Message summary: Today we consider the power of a heartfelt blessing.

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“This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him” (Genesis 49:28).

Yesterday following our church service we went to Calvary Homes (a local senior living center) to have a birthday party for our 90 year old friend Jim Schmidt (waving in photo). There were 15 of us who gathered to wish Jim a happy 90th! He and his wife Dottie have been friends over 25 years after we met at a conference in Boston.

As Brooksyne set up for the party I picked up the Lapp family on the Old Windmill Farm. The Lapps have also been friends with the Jim and Dottie since we introduced them while visiting Ocean City, NJ over 16 years ago. We had taken the Lapps to the shore and later enjoyed pizza at the Schmidt's home.

Before leaving Calvary Homes after the party we walked Jim back to his room. On the way down the hall I saw former pastor Eric Crichton who is now 103 years old! He served the church we currently attend nearly 40 years ago prior to his retirement and is a well-respected pastor amongst the long term members.

I had visited with him several times before when I spoke at a men's group chapel service. So I briefly refreshed his memory that was I among the teachers in a class at the church and he said to me, "God bless your ministry". This blessing brought an immediate refreshing and also stimulated a memory of a similar blessing that has been very important in my life.

Bill Shibilo was a dear older member of the congregation we served in New England. He was one of the kindest men we'd ever met with sterling Christ-like character. At the end of his life we gathered with Bill’s family in his hospital room at New England Medical Center in Boston. We sang hymns, read Scripture and prayed.

Bill had a debilitating lung disease which made his breathing very labored. As his time of departure neared he could hardly speak but mustered the strength to solemnly speak to us from the depths of his heart, "May God bless your ministry". That blessing came with an anointing that strengthens us to this day!

Today we want to challenge you, our readers, to consider opportunities to place a thoughtful blessing upon others. We are not speaking of the typical general blessing we share with many such as “God bless you” which is a part of so much conversation we often utter it with little thought.

The Book of Genesis established the practice of conferring blessings on descendants: Isaac to his sons in Genesis 27 and later Jacob to his sons in Genesis 49. We are probably most familiar with these blessings due to Jacob’s deceitfulness.

Regarding Jacob's blessing on his children we have this summary: “This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him” (Genesis 49:28).

This was a blessing of a father to his sons as his time of death drew near. He blessed each one (individually) with a blessing suitable to each one. This required thoughtfulness and discernment.

This is an example to fathers in all generations but is also appropriate such as the two blessings mentioned today from our elders to our spiritual descendants. Now that we're more on the elderly side of life we look for opportunities to pray a blessing on others hoping that we will be a source of encouragement and strength even as the blessing conferred on us was  a blessing then and continues to this day.

Today we encourage each of our readers to consider the power of the blessing, both formal blessings such as might be conferred at our time of death but also spontaneous, heartfelt blessings that we thoughtfully share through the course of everyday life.

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, we pray that You will give us Biblical thoughts and expressions of blessing that we can share with those whom we seek to influence. Not only can we pray for them, but we can also bless them in the name of Jesus. We are instructed to bless even those who curse us, hard as that may be to do. When Jesus instructed His disciples to enter the house where they lodged and place their blessings upon that family saying, “Peace be to this house” Your peace rested upon it. So, we too have power with our prayerful words to make a positive difference in one’s life, whether a personalized spoken or written blessing. Grant us confidence to meaningfully express blessings as we reach out in the name of Christ, for it is in His name that we pray and that we seek to bless others. Amen.

"2024 - THE BLESSING"  Watch on YouTube  Over 12,000 from 154 nations sing in 257 languages  Watching this will sure remind you that we belong to a word-wide family! Watch for your country. As I watched this I especially considered those in countries undergoing persecution for their faith.

"When Grace Became Amazing to Me"  Watch on YouTube The Bontrager Family Singers are coming to our neighborhood in Mount Joy, on Sunday evening June 23, 2024 6:00 PM just one street over at Brubaker Farms 493 Musser Rd Mount Joy, PA. It's in the meadow and in a beautiful setting, sitting on lawn chairs and appears to be a free will offering. We will provide more info when we clarify.

Our mission is to glorify the Lord through the stewardship of our team, animals, community, and the environment.

In his book “The Blessing” John Trent lists five elements of a Biblical blessing: