A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Wednesday,
October 24, 2018
Today
we illustrate using a rather sober scene
that is hard to miss when you visit the
cities in California; the homeless. They
are everywhere, lying beside the road,
lying in the middle of an active parking
lot. The photo to the left shows one
lying up against the glass of an outdoor
dining area of a swank restaurant with
diners eating at tables on the other
side of the glass.
We also urge you to consider one who needs encouragement. Perhaps the Spirit will bring to mind one who is discouraged about a matter, one who may even be struggling in their walk with God or one whose heart is becoming hardened.
It seems from reading the text the act of encouraging is beneficial both to the encourager as well as the one being encouraged. Let us be vigilant in the fight against hard-heartedness caused by the cholesterol of sin and make it our goal to encourage one another daily!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, we want our hearts to
remain soft and pliable so that we
do not lose our spiritual
sensitivity to hear and obey Your
voice. We remember those who once
had soft, pliable hearts that have
hardened over time. They no longer
hear You or sense Your presence in
their life. Their spiritual vision
has darkened. Help us, Lord, once
again on this day to taste and see
that You are good. You are the
Bread of Life that does not spoil.
You satisfy our hunger and quench
our thirst as we dip from Your
spring of living water. The world
only offers temporary substitutes
that can entrap and draw us away
from Your eternal pleasures. We
want to remain vigilant in Your
Word and heed Your ways so there
is no buildup of sin that over
time hardens our heart toward You.
We want to be steadfast and
stouthearted so that we will
unswervingly hold to the hope we
profess, for You who promised is
faithful. Amen.
A Brief History of our Daily Encouragement Ministry
It was on Brooksyne's birthday in 1996 that I wrote the very first daily encouragement message and sent it to two people, Nigel and LaiFong, who remain friends to this day. I was their pastor at the time and now I calculate they have received some 5,500 messages from me/us in the last 22 years!
The first message was only a couple of sentences and a fledgling attempt to encourage. At that time I had no plans to write any more but sent another one the next day, and then the next and I just haven't stopped. For about the first 8 years I wrote them with little input from Brooksyne but in 2005 she took on a much greater role and now we essentially write them together. It takes us both about 4 hours for each message to do all the work necessary to prepare and post including the technical and administrative work, in addition to the frequent correspondence associated with our many readers who express need.
Here's a brief timeline:
October 21, 1996 - First email sent and slowly developed into a list (which initially merely a group list added to manually one by one.)
1999 - The dailyencouragement.net website developed
2000 - Resigned from pastorate in New England and moved to Lancaster County to work for Marketplace Chaplains USA as a division manager.
2002 - Moved to professional listserve (automated list manager for large email lists) Subscribes and unsubscribes are user initiated as well as maintenance such as removing non-deliverable addresses.
2002 - Began one minute radio spots on WDAC extracted from Daily Encouragement messages and Scripture sources. Two different messages are aired twice weekly.
2004 - Resigned from full-time job with Marketplace Chaplains USA chaplain agency.
2005 - Developed html email (formatted with photos), began podcasting daily messages, set up blogs/RSS feeds, Brooksyne "officially" joined in the message preparation.
2006 - Received official endorsement as an "internet chaplain" from chaplaincy endorsement agency (I already had endorsement for corporate chaplaincy.)
Since 2006 we have essentially just kept on keeping on and that's been enough of a chore writing fresh messages daily since we also work as corporate chaplains and write for other publications!
Support: We are thankful for those who support our Daily Encouragement ministry with their financial offerings. Last year we received support from some 85 different contributors. Some give monthly, others periodically or one-time. If any reader would like to consider an offering to our ministry financially, information is here.
Brooksyne's Note: As we share the history of this web ministry I am reminded of our Lord's faithfulness and the diverse giftings He gives to those He has called. It is extremely humbling to us that God's Spirit speaks to the hearts of men and women all around the world through our daily messages. When we got our first computer Stephen and I would never have imagined the medium of computer technology giving us "a voice" to reach people all over the world. It continues to be a very exciting means for us to share messages from God's Word as they are lived out in our normal daily lives. Your prayers, feedback, and support spur us on and challenge us to remain faithful in this writing ministry.
Brooksyne
took this prolific photo of the San Francisco
skyline from Lombard Street
(Click
to enlarge)
"The
Antidote For A Hard Heart"
Personal
Note: We have not posted Daily
Encouragement messages this last week due
to our trip to California. We arrived home
safe and sound after midnight and are
pleased to now resume our postings!
Message
summary:
Today we consider the vital importance
of encouragement!
Listen to our message on your audio player.
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"But
encourage one another daily, as long
as it is called Today, so that none of
you may be hardened by sin's
deceitfulness. We have come to share
in Christ, if indeed we hold our
original conviction firmly to the very
end. As has just been said: "Today, if
you hear His voice, do not harden your
hearts as you did in the rebellion"
(Hebrews 3:13-15). "Let us hold
unswervingly to the hope we profess,
for He who promised is faithful. And
let us consider how we may spur one
another on toward love and good deeds,
not giving up meeting together, as
some are in the habit of doing, but
encouraging one another—and all the
more as you see the Day approaching"
(Hebrews 10:23-25).
As
mentioned in the note above, we returned
from our trip to California late last
night. As you might expect we will share
some photos from our visit over the next
several days as well as some
illustrative material.
Today
we illustrate using a rather sober scene
that is hard to miss when you visit the
cities in California; the homeless. They
are everywhere, lying beside the road,
lying in the middle of an active parking
lot. The photo to the left shows one
lying up against the glass of an outdoor
dining area of a swank restaurant with
diners eating at tables on the other
side of the glass.According
to authorities the reasons for those
being in this condition vary; drug use
and addiction, mental illness, the high
cost of housing. My brother Mike, whom
we went out to visit and who has lived
in that area for over 50 years, asserts
that there are young people who choose
to live that way as a lifestyle,
essentially forsaking and being "free"
from the responsibilities of life.
One
thought that comes to mind when
observing human beings reduced to this
awful condition is the phrase, "But for
the grace of God, there go I."
Regardless of the immediate reasons
according to authorities we wonder where
their lives went wrong. Surely no one
sets out to live like this.
We
believe that one common component in
many of these cases is the lack of
oversight and encouragement they needed
but did not receive in their past. Now
we realize to some this may seem
simplistic but encouragement from our
parents, family, friends, church and
fellow workers is a powerful antidote to
a hard heart. We have both been blessed
all through life with many encouragers,
including many of you reading this. We
want to be encouragers!
This month we celebrate the 22nd
anniversary of this ministry which
started in October of 1996. I had
preached a sermon in the church we
served in New England on a Sunday
evening service on encouraging one
another daily and that was the leading I
had from the Holy Spirit as to how I was
to "encourage one another daily".
On Monday morning I sent a short email
to two people in that congregation, both
of whom still receive these messages.
Though it's 22 years later, it’s still
called "Today" so here we go again!
We'll share some more information about our ministry below for newer readers but today we want to consider the phrase "hardened by sin's deceitfulness" in the daily text. "Hardened" translates the Greek word "skleruno" which is the very same word from which we get the word sclerosis in English. You may be most familiar with this word in the description of a disease called arteriosclerosis, which is the hardening and thickening of the arteries.
If you're over 40 you've probably had your cholesterol checked. High cholesterol contributes to the buildup of gunk (note: that’s not the actual medical term) in the blood vessels and that's not good. This is a health issue I deal with, although it has decreased and I'm still working on it. It's not all my fault as it's partly genetic from my mother's side, but the problem that I have to take responsibility for is the kind of foods I like that contributes to high cholesterol. It's a constant battle due to the abundance of great food!
Taking care of our physical health is important (see 1 Timothy 4:8) but it's even more important to take care of our spiritual health. The warning in the daily text is every bit as needed today as when it was written. We all know people whose hearts have become hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
We'll share some more information about our ministry below for newer readers but today we want to consider the phrase "hardened by sin's deceitfulness" in the daily text. "Hardened" translates the Greek word "skleruno" which is the very same word from which we get the word sclerosis in English. You may be most familiar with this word in the description of a disease called arteriosclerosis, which is the hardening and thickening of the arteries.
If you're over 40 you've probably had your cholesterol checked. High cholesterol contributes to the buildup of gunk (note: that’s not the actual medical term) in the blood vessels and that's not good. This is a health issue I deal with, although it has decreased and I'm still working on it. It's not all my fault as it's partly genetic from my mother's side, but the problem that I have to take responsibility for is the kind of foods I like that contributes to high cholesterol. It's a constant battle due to the abundance of great food!
Taking care of our physical health is important (see 1 Timothy 4:8) but it's even more important to take care of our spiritual health. The warning in the daily text is every bit as needed today as when it was written. We all know people whose hearts have become hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
Today,
we want to encourage you in your walk
with Christ. We know the danger of a
hardened heart. According to Scripture
encouragement is a powerful antidote to
a hard heart. "But encourage one
another daily, as long as it is called
Today, so that none of you may be
hardened by sin's deceitfulness".
We also urge you to consider one who needs encouragement. Perhaps the Spirit will bring to mind one who is discouraged about a matter, one who may even be struggling in their walk with God or one whose heart is becoming hardened.
It seems from reading the text the act of encouraging is beneficial both to the encourager as well as the one being encouraged. Let us be vigilant in the fight against hard-heartedness caused by the cholesterol of sin and make it our goal to encourage one another daily!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, we want our hearts to
remain soft and pliable so that we
do not lose our spiritual
sensitivity to hear and obey Your
voice. We remember those who once
had soft, pliable hearts that have
hardened over time. They no longer
hear You or sense Your presence in
their life. Their spiritual vision
has darkened. Help us, Lord, once
again on this day to taste and see
that You are good. You are the
Bread of Life that does not spoil.
You satisfy our hunger and quench
our thirst as we dip from Your
spring of living water. The world
only offers temporary substitutes
that can entrap and draw us away
from Your eternal pleasures. We
want to remain vigilant in Your
Word and heed Your ways so there
is no buildup of sin that over
time hardens our heart toward You.
We want to be steadfast and
stouthearted so that we will
unswervingly hold to the hope we
profess, for You who promised is
faithful. Amen.A Brief History of our Daily Encouragement Ministry
It was on Brooksyne's birthday in 1996 that I wrote the very first daily encouragement message and sent it to two people, Nigel and LaiFong, who remain friends to this day. I was their pastor at the time and now I calculate they have received some 5,500 messages from me/us in the last 22 years!
The first message was only a couple of sentences and a fledgling attempt to encourage. At that time I had no plans to write any more but sent another one the next day, and then the next and I just haven't stopped. For about the first 8 years I wrote them with little input from Brooksyne but in 2005 she took on a much greater role and now we essentially write them together. It takes us both about 4 hours for each message to do all the work necessary to prepare and post including the technical and administrative work, in addition to the frequent correspondence associated with our many readers who express need.
Here's a brief timeline:
October 21, 1996 - First email sent and slowly developed into a list (which initially merely a group list added to manually one by one.)
1999 - The dailyencouragement.net website developed
2000 - Resigned from pastorate in New England and moved to Lancaster County to work for Marketplace Chaplains USA as a division manager.
2002 - Moved to professional listserve (automated list manager for large email lists) Subscribes and unsubscribes are user initiated as well as maintenance such as removing non-deliverable addresses.
2002 - Began one minute radio spots on WDAC extracted from Daily Encouragement messages and Scripture sources. Two different messages are aired twice weekly.
2004 - Resigned from full-time job with Marketplace Chaplains USA chaplain agency.
2005 - Developed html email (formatted with photos), began podcasting daily messages, set up blogs/RSS feeds, Brooksyne "officially" joined in the message preparation.
2006 - Received official endorsement as an "internet chaplain" from chaplaincy endorsement agency (I already had endorsement for corporate chaplaincy.)
Since 2006 we have essentially just kept on keeping on and that's been enough of a chore writing fresh messages daily since we also work as corporate chaplains and write for other publications!
Support: We are thankful for those who support our Daily Encouragement ministry with their financial offerings. Last year we received support from some 85 different contributors. Some give monthly, others periodically or one-time. If any reader would like to consider an offering to our ministry financially, information is here.
Brooksyne's Note: As we share the history of this web ministry I am reminded of our Lord's faithfulness and the diverse giftings He gives to those He has called. It is extremely humbling to us that God's Spirit speaks to the hearts of men and women all around the world through our daily messages. When we got our first computer Stephen and I would never have imagined the medium of computer technology giving us "a voice" to reach people all over the world. It continues to be a very exciting means for us to share messages from God's Word as they are lived out in our normal daily lives. Your prayers, feedback, and support spur us on and challenge us to remain faithful in this writing ministry.
Over the next several
days (likely through next week)
we will be sharing photos from
our California trip, a variance
from our rural Pennsylvania
photos we normally share!
The Painted Ladies,
describing a particular style
of housing, are a classic San
Francisco scene.
(Click to enlarge)
(Click to enlarge)
We visited the Ghirardelli
chocolate and ice cream
shop and indulged in their
famous and expensive hot fudge
sundae split three ways. A bit
of history: Ghirardelli
Chocolate Company was started in
Stockton, CA in 1852 by Italian
immigrant Domenico Ghirardelli.
In 1893, the company bought the
Pioneer Woolen Building on San
Francisco's Northern Waterfront,
which is now the site of the
famous Ghirardelli Square.
Interestingly, the company's
famous filled squares were not
introduced until recently in
1999.
We enjoyed riding on
the very popular and famous San
Francisco cable cars.
(Click to enlarge)
(Click to enlarge)
On our first afternoon
we excitedly drove to the Golden
Gate bridge. Ester posted this
photo on Facebook and readers
thought she was on a dangerously
high concrete wall. When
Brooksyne took this photo she
didn't realize she was creating
the illusion of a very high wall
as this was only about three
feet off the ground but
contrasted with the bridge in
the background it looks taller
than it really is.
(Click to enlarge)
(Click to enlarge)
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
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 2018 Stephen C. & Brooksyne Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA