A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
This colorful scene sure got our attention!
A Chevrolet 3600 truck with seedless watermelons parked in front of the new Lancaster Whole Foods store.
"A
Perspective On JOMO"
Message
summary: JOMO
stands for the "Joy Of Missing Out". Today let
us consider how many times missing out is a
blessing.
Listen to
our message on your audio player."He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3).
Last Friday we heard the heartbreaking news of the duck boat that sank on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri with many drownings. Although any type of accidental death is tragic and brings much grief we consider the irony of it happening when you are out on a recreational joy ride.
Over ten years ago, when we were in Branson for a reunion, we rode on one of these duck boats involved in the accident and have a photo of Ester in the driver's seat. We've been on the duck boats elsewhere such as San Diego (photo).
It's a fun tour combining colorful narration on land and water. Passengers are given a duck whistle that's strung on a ribbon to be worn like a necklace. At various times the tour guide instructs everyone to blow together and it makes for a delightful time even with total strangers. Children especially enjoy this since making noise comes naturally to them, and in that setting, they aren't shushed by their parents.
My niece and husband were out on Table Rock Lake in their boat the day before the duck boat plunged below the water. Having just been in the same body of water, they are surely counting their blessing of missing out on such a frightening and deadly event that started out as a pleasure outing much like theirs the day before.
Last year we came across a new acronym (to us anyway) called FOMO which means the "Fear Of Missing Out". It is used in the sense that, as people see how exciting other people's lives are based on their social media posts, they have a "fear of missing out". We wrote a message titled "The Antidote To FOMO". (link below)
But last week I read an article "JOMO is the new FOMO" with JOMO standing for "Joy Of Missing Out".
Well, that got me thinking how many times missing out is a blessing. Consider traveling down a multi-lane divided highway and you see a traffic jam on the opposite side. You are thankful to be driving in the opposite lanes with flowing traffic. After you pass the accident, road work or whatever is causing the traffic stall, you can still see the long line of stopped traffic that may go on for miles. Drivers in the stalled lane can't see ahead so they are uncertain of what's slowing the traffic, and you pity them with your knowledge of what they can't see. You also may experience the joy of missing out on their most unpleasant delay.
Our job as chaplains includes working with hurting, broken people (which is everyone to some degree). But so many carry burdens and endure heartaches we have never experienced and have joyfully missed out on.
The communications we have with those we see is confidential of course but here we can describe in generic terms the real brokenness we have encountered over our 40 years plus of ministry. We share recent illustrations with humility and a sense of "but for the grace of God that could have been me":
- A man who shared about his family, which includes five children he is raising since their mother (his sister-in-law) was brutally murdered by her husband right in front of the children.
- A woman who shared of her abusive alcoholic husband who ended up spending time in prison due to his crimes.
- Visiting an institution where children born to drug addicted mothers and who have major, life altering disabilities are housed.
- A man shared of his alcoholic
father who would take him out all hours of
the night as he went from bar to bar and left
him in the car while he went in to drink
regardless of the temperature (much less the
safety issue).
Today
consider all that you have missed out on in life
similar to the illustrations above. Perhaps a better
acronym would be BOMO, the "blessing of missing
out". This might be good to apply to troubling
relationships as well when you find yourself
grumbling about the imperfections of the other
individual. Often times we want the perfect spouse
or child, but then we realize the blessing of
missing out on much worse.
But we know some of you reading one or more of these illustrations may recognize it as similar to your experience in life. Today we can all express thanks to God that He still heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
But we know some of you reading one or more of these illustrations may recognize it as similar to your experience in life. Today we can all express thanks to God that He still heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Loving Father, would You comfort and
guide us when life's trials disturb and even
torment us - we will stumble and fall otherwise.
Renew us, and help us to steadily grow in faith so
that others may also know Your goodness, Your
provision and comfort by our example of overcoming
and trusting You for all that we have need of. We
want to use the love You pour out on us and funnel
it to others in similar painful circumstances,
because You heal the broken-hearted and bind up
their wounds. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.Trendy Terms: We tend to be on the late side of current fads and terms. An "early adopter" is a person who starts using a product or technology as soon as it becomes available. I guess that makes us later adopters.
We're also that way with trendy terms. As you get older you better be careful or you find yourself using a term incorrectly which may elicit some snickers from the younger crowd. But nevertheless we try to stay up and realize these terms and concepts can be a connecting point and we can virtually always find a spiritual lesson. However one we just heard about reveals a new and drastic rejection of God's design (see Genesis 1:27). The concept of raising "theybies" which is just plain, old-fashioned and idiotic depravity. (See Romans 1:18-32)
Saturday
morning we gathered under our new Gazebo as we
enjoyed breakfast outdoors before the heavy
rains came. Jim and Dorothy Schmidt, long time
friends who now reside in Lancaster at Calvary
Homes, reconnected with Don Barton, a man who
grew up with their sons in Ocean City, NJ. After
meeting Don, who is
Vice-President of Sales & Marketing at "Your
Heart's Delight" in Lebanon where
we serve as chaplains we learned
about where he grew up, so we brought up the
names of Jim and Dorothy who also resided there
until recently. He immediately recognized them
because their son, Jimmy, played on the high
school tennis team as did Don. It was fun to
hear them going back 50 plus years and talking
of the old days!
Yesterday
Brooksyne visited with the father of one of our
friends, Tim Morrison.
Ester
took this photo at the Oregon Dairy yesterday.
It sure could pass for Bambi!
Morels
not Morals
Like
me, you may have to look Morel up as I did to see
the message this mushroom farmer is conveying!
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"Be
Thou My Vision, Be Enthroned" Video Calvary Church
Choir (from yesterday's service).
The following three songs are very moving in light of today's topic:
"Broken People Like Me" Video Old Paths
"Broken Ones" Video The Talleys
"The Little Girl" Video John Micheal Montgomery
"The Antidote To FOMO" Daily Encouragement message
Article on JOMO Note: This article expresses the Joy Of Missing Out in a different sense than today's message. But it's another good perspective. We enjoy getting unconnected, sitting on our front porch together and watching the sunset!
"Pastor Jim’s Foray Into Emojis Not Going Well" Our consideration of how as we get older we may tend to use trendy terms wrong brought this satire article to mind.
"Theybies" Caution: Extreme moral confusion!
Finally today:
The following three songs are very moving in light of today's topic:
"Broken People Like Me" Video Old Paths
"Broken Ones" Video The Talleys
"The Little Girl" Video John Micheal Montgomery
"The Antidote To FOMO" Daily Encouragement message
Article on JOMO Note: This article expresses the Joy Of Missing Out in a different sense than today's message. But it's another good perspective. We enjoy getting unconnected, sitting on our front porch together and watching the sunset!
"Pastor Jim’s Foray Into Emojis Not Going Well" Our consideration of how as we get older we may tend to use trendy terms wrong brought this satire article to mind.
"Theybies" Caution: Extreme moral confusion!
Finally today:
Visiting
JK Mechanical employees David and Stephen who are
installing the HVAC in a commercial housing project.
The employees seem to especially enjoy when we meet
them at their place of work.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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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.
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."
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