Note: Due to travel a podcast was not prepared for this message.

"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace" (Numbers 6:24-26).

Today we are in Wisconsin where we are gathering with family for a reunion of the cousins on my (Stephen's) mom's side. We have eaten at a number of restaurants during our trip seeking a variety of cuisine, but mostly good old country cooking we both enjoy such as you find at the Crackerbarrel. Of course Brooksyne always enjoys their attached gift shop as well! However yesterday we did have a special meal at a restaurant we enjoy mostly because of the name, The Weber Grill. Now most think of the Weber Grill as what many have for outdoor grilling but the same company has several restaurants.

We were seated the other day at a restaurant in Lafayette Indiana and met a server who looked like she'd had a rough life. She was friendly but seemed a bit socially clumsy, untidy in appearance, and even a bit ungraceful in her skills as a waitress. I noticed another server giving her a dirty, besmirching eye as she glanced as her disapprovingly. Brooksyne and I both felt compassion for the woman and sought to express a greater level of kindness as she seemed to be a needy soul. As we departed the restaurant we discussed how there are so many people like her everywhere. In fact you likely know one or more people like the waitress we met. They need an extra measure of kindness and blessing from those of us who've experienced multitudinous blessings from God.

I (Brooksyne) typically read our local newspaper online for headlines and obituaries in Lancaster County and just this morning I saw the obituary for a woman whose last name is "Blessing". It made me stop and consider what it would be like to have the last name "Blessing", Brooksyne Blessing, for instance. I'm pleased to be a Weber, but wonder if my last name was Blessing, would I seek to be a greater blessing to others so I could literarlly live up to my name. Ester could quickly tell you my catch phrase every time she was invited to someone's house as a child and admittedly even in her adult years I still say, "Be a blessing!". How fun it would be if Blessing was actually your last name when you sent your child off with that admonition! Of course you'd likely get raised eyebrows and rolling eyes either way with the wincing look that says, "You've told me that a thousand times!"

Now that I no longer have small children I must confess I do remind our dogs when we leave them in the care of others such as our trip this week, "Mollie and Roxie, be a blessing to John and Joan!" They don't raise their brows or roll their eyes at me. In fact they wag their tails and look me directly in the eyes with their big smile, tongue wagging. Of course they don't understand what I'm saying either, but I guess it's still the "mom" in me that makes me say it to them since I want their caregivers to have a pleasant experience. (I'll be making a phone call today to see whether they are being a blessing, as I told them to be.) On a more serious note, today we want consider the blessing of a blessing.

Today's text is known and the Aaronic blessing. The Full Life Study Bible states, "The imparting of God's blessing is being assured of His protection from evil forces and all that is adverse to one's spiritual walk in life. The shining of the Lord's face indicates God's favor and His unlimited grace directed toward His people. The turning of the Lord's face toward those He blesses reminds us that God is always compassionate and giving heartfelt love toward those who look to Him.  The blessing also includes that of peace. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, meaning far more than the absence of conflict. Its basic meaning indicates harmony, wholeness, soundness, well-being and success in all areas of life. To find peace within our own souls is the greatest expression of this blessing."

Isn't this indeed the timeless blessing we all desire to experience and impart to others?


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: "Lord, even as Moses instructed Aaron and his sons to bless the Israelites by praying this blessing I bless the readers of our encouragement ministry by pronouncing this very personal blessing upon each of them today: 'The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.'  In Jesus' name, Amen."

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"Make Me A Blessing"  Video  Instrumental with lyrics

Weber Grill Restaurant  Listen for the sizzle when the page opens!

Today we are in Delavan Wisconsin visiting with family. We may be unable to send off a message tomorrow since we plan to take a morning boat trip on Lake Geneva.

Yesterday we visited a huge mega church in the Chicago area we have often heard of (Willow Creek). A four lane highway leads from the state highway to the parking lot. As we typically do in our church we found seats about seven rows back in the huge auditorium. The service was a bit different for us and very loud, to us seeming more like a concert in a venue like the Giant Center. (My heart was throbbing at times.) The amount of audio and visual special effects was a bit overwhelming to our senses since we are not used to these such as spot lights that periodically came on right in our eyes and flashing blue strobes. We walked the campus after the service and they had a food court like a mall with a humongous sitting area. We realize many of our readers attend churches like this and are accustomed to what we describe but we are quite satisfied in our small country church and were heartened to receive a note from our pastor this morning that we were missed!!! Now that sure blessed us. We are so thankful for the congregational singing and the sound Bible exposition messages our pastor preaches.