The on line
Bible teaching ministry of Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home About Us Archives Free email subscription ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() See here
for more info.
<Previous Message Next Message> Wednesday, May 13, 2015 ![]() Jay Snyder, a 96 year old Mount Joy barber, dispensing warm shaving cream to trim Stephen's neck. "A Lesson From A Haircut"
![]() "Paul, having remained many days longer, took leave of the brethren and put out to sea for Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea he had his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow" (Acts 18:18). "Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them" (Psalm 76:11). Brooksyne has cut my hair since we began dating our freshman year in college over 40 years ago. Based upon what expensive haircuts cost I figure she has saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars since her hair cuts are every bit as good as what the rich and famous get! John Edwards, a vice presidential nominee in 2004 famously got $400 haircuts from a Beverly Hills stylist. * ![]() ![]() We conversed as he clipped and he was mentally as sharp as a tack and a delightful storyteller. He told us how he had fought in the Battle of the Bulge in WW2 and was among the first liberators of the concentration camps. He shared details of the opening of his shop and some romantic stories. I think he liked to talk so much he would have kept me in the chair trimming my neck all day. Finally I said to him, "I think this will be fine" as I extricated myself from the chair and paid my $10.00 (plus tip) barbering bill. The experience was certainly worth that! Now ideally preachers (or writers) begin their study for a message with a text and then search for an illustration. That is certainly the preferred method. But sometimes it's the other way around. In today's case we have a haircutting illustration and I went searching for a text! The positive aspect to this is it may cause me to give consideration to a text I would otherwise not. If we were to ask Bible students what the most famous (or infamous) haircut in the Bible was most Bible readers would immediately think of Samson. His haircut by Delilah sure had a detrimental effect on his life and others! But today let us consider another Biblical haircut in a verse that we may tend to skim over. "In Cenchrea he had his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow." "In Cenchrea he had his hair cut." Paul was in Corinth at this time but was departing for Syria. But before he left he had his hair cut in Cenchrea, a port in Corinth. Now I often get a haircut before I take a trip but there was a specific reason for this haircut, "for he was keeping a vow." Today the most common use of vows is that in marriage. Our marriage vows are essentially solemn promises we make to our spouse. But a vow is also a solemn promise made to God. I studied numerous commentaries on this verse. Some commentaries such as the IVP believe he had earlier taken the Nazarite vow as taught in Numbers 6. "Paul cuts his hair, signaling the beginning of the end of a Nazarite vow. Evidently he had begun this vow after either the Macedonian or Corinthian vision, as a sign of earnest beseeching of the Lord for success in the mission to which Paul had been called (Acts 16:9-10; 18:9-10). Now in thanksgiving Paul ends the vow and thus recognizes that the Lord made good on His promises. In our life of faith we too may be confident that what God calls us to do He will enable us to complete (Philippians 1:6). Other see this as a private, personal vow made for unspecified reasons. A private vow was often assumed by the Jews in consequence of some mercy received or of some deliverance from danger. Vows to God are frequently mentioned in the Bible. The first was made by Jacob in Genesis 28:19-21. An entire chapter on the law of vows is found in Numbers 30. But the Psalms have some of the richest devotional material on vows including our second daily text. "Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them" (Psalm 76:11). Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber ![]() See Proverbs 30:5 A visit to Jay Snyder's Barber Shop ![]() The old-fashioned waiting area, sort of like Floyd's Barber Shop on Andy Griffith. Jay's shop is on West Main Street, Mount Joy, PA ![]() Brooksyne doesn't normally take photos of me getting my hair cut since she's usually behind the trimmer! Jay enjoyed our picture taking session. ![]() This is what he did most of the time. ![]() Notice the swivel chair attached to the client chair. However he stood the entire time he cut my hair. I asked when he was going to retire and he told me, "What would I do, just sit around and watch TV all day?" ![]() As you can see Jay did a nice trim on one lower side. He must have tired out before he got to the back section, crown and front though Stephen was a customer for a good 40 minutes or so. I will give Jay 5 stars for his ability to hold clippers with a steady hand, stand on his feet for over an hour (he had a customer before we arrived), and for his record long, enduring work-ethic. Truly amazing!! ![]() Some people just can't remember to change their calendars! Notice his warranty: "If our work is not satisfactory, we refund your whiskers." One new thing:
When we left he offered us both a nifty new pen that had an LED
flashlight on the end, certainly not something from 1947. Interesting
that at 96 he still goes to the trouble and expense of ordering
marketing materials! Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources To receive the "Daily Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or through a Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.) ![]() 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. I do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact. 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 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 2015 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA |