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Encouragement Net is encouraging
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Stephen
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Brooksyne Weber
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Daily Encouragement Net Bible
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this daily encouragement. You may easily unsubscribe at any
time." Daily
prayers:
A selection of prayers written by Brooksyne used in these
messages. Listen
to WDAC "Music for the Heart"
(Streaming HD
radio from our local Christian station)
Agora:
Articles concerning ministry at work. Resources
for Ministers:
Helps and ideas for pastors and others in
ministry.
Hymn
Story Net: Stories and
backgrounds behind the great
hymns. Scripture Memory Songs: A
selection of Scripture verses we
recorded in our home with
some friends. The words are
set to familiar music
as an aid to memorization in a discipleship training class. Music:
Songs recorded in my home studio.
Perspectives:
Articles on various contemporary issues.
"A
Little Foolishness" I
invite daily encouragement readers to visit our
blog which is a collection of humorous and satirical
stories
drawn
mostly from our years of ministry, as well as my sometimes fertile
imagination. We also welcome submissions from readers. Humor:
Have a laugh based on real experiences we have had as well as stories
submitted
by readers.
These
are a
selection of books that Brooksyne and I have read that have impacted
our walk with the
Lord and we especially recommend to others!
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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 honor God through my
faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for
eternity."
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495
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Church Road
Mount
Joy, PA
17552 USA Contact
Us
"For God
has chosen
the weak things in the world,
the
foolish,
the nothings.
That no flesh will glory
in His presence."
1
Corinthians 1:27-29
This
widget counts visitors by nation and
state. I
installed the widgets in mid April 2010 and they thus register unique
visits to the main page since then.
Lancaster Pennsylvania farm We pass this tidy farm just north of Mount Joy. The hay is harvested and the corn soon will be.
Come, ye thankful people, come, Raise the song of harvest home; All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin. God our Maker doth provide, for our wants to be supplied; Come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.
"Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul" (Acts 7:58).
In
the last three messages we have contended that our impact for Christ is
often a composite of smaller incremental components over a period of
time, using various methods, and through a variety of people.
Finally,
today in our four-part series, we want to consider one more aspect in
these incremental steps. Events that may seem coincidental are in
reality God's way of working behind the scenes to accomplish His
purpose or as it's been stated, "Coincidence is God's way of remaining
anonymous".
The first Christian martyr revealed in the New
Testament was Stephen. He was stoned after he preached his only sermon,
but what a sermon it was! He didn't attend a homiletics class where
student pastors learn how to give an effective sermon and yet he
delivered the most powerful and inspired sermon I've ever read. The
daily text introduces Saul as [coincidentally] being at the scene and
according to Acts 8:1 he also gave approval to the stoning.
But
what did Saul (known later as Paul) and the others witness at Stephen's
stoning? The Scripture highlights two statements that Stephen made just
before his death, both very similar to statements our Lord Jesus made
as He was dying on the cross:
1) "While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit'" (Acts 7:59).
This statement stands as a great contrast to the rage Stephen's
attackers shamelessly revealed as they gnashed their teeth at him, as
they covered their ears and yelled to the top of their voices, as they
rushed toward him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.
Of course we see another hate-filled setting and a very similar request that Jesus made when He hung from the Cross.
2) "Then
he fell on his knees and cried out, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against
them.' When he had said this, he fell asleep" (Acts 7:60). I
think the phrase "cried out" indicates he fully intended this to be
heard by the very ones who were causing his death. Here we see another
contrast when those who threw the deadly stones would now look upon
Stephen who "fell asleep" following his verbal forgiveness toward his
killers. One can only wonder the impact this had on all who heard it
including Saul. Again Jesus made a practically identical statement from the Cross.
Apart
from conjecture, we just don't know the lasting impact that Stephen's
words and actions might have had on Saul and all who looked on or were
participants in his death.
We need to realize that God is at
work in the details of our lives, in the adverse circumstances we deal
with, and in the day by day situations that come our way. Ultimately
what may seem simply a coincidence may very well be God's plan
unfolding and His hand directing us in the larger and smaller details
of life.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:Father,
the story of Stephen's stoning is filled with contrasts where we see
good in the midst of evil, love in the midst of hate, expansion of the
church in the midst of terrible persecution. You are always at work,
always providing, always showing loving concern for Your very own.
