Daily Encouragement (10/21/10) "Be Encouraged Today!"

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 Thursday, October 21, 2010 This plaque hangs above the doors in our dining room and is a reminder to us of God's faithfulness! In our home when we have guests we normally sing together the first verse and chorus of "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" prior to our prayer. Listen to this message on your audio player. Note to email subscribers: Today's message is much earlier than usual due to an early morning meeting we need to attend. "Be Encouraged Today!" "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:11). "When he (Saul) came to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles" (Acts 9:26,27). "Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus" (Acts 15:39). "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called 'Today,' so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13). Today is a special day in our family. First of all, it's Brooksyne's birthday so that's special for us, though Brooksyne keeps it more on the quiet as the years continue to grow (as with all of us, except my mom who got terribly excited weeks before each of her birthdays)! Early this morning we will be introduced to the employees of a new company we will be serving as chaplains and then we will make some regular chaplain visits before I take Brooksyne out for her birthday meal at the Shady Maple Smorgasbord!  It's buy one/get one free on your birthday so that's a big enticement! But today is also the very day this ministry started 14 years ago with a short email to just two email addresses  (both are still on the list).  I had preached a sermon the night before from Hebrews on encouraging one another daily and that was the leading I had from the Holy Spirit, although I would have no idea at that time it would continue the next day, then the next day, and now….fourteen years later! Barnabas is one of our favorite Bible characters to write about. Consider his influence; no book in the Bible was written by him, we don't have the text of any sermon he preached recorded in Acts as we do Peter, Stephen and Paul. In fact I am unable to find even a single quote attributed exclusively to Barnabas.  All the information we have about him is a brief, biographical snippet. But these snippets tell a lot about him. He first comes on the scene in Acts 4 as "Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement)", v. 36.  So Barnabas is essentially a nickname and every future reference to him in Scripture uses this nickname given by the apostles! The first daily verse is so typical of his ministry as an encourager. I sure can understand the apprehension of the disciples! After all Saul had a vicious reputation. His newfound conversion might have been a mere ruse to get in closed quarters with the disciples.  Note just the phrase "But Barnabas." His action is so indicative of an encourager.  Barnabas believed in the power of Jesus Christ to perform the miracle of transformation. And Saul (who became Paul) was genuinely transformed. Consider the tremendous contribution he made to the church in his apostolic ministry and letters. I am sure thankful for Barnabas who chose to stand up for him! But later a sharp disagreement came between the two men over the role John Mark was to have on a missions trip. Paul and Barnabas parted ways and Barnabas took John Mark on a separate mission trip. John Mark had let the team down on an earlier trip and Paul decided against taking him but Barnabas gave him a second chance. It appears that the two were reconciled at a later date when Paul gave John Mark a great reference. He wrote that he was "profitable to me for the ministry" (2 Timothy 4:11).  I am also heartened that Scripture indicates that Paul and Barnabas at some point reconciled. (See 1 Corinthians 9:6)  Barnabas is an encourager and additional references in Scripture demonstrate this. We are all indebted to encouragers even though it certainly is not considered one of the more prominent ministries, such as a polished preacher or a dynamic worship leader or powerful vocalist. A subtheme of this ministry is "Everyone Needs Encouragement."  I sure believe that. There are matters in our lives that can easily bring on discouragement but thankfully most of us don't live in a state of discouragement. And yet I don't believe there will ever come a time that I'd  say, "Naaa, I don't need anymore encouragement.  I've had enough for today. Thanks anyway."   I am always receptive to other's encouragement! And I expect that you feel the same way, so once again on the 14th anniversary of this ministry, let us once again declare to you: Be encouraged today! Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer:  Father, we're reminded of the important role people like Barnabas play in our lives.  They give us the benefit of the doubt; they reach out to us when others turn away; they see our need even when we don't verbally express it; they steer us in the right direction when we've taken a wrong turn; they model for us the reflection of Christ.  We thank You, Father, for Your Spirit manifested through these encouragers who physically, emotionally, and spiritually bless our lives by by their encouraging words and actions toward us. Prompt us often to spread the same kind of encouragement to those whom we have opportunity to bless.  In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Note: I never learned to type right. However I peck really fast with my index fingers, which is so inefficient that Brooksyne can't bear to watch when I'm doing it. Anyway, over 14 years the accumulative total of words typed is now over 2,000,000. (I keep a composite file of all the encouragement messages since the first one and as many of you know Microsoft Word has a nifty word count feature.)  However even this total is probably understated since as many writers know you tend to type many words that get chopped in the editing process! Ministry Update: For those interested I direct you to this short revised ministry update in light of the 14th anniversary of this ministry. Some Faces of Daily Encouragement Nigel and Laifong Lee were the very first recipients of a daily encouragement message on Monday morning, October 21, 1996. They have been on the list ever since and I reckon they have received some 3,500 daily messages! They live in the Boston area and are shown with their son Caleb. Laifong is from Malaysia and they met at Chi Alpha, a Christian campus ministry while in graduate school at Princeton. Both have earned scientific doctorates; Nigel's in electrical engineering and Laifong's in molecular biology. They attend the Boston Worship Center where Nigel has been an elder and they also have a Bible Study in their home.  Nigel has an interesting association for students in Christian literature. His grandmother's sister was married to Watchman Nee. We still hear from them occasionally and rejoice that they are staying faithful to the Lord. Andy Larrimore has been a friend since 1993 and was in our church in New England. He helped me to secure the domain name and set up the initial Daily Encouragement website in 1999. Andy had been in the banking industry but felt a leading to change careers. Daily Encouragement was the very first website he built but he now has his own web design business "Webs By Andy". He and his wife Joanne have two grown children, Ashley and Eric. Brad Park is a Canadian IT professional whom we have never met face to face! Many years ago he contacted me and offered to help with technical issues. He now hosts the website and covers the fee for the podcast. He's always available when I have a question or technical problem. One morning the website was down and although he had a splitting headache he labored to get the site back up! People periodically inquire about the "staff" of daily encouragement. Well, actually that's just Brooksyne and me, along with Brad at this time. Ministry Chronology October 21, 1996 - First email sent to a married couple and developed into a list (initially merely a group list added to manually one by one.) 1999 - Website developed 2002 - Moved to professional listserve (automated list manager for large lists) 2003 - Began radio messages 2004 - Resigned from job with EAP agency 2005 - Developed html email (formatted with photos), began podcasting daily messages, set up blogs/RSS feeds, Brooksyne "officially" joined in the message preparation. 2006 - Received official endorsement as an "internet chaplain" from chaplaincy endorsement agency (I had already received an endorsement for corporate chaplaincy and Civil Air Patrol chaplaincy.) 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.) "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" Video by Fernando Ortega "All Your Promises Are True" Video A faith-building song by Shannon Wexelburg. 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 10/20/10 $11,778.00 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! 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 (10/20/10) "A Good Minister"

