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daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Friday,
February
12,
2021
The Barn at Silverstone Manor after yesterday's snow.
Click on photo to enlarge
"A Love That
Endures"
Message summary: Enduring
love is at the very heart of Paul's message in
what is known as the Love Chapter: "Love never
fails." Endurance is a word defined as "the
act, quality, or power of withstanding hardship or
stress." That's the depth of tested love the world
needs to see in marriages. As God's children we
are called to practice it and be living examples
for those who look on, most especially our
children. We should not only be attracted to each
other, but remain committed to each other as well.
Consider this when you express love this coming
Valentine's Day and every day!
Listen
to this message on your audio player.
"Through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). "Husbands, love your wives" (Ephesians 5:25). "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives" (1 Peter 3:7). "Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:8).
We live out in the country and like most we periodically lose electrical power. Since just about everything in our home relies on electricity we find ourselves quite inconvenienced to say the least; no water since we have a well and pump (requiring electricity), no heat (even our coal stove requires electricity to run the primary air blower and self-feeder) and after several hours no internet after a battery backup runs out. Thankfully our power is very reliable and even when we periodically lose power it usually comes back on within an hour or two.
Years ago we had a
cold spell and winter storm which caused our power
to go out. After nearly six chilling hours of no
electricity Brooksyne, Ester and I, along with my
mom, who was living with us at the time, decided
to go somewhere for some warmth and working
bathrooms. So we all piled in the van and drove
over to a Burger King in Rheems about four miles
away. It was great to get out of the cold. We
ordered our meals and sat down at a table to dine
together.
Usually when we go to a fast food restaurant we do window service or quickly eat and leave (after all, it is "fast" food). Not this time, however, since we were in no hurry to give up our warm location to return to our cold home. We took plenty of time to eat and visit together. We probably bordered on loitering.
As
our meal dragged on and on we began to observe a
frail elderly couple who were not sitting across
from one another as most couples do but rather
sitting side by side. Our view of them was
obscured by the thick green plants in the privacy
partition two rows over. We thought it rather
sweet, kind of like a teenage couple on a date.
They also were taking their sweet time to finish
their meal.
Being curious, I suggested to Brooksyne that she get more condiments, and go the long way around to get a view of this couple from the front. She came back with a full report.
They were seated close together because they were sharing a single meal. The husband was pinching off bird-sized portions of a hamburger and hand-feeding it to his wife. He broke the french fries into tiny pieces and gave her very small sips of the beverage through a straw. Apparently she had suffered a stroke and, though they were very small bites, it still took her a long time to chew each bite and swallow the food. He lovingly and patiently waited for her to chew and digest each bite before feeding her the next one.
We were both deeply touched by such a loving scene. Thoughts of Valentine's Day bring about mental images of young romance that Jared's, Hallmark, Russell Stover, and local florists market heavily especially at Valentine's Day.
Consider the media's portrayal of love with a gorgeous Hollywood couple having a lavish wedding surrounded by paparazzi, before the COVID restrictions changed all that for the time being. So often the same Hollywood couple becomes headlines again when they're soon embroiled in a divorce battle.
However, we believe the full picture of genuine, mature, and enduring servant type love is evident in the old couple at Burger King. Love's passion will fizzle. Youth and vitality turns into a distant memory captured only in photos or deep in one's heart. But true love will remain all the days of our lives when we take seriously the marital vows, "for better, for worse; in sickness and in health, till death do us part". Maybe we should add "in our days of youth and our golden years". Though I've heard some seniors say, "I don't really see anything golden about getting old."
Just consider some examples of couples whom we follow in the Bible record from their youth until their dying day. Their devotion was just as evident at the beginning of their romance as it was the day of the spouse's death. Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, Boaz and Ruth, are among the examples of committed couples whose love was an example of not only romance, but commitment, devotion, and endurance in the trials they walked through together.
This enduring love is at the very heart of Paul's message in what is known as the Love Chapter: "Love never fails." Endurance is a word defined as "the act, quality, or power of withstanding hardship or stress." That's the depth of tested love the world needs to see. As God's children we are called to practice it and be living examples for those who look on, most especially our children. We should not only be attracted to each other, but remain committed to each other as well. Consider this when you express love this Valentine's Day and every day!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Listen
to this message on your audio player."Through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). "Husbands, love your wives" (Ephesians 5:25). "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives" (1 Peter 3:7). "Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:8).
We live out in the country and like most we periodically lose electrical power. Since just about everything in our home relies on electricity we find ourselves quite inconvenienced to say the least; no water since we have a well and pump (requiring electricity), no heat (even our coal stove requires electricity to run the primary air blower and self-feeder) and after several hours no internet after a battery backup runs out. Thankfully our power is very reliable and even when we periodically lose power it usually comes back on within an hour or two.
Years ago we had a
cold spell and winter storm which caused our power
to go out. After nearly six chilling hours of no
electricity Brooksyne, Ester and I, along with my
mom, who was living with us at the time, decided
to go somewhere for some warmth and working
bathrooms. So we all piled in the van and drove
over to a Burger King in Rheems about four miles
away. It was great to get out of the cold. We
ordered our meals and sat down at a table to dine
together.Usually when we go to a fast food restaurant we do window service or quickly eat and leave (after all, it is "fast" food). Not this time, however, since we were in no hurry to give up our warm location to return to our cold home. We took plenty of time to eat and visit together. We probably bordered on loitering.
As
our meal dragged on and on we began to observe a
frail elderly couple who were not sitting across
from one another as most couples do but rather
sitting side by side. Our view of them was
obscured by the thick green plants in the privacy
partition two rows over. We thought it rather
sweet, kind of like a teenage couple on a date.
They also were taking their sweet time to finish
their meal.Being curious, I suggested to Brooksyne that she get more condiments, and go the long way around to get a view of this couple from the front. She came back with a full report.
They were seated close together because they were sharing a single meal. The husband was pinching off bird-sized portions of a hamburger and hand-feeding it to his wife. He broke the french fries into tiny pieces and gave her very small sips of the beverage through a straw. Apparently she had suffered a stroke and, though they were very small bites, it still took her a long time to chew each bite and swallow the food. He lovingly and patiently waited for her to chew and digest each bite before feeding her the next one.
We were both deeply touched by such a loving scene. Thoughts of Valentine's Day bring about mental images of young romance that Jared's, Hallmark, Russell Stover, and local florists market heavily especially at Valentine's Day.
Consider the media's portrayal of love with a gorgeous Hollywood couple having a lavish wedding surrounded by paparazzi, before the COVID restrictions changed all that for the time being. So often the same Hollywood couple becomes headlines again when they're soon embroiled in a divorce battle.
However, we believe the full picture of genuine, mature, and enduring servant type love is evident in the old couple at Burger King. Love's passion will fizzle. Youth and vitality turns into a distant memory captured only in photos or deep in one's heart. But true love will remain all the days of our lives when we take seriously the marital vows, "for better, for worse; in sickness and in health, till death do us part". Maybe we should add "in our days of youth and our golden years". Though I've heard some seniors say, "I don't really see anything golden about getting old."
Just consider some examples of couples whom we follow in the Bible record from their youth until their dying day. Their devotion was just as evident at the beginning of their romance as it was the day of the spouse's death. Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, Boaz and Ruth, are among the examples of committed couples whose love was an example of not only romance, but commitment, devotion, and endurance in the trials they walked through together.
This enduring love is at the very heart of Paul's message in what is known as the Love Chapter: "Love never fails." Endurance is a word defined as "the act, quality, or power of withstanding hardship or stress." That's the depth of tested love the world needs to see. As God's children we are called to practice it and be living examples for those who look on, most especially our children. We should not only be attracted to each other, but remain committed to each other as well. Consider this when you express love this Valentine's Day and every day!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, we thank You for the wonderful
gift of love that we experience in a romantic
relationship that often grows into a marital bond
between a man and woman. It is a holy union in which
we, as devout believers, make You the Cornerstone of
our marriage and family. May we be a support to each
other as we provide a loving and protective shelter
from the inevitable disappointments of life. May the
fruit of the Spirit be evident in our daily walk
both at home and in public places. Keep us wholly
faithful to one another, rejecting every lustful
temptation the devil sends our way. May we prove our
love to each other with mutual respect,
understanding, forgiveness, kindness, forbearance,
and unity. In the precious name of Jesus we
pray. Amen.We shared the illustration about the couple at Burger King years ago but we have many new readers and also suppose regular readers may very well benefit in reading it again. It's one of the best examples of enduring love we have ever personally witnessed!
Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
Tonight we will be attending a
Piercing Word concert. They perform
memorized Scripture in dramatic and musical
presentations word-for-word from the ESV
Bible. "Piercing Word".
Mission and Vision - We seek to ignite
passion for the Word of God in the heart of
the Church. We do this by engaging people
with live Scripture Performances,
challenging everyone to memorize God’s Word
for themselves, and equipping the Church
with resources for Bible memorization and
study. Video
Some winter scenes from snowy Lancaster County
We had a new covering of snow early
yesterday morning before we headed out, making
for some rather slippery roads and pretty
scenery.
Our first visit yesterday was to
Smucker Home Improvement. As we got out
of the car a trotting horse and Amish
buggy passed by with an invisible driver (or
so it appears).
Marlin (left), one of the company
owners, has a practice of getting around and
encouraging the employees. Here he is with
Clarence who happens to be an ex-con who has
worked for Smucker Laser for several years
since his release and is doing very well. He
is experiencing the dignity and purposefulness
that work brings.
After visiting Smuckers we ate
breakfast at the Crackerbarrel, one of our
favorite restaurants, and visited with one of
our favorite waitresses, Luz, whom we
mentioned in our personal notes on January
8th. Many of you recognize the name, Luz, in
Spanish means "light". She really is a light
in this dark world as she takes a very public
stand for Christ. She recently lost her father
so we have been praying for her mother and all
of her 10 siblings that the Father of all
Comfort will provide solace and peace, knowing
they will someday reunite in heaven.
The Silverstone Manor
Click on photo to enlarge
Click on photo to enlarge
Snow-covered Lancaster County!
Click on photo to enlarge
Click on photo to enlarge
We purposefully took the back roads
to view the snow covered fields among the
barns and silos.
Click on photo to enlarge
Finally today:
A
kind gesture and remembrance
We greeted Tommy this morning who
gives each woman at Kleen-Rite a single red
carnation every Valentine's Day. His father,
Tom, who worked for Kleen-Rite for 35, years
started the tradition many years ago before
his unexpected death two years ago. His son,
Tommy, who also works at Kleen-Rite continues
the practice his late father started many
years ago.
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& Brooksyne
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Weber".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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