesterday in the course of our chaplain visits throughout eastern Lancaster County we stopped by "The Kitchen Kettle Village" in Intercourse, PA during the lunch hour. This is a busy tourist destination in the heart of Amish country. We enjoy listening to these skilled local musicians, who have been playing and singing at the Village for many, many years. We also had a snacking lunch by walking through "The Canning Kitchen" munching on a wide variety of delicious samples!  Brooksyne was thrilled to buy a rhubarb book there with 200 recipes using rhubarb. I stopped by to see my Amish friend Jesse later yesterday afternoon and he had quite a story. Several times we have mentioned the storm that came through our area Monday. Jesse told me that as he was milking Monday evening lightning struck and immediately killed a cow right behind the one he was milking some 10 feet from him! Last night as we drove back through Mount Joy, our friend Jimmy Carr was sitting out on his porch as he often does.  We always stop and greet him and Ester shouts, "What are you, Jimmy?" and he responds "An Overcomer". Ester jumps out and always extends a warm hug. Jimmy has a number of health afflictions including Tourette's but always expresses victorious overcoming. 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.) "Humble Thyself in the Sight of the Lord"  Video   Joseph  By Charles Swindoll / Thomas Nelson - Every day it seems another so-called "hero" falls from grace, but in his Great Lives from God's Word series, Chuck Swindoll introduces you to heroes who stand the test of time. In his third volume, Joseph, Swindoll challenges Christians to aspire to the virtues of obedience, mercy, and courage---all of which characterized the life of this richly blessed child of God. Click here for more information or to order through CBD. Brooksyne's Note:  When I have gone through hard times this book has offered great encouragement and understanding of how God works good even in the midst of those who intend harm; at times this might include our own brothers and sisters in the faith who see things differently than we do. This can lead to some very ungodly actions which can really break one's heart.   I like to read the Scripture right alongside the book and find hidden insights that God, along with the gifted writer, Swindoll impresses upon my heart. God can rub the salve of His Holy Spirit into your wounded spirit as you study and apply His Scripture.   Sight and Sound Theater This is Lancaster's main tourist attraction and is well worth the trip and expense.  Joseph was three years in the making bringing the biblical story to life "in such a profound way that minds and hearts will be branded by the powerful message of forgiveness."   As of last year the Sight and Sound in Branson opened and is featuring the delightful presentation of Noah. "Gleanings in Genesis"  You can read this book online and the parallels between Joseph and Jesus begins in chapter 40. "The Rewards Of Faithfulness" An excellent sermon (text only) on Joseph by Bruce Tippit, a pastor in Arkansas. I read a sermon like this and consider my many pastoral peers faithfully preaching God's Word in relative obscurity. Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne.

"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update 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 6/3/10 $5,608.00 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 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 these messages no longer meet your needs (providing encouragement) you can remove your address by merely use 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. It is merely the Friday 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! 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!) 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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