Enable us to fix our eyes on heaven's throne in the midst of troubles
that seek to weigh us down. Give us the faith to believe that You are
working for our good in the midst of circumstances that may seem the
opposite. The devil may deviously plot, but You have a loving plan,
and it's always for our good. And we thank You for it, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Note:
Some commentators feel that the daily verse may indicate that Saul had
an authoritative role in Stephen's stoning. However this is not clear.
He was initially hardened by the experience and became a great
persecutor of the young church before his miraculous conversion.
Al Worthley is a friend of mine who serves as my
chaplain overseer. The photo to the right shows us when we had dinner
with Al and his wife Adeline last year in Springfield, MO. Yesterday,
as I was preparing this message I received an email newsletter to
chaplains in which he shared a message which illustrates today's message.
FAITHFULNESS IN DUTY
Have
you ever wondered if your work is making a difference? Even when there are tasks that seem to be outside of the call you
responded to when you felt the call to become a chaplain? Early in
August I received a call from John Smith (not his real name), taking me
back 29 years to when I served as a chaplain at the Federal Correctional Institution in Texarkana, Texas.
Here is the story: John was locked up in segregation for some serious
infractions to institutional codes. He sent a formal request to see me,
but before I had the chance to go to his cell, I ran into his
correctional counselor who informed me that John had requested that I
serve as his staff representative to accompany him to the disciplinary
committee.
Staff representatives are expected to look over the facts of the alleged infraction
and speak on their behalf if warranted. His actions were serious and
generally resulted in prolonged segregation time or transfer to another
facility, especially if an inmate needed to be separated from one or
more inmates. John fit this category.
When I went to see him he said, “Here is what I want you to do; tell the
committee that I could not have committed (the infraction) because I
was in the chapel during the time of the incident.”
I knew he had been
at the chapel that day but not
at the time the infraction had been committed. When confronted with
this, he became angry and I told him I would be back when he cooled
down. Later that afternoon we again had time to meet. I simply asked,
“What would Jesus do?” John had regularly attended a 6 AM prayer
meeting on Tuesday mornings where we studied Andrew Murray’s book With Christ in the School of Prayer.
Based on what we were learning about “being in Christ,” I simply stated,
“Here is what I recommend that you do: give a full confession,
including naming your character faults which allowed you to justify
your actions. Take full responsibility and then apologize by naming
what you did and how you rationalized your action. Then ask for
forgiveness.” We discussed that he would have to bear the consequences
of his actions. We also discussed the guidelines the disciplinary
committee would use to discipline him.
John did confess and was
disciplined and spent several months “in-the-hole.” He used that time
to develop personal disciplines based on the book of Proverbs and the
Sermon on the Mount.
In
his recent call John thanked me for that time in
segregation. It changed his life. Now he serves on a church board, has a
successful business and has been on several mission trips. He said,
“What I learned in the ‘hole’ made my whole prison time worthwhile.”
I was
transferred from Texarkana while he finished his time in segregation. I
had forgotten about the incident and the studies I took to him before
leaving Texarkana. And what was I thinking over these 29 years of lost contact with John? That he was a loser.
Chaplains, I tell this story to encourage you.
1) You will not see or know the results of every part of your ministry. 2) What God is doing or using to grip the hearts of others may never be known. 3) All that is required of us is faithfulness. 4) The Word of God is powerful – allow it to do its work.
Stephen's note:
I called Al yesterday to thank him for sharing the story. He told me he
recalls initially meeting John when he had come into the chapel not out
of spiritual interest but to get away from trouble in the yard. Al
approached him to provide a witness for Christ, which was the beginning
of his ministerial relationship.
Challenge:
Is there someone you can contact today who made an impact on your life?
I found it interesting that it took this man 29 years to contact Al,
although I am glad he finally did and it sure encouraged Al and through
his story it will touch many others. Here's a story of a delayed expression of appreciation from my life.
Lancaster County Scenes
Schenks Mill Covered Bridge, Lancaster County, PA. This
is one of the most picturesque covered bridges in our area. On the
other side the road ends in a T with a beautiful farm directly ahead
(now covered by the lush foliage).
This
interesting, colorful building is actually right here in the small town
of Mount Joy although, due to the routes I take, I rarely pass by it. It used to be the "Central Hotel".
This
non-functioning decorative windmill was made by a friend from a truck
radiator fan and really turned fast! My brother Mike and I wondered if
that power could be harnessed.
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.)
Yesterday I shared a photo
I took on Tuesday on an Amish farm and mistakenly identified it as corn shocks. I
was corrected by a local reader that it was actually a photo of tobacco shocks.
See here for a photo of corn shocks.
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