Daily Encouragement logo
The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.


Donate to Daily Encouragement Net

Daily Encouragement on
Daily Encouragement on FacebookFacebook   Daily Encouragement on TwitterTwitter   Daily Encouragement on LinkedInWordpress   Daily Encouragement on LinkedInLinkedIn

Contact Us
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne

<Previous Message                            Next Message>

Friday, July 19, 2019

Blood moon (Photo by Ester)
"The Lesser Light To Rule The Night"
(Photo taken by Ester)

"The Great Perspective"

Message summary: A consideration of the lesser light.

Listen to our message on your audio player.

"And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also" (Genesis 1:16).  "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:4).

Tomorrow is the fiftieth anniversary of man's first landing on the moon. I was fourteen at the time and like most I recall that day as a tremendous milestone. I was visiting my grandparents in Harwood Missouri at the time of the landing. My grandpa, George Washington Steincross, was born in 1882 and during his adult lifetime he witnessed (read about) Wilbur and Orville Wright's first manned flight and the many advancements in flight up to seeing man land on the moon, "the lesser light" on that July day.

Last night the lesser light that God made shone brightly. Ester, who has a special interest in lunar photography took our lead photo.

Here's a different perspective: What a sense of our puniness when we consider the vast immensity of space and that thus far man's greatest achievement is only getting one of our own kind as far as the moon!

Consider today's Scripture. Then consider looking up from a field on a clear, cloudless night, overcome by an intense sense of awe toward God, corresponding with an awareness of our own relative insignificance.

We extol God's most massive works at creation as "the work of your fingers". We recognize that God has set these objects in place.  They are not "set in place" as the result of some "big bang" or whatever current scientific theory is presently in vogue.

The Psalmist then considers man. Why is God mindful of us? Why does this great Creator God care for us? The Psalmist doesn't answer these questions and neither can we. But the Scriptures abundantly reveal that God is mindful of us and cares for us. Enough so that He gave His Redeemer Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

That's good news. In fact it's by far the greatest news! Today man's greatest hope is certainly not the achievement of placing a man on the moon, but the eternal sacrifice of the One placed on the cross. Whatever circumstances you are dealing with today we encourage you to immerse yourself in this great perspective.


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Praying manDaily Prayer: Father, we contemplate the deep thoughts of the Psalmist who asked why You bother Yourself to care for all humanity. We are so small in comparison to the great works of the universe which You not only created but also sustain with perfect order, viability and replenishment day by day, year after year. You know the millions of stars in the galaxy by name and yet You are moved by the smallest burden that I bear this day. Your power is evident all about me and within me. I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made by You, the Master Designer. Amen.



Today we share several photos from our visit to Knoebel's Park on Tuesday.

Knoebel's Park view 7/16/19 Click to enlarge
Scenic skyway view of Knoebel's Park
Click to enlarge

Knoebel's Park entrance 7/16/19
The park is about 75 miles north of us in a grove-like setting in the mountains. A great feature is that you just walk right in; no visible security, no bag checks, magnetic scanners etc. Knoebels is America's largest free-admission amusement park. You can buy tickets for individual rides or an all-day pass. Brooksyne, Ester and I only rode a few rides so we did better with tickets. The five children rode many rides and did better with the pass. They have hundreds of picnic tables so you can bring your own food, which we did, but of course there are many eateries as well.
Click to enlarge

Knoebel's Park flowers 7/16/19 Click to enlarge
There are flowers everywhere and they must have their own nursery. They are always kept up and well-watered regardless of when we go during the summer.
Click to enlarge

Knoebel's water ride 7/16/19 Click to enlarge
The splash ride is a always a favorite
Click to enlarge

Knoebel's thrill ride 7/16/19 Click to enlarge
And of course the many thrill rides.
Click to enlarge

Knoebel's Park 102 year old guest 7/16/19
This 102 year old was out enjoying the park with her grandson. She had just ridden the Ferris wheel. (102 is not a misprint - she just celebrated her birthday the day before!)



Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"He's Everything To Me"  Video  The Singing Churchmen with Ralph Carmichael

Knoebels: Explained  Video

Finally today: 

Nag's retirement 7/17/19
Nag (probably not spelled that way) is one of the many Vietnamese immigrants we see in our chaplaincy ministry. They immigrated to the USA after the Vietnam war. We have met some with remarkable stories of being part of the "boat people". I took this photo because Nag's last day of work is next Friday when she will retire after 18 years of working with machines that make parts for poultry watering systems. Nag is a couple of months older than Stephen as she was born in July 1954. In spite of the language barrier we still manage to communicate with her.

Contact Us
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.)



Donate to Daily Encouragement Net We realize there are many fine ministries and causes requesting support  but if the Lord would lead you we surely need and appreciate the financial support from our readers and listeners.

Our ministry labor is comprised of approximately half our time to Daily Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to companies for which we receive compensation. Each of these ministries essentially is the same as a part-time job (20+ hours weekly) for each of us. Our goal for many years is that each would provide half of our ministry expenses and income.

If you would consider making a donation to our ministry see here for more information.

Donate directly online here. This will open to a page that designates the offering to: WEBER,STEPHEN CHAP, Specialized Chaplaincy Ministry ID: 700001-237376

Make A DonationPlease Note: We also provide this easy option due to the convenience, for international supporters, and for those who may not be concerned regarding receiving an official tax deductible receipt. Click here to send an offering using PayPal. This will open to a page that states "Brooksyne Weber"



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 2019 Stephen C. & Brooksyne Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552  USA

dailyencouragement.net

Contact Us

"Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation"