The online Bible
teaching ministry of Stephen &
Brooksyne Weber
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
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Friday, November 16,
2018
We got our dog
Roxie in early 2005 when she was a pup.
The photo to the left shows her preparing
to go to an assisted living center as a
"therapy dog" when she was just a year
old. But she's now 14 and experiencing
symptoms related to old age. Though she
still enjoys a couple mile walk with
Brooksyne she has a hard time climbing
stairs and has no interest in playing with
Mollie, much to Mollie's disappointment.
Prior to a couple of weeks ago she had
never been to the vet under our care
except when she was "fixed" as a puppy. We
take her to Tractor Supply for her 3 year
rabies shot. She's had a fulfilling life
here in the country, including memorable
encounters with skunks, electric fences
and fox traps.
We offer these resources to families and church leaders to enrich the spiritual impact of the Thanksgiving holiday. We will post these resources through Thanksgiving Day here in the US (November 22).
"Thankful
For The Thorns": A
family reading and exercise that
is a wonderful way to give a
thoughtful focus around your
Thanksgiving Table. (Note: You
will need a good reader who should
be given the story ahead of time
to review so that it's read with
expression and clarity.) For many
of us the Thanksgiving celebration
typically includes family coming
together for a huge meal and
hopefully a heartfelt prayer of
thankfulness. However it can often
be difficult to have a spiritually
oriented conversation. Why not add
some stimulating discussion about
the ways God has worked in your
life over the past year! Here's an
idea for sharing together around
the table the theme of "Thankful
for the Thorns" (printable
webpage).
"A Thanksgiving family exercise" (pdf) We have used this questionnaire as a stimulus for discussion among family members in the past in our home. We encourage you to share results around the table at Thanksgiving before or after the meal.
A Thanksgiving prayer: Written by Joe Sherer, a pastor friend of ours and shared as the benediction at our community Thanksgiving Eve service many years ago. (blog post) For those who enjoy written prayers this would be a beautiful prayer to read together at the Thanksgiving table.
A Thanksgiving Scripture reading: A selection of Old and New Testament readings dealing with thankfulness appropriate for church, family and personal readings. (pdf) (Suitable for printing out and copying.)
A Suggestion for a Family Tradition from our long-time friend Bob Southard: After the turkey, the cranberries, the pie, we all get out our Bibles to read our favorite thanksgiving verse. From the youngest to the oldest we share God’s Word and tell why it is so special to us!
Yesterday
we shared a photo of our first seasonal snow as it was
starting in the morning. Here's a photo in late
afternoon after the snow stopped and the wind blew snow
off the trees. We ended up getting about 6 or more
inches and it has sure caused traffic accidents and
evening cancellations including an event we were to
attend last night.
"Assumptions
Can Be Wrong"
Message
summary: We can make a lot of
assumptions in life and sometimes they
make sense based on the information we
have at our disposal. If we don't seek
further clarification there's a tendency
to invest in those assumptions which can
blind us to real facts once they are
revealed.
Listen
to our message on
your audio player.
"The
LORD does not look at the things man
looks at. Man looks at the outward
appearance, but the LORD looks at the
heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
We got our dog
Roxie in early 2005 when she was a pup.
The photo to the left shows her preparing
to go to an assisted living center as a
"therapy dog" when she was just a year
old. But she's now 14 and experiencing
symptoms related to old age. Though she
still enjoys a couple mile walk with
Brooksyne she has a hard time climbing
stairs and has no interest in playing with
Mollie, much to Mollie's disappointment.
Prior to a couple of weeks ago she had
never been to the vet under our care
except when she was "fixed" as a puppy. We
take her to Tractor Supply for her 3 year
rabies shot. She's had a fulfilling life
here in the country, including memorable
encounters with skunks, electric fences
and fox traps.A
couple of weeks ago Brooksyne and Ester
took Roxie to the vet due to some medical
concerns. Immediately following the vet
visit we made a chaplain visit to our
nearest company where I met a customer,
Jim, who had come in to purchase some
supplies. He was a very friendly man and,
after I told him I was the company
chaplain serving alongside my wife, he
enthusiastically expressed his faith in
the Lord. Like so many we meet he was not
familiar with the concept of a corporate
chaplain but expressed his full support
toward our role as chaplains.
Jim
then
inquired about the warehouse supervisor,
Rox
anne (whom he called Roxie)
pictured to the right. Over the past year
Roxanne has gone through major cancer
treatment and then her daughter, Heather,
who was a long time employee of the same
company, died suddenly in August.* I
had not yet talked to Roxanne that day but
told him my wife regularly followed up
with her.
anne (whom he called Roxie)
pictured to the right. Over the past year
Roxanne has gone through major cancer
treatment and then her daughter, Heather,
who was a long time employee of the same
company, died suddenly in August.* I
had not yet talked to Roxanne that day but
told him my wife regularly followed up
with her. After
our chaplain visit that afternoon
Brooksyne told me about an interesting
conversation she had with a nice customer
she had met. I'll let her tell the story:
As
I was walking through the large warehouse
a customer approached me and said, "So
you're the chaplain!" I was a bit
surprised that a complete stranger could
pick me out as a chaplain but I responded,
"Yes I am." He then inquired, "How's Roxie
doing?"
It
was one thing that he could pick me out as
the chaplain, having never met me. But
then, how did he know about our dog,
Roxie, who was still fresh on my mind
since I'd just been to the vet. A little
flabbergasted all I could say was, "And
how do you know about Roxie?"
He
then went on to ask with genuine interest,
"I just wondered how Roxie's doing since
her daughter's death?" Then a bright light
came on, and I felt like such an idiot,
when I realized he was not
inquiring about our dog, Roxie, but
Roxanne, whom we never call Roxie!
Once I realized who he was talking about
our conversation turned to the kind of
talk that chaplains often have with
employees, and in this case, a customer of
the company. BTW, Stephen shared this
story with Roxanne, the supervisor, and
she chuckled about the confusion in names,
also giving us permission to share this
story today.
We
can make a lot of assumptions in life and
sometimes they make sense based on the
information we have at our disposal. If we
don't seek further clarification there's a
tendency to invest in those
assumptions which can blind us to real
facts once they are revealed.
Let's examine a portion of the Bible when an assumption was made that turned out to be wrong. Today's Scripture text concerns Samuel's selection of a king. Initially Samuel was focused on man's outward appearance and assumed these were the things that mattered to God.
He saw one of Jesse's sons named Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD." It might have been Eliab's height or muscular appearance that led Samuel to make the assumption this was the future king.
Let's examine a portion of the Bible when an assumption was made that turned out to be wrong. Today's Scripture text concerns Samuel's selection of a king. Initially Samuel was focused on man's outward appearance and assumed these were the things that mattered to God.
He saw one of Jesse's sons named Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD." It might have been Eliab's height or muscular appearance that led Samuel to make the assumption this was the future king.
But he received correction from the Lord.
The full verse states, "But the LORD
said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his
appearance or his height, for I have
rejected him (Eliab). The LORD does
not look at the things man looks at. Man
looks at the outward appearance, but the
LORD looks at the heart'."
We can make a lot of assumptions based on appearance and sometimes we're correct but other times we stand corrected. Before jumping to conclusions we need to go beyond the outward surface and try to understand a person's heart. Appearances can be deceiving; true character is shown by one's life and actions. We need to view people in the same light that God views them, though God sees and knows far more than we as humans can, so His evaluation far surpasses people's assessments. We often judge people by their appearance and actions, but God knows the very motive and intent of our actions.
A couple of thoughts concerning "Man looks at the outward appearance":
* Outward appearance can be deceiving; a clean-cut, well-dressed individual on the outside may be altogether different on the inside, and vice-versa!
* Acceptable outward appearance varies by culture and age. Features like facial hair, clothing styles and so forth vary generation by generation. Very few of us dress as those in the Bible times!
Since "the Lord looks at the heart" we also need to direct our attention to the heart of a person. He or she is someone God loves and wants to redeem or someone God has redeemed and may be in the process of transforming. Actually, we are all in that transforming process aren't we?
Be encouraged today!
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, while the world obsesses about
outward appearances such as good looks,
muscular bodies or perfect figures Your
Word is impassioned with teaching
regarding the inner heart; the very
character of who we really are that
nobody can see except You. Help us to be
more concerned about what You see on the
inside than what others view from the
outside. Peace, joy, love and many other
Christian virtues come from within our
redeemed spirit which no education,
outward adornment, fashion accessory or
muscular frame can produce or duplicate.
Help us to be slow to judge and quick to
pray for those who are different from us
and help us to see them and love them as
Jesus does. It is in His name that we
pray. Amen.
On A Lighter Note about false assumptions: We are glad Brooksyne's initial assumption was quickly clarified regarding her confusion between our dog Roxie and Roxanne when she talked to the customer. What if she would have gone into detail about Roxie's afflictions; how she was having trouble with her memory, how she wanders out of the yard, the mysterious round lesions on her back and so forth. What if she had said, "It's getting close to the time we have to consider letting her go!" (Scratch that last statement as Brooksyne gets very upset with me if I ever approach that subject! She quickly reprimands me by saying it's no teasing matter. She's right, of course.) Thankfully, Roxie's situation is treatable and we hope she will soon be back to her normal self as she has been a wonderful pet for the past 14 years!
We can make a lot of assumptions based on appearance and sometimes we're correct but other times we stand corrected. Before jumping to conclusions we need to go beyond the outward surface and try to understand a person's heart. Appearances can be deceiving; true character is shown by one's life and actions. We need to view people in the same light that God views them, though God sees and knows far more than we as humans can, so His evaluation far surpasses people's assessments. We often judge people by their appearance and actions, but God knows the very motive and intent of our actions.
A couple of thoughts concerning "Man looks at the outward appearance":
* Outward appearance can be deceiving; a clean-cut, well-dressed individual on the outside may be altogether different on the inside, and vice-versa!
* Acceptable outward appearance varies by culture and age. Features like facial hair, clothing styles and so forth vary generation by generation. Very few of us dress as those in the Bible times!
Since "the Lord looks at the heart" we also need to direct our attention to the heart of a person. He or she is someone God loves and wants to redeem or someone God has redeemed and may be in the process of transforming. Actually, we are all in that transforming process aren't we?
Be encouraged today!
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, while the world obsesses about
outward appearances such as good looks,
muscular bodies or perfect figures Your
Word is impassioned with teaching
regarding the inner heart; the very
character of who we really are that
nobody can see except You. Help us to be
more concerned about what You see on the
inside than what others view from the
outside. Peace, joy, love and many other
Christian virtues come from within our
redeemed spirit which no education,
outward adornment, fashion accessory or
muscular frame can produce or duplicate.
Help us to be slow to judge and quick to
pray for those who are different from us
and help us to see them and love them as
Jesus does. It is in His name that we
pray. Amen.*Heather
Leaman worked for Kleen-Rite for 21
years and had major health issues that
eventually claimed her life at age 41. She
had great enthusiasm for her workplace and
has been greatly missed, not only by her
family, but also by her co-workers and
friends since her untimely death.
On A Lighter Note about false assumptions: We are glad Brooksyne's initial assumption was quickly clarified regarding her confusion between our dog Roxie and Roxanne when she talked to the customer. What if she would have gone into detail about Roxie's afflictions; how she was having trouble with her memory, how she wanders out of the yard, the mysterious round lesions on her back and so forth. What if she had said, "It's getting close to the time we have to consider letting her go!" (Scratch that last statement as Brooksyne gets very upset with me if I ever approach that subject! She quickly reprimands me by saying it's no teasing matter. She's right, of course.) Thankfully, Roxie's situation is treatable and we hope she will soon be back to her normal self as she has been a wonderful pet for the past 14 years!
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
Brooksyne
is looking forward to a special
service, which includes the choir,
at our church this weekend. It
includes a number of songs we
enjoy including these two:
"What A
Beautiful Name" Video
The Brooklyn Tabernacle
Choir What a blessing and
glimpse of heaven to watch and
hear the multi-racial,
multi-ethnic Brooklyn Tabernacle
Choir! We attended a service at
this church about ten years ago.
About twenty-five years ago
Brooksyne attended a choral
training conference with Carol
Cymbala the BTC director.
"Behold
Our God" Video
California Baptist UniversityChoir
and Orchestra. We
enjoy the new emphasis of using
joyful expression when you sing!
For those who don't sing solo, in
a choir, or choral arrangement may
not realize just how hard it is to
smile while singing! It takes a
good choir director to get all
the choir members on board for
such a presentation.
Special
Thanksgiving Resources
We offer these resources to families and church leaders to enrich the spiritual impact of the Thanksgiving holiday. We will post these resources through Thanksgiving Day here in the US (November 22).
"Thankful
For The Thorns": A
family reading and exercise that
is a wonderful way to give a
thoughtful focus around your
Thanksgiving Table. (Note: You
will need a good reader who should
be given the story ahead of time
to review so that it's read with
expression and clarity.) For many
of us the Thanksgiving celebration
typically includes family coming
together for a huge meal and
hopefully a heartfelt prayer of
thankfulness. However it can often
be difficult to have a spiritually
oriented conversation. Why not add
some stimulating discussion about
the ways God has worked in your
life over the past year! Here's an
idea for sharing together around
the table the theme of "Thankful
for the Thorns" (printable
webpage)."A Thanksgiving family exercise" (pdf) We have used this questionnaire as a stimulus for discussion among family members in the past in our home. We encourage you to share results around the table at Thanksgiving before or after the meal.
A Thanksgiving prayer: Written by Joe Sherer, a pastor friend of ours and shared as the benediction at our community Thanksgiving Eve service many years ago. (blog post) For those who enjoy written prayers this would be a beautiful prayer to read together at the Thanksgiving table.
A Thanksgiving Scripture reading: A selection of Old and New Testament readings dealing with thankfulness appropriate for church, family and personal readings. (pdf) (Suitable for printing out and copying.)
A Suggestion for a Family Tradition from our long-time friend Bob Southard: After the turkey, the cranberries, the pie, we all get out our Bibles to read our favorite thanksgiving verse. From the youngest to the oldest we share God’s Word and tell why it is so special to us!
We appreciate listening
to and singing the Thanksgiving
hymns and songs.
"In
Everything Give Thanks"
Video
Charlotte Ritchie, Jeff &
Sheri Easter This song will
bring joy to your heart!
"Now Thank We All Our God" Video Best Loved Hymns
"Come Ye Thankful People Come" Video Traditional version
Contemporary version but thankfully maintaining same tune and lyrics Video
"Thanksgiving Medley" (We Gather Together, For The Beauty Of The Earth, Come Ye Thankful People Come) Video Studio Musicians
"Give Thanks" Video Don Moen
"Thank You Lord" Video Community Choir at a Lancaster Day of Prayer event in 2008.
"Thanks" Video Marshall Hall and the Homecoming Singers
"I Want To Thank You" Video Karen Peck and New River This is a song expressing thankfulness to the many people who impact our lives in big and small ways. It also reminds us of the blessing of seemingly insignificant expressions of faith. From the Gaither Homecoming series.
"Thank You Lord For Your Blessings On Me" Video Gordon Mote & Jason Crabb
"I'm Forever Grateful" Video Willow Creek
"Worthy Is The Lamb, Crown Him, Crown Him With Many Crowns" Video Travis Cottrell
"Thank You, Lord" Video Dennis Jernigan
"10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)" Video Matt Redman
"Now Thank We All Our God" Video Best Loved Hymns
"Come Ye Thankful People Come" Video Traditional version
Contemporary version but thankfully maintaining same tune and lyrics Video
"Thanksgiving Medley" (We Gather Together, For The Beauty Of The Earth, Come Ye Thankful People Come) Video Studio Musicians
"Give Thanks" Video Don Moen
"Thank You Lord" Video Community Choir at a Lancaster Day of Prayer event in 2008.
"Thanks" Video Marshall Hall and the Homecoming Singers
"I Want To Thank You" Video Karen Peck and New River This is a song expressing thankfulness to the many people who impact our lives in big and small ways. It also reminds us of the blessing of seemingly insignificant expressions of faith. From the Gaither Homecoming series.
"Thank You Lord For Your Blessings On Me" Video Gordon Mote & Jason Crabb
"I'm Forever Grateful" Video Willow Creek
"Worthy Is The Lamb, Crown Him, Crown Him With Many Crowns" Video Travis Cottrell
"Thank You, Lord" Video Dennis Jernigan
"10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)" Video Matt Redman
Stephen
and
Brooksyne
Weber
About Us
"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!"
Personal Ministry Update
Daily Encouragement chaplaincy website.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
About Us
"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!"
Personal Ministry Update
Daily Encouragement chaplaincy website.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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We
realize there are many fine
ministries and causes requesting
support but if the Lord would
lead you we surely need and
appreciate the financial support
from our readers and listeners.
Our ministry labor is comprised of approximately half our time to Daily Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to companies for which we receive compensation. Each of these ministries essentially is the same as a part-time job (20+ hours weekly) for each of us. Our goal for many years is that each would provide half of our ministry expenses and income.
If you would consider making a donation to our ministry see here for more information.
Donate directly online here. This will open to a page that designates the offering to: WEBER,STEPHEN CHAP, Specialized Chaplaincy Ministry ID: 700001-237376
Please Note:
We also provide this familiar
option due to the convenience,
for international supporters,
and for those who may not be
concerned regarding receiving
an official tax deductible
receipt.
Click here
to send an offering using
PayPal.
This will open to a page that
states "Brooksyne Weber"
2018 offerings YTD to Daily Encouragement Net: $13,794.00
iHeart
radio
Permissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
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.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2018 Stephen C. & Brooksyne Weber - All Rights Reserved
We
realize there are many fine
ministries and causes requesting
support but if the Lord would
lead you we surely need and
appreciate the financial support
from our readers and listeners.Our ministry labor is comprised of approximately half our time to Daily Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to companies for which we receive compensation. Each of these ministries essentially is the same as a part-time job (20+ hours weekly) for each of us. Our goal for many years is that each would provide half of our ministry expenses and income.
If you would consider making a donation to our ministry see here for more information.
Donate directly online here. This will open to a page that designates the offering to: WEBER,STEPHEN CHAP, Specialized Chaplaincy Ministry ID: 700001-237376
Please Note:
We also provide this familiar
option due to the convenience,
for international supporters,
and for those who may not be
concerned regarding receiving
an official tax deductible
receipt.
Click here
to send an offering using
PayPal.
This will open to a page that
states "Brooksyne Weber"2018 offerings YTD to Daily Encouragement Net: $13,794.00
iHeart
radioPermissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
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.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2018 Stephen C. & Brooksyne Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement
Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road -
Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA