A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
All through
Lancaster County we pass all kinds of small stands with
items for sale along the road. These colorful wooden
flowers at an Amish Farm are rather popular.
"Brighten
The Corner Where You Are!"
Note: Due
to a trip to Knoebel's Amusement Park today we
do not expect to post a message tomorrow
(Thursday, 8/16/18). We leave early this
morning, get back late tonight and have an
early start on Thursday for chaplain duties.
Message summary: Today we want to encourage our readers who live or serve in what may seem like a dark place. In some ways that's all of us! Our degree of influence will vary but each source of light is significant. We urge you to brighten the corner where you are!
Listen to
our message on your audio player.
"Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). "So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19).
Today's
lead photo is an example of something that can
brightens an otherwise dull spot. Amish children
cut out these flower shapes, paint them in
bright colors and then sell them at roadside
stands. It gives them some spending money for
some of the same activities all children enjoy
such as going to an amusement park. We have one
of these wooden flowers hanging on the exterior
of our home. Today we will be taking five of our
Amish "grandchildren" to Knoebels amusement park
which is about 55 miles due north of us but
farther by driving due to the winding roads and
mountains.
On Monday we shared about a worship service I attended and Brooksyne participated in on Sunday evening in the Mount Gretna Tabernacle. Mount Gretna is known as the Pennsylvania Chautauqua, a reference to the other more famous Chautauqua Campmeeting in western New York. So today let's consider a song that has some connection to this Chautauqua.
In 1912 Ina Duley Ogdon received an invitation to be a Chautauqua Circuit speaker. This was a great opportunity for her since Chautauqua Lake was a place in upstate New York where performers, musicians, lecturers and motivational speakers were invited who were famous throughout the country. At the time it was the most popular spot where people by the thousands came to visit. Theodore Roosevelt called it "the most American thing in America."
Miss Ogdon, a brilliant orator, had felt God's calling on her life. Upon receiving the invitation, she excitedly considered the thousands of people that she might influence for the cause of Christ. But as she was packing for the upcoming tour her father was seriously injured in one of the new-fangled "horseless carriages."
Ina, deeply disappointed and somewhat angered toward God for allowing this tragedy to happen, eventually cancelled her travel plans to care for her father. After making her peace with God about the matter, she determined in her heart that she would be happy and remain "true to the many duties near" her. She would do her best to "brighten the corner" wherever God placed her, even if it was in her own home. So she commenced to writing a poem with this theme.
Ina completed this poem over the next year. It became the theme song of Billy Sunday's evangelistic ministry for twenty-two years. Instead of reaching a few thousand in her lifetime Ina Duley Ogdon's inspired words have reached out to millions from 1913 right up to our own lifetime. Her father's mishap brought about a "dark place" in Ina's life placing a damper on her large scale plans, but God's plans were even more far reaching.
Peter does not specifically identify the "dark place" in our second daily text. Peter is likely using "dark place" as a metaphor to describe this corrupt world system. However "advanced" our secular civilization becomes, this world in its willful rebellion to God (whose essence is light), lies in the darkness of sin, ignorance, despair and death which keeps people from seeing God's truth until His light shines into their hearts. (Precept Austin commentary)
Warren Wiersbe, who has long been one of our favorite Bible teachers, comments regarding the Greek word "auchmeros" used here for dark. It "is the picture of a dank cellar or a dismal swamp. Human history began in a lovely Garden, but that Garden today is a murky swamp. What you see when you look at this world system is an indication of the spiritual condition of your heart. We still see beauty in God’s creation, but we see no beauty in what mankind is doing with God’s creation. Peter did not see this world as a Garden of Eden, nor should we."
Today we want to encourage our readers who live or serve in what may seem like a dark place. In some ways that's all of us! Our degree of influence will vary but each source of light is significant. We urge you to read or sing the words of this cheerful song and brighten the corner where you are on this day!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Message summary: Today we want to encourage our readers who live or serve in what may seem like a dark place. In some ways that's all of us! Our degree of influence will vary but each source of light is significant. We urge you to brighten the corner where you are!
Listen to
our message on your audio player."Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). "So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19).
Today's
lead photo is an example of something that can
brightens an otherwise dull spot. Amish children
cut out these flower shapes, paint them in
bright colors and then sell them at roadside
stands. It gives them some spending money for
some of the same activities all children enjoy
such as going to an amusement park. We have one
of these wooden flowers hanging on the exterior
of our home. Today we will be taking five of our
Amish "grandchildren" to Knoebels amusement park
which is about 55 miles due north of us but
farther by driving due to the winding roads and
mountains.On Monday we shared about a worship service I attended and Brooksyne participated in on Sunday evening in the Mount Gretna Tabernacle. Mount Gretna is known as the Pennsylvania Chautauqua, a reference to the other more famous Chautauqua Campmeeting in western New York. So today let's consider a song that has some connection to this Chautauqua.
In 1912 Ina Duley Ogdon received an invitation to be a Chautauqua Circuit speaker. This was a great opportunity for her since Chautauqua Lake was a place in upstate New York where performers, musicians, lecturers and motivational speakers were invited who were famous throughout the country. At the time it was the most popular spot where people by the thousands came to visit. Theodore Roosevelt called it "the most American thing in America."
Miss Ogdon, a brilliant orator, had felt God's calling on her life. Upon receiving the invitation, she excitedly considered the thousands of people that she might influence for the cause of Christ. But as she was packing for the upcoming tour her father was seriously injured in one of the new-fangled "horseless carriages."
Ina, deeply disappointed and somewhat angered toward God for allowing this tragedy to happen, eventually cancelled her travel plans to care for her father. After making her peace with God about the matter, she determined in her heart that she would be happy and remain "true to the many duties near" her. She would do her best to "brighten the corner" wherever God placed her, even if it was in her own home. So she commenced to writing a poem with this theme.
Ina completed this poem over the next year. It became the theme song of Billy Sunday's evangelistic ministry for twenty-two years. Instead of reaching a few thousand in her lifetime Ina Duley Ogdon's inspired words have reached out to millions from 1913 right up to our own lifetime. Her father's mishap brought about a "dark place" in Ina's life placing a damper on her large scale plans, but God's plans were even more far reaching.
Peter does not specifically identify the "dark place" in our second daily text. Peter is likely using "dark place" as a metaphor to describe this corrupt world system. However "advanced" our secular civilization becomes, this world in its willful rebellion to God (whose essence is light), lies in the darkness of sin, ignorance, despair and death which keeps people from seeing God's truth until His light shines into their hearts. (Precept Austin commentary)
Warren Wiersbe, who has long been one of our favorite Bible teachers, comments regarding the Greek word "auchmeros" used here for dark. It "is the picture of a dank cellar or a dismal swamp. Human history began in a lovely Garden, but that Garden today is a murky swamp. What you see when you look at this world system is an indication of the spiritual condition of your heart. We still see beauty in God’s creation, but we see no beauty in what mankind is doing with God’s creation. Peter did not see this world as a Garden of Eden, nor should we."
Today we want to encourage our readers who live or serve in what may seem like a dark place. In some ways that's all of us! Our degree of influence will vary but each source of light is significant. We urge you to read or sing the words of this cheerful song and brighten the corner where you are on this day!
"Brighten the Corner"
Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do.
Do not wait to shed your light afar.
To the many duties ever near you now be true;
Brighten the corner where you are.
Brighten the corner where you are!
Brighten the corner where you are!
Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar;
Brighten the corner where you are!
Just above are clouded skies that you may help to clear;
Let not narrow self your way debar.
Though into one heart alone may fall your song of cheer,
Brighten the corner where you are.
Here for all your talent you may surely find a need,
Here reflect the Bright and Morning Star.
Ever from your humble hand the bread of life may feed;
Brighten the corner where you are.
Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do.
Do not wait to shed your light afar.
To the many duties ever near you now be true;
Brighten the corner where you are.
Brighten the corner where you are!
Brighten the corner where you are!
Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar;
Brighten the corner where you are!
Just above are clouded skies that you may help to clear;
Let not narrow self your way debar.
Though into one heart alone may fall your song of cheer,
Brighten the corner where you are.
Here for all your talent you may surely find a need,
Here reflect the Bright and Morning Star.
Ever from your humble hand the bread of life may feed;
Brighten the corner where you are.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer:
Father, sometimes we are frustrated by what
little we have to offer others when we compare
ourselves with those who are greatly talented or
those who have a special way with words, or even
those who may have financial resources to bless
others in ways that we cannot. But we are not
limited in reaching out to one who may be looking
for a reason to smile or to the one who simply
needs a helping hand. Paul indicated that the
comfort You dispensed to Titus, was then
transmitted to him, and then he passed it onto the
Corinthian church. We pray for the prompting of
the Holy Spirit to show us ways that we can
encourage those around us so that it will
naturally be passed on to others as well. We pray
for this through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
We continue to
have lots of rain in our region and due to the
saturated soil the water is not absorbing into
the ground well so the creeks and rivers remain
high. This is the Little Swatara Creek in
Lebanon County, PA.
During this
season we enjoy stopping by orchards. This is a
photo of Honey Bear Orchards in rural Lebanon
County, PA where we stopped by on Tuesday.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
Knoebel's Amusement Park
For several years we have taken the kids up to
Knoebels each summer and they really look forward
to the trip. It's a park in a mountainous, wooded
area with an old-fashioned feel similar to the
amusement parks we went to as children.
Finally
today:
What is this?
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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