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&
Brooksyne Weber
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Monday, May 9,
2022
Collie puppies nestled together on the Old Windmill Farm.
Can you count them?
Click on photo to enlarge
Click on photo to enlarge
"When
It Rains On Your Picnic"
Message
summary: The mysteries or
questions we have regarding God's goodness are due to our
finite understanding and limited knowledge, never a
deficiency in His attribute of goodness.
The LORD is good to all;
He has compassion on all He has made" (Psalm 145:9). "He
causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends
rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45).
Kraybill School picnic in the rain
We had a
very rainy, sopping wet and chilly weekend beginning early
Friday morning and all through Saturday evening. We
especially considered the dreary weather's impact upon an
annual fundraising event for Kraybill Mennonite school
right up the road from our house. One of the many
preparations that went into the fundraiser included
putting up the large circus style tents for the Chicken
BBQ dinners.
We have
attended this school fundraising event many years along
with our neighbors and community friends. It's the one day
of the year when our road is filled with cars coming and
going to this annual event, but on Friday evening and
Saturday we saw very little traffic. It's certainly not
the weather you would have ordered or prayed for, and our
hearts were heavy for the students, administration and
those who worked hard for the big day only to have a very
disappointing turnout!
But being in
a farming area we know the vital necessity of adequate
rains even though they don't always come when you want. As
we prayed over our meal Saturday evening we thanked God
for the blessing of the rain as we considered so many who
live in drought-like conditions. Certainly better to have
rain on your picnic than drought! But truth be told most
would secretly wish it was somebody else's picnic! (We are
hosting a family reunion in late July here in Lancaster
County and we sure hope it doesn't rain on our outside
activities!)
The sunny
weather returned Sunday afternoon and it is a vibrant
green in our area, so much so, that you can practically
see the grass and plants grow before your eyes. I'll need
to mow this afternoon.
Our first
daily verse makes a statement that I believe is often
taken for granted even by devout believers. “The Lord
is good to all”. Consider the multitude of ways that
His attribute of goodness is extended to everyone,
including the unbeliever and vilest sinner. Even the most
blatant blasphemer and hater of God is abundantly showered
with His goodness.
God’s goodness is revealed to all in what theologians call “general revelation”. General revelation refers to the general truths that can be known about God through nature. Special revelation refers to the more specific truths that can be known about God through the supernatural. God's goodness is also an expression of what theologians call "common grace" which is God's mercy extended to all.
Today's second text is found in the Sermon on the Mount. The sun and rain are a blessing to all. Jesus said, “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). Each of us benefit from a wide host of blessings ranging from the percentage of oxygen in the air to this remarkable machine we call the body.
However the goodness of God has often been a stumbling block for the unbeliever and a source of confusion to the believer. This happens in individual lives during trying times when “bad” things happen. When His ways just don't make sense to us.
Theologian J.I. Packer has observed:
“Though
God’s ways of expressing His goodness are sometimes
unexpected and bewildering, looking indeed to the casual
observer and in the short term more like bad [than
good], the final testimony of those who walk with God
through life’s ups and downs is that ‘every promise has
been fulfilled; not one has failed’ (Joshua 23:14-15).”
Can you say “Amen” to that? You see, the mysteries or questions we have regarding God's goodness are due to our finite understanding and limited knowledge, never a deficiency in His attribute of goodness.
Be
encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Loving Father, we thrive
on Your gracious and compassionate ways,
your slowness to anger and Your
abounding love. You satisfy our desires
with good things and do not treat us as
our sins deserve or repay us according
to our iniquities. Knowing and
experiencing Your goodness in our daily
lives helps us to trust in You during
those mysterious happenings in our lives
when it would seem You've forgotten us.
But we are reminded in Scripture that
all things work together for good to
those who love You, for You use the good
and the bad, for Your glory and for our
good. We give thanks to You, our Father,
for You are good and Your love endures
forever. Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"Christ
be Magnified" Video I AM
THEY
A Mother's
Day Tribute from our church service
yesterday. Video cued to this point
in the service. Our pastor invited
his wife up to the platform and they share
from their heart. We can really see our
pastor's heart each Mother's day in his
very thoughtful words to
the various ways people are experiencing
Mother's Day.