Daily Encouragement Net

A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.

Trouble reading this message?  Read online or see archives

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 Wednesday, October 20, 2010 Mums for sale in Paradise, PA This farm grows mums to sell right from the wagon! Listen to this message on your audio player. Note: The message begins with an illustration a bit longer than normal. Scroll down for just the exposition of Scripture. "A Good Minister" "If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed" (1 Timothy 4:6). Years ago, in my early years of ministry, a friend excitedly told me that he had gotten his license to preach. I was taken back by his announcement as I had no idea that he had been preparing for ministry but he was more than happy to show me his wallet size card indicating that he was now a minister. I took a look at the organization that issued the card named "The Church of the Gospel".  This took place years before the internet so I mailed in a request for information and decided to test their legitimacy by requesting that my dog, Enoch, be ordained.  After all, he was a good dog, had a good biblical name, and was always quick to obey his master's orders. But, of course, Enoch needed help with the written application. So I obliged him by filling out the application indicating that his name was Enoch Weber, a 49-year-old male (in dog years 7 X 7), and gave him some pretty good references. There was no charge. Several weeks later I received a beautiful certificate which I still have (far more distinguished looking than my own official ordination certificate). Over the next several months I often received mail for Rev. Enoch Weber. Interestingly, some of the form letters requested that Enoch support an "orphanage in Mexico". He was also offered a doctorate for only $25.00 but I declined. I didn't bother applying since I didn't want him to have more schooling than I had. It was probably my own insecurity, but I thought that having a dog with more degrees than I had might cause problems in our home.  Now, many years later, Enoch is deceased and if there is such a place as doggy heaven I'm sure he's there, perhaps still known as "Rev. Enoch Weber". Did this certificate make Enoch a legitimate doctor?  If I paid the $25.00 for his doctorate would he then be a legitimate minister?  Years ago I shared this story on an electronic discussion group giving some food for thought.  One fellow minister made the following comment using a play on words, "I can just see Rev. Enoch putting his paw on your shoulder or forehead every time you say heel [heal]". Well I must say that the certificate really didn't make much difference to Enoch's "ministry".  He had the gift of hospitality as he was very friendly to all our guests except the paper boy. But frankly he really never was much of a preacher. OK, let's move onto more serious discussion and our lesson for today: Our daily text has us examine what it is to be "a good minister of Christ Jesus".  So I ask you, "What is a good minister of Christ Jesus?"  Is it based on the size of the church or take-home paycheck; how many degrees one has earned; the number of speaking engagements one acquires; appearances on television, etc. These are all means by which we may judge the success of a minister; including fellow ministers who evaluate each other's "success". But in the passage quoted above there is one major criterion for this "good minister".  "If you point these things out to the brothers…" The KJV translates, "If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things."  I like the way the Amplified Bible states it, "If you lay all these instructions before the brethren". "These things" are Paul's instructions to the church in the immediate context and by extension the full counsel of God's Word. John Gill comments that Timothy was admonished by Paul to "refresh the memories of the saints, who are apt, through negligence and inattention, and the weakness of the natural faculty, to be forgetful hearers of the word; that whenever such persons should arise, they might be on their guard against them. It is one part of the business of Gospel ministers to put the churches in mind of what they have received and known, and are established in." Believers, especially my fellow "ministers", we have a great assignment here. Stay in the Word, give those whom you serve a steady diet of the sound, immutable truths of Scripture. We are to be, "brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed." Now that's what Scripture describes as a good minister! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer: Father, we pray for our ministers of the Gospel; that they will preach the unadulterated truth from Your Holy Scriptures, just as You reminded Timothy through the inspired writings of Paul: *"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron."  May we be on guard as we are attentive and responsive to the warnings in Scripture, just as we are also consoled and encouraged by the verses of promise and assurance.  In the name of Jesus we pray.  Amen. * I Timothy 4:1,2 Here's another great challenge for those aspiring to be a "good minister". Today's story prompts some memories of our earliest years as a married couple. Enoch and Coon were two of our first pets as newlyweds.   When we first got married we lived in a tiny parsonage about 20 miles from Springfield, Missouri and pastored a very small country church that had been closed for awhile. We heated the house with a "Warm Morning" wood stove, ate lots of hot dogs and pork & beans as Brooksyne learned to cook and I worked for local farmers. Fond memories! We met some wonderful country folk with an earnest faith in Christ who had a formative part in our lives, especially an old farmer and his wife named Tracy and Beulah Sutherland. Tracy and Beulah Sutherland with a very young Brooksyne (during the "big hair" days.)   We had a very dear elderly couple in the church who were in their nineties at the time, Tracy and Beulah Sutherland. They had lived their entire lives in that region and had been sustenance farmers (that is essentially living off what they grew on their small farm).  They loved and accepted us, though we were very young and inexperienced. We esteem them and thank God that they were in our first congregation. Tracy went to be with the Lord shortly after we moved to the northeast but Beulah lived to be over 100.  We expect a glorious reunion with them one day! Enoch lived for about nine more years after we moved to pennsylvania to start a church. He looks quite uncomfortable while being reassured by Chrissy, one of our foster children, after getting into a losing tussle with a porcupine. I had to use pliers to remove the quills and that really hurt! Coon (like most kittens) had a way of getting into things. Here he is popping out of the hole in a propane tank cover. For those who may be interested here's a photo of Enoch's ordination certificate: Apparently the "Church of Gospel Ministry" (although I don't think it's the same one) is still around offering credentials and degrees. The ordination is "free" but now you pay $29.50 for processing, shipping & handling cost! You can also get all kinds of doctorates for a fee! Note: Some readers may be offended that I seem to be mocking such credential or degree mills. Well I am!  They are a sham and cheapen the meaning of genuine credentials or degrees by those who have worked diligently to earn them. Now I certainly don't think there's one right way to get ministerial credentials; some are based out of a local church, others by a denomination. In my case (and I assume it's similar for any legitimate source) credentialling requires a certain degree of education, a written ordination test that takes hours, a personal interview in front of a board of elders (presbyters in our term), written references, a criminal and credit background check, and I am not sure what else. Genuine credentials also include ongoing accountability and  are renewed annually. 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.) Today I simply couldn't recall a specific song to supplement our message but will share a song I enjoyed singing at a Men's Conference this last weekend.  "Jesus, Messiah"  Video  Chris Tomlin Then the Spirit dropped Keith Green into my mind and sure enough he has strong songs of commitment: "To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice"  Video  Keith Green "No Compromise"  Video  Keith Green The full "testimony" of our dog Enoch is here. 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 10/19/10 $11,728.00 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! 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 (10/19/10) "Making The Most Of Every Opportunity"

Daily Encouragement Net

A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.

Trouble reading this message?  Read online or see archives

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, October 19, 2010 An early morning view in Lancaster County. This is the Hess farm, right up the road from our house. (click on photo to enlarge) Listen to this message on your audio player. "Making The Most Of Every Opportunity" "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15,16). You never know when the opportunity for a witness will come to make an eternal impact on another soul. Rex Bornman is a longtime friend in ministry who has an interesting testimony. I spoke to him just this morning. He is currently pastoring in Charlotte NC. As a young man he was living a reckless life without regard to God. In fact he had no religious background at all. One day, in 1971, he was out riding his motorcycle with Gary Bellis in Newport, PA when they came upon a church where the roof was being repaired.  Gary's mother was attending the church at the time so the sight of the pastor up on the roof must have stirred up some compassion with the guys.   They decided to stop and see if they could lend the pastor a hand. Now at that time Rex was a wild hippy type with long hair. Drugs and alcohol were a large part of his regular intake.  On the other hand the pastor, Harry Vaughn, was the traditional straight-laced type. Rex recalls that he had a crew cut at the time.  The pastor came down off the roof to greet them and made what surely seemed an odd request to Rex, "Can I ride your motorcycle?" Rex was somewhat taken aback but agreed to let him. The pastor got on the bike and took off down the road at full throttle much to Rex's consternation. A few minutes later he roared back in doing a wheelie! The pastor went on to have a spiritual impact on both Rex and Gary. God works in mysterious ways, because Gary also gave his life to Jesus and in 1975 he was installed as the pastor of this very church and continues to be the pastor to this day.  No doubt this was an answer to Gary's mother's prayers for her son's salvation. For the past 34 years we have visited in homes and had folks over to visit us. We are strong advocates of Christianity being expressed at the local level, individually and among families.  But ministry of any sort can, at times, be discouraging. One of the benefits of aging is a long-term perspective and getting an increasingly bigger picture of how God is using us and even the way that God is working things out. All of you reading this who follow Christ are in ministry, although we often associate "ministry" in a formal, vocational way such as the pastor of a local church. But God has called each of His followers to serve and that's the root meaning of minister.  You are spread all around the world in a wide variety of settings to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, called to make the most of every opportunity. Today's Scripture text is an ongoing call we all do well to heed: I say "be careful" a lot and sometimes it seems to slightly offend people.  Perhaps they infer that I think they won't be careful! I must confess that I still remind Brooksyne and Ester to be careful when crossing the street.  You can probably imagine the look I get from them. But it's actually an expression of my love.  In our daily text Scripture states that we are to "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise." This is speaking of the whole of living life. Jesus taught that the wise man builds his house on the rock, hearing and practicing His teachings. (see Matthew 7:24-27)  Paul wrote to Timothy a challenge that has meant so much to me especially since my ordination in 1979 when I did a thorough study of verses dealing with ministry. The pastoral epistles were a special focus of my study.  Concerning Timothy's ministry Paul wrote, "Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you" (1 Timothy 4:15,16). The daily text continues, "Making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."  Today, look for the opportunities to serve that God will providentially place before you.  I wonder when Pastor Vaughn went up on the church roof in the early seventies if he had any idea that he would have an opportunity to make an eternal impact on two troubled young men riding by on motorcycles. It's not just in the pulpit that people are challenged to live for Christ, but it's often in the everyday grind that believers have opportunity to make an eternal difference in one's life.  In fact in my view it's far more often. Let us share His love and care today.  And let's depend on Him for the long-term results. As life progresses you will increasingly see the blessed fruit of your labors! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily Prayer:  Father, we are called to obedience to Your Word which compels us to make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.  As we see evil crouching in at every level, it's all the more reason why we must be vigilant to live pure lives so that the light of Jesus shines through our words and our actions in this darkened world.  We want to pay close attention to ourselves and persevere in the truths presented in Scripture so that we will ensure salvation both for ourselves and those whom we have opportunity to influence.  In the name of Jesus we pray.  Amen. Rex, whom we wrote about in today's story is now pastoring the Christlifechurch in Charlotte, NC and he told me that Harry Vaughn, the pastor in the story now lives in Raleigh, NC. My brother had shared this testimony when we were at a men's conference this last weekend that had a motorcycle theme (which apparently prompted the memory). This morning I looked Rex up in a minister's directory to confirm the details and saw that he lives in Indian Trail, NC. where Bob and Linda Southard, also longtime friends live and turns out that Rex knows them as well.   Gary Bellis, who was also unconverted at the time and rode motorcycles with with Rex.  He and his wife Mary were converted to Christ at the church where they had helped the pastor in Newport, PA on Palm Sunday 1971. In the fall of the same year, they responded to the call of God and began preparation for ministry. Upon completion of their education, they returned to Newport and in July 1975 he was installed as Senior Pastor where he serves to this day! Yesterday Brian Althouse and his new wife Bekah stopped by for a visit and blessing on their new marriage. I had visited Brian several years ago in one of the companies we serve as chaplains. He is now in the service and preparing to deploy to Korea. He is an earnest follower of Christ and shares this brief message with our readers:   "Recently on my way back to Pennsylvania from Missouri where I trained at Fort Leonard Wood my wife Bekah and I stopped at the Creation Museum in Kentucky.  While we were there we saw a video presentation by Ken Ham where he used a verse to describe the condition of America today, "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD" (Amos 8:11).  I totally agreed with him, as I have a heart for missions that focuses on the United States.  I have a deep desire to share the true Word of God with our morally decaying nation.  Unfortunately many are not sharing the Word and fewer want to hear the truth of it. The Holy Spirit then led me to read the whole book of Amos and I was very blessed by the experience. Actually, as with most of the books of prophecy, they bear reading more than once, so I continue to read it multiple times to grasp every meaning I can get out of the Word of God." 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.) "Lead me Lord, I Will Follow"  Video  Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir "Use Me"  Video  Ron Kenoly 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 10/18/10 $11,673.00 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! 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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