A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Monday, October 21, 2019
New
Holland Farm Equipment headquarters autumn display
"Barney,
The Encourager"
Message summary: Are you a Barnabas? Be an encourager!
Listen
to this
message on your audio player.
"When he (Saul, later known as Paul) came to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles" (Acts 9:26,27). "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:11). "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called 'Today,' so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13).
Today is a special day in our family. First of all, it's Brooksyne's birthday so that's special for her and our family! She was born in Tulsa Oklahoma the fourth of five children and grew up on a small farm on the outskirts, although technically within the city limits. We met at the now defunct Central Bible College our freshman year and had our first date on her 18th birthday in 1973.
Today is also the very day this ministry started 23 years ago in 1996. I had preached a sermon the night before from Hebrews about how we were to encourage one another daily and sent a short email out to two of our church people. At the time I had no idea it would continue the next day, then the next day, and now 23 years later!
Today let us consider one of the great "encouragers" in the Bible. Barnabas is a nickname and I have further heard people make another nickname from that nickname, "Barney, The Encourager".
Consider his influence; no book in the Bible was written by him, we don't have the text of any sermon he preached as we do Peter, Stephen and Paul. In fact there's not even a single quote attributed exclusively to Barnabas. All the information we have about him are brief, biographical snippets. But these snippets tell a lot about him.
He first comes on the scene in Acts 4:36 as "Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means 'Son of Encouragement')". Thus Barnabas is essentially a nickname and every single future reference to him in Scripture uses this nickname given by the apostles! He's never referred to as Joseph again.
Survey: If you would care
to do so we have prepared a short survey (it takes
about five minutes). Since we know little about many
of our readers and podcast listeners we find this
helpful in having sense of who you are and how you are
using our materials.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/27SRDHY
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Message summary: Are you a Barnabas? Be an encourager!
Listen
to this
message on your audio player."When he (Saul, later known as Paul) came to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles" (Acts 9:26,27). "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:11). "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called 'Today,' so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13).
Today is a special day in our family. First of all, it's Brooksyne's birthday so that's special for her and our family! She was born in Tulsa Oklahoma the fourth of five children and grew up on a small farm on the outskirts, although technically within the city limits. We met at the now defunct Central Bible College our freshman year and had our first date on her 18th birthday in 1973.
Today is also the very day this ministry started 23 years ago in 1996. I had preached a sermon the night before from Hebrews about how we were to encourage one another daily and sent a short email out to two of our church people. At the time I had no idea it would continue the next day, then the next day, and now 23 years later!
Today let us consider one of the great "encouragers" in the Bible. Barnabas is a nickname and I have further heard people make another nickname from that nickname, "Barney, The Encourager".
Consider his influence; no book in the Bible was written by him, we don't have the text of any sermon he preached as we do Peter, Stephen and Paul. In fact there's not even a single quote attributed exclusively to Barnabas. All the information we have about him are brief, biographical snippets. But these snippets tell a lot about him.
He first comes on the scene in Acts 4:36 as "Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means 'Son of Encouragement')". Thus Barnabas is essentially a nickname and every single future reference to him in Scripture uses this nickname given by the apostles! He's never referred to as Joseph again.
The
first daily text is so typical of his ministry as an
encourager. (Saul, later known as Paul) had come to
Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples, but they
were all afraid of him, not believing that he really
was a disciple. I can sure understand the apprehension
of the disciples concerning the recently converted
Saul! After all he had a vicious reputation. They
probably reasoned his newfound conversion might have
been a mere ruse to get in close quarters with the
disciples.
Note just the two words, "But Barnabas". His action is so indicative of an encourager. Barnabas believed in the power of Jesus Christ to perform the miracle of transformation. And Saul (who became Paul) was indeed genuinely transformed. Consider the tremendous contribution Paul made to the church in his apostolic ministry and letters. I am sure thankful for Barnabas who chose to stand up for him!
Barnabas is an encourager and additional references in Scripture demonstrate this. We are all indebted to encouragers even though it certainly is not considered one of the more prominent ministries, such as a polished preacher, dynamic worship leader or powerful vocalist.
A subtheme of this ministry is "Everyone Needs Encouragement." We sure believe that.
There are matters in our lives that can easily bring on discouragement but thankfully most of us don't live in a state of discouragement. And yet I don't believe there will ever come a time that I'd say, "I don't need any more encouragement. I've had enough for today. Thanks anyway." I am always receptive to other's encouragement since in a sense I can store it up! And I expect that you feel the same way, so on this 23rd anniversary of this ministry, let us once again encourage you to: Be encouraged today!
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, we're reminded of the
important role people like Barnabas play in our
lives. They give us the benefit of the doubt; they
reach out to us when others turn away; they see
our need even when we don't verbally express it;
they steer us in the right direction when we've
taken a wrong turn; they model for us the
reflection of Christ. I thank You, Father, for
Your Spirit manifested through these encouragers
who physically, emotionally, and spiritually bless
my life by their encouraging words and actions
toward me. Prompt me often to spread the same kind
of encouragement to those whom I have opportunity
to bless. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Daily Encouragement Ministry Chronology
October 21, 1996 - First email sent to Nigel and Laifong Lee a married couple and developed into a list (which was merely a group list added to manually one by one.)
1999 - Website developed by Andy Larrimore, a friend in the church we served at the time in New England.
2002 - Began one minute radio spots extracted from Daily Encouragement messages and in recent years original messages written by Brooksyne that may not be featured in one of our DE messages.
2004 - Resigned from full-time job with chaplain agency.
2005 - Developed html email (formatted with photos as opposed to just plain text), began podcasting daily messages, set up blogs/RSS feeds, Brooksyne "officially" joined in the message preparation.
2006 - Received official endorsement as the first "internet chaplain" from chaplaincy endorsement agency. (I already had endorsement for corporate chaplaincy and Civil Air Patrol chaplaincy.)
Each of these messages since the very first one are stored in a single WORD document which currently has over 4,000,000 words and over 6,500 pages (10pt type). However even this total is probably significantly understated since, as many writers know, you tend to type many words that get chopped as you go along or are eliminated in the editing process! Plus we prepare a lot of extra material on the html posts such as photo captions, music descriptions and so forth that aren't even in this archive.
Although we are thonkful for spellchick we still need to poofread carefully to see if we any words out.
Ministry update: For those interested we direct you to a revised ministry update in light of our 23rd ministry anniversary. http://www.dailyencouragement.net/ministryupdate.htm
Note just the two words, "But Barnabas". His action is so indicative of an encourager. Barnabas believed in the power of Jesus Christ to perform the miracle of transformation. And Saul (who became Paul) was indeed genuinely transformed. Consider the tremendous contribution Paul made to the church in his apostolic ministry and letters. I am sure thankful for Barnabas who chose to stand up for him!
Barnabas is an encourager and additional references in Scripture demonstrate this. We are all indebted to encouragers even though it certainly is not considered one of the more prominent ministries, such as a polished preacher, dynamic worship leader or powerful vocalist.
A subtheme of this ministry is "Everyone Needs Encouragement." We sure believe that.
There are matters in our lives that can easily bring on discouragement but thankfully most of us don't live in a state of discouragement. And yet I don't believe there will ever come a time that I'd say, "I don't need any more encouragement. I've had enough for today. Thanks anyway." I am always receptive to other's encouragement since in a sense I can store it up! And I expect that you feel the same way, so on this 23rd anniversary of this ministry, let us once again encourage you to: Be encouraged today!
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, we're reminded of the
important role people like Barnabas play in our
lives. They give us the benefit of the doubt; they
reach out to us when others turn away; they see
our need even when we don't verbally express it;
they steer us in the right direction when we've
taken a wrong turn; they model for us the
reflection of Christ. I thank You, Father, for
Your Spirit manifested through these encouragers
who physically, emotionally, and spiritually bless
my life by their encouraging words and actions
toward me. Prompt me often to spread the same kind
of encouragement to those whom I have opportunity
to bless. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.Here's some info about Daily
Encouragement Net
Daily Encouragement Ministry Chronology
October 21, 1996 - First email sent to Nigel and Laifong Lee a married couple and developed into a list (which was merely a group list added to manually one by one.)
1999 - Website developed by Andy Larrimore, a friend in the church we served at the time in New England.
2002 - Began one minute radio spots extracted from Daily Encouragement messages and in recent years original messages written by Brooksyne that may not be featured in one of our DE messages.
2004 - Resigned from full-time job with chaplain agency.
2005 - Developed html email (formatted with photos as opposed to just plain text), began podcasting daily messages, set up blogs/RSS feeds, Brooksyne "officially" joined in the message preparation.
2006 - Received official endorsement as the first "internet chaplain" from chaplaincy endorsement agency. (I already had endorsement for corporate chaplaincy and Civil Air Patrol chaplaincy.)