Friday
evening we had a young man over for
dinner who also assisted me with our
website. Joe is a copywriter and SEO
specialist at Kleen-Rite. He looked over
our website as well as the website for
the Old Windmill Farm to give
suggestions and explain what the
analytics mean.
In
each of our companies we are blessed to
see young people like Joe working hard
and living responsibly.
Yesterday
(May 8) was an extra special day for us.
Not only Mother's Day but on May 8th we
celebrate our wedding anniversary (1976)
and my ordination to ministry (1979), so
we really had three celebrative events
on one day, a trifecta! A trifecta is
normally associated with horse racing
but it also means “a run of three grand
events”.
Click on photo to enlarge
This photo means a lot to
me. I am introducing Brooksyne to Joe
and Pauline Harding who had driven
down from the Kansas City area to
attend our wedding. Joe was my Sunday
School teacher in my early teens when
I was smart-mouthed, disrespectful and
uninterested. I surely gave him lots
of heartache. I have written about his
impact on my life here.
Last night I got a text from
David Simpson who was the best man in
our wedding (shaking my hand). We have
been friends since 1st grade and still
maintain that friendship for over 60
years. Dave is a businessman in
Springfield, MO. We saw him and his
wife Sandy this last summer. My
brother, Pat, in the background, conducted our wedding
ceremony.
Back in our day it wasn't
the custom to rent a limo but rather
"decorate" the newly married couples
car with shaving cream, cans tied to
the back, etc. Well, instead of
decorating our car they decorated
Dave's mistakenly!
It was also not the custom
to have a full meal reception after
the wedding. Dave wanted to take us
out so on our way out of town we drove
over to the Casa Bonita Mexican
restaurant in Tulsa. Dave was all by
himself in his decorated car. I'm sure
people were wondering where is the
groom going without his bride!
I was ordained in 1979 at
a service in York PA. That was long
before the proliferation of having
photos of everything. I have long
looked for a photo of me with
Phillip Bongiorno, my district
superintendent at that time but have
never been able to find it. I was
just 24 so I probably didn't look
that much different than my wedding
photo!
Pastor Bongiorno, who is
still living, is a short Italian
man who, prior to his conversion
to Christ, had some mafia
associations. He would often begin
any message he preached with a
brief testimony and inevitably
wept as he shared it.
Standing in a long
line with other ordinands, as I
held my Bible and faced the
congregation in 1979, the solemn
ceremony and the solemn vows I
took as a minister of the gospel
has become a lasting memorable
experience. Pastor Bongiorno
didn't rush through the
Scripture reading but carefully
enunciated each phrase and
sometimes a single word, pausing
at times to let the thoughts
sink in.
"I solemnly charge
you in the presence of God and
of Christ Jesus, who is to
judge the living and the dead,
and by His appearing and His
kingdom: preach the Word; be
ready in season and out of
season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort, with great patience
and instruction. For the time
will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine; but
wanting to have their ears
tickled, they will accumulate
for themselves teachers in
accordance to their own
desires, and will turn away
their ears from the truth and
will turn aside to myths. But
you, be sober in all things,
endure hardship, do the work
of an evangelist, fulfill your
ministry" (2 Timothy 4:1-5).
Above is a photo with
Brother Bongiorno from a minister's
picnic about 5 years ago. He is now in
his late-eighties and is still doing
well.
Forty-six years later we are still enjoying our marital union and serving the Lord together.
We enjoyed
team ministry even before our
marriage when we served together in
missions and children's ministries
at Central Bible college. Ester took
this photo on Thursday morning at
The Gathering Place venue following
the National Day of Prayer event. We
didn't have "venues" when we got
married! (Note: We wonder if
there is something about the
lighting that makes us look so much
older or is it the fact that WE ARE
MUCH OLDER!
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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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