A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Tuesday, November
13, 2018
"Men listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel. After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears. They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain. When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them. I chose the way for them and sat as their chief; I dwelt as a king among his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners" (Job 29:21-25).
A sign in front of a farm house proclaims: "A smile is a curve that straightens everything out." Well, a smile is a curve and although it doesn't necessarily straighten everything out, it sure does brighten your countenance, improve your appearance and positively affect your outlook!
This "Baby Doll" Southdown lamb on the Old Windmill Farm appears to be smiling up at Brooksyne as she took this photo!
Daily
prayer:
Father, I consider the words of
Nehemiah who wrote, "The joy of
the Lord is my strength" and
Solomon who reminds us that "A
cheerful heart is good medicine."
Both verses speak about matters of the
heart where we store up Your love, joy
and goodness. Help us not to rely
solely on external stimulus to bring
forth a smile, but let our smiles be
contagious as they are evidence of
Your abundance within in our lives.
Help us to find a person today who has
no smile so that we can pass ours onto
her or him. May we be purposeful in
making eye contact with others so they
realize we value them as you would
want us to. In the name of Jesus we
pray. Amen.
Another
view of the featured 1000 bloom Chrysanthemum shown
yesterday from the other end of the conservatory
pool.
Click
on photo to enlarge
"The
Blessing Of A Smile"
Message
summary: It
can be a gloomy world with so much
distressing news and for those going
through hard times. What a blessing we
can be to one another when our facial
expressions are accentuated with a
smile. Truth is, we'd much rather be
surrounded by those who frequently
smile, than those who rarely see
anything to smile about!
"Men listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel. After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears. They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain. When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them. I chose the way for them and sat as their chief; I dwelt as a king among his troops; I was like one who comforts mourners" (Job 29:21-25).
Many
years ago we passed a barn seen in the
photo to the left here in Lancaster
County that had a huge smiley face
painted on it. It always prompted a
smile. I tried to find it in recent
years but wonder if the owner painted
over it.
A sign in front of a farm house proclaims: "A smile is a curve that straightens everything out." Well, a smile is a curve and although it doesn't necessarily straighten everything out, it sure does brighten your countenance, improve your appearance and positively affect your outlook!
A
smile is one of the blessings of
humanity. We look for and rejoice in
that first smile in an infant and all
through life we appreciate smiling
people. We even tend to impose the
expression on animals such as a
dolphin or a baby doll sheep, which
gives the appearance of a smile.
This "Baby Doll" Southdown lamb on the Old Windmill Farm appears to be smiling up at Brooksyne as she took this photo!
We
both had a discussion last week with a
man whose son has autism. He shared
how he is on a new drug therapy that
is showing promise and shared of the
blessing he and his wife experienced
as they saw their son smile and make
eye contact, two easily taken for
granted blessings.
I
recall a time when I was out on a
cold, blustery, rainy day and ducked
into a small office area for a brief
escape from the hostile weather. I was
confident that I'd receive a warm,
cheery smile from the receptionist and
I was not disappointed! She not
only smiles with her lips, but her
eyes exude genuine warmth that
accompanies her smile. A
courteous or obligatory smile is not
always reflected in the eyes, but a
smile that wells up from the heart can
be seen through the eyes as well as
the lips.
What a blessing to be around smiling people. We can think of many people all though life who have blessed us with their smile. Do you recall this chorus sung many years ago:
Interestingly the Bible doesn't have a lot of references to smiling. But today's portion is one of them. It's kind of hard to read this without smiling! Job is sharing his personal testimony while he is in the midst of his suffering. In this discourse he considers the blessing he had been to others prior to his trial, "in months gone by" (Job 29:1).
Now I would have a hard time saying this about myself but notice Job's words as he reflected on how life had been, "When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them". That's sure quite a description of the influence of a smile isn't it?
Consider an individual you personally know who has a great smile. It affects the entire face as though it were bringing light to a dismal setting. Perhaps it also has to do with the fact that a smile isn't just confined to the lower part of the face, but it almost always brings sparkle and light to the eyes.
Consider these words as you receive smiles today and as you share yours with others. Smiles are much less frequent these days with so many playing or tending to their cell phones whether they're walking on a sidewalk, buried in their phones during a work break or in the lunch room, grocery line, etc.
What a blessing to be around smiling people. We can think of many people all though life who have blessed us with their smile. Do you recall this chorus sung many years ago:
Smile awhile and give your face a
rest
Raise your hand to the One who loves you best
Then shake hands with those nearby
And give to them a smile.
Raise your hand to the One who loves you best
Then shake hands with those nearby
And give to them a smile.
Interestingly the Bible doesn't have a lot of references to smiling. But today's portion is one of them. It's kind of hard to read this without smiling! Job is sharing his personal testimony while he is in the midst of his suffering. In this discourse he considers the blessing he had been to others prior to his trial, "in months gone by" (Job 29:1).
Now I would have a hard time saying this about myself but notice Job's words as he reflected on how life had been, "When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them". That's sure quite a description of the influence of a smile isn't it?
Consider an individual you personally know who has a great smile. It affects the entire face as though it were bringing light to a dismal setting. Perhaps it also has to do with the fact that a smile isn't just confined to the lower part of the face, but it almost always brings sparkle and light to the eyes.
Consider these words as you receive smiles today and as you share yours with others. Smiles are much less frequent these days with so many playing or tending to their cell phones whether they're walking on a sidewalk, buried in their phones during a work break or in the lunch room, grocery line, etc.
It
can be a gloomy world with so much
distressing news and for those going
through hard times. What a blessing we
can be to one another when our facial
expressions are accentuated with a
smile. Truth is, we'd much rather be
surrounded by those who frequently
smile, than those who rarely see
anything to smile about!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, I consider the words of
Nehemiah who wrote, "The joy of
the Lord is my strength" and
Solomon who reminds us that "A
cheerful heart is good medicine."
Both verses speak about matters of the
heart where we store up Your love, joy
and goodness. Help us not to rely
solely on external stimulus to bring
forth a smile, but let our smiles be
contagious as they are evidence of
Your abundance within in our lives.
Help us to find a person today who has
no smile so that we can pass ours onto
her or him. May we be purposeful in
making eye contact with others so they
realize we value them as you would
want us to. In the name of Jesus we
pray. Amen.Today
we share more photos from our visit
Sunday afternoon to Longwood Gardens
with our friend Jerry Smoker for the
annual Chrysanthemum Festival.
This
Bonzai tree at Longwood Gardens was
started in 1909!
Click
to enlarge
A
Bonzai tree grove that has already
dropped its leaves.
Click
on photo to enlarge
We
were admiring this colorful assortment
of mums when Jerry explained they were
actually stored for replacements for
any mums that were spent or damaged as
the festival progressed.
Click
on photo to enlarge
Longwood
Gardens mum close-up photo by Ester
The
huge Longwood organ even has a grand
piano built into it. We went to an
organ recital that many enjoyed, but
admittedly there were times when I
dozed off for a bit.
Click
on photo to enlarge
The
whisper bench somehow amplifies sound
based on the curved design and you can
hear a whisper from each end. I
checked and either it works or Jerry
can read lips very well or is
spiritually intuitive. I very softly
quoted John 3:16 and he could hear me!
The
Longwood Gardens main fountain is
closed for the season but is an
amazing spectacle.
Click
to enlarge
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"Smile
A While" Video
Rochelle Hanson
"Yours
(Glory and Praise)"
Video
This is a song that has been
blessing us as we sing it at
church.
Finally
today:
Our
neighbors, Leon and Jane,
have been gone the last
several days visiting their
son and family in Missouri
so they asked us to gather
the eggs laid by their hens.
It was a very cold and windy
day on Saturday when
Brooksyne gathered these 11
eggs. There were 11 eggs
this morning as well.
Perhaps these hens need to
learn that egg cartons hold
a dozen eggs, not just 11.
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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