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Monday,
July 23, 2018

Red truck with watermelons 6/20/18
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.

ListenListen 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

Praying manDaily 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)



Breakfast with friends 7/21/18
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!

Visiting with Brother Morrison 7/22/18
Yesterday Brooksyne visited with the father of one of our friends, Tim Morrison.

Doe at Oregon Dairy 7/22/18
Ester took this photo at the Oregon Dairy yesterday. It sure could pass for Bambi!

Morels not Morals
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:
Visiting with JK installers 7/20/18
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.

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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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