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"Generations come and generations go" (Ecclesiastes 1:4).
This last weekend we had a Steincross family reunion in Gatlinburg, Tennessee with nearly 60 of our relatives gathering from all over the country. (Steincross was my mother's maiden name.)
These perennial gatherings always bring back my childhood memories of the wonderful times spent with my MaMa and PaPa (as we called my grandparents). Back then we met in tiny Harwood Missouri with all my aunts, uncles and cousins. We didn't consider it or call it a reunion back then; we just all got together and enjoyed laughing together, family stories and always the good food around the table!
The old Steincross farmhouse was built in the 1800's and my grandpa was born there in 1882. It was in the Steincross family for over 100 years. My aunt and uncle lived there all through my childhood and early adult years. Before my uncle passed away it received the designation, "Centennial Farm". I have many childhood memories of this farm as well as my grandparent's small, white frame house in town about a mile away.
In my late teens my grandparents died and the next generation established the annual reunion to keep the family ties, since relatives had scattered all over the country. That entire generation is now gone but we grandchildren keep it going. I shared a Powerpoint presentation following our family meal Saturday evening. What wonderful memories were stirred as the old photos appeared one by one; family members who were viewed from their first year of life, their prime of life and then toward the end of their life! Those kind of pictures take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions; so many sentimental, pleasant, and grateful memories. Then, of course, the sadness created from photos of those we'd love to sit and talk with who long ago and some more recently said their final good-bye on this side.
Indeed, "generations come and generations go." Now the little ones running around at the reunion are MaMa and PaPa's great, great grandchildren and grandchildren (my generation) have reached Octogenarian age (my oldest cousin). When you're young you have such a sense of immortality don't you? People over 40 seemed really old didn't they? Mortal life so quickly passes. You either know what I mean or you soon will.
Reunions are a reminder of how temporary life really is, how fast it goes by and the need to place a focus on what really matters. Today I encourage you to examine both your roots and your destination. "Generations come and generations go." You have come and you are most certainly going. The vital question for all of us is where are we going and are we ready to go there?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
we're reminded in the wise words of Solomon that "there is a time for
everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be
born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot."
You have made everything beautiful in its time and You set
eternity in the hearts of people. None of us can fathom what You have
done from beginning to end. That everyone may eat and
drink and find satisfaction in all their toil - this is a gift from
You! What great fulfillment when we are productive people and do
good works in Your name.
May it bring honor to You, may it bless our family, and may it be
a good model for those who follow. In the precious name of Jesus
we pray. Amen.
Due to our travels we
have been unable to post new messages regularly. We hope to resume
daily postings today. During our time on the road we are having trouble with the podcast recording properly
David and Sabra Penley are friends from Texas where David is a professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. This last spring they visited us and we took them to visit an active Amish farm where I took this photo in the milk barn. In response to our last message on E.P. Scott David provided the additional information:
Stephen and Brooksyne,
I hope you are both doing well. I enjoyed your your story about E.P. Scott. The tribe he worked with are the Naga people. They known as fierce warriors and head hunters. Today they occupy their own state in India called Nagaland. Christianity predominates there, the only place in India that is true.
I have had several students here at Southwestern Seminary from Nagaland (in fact, one was in my office yesterday afternoon for advisement). One of my former students is president of a Christian college there - Agape College. I have been there in Nagaland to teach and preach. I also serve on the Board of that college.
They are a humble, committed people, just as fierce in their commitment to Christ as they once were to fighting physical battles. The work of E.P. Scott lives on well past his death from cholera in 1869. The Naga peoples' love for him and the other missionaries who followed after him continues to this day. Is it not such a great blessing that the work we are privileged to do as Christians has eternal meaning?
Some Scenes From Our Journey
Brooksyne and Stephen with cousins, Rich and Pat Mayberry from Florida. Rich grew up in Harwood and told the story that he and his friends, as teens, would get a nickel from home to buy a pop (soda for those in the East) from the small town store. Then they would head over to the barber shop and watch the customers come in and get haircuts. I guess that kept him out of trouble. I wonder if as much gossip was exchanged in the barber shop as there is in a beauty shop. It reminds me of the Andy Griffith show that featured Floyd the barber, Barney, Andy, and others who sat and chatted together at the barber shop.
The Appalachian trail is a long rigorous trail from Maine to Georgia covering 2181 miles.
Brooksyne and I decided we would take a hike and on the trail and managed to hike the entire width of the trail at it's highest point on Clingman's Dome. Whew! We were exhausted. (Actually we did have a very steep 1/2 mile climb up from a parking area to Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Great Smokies)
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"When We All Get To Heaven" Video Smoky Mountain music
"Blessed Assurance" Video Smoky Mountain music
"The Family Of God" Video This video tells the story of the Bill Gaither song many of us enjoy singing.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Large
patches of volunteer Red Bees Balm and Green Headed Coneflowers color
the landscape in the Smoky Mountains. We took this photo on the
steep 1/2 mile trail up to Clingman's Dome at over 6,500 feet.
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(Note: Podcast is not working for this edition.)
Listen
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"Generations"
"Generations come and generations go" (Ecclesiastes 1:4).
This last weekend we had a Steincross family reunion in Gatlinburg, Tennessee with nearly 60 of our relatives gathering from all over the country. (Steincross was my mother's maiden name.)
These perennial gatherings always bring back my childhood memories of the wonderful times spent with my MaMa and PaPa (as we called my grandparents). Back then we met in tiny Harwood Missouri with all my aunts, uncles and cousins. We didn't consider it or call it a reunion back then; we just all got together and enjoyed laughing together, family stories and always the good food around the table!
"The Steincross Farm" (click on image to enlarge)
The old Steincross farmhouse was built in the 1800's and my grandpa was born there in 1882. It was in the Steincross family for over 100 years. My aunt and uncle lived there all through my childhood and early adult years. Before my uncle passed away it received the designation, "Centennial Farm". I have many childhood memories of this farm as well as my grandparent's small, white frame house in town about a mile away.
In my late teens my grandparents died and the next generation established the annual reunion to keep the family ties, since relatives had scattered all over the country. That entire generation is now gone but we grandchildren keep it going. I shared a Powerpoint presentation following our family meal Saturday evening. What wonderful memories were stirred as the old photos appeared one by one; family members who were viewed from their first year of life, their prime of life and then toward the end of their life! Those kind of pictures take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions; so many sentimental, pleasant, and grateful memories. Then, of course, the sadness created from photos of those we'd love to sit and talk with who long ago and some more recently said their final good-bye on this side.
Indeed, "generations come and generations go." Now the little ones running around at the reunion are MaMa and PaPa's great, great grandchildren and grandchildren (my generation) have reached Octogenarian age (my oldest cousin). When you're young you have such a sense of immortality don't you? People over 40 seemed really old didn't they? Mortal life so quickly passes. You either know what I mean or you soon will.
Reunions are a reminder of how temporary life really is, how fast it goes by and the need to place a focus on what really matters. Today I encourage you to examine both your roots and your destination. "Generations come and generations go." You have come and you are most certainly going. The vital question for all of us is where are we going and are we ready to go there?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father,
we're reminded in the wise words of Solomon that "there is a time for
everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be
born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot."
You have made everything beautiful in its time and You set
eternity in the hearts of people. None of us can fathom what You have
done from beginning to end. That everyone may eat and
drink and find satisfaction in all their toil - this is a gift from
You! What great fulfillment when we are productive people and do
good works in Your name.
May it bring honor to You, may it bless our family, and may it be
a good model for those who follow. In the precious name of Jesus
we pray. Amen.(See Ecclesiastes 3)
Due to our travels we
have been unable to post new messages regularly. We hope to resume
daily postings today. During our time on the road we are having trouble with the podcast recording properlyDavid and Sabra Penley are friends from Texas where David is a professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. This last spring they visited us and we took them to visit an active Amish farm where I took this photo in the milk barn. In response to our last message on E.P. Scott David provided the additional information:
Stephen and Brooksyne,
I hope you are both doing well. I enjoyed your your story about E.P. Scott. The tribe he worked with are the Naga people. They known as fierce warriors and head hunters. Today they occupy their own state in India called Nagaland. Christianity predominates there, the only place in India that is true.
I have had several students here at Southwestern Seminary from Nagaland (in fact, one was in my office yesterday afternoon for advisement). One of my former students is president of a Christian college there - Agape College. I have been there in Nagaland to teach and preach. I also serve on the Board of that college.
They are a humble, committed people, just as fierce in their commitment to Christ as they once were to fighting physical battles. The work of E.P. Scott lives on well past his death from cholera in 1869. The Naga peoples' love for him and the other missionaries who followed after him continues to this day. Is it not such a great blessing that the work we are privileged to do as Christians has eternal meaning?
Some Scenes From Our Journey
Brooksyne and Stephen with cousins, Rich and Pat Mayberry from Florida. Rich grew up in Harwood and told the story that he and his friends, as teens, would get a nickel from home to buy a pop (soda for those in the East) from the small town store. Then they would head over to the barber shop and watch the customers come in and get haircuts. I guess that kept him out of trouble. I wonder if as much gossip was exchanged in the barber shop as there is in a beauty shop. It reminds me of the Andy Griffith show that featured Floyd the barber, Barney, Andy, and others who sat and chatted together at the barber shop.
The Appalachian trail is a long rigorous trail from Maine to Georgia covering 2181 miles.
Brooksyne and I decided we would take a hike and on the trail and managed to hike the entire width of the trail at it's highest point on Clingman's Dome. Whew! We were exhausted. (Actually we did have a very steep 1/2 mile climb up from a parking area to Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Great Smokies)
Cesar, my
brother-in-law, flipping pancakes in the log cabin we stayed in.
On Saturday morning we fed over 50 people. Brooksyne mixed
16 batches of her homemade buttermilk pancake recipe. My brother,
Pat, fried sausage. Other Weber family members pitched in by
flipping the pancakes or serving and cleaning. My job was to keep the
coffee pot filled. We had a large screened in porch right alongside a
bubbling mountain stream - it was a beautiful setting for family to
gather!
These folks made a great Appalachian sound with their blended instruments along with pleasant countenances as we walked downtown Gatlinburg early Friday evening.
We went to a breakfast show with the Blackwood singers. Ester got a photo with R.W. Blackwood Jr. and his wife. R.W.'s father, R.W., started the Blackwood quartet in 1934. He was killed in a plane crash in the early 50's when R.W. (junior) was 11 years old. Yet the Blackwoods continue to sing for God and country.
One of the splendid scenes we've enjoyed since arriving in the Smoky Mountains on Wednesday. This view is from the Ober Gatlinburg Gondola.
These folks made a great Appalachian sound with their blended instruments along with pleasant countenances as we walked downtown Gatlinburg early Friday evening.
We went to a breakfast show with the Blackwood singers. Ester got a photo with R.W. Blackwood Jr. and his wife. R.W.'s father, R.W., started the Blackwood quartet in 1934. He was killed in a plane crash in the early 50's when R.W. (junior) was 11 years old. Yet the Blackwoods continue to sing for God and country.
One of the splendid scenes we've enjoyed since arriving in the Smoky Mountains on Wednesday. This view is from the Ober Gatlinburg Gondola.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"When We All Get To Heaven" Video Smoky Mountain music
"Blessed Assurance" Video Smoky Mountain music
"The Family Of God" Video This video tells the story of the Bill Gaither song many of us enjoy singing.
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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.
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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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