Each of these messages since the very first one are stored in a single WORD document which currently has over 4,000,000 words and over 6,500 pages (10pt type). However even this total is probably significantly understated since, as many writers know, you tend to type many words that get chopped as you go along or are eliminated in the editing process! Plus we prepare a lot of extra material on the html posts such as photo captions, music descriptions and so forth that aren't even in this archive.
Although we are thonkful for spellchick we still need to poofread carefully to see if we any words out.
Ministry update: For those interested we direct you to a revised ministry update in light of our 23rd ministry anniversary. http://www.dailyencouragement.net/ministryupdate.htm
Survey: If you would care
to do so we have prepared a short survey (it takes
about five minutes). Since we know little about many
of our readers and podcast listeners we find this
helpful in having sense of who you are and how you are
using our materials.https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/27SRDHY
Support: We are thankful
for those who support our ministry with their
financial offerings. Some give monthly, others
periodically or one-time. We generally each spend
about 1/2 day preparing these messages, managing the
technical details and responding to email feedback
(some days more, some days less). Our prayer has been
that offerings would be essentially 1/2 of our family
income since we work together. We also receive income
from our corporate chaplaincy ministry. If any reader
would like to consider an offering to our online
ministry information is here: http://www.dailyencouragement.net/support.htm
Make
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Future
plans: Essentially we look for strength to
continue to prepare these messages each weekday and
for the foreseeable future intend a ministry mix
between internet and chaplaincy. Essentially the
chaplaincy gets us out regularly to the real world for
a fresh perspective!
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. Your prayers, feedback, and support spur us on and challenge us to remain faithful in this writing ministry. Join us in continually giving thanks for His abundant blessings that far outnumber the grievous burdens one endures over a lifetime.
Here's the very first daily Encouragement message from Monday, October 21, 1996:
"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).
Hopefully each of you were in church yesterday and received fresh strength from the Lord and His Word. Unfortunately, then, even as now, some had forsaken this important element of growth and discipleship. As we see the Day of Christ's return drawing ever closer may we be encouraged. Whatever you do today remember the main thing: "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deuteronomy 6:5).
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. Your prayers, feedback, and support spur us on and challenge us to remain faithful in this writing ministry. Join us in continually giving thanks for His abundant blessings that far outnumber the grievous burdens one endures over a lifetime.
Here's the very first daily Encouragement message from Monday, October 21, 1996:
"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).
Hopefully each of you were in church yesterday and received fresh strength from the Lord and His Word. Unfortunately, then, even as now, some had forsaken this important element of growth and discipleship. As we see the Day of Christ's return drawing ever closer may we be encouraged. Whatever you do today remember the main thing: "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deuteronomy 6:5).
Another
photo from the New Holland Farm
Equipment headquarters autumn
display along Main Street in New
Holland, PA.
Saturday
morning we had Stephen's older
brother Pat and his wife Laverne
over for breakfast along with
their friend Don Long. They were
down this way for a men's
gathering in Camp Hill PA and
Laverne served this weekend as a
nurse at a PK (Preacher's Kid)
retreat.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Sunday morning after
church we joined Jim and Dorothy
Schmidt for breakfast at the Olde
Hickory Restaurant. They have been
friends for nearly twenty years
when we met them at a conference
in Boston. At that time we lived
in New England and they lived in
Ocean City New Jersey. Several
years ago they relocated to
Lancaster to live at Calvary Homes
retirement community. They both
have had outstanding ministries
and remain active for the Lord
even now.
Yesterday Ester visited
with Jason and Rebekah Oberholtzer
who serve in mission work on an
Indian reservation in New Mexico.
Rebekah was just a little
preschooler when her family
attended our church in the mid
eighties while
we were serving a church in
Northern Pennsylvania. What a joy
to see them serving the Lord
faithfully and raising six
children!
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"We
Stand" Video Booth
Brothers
An
encouraging word and perspective. This
is actually the introduction to prayer
in our service last week. Video
Finally
today:
One
of the great blessings of living in a
rural area is fresh produce right from
the field. Throughout the summer and
fall we often stop at the Corn Wagon
near Millersville, PA which no longer
has corn this season but now we buy
cauliflower and broccoli. Lots of
cabbage available on farm wagons as well
as other vegetables at the stand. The
next crop will be tender brussels
sprouts, hopefully this week!
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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C. & Brooksyne Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA