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Thursday,
September 10,
2020
For several years back in the early 80's when we were a lot younger we enjoyed going to the Creation Festival in central PA with friends from our church. Can you find us? We boasted to others that we were demonstrating church unity as we all appeared to use the porta-potties at the same time. I suppose we were in "one accord"! Now most in the photo are in their 60's or even 70's! (On the very far left it appears someone is photo-bombing if such a thing existed back then.)
Click on
photo to enlarge
"We're
All In This Together"
Message
summary: The consequences of our actions
affect not only our own destiny but those entrusted
to our care as well. Lord, today help us to
persevere in your truth! And let us work
together with those we are called to serve.
Listen
to this message on your audio player.
Listen
to this message on your audio player.“Watch
your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them,
because if you do, you will save both yourself and
your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16).
Today's lead photo is a funny memory from our early
pastorate. For a number of years a group from our
church went to the Creation Festival in central
Pennsylvania. It was three days camping out and
hearing contemporary Christian music and Bible
teaching. We were still in our twenties when the
photo was taken and decided to pose as if we were
going to use the porta-potties all at the same time
(although we didn't!). The caption was "We do life
together at Agape" (the name of our church).
A common phrase as the "pandemic" season
wears on and on is "We're All In This Together". We
saw this demonstrated in an interesting way last
Friday when Keith Lutz, owner of Kleen-Rite, the
nation's largest wholesale car wash supply company,
joined his team in the packing line. They've been
swamped with orders so he joined in to help them
catch up.Working together is a critical component of success in many areas of life. Similarly, failing to work together can be disastrous. Consider the deadly crash of EgyptAir 990 in 1999. Evidence indicates that in the final moments the cockpit crew was actually working against each other in what the official NTSB called "a result of the relief first officer's flight control inputs". It seems the captain and first officer had different objectives. The captain valiantly tried to save the plane while the copilot was equally determined to ditch it into the ocean. What a terrifying time this must have been. The dastardly deed of being entrusted with several hundred lives and yet intentionally plunging them to death is practically unthinkable.
All in this together should mean we are working together to accomplish a mission having the same objective which is vitally important. This is true in the home, in church and, of course, in business. That's why it was heartening to see Keith in the packing line last week, a company function often held by newer, lesser skilled employees.
In business and ministry the perils of conflicting objectives are not as immediately dramatic as in a plane crash but they are every bit as deadly. Those of us in Christian ministry should be soberly aware of this. Paul spoke of two men named Hymenaeus and Philetus, who had wandered away from the truth. In doing so they had destroyed the faith of others as well (2 Timothy 2:17,18).
The daily verse ought to be memorized by everyone involved in ministry for Christ and that should be all who follow Him. Vigilance in both what we believe and how we live is vitally important. The consequences of our actions affect not only our own destiny but those entrusted to our care as well. Lord, help us today to persevere in your truth! And let us work together with those we are called to serve.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, the
Scriptures asks, “Can two walk together, unless they
are agreed?” Grant us discernment, discipline, and
direction when choosing our life partner, business
associate or any other person in which we must unite
in making decisions. For those who are presently
unequally yoked grant them grace to live carefully,
watching their lives and doctrine closely, so that
they will positively influence their partner,
co-worker, family member or friend to consider the
claims of the Gospel which may ultimately lead them
to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, in whose
name we pray. Amen.Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"The Family Prayer
Song" Video Maranatha
Singers A great way to end a service with families
gathered together for prayer.
For the
aviation-minded here is some fuller information
from the crash investigation of EgyptAir Flight
990: The cockpit voice recorder (CVR)
recorded the captain excusing himself to go to the
lavatory, followed thirty seconds later by the
first officer saying in Egyptian Arabic "Tawkalt
ala Allah," which translates to "I rely on God." A
minute later, the autopilot was disengaged,
immediately followed by the first officer again
saying, "I rely on God." Three seconds later, the
throttles for both engines were reduced to idle,
and both elevators were moved three degrees nose
down. The first officer repeated "I rely on God"
seven more times before the captain suddenly asked
repeatedly, "What's happening, what's happening?"
The flight data recorder reflected that the
elevators then moved into a split condition, with
the left elevator up and the right elevator down,
a condition which is expected to result when the
two control columns are subjected to at least 50
pounds (23 kgf) of opposing force.[1] At this
point, both engines were shut down by moving the
start levers from run to cutoff. The captain
asked, "What is this? What is this? Did you shut
the engines?" The captain is then recorded as
saying "get away in the engines" (this is the
literal translation that appears in the NTSB
transcript), followed by "shut the engines". The
first officer replies "It's shut". The final
recorded words are the captain repeatedly stating,
"Pull with me" but the FDR data indicated that the
elevator surfaces remained in a split condition
(with the left surface commanding nose up and the
right surface commanding nose down) until the FDR
and CVR stopped recording. There were no other
aircraft in the area. There was no indication that
an explosion occurred on board. The engines
operated normally for the entire flight until they
were shut down. From the presence of a western
debris field about 1,200 feet (370 m) from the
eastern debris field, the NTSB concluded that the
left engine and some small pieces of wreckage
separated from the aircraft at some point before
water impact.[1]
The NTSB determined that the only way for the observed split elevator condition to occur was if the left seat pilot (the captain's position) was commanding nose up while the right seat pilot (the first officer's position) commanded nose down. As the Egyptian investigation forwarded various mechanical failure scenarios, they were each tested by the NTSB and found not to match the factual evidence.
The NTSB determined that the only way for the observed split elevator condition to occur was if the left seat pilot (the captain's position) was commanding nose up while the right seat pilot (the first officer's position) commanded nose down. As the Egyptian investigation forwarded various mechanical failure scenarios, they were each tested by the NTSB and found not to match the factual evidence.
Yesterday
I (Stephen) made a chaplain visit in Palmyra, PA.
Jesse and his son Moses were with me so we
purposefully slowly drove down an alley to pass
the Seltzer's
Lebanon Bologna smokehouses from which
emanate the most wonderful wood smoke aroma you
can imagine. As the world's largest Lebanon Bologna producer,
the company regularly distributes nationwide.
Defying modern cost-cutting methods, the Seltzers
continue to produce bologna the old-fashioned way
- in these tall, wooden smokehouses over
hand-tended fires. Some claim that the secret to
Seltzer's distinctive taste lies not in the
ingredients, but in the darkened smokehouses where
slow, steady billows pervade spiced logs of aged
beef. I sure wish I could buy a candle with that
aroma!!! Palmyra is just east of another aromatic
town that bills itself as "the sweetest place on earth"
which also has a pleasant aroma.
Yesterday
afternoon we passed this scene of tomatoes being
harvested in a field near our home on Colebrook
Road. These tomatoes will be processed into
sauces, likely at the Furmanos plant about 80
miles north of us. Sorry we aren't closer but
Brooksyne took the photo as we drove by. Here's a
post with close-up photos
from the same farm years ago.
On
the way to walk our dogs along the river Brooksyne
snapped this photo last evening. Sadie is not too
pleased to be in a vehicle unless she can put her
head out the window.
We
passed this old truck backed up into the woods in
a forested area of northern Lancaster County.
Finally
today:
We
noticed this morning that our dogwood tree is
starting to change and drop foliage!
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."
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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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