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Outdoor pianist near Central Market, Lancaster PA
Throughout downtown Lancaster 20 brightly painted upright pianos brighten the shopping landscape where people are welcome to sit down and play. After the man (pictured) had played awhile Brooksyne sat down and asked those gathered around to sing as she played "Jesus Loves Me" and they did so, including a man in the parking lot ticket booth! He commented that he had endured a lot of banging since the piano's arrival and was appreciative of those who could actually play.
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Note to international readers: Today is a national holiday here in the USA called "Memorial Day".
"A righteous man will be remembered forever" (Psalm 112:6).
Memorial Day was initially set aside to remember those who died at war but it has been extended as a time to remember all deceased loved ones. This day many will visit the graves of family members as an expression of lasting remembrance as they visibly show their honor and affection.
Yet for many, perhaps most, there will be little remembrance, but merely another long weekend and the unofficial start of summer. Plenty of picnics, swimming, partying, drinking and driving! So many live their lives only for the present, giving little thought to the past or their future.
We need to hear what the Apostle James says, "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14). Nearly 2,000 years have passed since Jesus said, "I will build my church." Our life will only comprise a small fraction of that period of time (about 4% of it). That's pretty humbling isn't it? And if you go all the way back to creation it's an even smaller percentage.
But Psalm 112 gives a broader and more lasting perspective of this fleeting life. It extols the blessings of the man who "fears the Lord and finds great delight in His commands" (verse 1). Oh, that our hearts would yearn for the lasting value that comes from implementing God's commands more than seeking after the temporal value of worldly goods or the glitz of fame, power or glamour. The Psalmist also wrote, "I love Your commands more than gold, more than pure gold…Your statutes are wonderful, therefore I will obey them" (Psalm 119:127,129).
Our text today is, "A righteous man will be remembered forever." Read that again slowly. How do we become righteous? Certainly it is not attainable within ourselves, for we know all too well our natural inclination to sin. But following our salvation experience we choose to follow God's commands. It is then that we see the effectiveness and fruitful outflow of His principles and guidance in our lives and it develops a righteous heart within us. It is Jesus' righteousness imputed in us that makes the difference. We no longer feel that we "have to" follow His commands but we "want to". Our heart's desires align our will with His and we seek to be like Jesus.
The vast majority of human beings who lived in 1850 are long forgotten. But there are various reasons people are remembered long after their death such as:
• Evil lives
• Significant inventions
• Literary works
• National leadership
But the highest form of remembrance that all of us can have is our devotion to God and our service for Him. Even though only a small portion of Christ's followers are remembered on this side, generations will follow their example and leave similar legacies of righteous living.
Today we challenge you to be remembered for:
• The spiritual, Christ focused impact you are making presently.
• The godly, eternal legacy you will leave behind.
I want to be remembered today for what matters most. I want to follow Jesus Christ and seek to live as a righteous man according to His plan. "A righteous man will be remembered forever." This is a promise I want to live by!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, help me to store up this vital Scripture today; "a righteous man will be remembered forever." When I'm tempted to compromise my integrity in exchange for ungodly behavior may this Scripture ring alarm bells in my heart and mind. Let its truth persuade me to say "no" to ungodliness and worldly passions and instead to live a self-controlled and godly life in this present age. Your way is the best way and it is the lasting way. Amen.
Psalm 112
Friday
afternoon John and Bonita Watts from Tulsa stopped by to see us. They
are friends with Stephen's cousin, Anna Lee, and attend the same
church. Tulsa is a large city but as we began to get acquainted we
learned that they both worked for a number of years at Bama Pie with
Brooksyne's Aunt Ramona. You may never have heard of Bama Pie but
you've probably eaten their food: biscuits and fruit pies at McDonalds
or pizza crust at Pizza Hut - makes me hungry just to write about it!
Yesterday we held a memorial service at Longwood Assisted Living where we both serve as chaplains. We honored two World War 2 vets who were in the service. Clarence (left) served in the infantry in the Pacific and Charles (right) was a P-51 pilot. Charles and I thus have a rather exclusive distinction; both of us have flown in P-51 Mustangs. I did so when I was in High School over Tulsa, Oklahoma with my cousin Anna Lee's late husband Bob, who was a pilot who owned a P-51.
Saturday morning several in our church served breakfast at the Water Street Rescue Mission in downtown Lancaster. This is the first time in my life I've ever done something like this that I recall. Many, many years ago my Mom worked at the City Union Rescue Mission in Kansas City Missouri and I recall how often she shared what that experience meant to her.
Some creative person made this wall hanging which hangs in the dining hall using knots as a theme. Click here for a larger version with detail.
After serving breakfast at Water Street we went to the Central Market, which is the oldest continuously operating public market in the country. Here's another neat view of the alley in front of the market.
The inside of the market is packed with Saturday morning shoppers. Fresh produce,meats,bakeries,florists,crafts, regional tourist gifts, etc. are sold from small individually run stands.
Penn Square Lancaster, PA
This photo was taken outside Central Market at the city center which has this statue right in the center of the road.
See here on Google map.
Here's an article about the outdoor pianos in Lancaster.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Outdoor pianist near Central Market, Lancaster PA
Throughout downtown Lancaster 20 brightly painted upright pianos brighten the shopping landscape where people are welcome to sit down and play. After the man (pictured) had played awhile Brooksyne sat down and asked those gathered around to sing as she played "Jesus Loves Me" and they did so, including a man in the parking lot ticket booth! He commented that he had endured a lot of banging since the piano's arrival and was appreciative of those who could actually play.
Listen to this message on
your
audio player.Note to international readers: Today is a national holiday here in the USA called "Memorial Day".
"Remembered Forever"
"A righteous man will be remembered forever" (Psalm 112:6).
Memorial Day was initially set aside to remember those who died at war but it has been extended as a time to remember all deceased loved ones. This day many will visit the graves of family members as an expression of lasting remembrance as they visibly show their honor and affection.
Yet for many, perhaps most, there will be little remembrance, but merely another long weekend and the unofficial start of summer. Plenty of picnics, swimming, partying, drinking and driving! So many live their lives only for the present, giving little thought to the past or their future.
We need to hear what the Apostle James says, "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14). Nearly 2,000 years have passed since Jesus said, "I will build my church." Our life will only comprise a small fraction of that period of time (about 4% of it). That's pretty humbling isn't it? And if you go all the way back to creation it's an even smaller percentage.
But Psalm 112 gives a broader and more lasting perspective of this fleeting life. It extols the blessings of the man who "fears the Lord and finds great delight in His commands" (verse 1). Oh, that our hearts would yearn for the lasting value that comes from implementing God's commands more than seeking after the temporal value of worldly goods or the glitz of fame, power or glamour. The Psalmist also wrote, "I love Your commands more than gold, more than pure gold…Your statutes are wonderful, therefore I will obey them" (Psalm 119:127,129).
Our text today is, "A righteous man will be remembered forever." Read that again slowly. How do we become righteous? Certainly it is not attainable within ourselves, for we know all too well our natural inclination to sin. But following our salvation experience we choose to follow God's commands. It is then that we see the effectiveness and fruitful outflow of His principles and guidance in our lives and it develops a righteous heart within us. It is Jesus' righteousness imputed in us that makes the difference. We no longer feel that we "have to" follow His commands but we "want to". Our heart's desires align our will with His and we seek to be like Jesus.
The vast majority of human beings who lived in 1850 are long forgotten. But there are various reasons people are remembered long after their death such as:
• Evil lives
• Significant inventions
• Literary works
• National leadership
But the highest form of remembrance that all of us can have is our devotion to God and our service for Him. Even though only a small portion of Christ's followers are remembered on this side, generations will follow their example and leave similar legacies of righteous living.
Today we challenge you to be remembered for:
• The spiritual, Christ focused impact you are making presently.
• The godly, eternal legacy you will leave behind.
I want to be remembered today for what matters most. I want to follow Jesus Christ and seek to live as a righteous man according to His plan. "A righteous man will be remembered forever." This is a promise I want to live by!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, help me to store up this vital Scripture today; "a righteous man will be remembered forever." When I'm tempted to compromise my integrity in exchange for ungodly behavior may this Scripture ring alarm bells in my heart and mind. Let its truth persuade me to say "no" to ungodliness and worldly passions and instead to live a self-controlled and godly life in this present age. Your way is the best way and it is the lasting way. Amen.
Psalm 112
Yesterday we held a memorial service at Longwood Assisted Living where we both serve as chaplains. We honored two World War 2 vets who were in the service. Clarence (left) served in the infantry in the Pacific and Charles (right) was a P-51 pilot. Charles and I thus have a rather exclusive distinction; both of us have flown in P-51 Mustangs. I did so when I was in High School over Tulsa, Oklahoma with my cousin Anna Lee's late husband Bob, who was a pilot who owned a P-51.
Saturday morning several in our church served breakfast at the Water Street Rescue Mission in downtown Lancaster. This is the first time in my life I've ever done something like this that I recall. Many, many years ago my Mom worked at the City Union Rescue Mission in Kansas City Missouri and I recall how often she shared what that experience meant to her.
Some creative person made this wall hanging which hangs in the dining hall using knots as a theme. Click here for a larger version with detail.
After serving breakfast at Water Street we went to the Central Market, which is the oldest continuously operating public market in the country. Here's another neat view of the alley in front of the market.
The inside of the market is packed with Saturday morning shoppers. Fresh produce,meats,bakeries,florists,crafts, regional tourist gifts, etc. are sold from small individually run stands.
Penn Square Lancaster, PA
This photo was taken outside Central Market at the city center which has this statue right in the center of the road.
See here on Google map.
Here's an article about the outdoor pianos in Lancaster.
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.)
(In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.)
"Find Us Faithful" Video
Steve Green We ended our service yesterday with this song and a call to stay faithful to the Lord.
"Letters From War" Video Mark Schultz Yesterday Ester suggested this touching song as she considered the Memorial Day theme.
Central Market in Lancaster PA
"Letters From War" Video Mark Schultz Yesterday Ester suggested this touching song as she considered the Memorial Day theme.
Central Market in Lancaster PA
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Text only version for printing: To make a text only version for printing (without photos or any of the supplemental materials)
1) Open the basic text editor that comes with all computers (known as wordpad, textpad, etc.) You can also use a program like Word and select paste text only.
2) Select and copy the text from the portion of the message you want to print.
3) Paste into the text pad. (The photos won't show up but you will have a brief text description of the photo which you can delete or just ignore.)
4) Format if you desire (change font, increase or decrease size, etc.)
5) Print!
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 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."
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Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
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