✝ Daily Encouragement (5/22/24) "Making A Difference"
Published: Wed, 05/22/24
Updated: Wed, 05/22/24
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A new message
is updated
most weekdays,
usually by
Noon Eastern
Time (USA).
(Click refresh or reload for current message) Wednesday, May 22, 2024  On
Monday evening
we walked down
along Donegal
Creek with
friends
visiting from
New York and
saw this
mallard duck,
which in our
view sports
one of the
prettiest
greens in
nature.
"Making A Difference" Message summary: How are you making a difference to a broken world? Listen to our message on your audio player.
"God sets
the lonely in
families"
(Psalm 68:6).
"Greet
Rufus, a
choice man in
the Lord, also
his mother and
mine"
(Romans
16:13).
Note:
We used this
verse last
week but it is
again
appropriate
for today's
message.
Regardless
of what size
church we've
served or
attended we
notice that
people tend to
sit in the
same place
every week.
In
a large church
you especially
become friends
with your pew
neighbors (as
we have termed
it), often
visiting with
them for a few
minutes before
and after the
service.
For several years we sat in front of John*¹ and Ethyl, a couple about 15 years older than us. Prior to this we had actually met Ethyl several times due to our friendship with her brother Don Musser. Several years ago John passed away and Ethyl, with strong overcoming faith now sits alone, although surrounded by other supportive pew neighbors. 
But
for some time
now she has
been sitting
with Marcos
whom she
reached out to
in the gym
where she is a
member and
invited him to
church, He
even attends
her ABF
(Sunday
School) class.
I don't know
his whole
story of
course but
after talking
to him I
realize he has
been on a
rough road.
But he now
considers her
like a mother
and she
considers him
like a son. I
above took the
photo
last Sunday
after the
service as we
visited.
God
chooses to
relate to us
in terms we should*²
all
understand—terms
of the family.
The family is
God's design
for the
foundation of
society. God
presents
Himself as our
heavenly
Father. When
we put our
faith in
Jesus, we
become
children of
God (John
1:12–13) and
He is our
Father. Jesus
Himself taught
us to call on
God as Father
in the Lord's
Prayer.
In
the human
family God's
ideal design
is a mother
and father
raising
children,
bringing them
up in the
discipline and
instruction of
the Lord
(Ephesians
6:4). But for
many reasons,
both due to
human
rebellion and
God's
mysterious
ways, the
ideal design
is not always
the case.
Human
rebellion is
when a father
and/or mother
fails to heed
God's clear
call to
obedience in
marriage and
parenting. An
example of
God's
mysterious
ways is a
matter we are
now pastorally
dealing with
in regard to
the death last
weekend of a
good young
father leaving
four
heartbroken
children and a
grieving wife.
The
only mention
of Paul's
mother is the
tender
expression at
the end of his
greeting to
Rufus in
Romans 16:13,
"Greet
Rufus, a
choice man in
the Lord, also
his mother and
mine".
We briefly
dealt with
this verse
last week but
again wonder
if this is a
reference to
his actual
mother or a
mother-like
figure in his
life which
seems to be
the main
consensus
among
commentators.
If
that is the
case it would
represent
scores of
mother-like
figures who
have enriched
the broken
world, filling
in the gaps
where God's
ideal has been
broken. Of
course this
concept also
applies to
father-like
figures which
in a sense is
even a greater
need since
generally
speaking more
mothers seem
to take their
role
seriously.
Back
to Ethyl and
Markos. Ethyl
has grown
children,
grandchildren
and possibly
great
grandchildren.
But in her
latter years
she's not just
coasting home.
She saw a need
in Markos'
life and chose
to help meet
that need, her
age
notwithstanding.
Let
me end with an
illustration:
It's an older
one so some of
you have
already
probably heard
it but it
always touches
me.
A
little boy was
seen walking
along the
seashore
tossing
beached
starfish back
into the sea.
A man
approached him
and said,
"Son, there
are thousands
of starfish on
this beach.
You won't
begin to make
any
difference".
He picked up
another one
and as he
tossed it back
in he told the
man, "It will
make a
difference for
this one".
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
*¹
John
had a produce
stand at
Central Market
in Lancaster
for something
like 60 years
as I recall. *² "should all understand" Sadly with the breakdown of the family there are an increasing number of people who do not know family love.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "Thank
you
Mama"
Watch
on YouTube
Amos
& Margaret
Raber I
assist our
friend Jesse
in preparing a
blog every two
to three weeks
for the Old
Windmill Farm.
The next
message will
be on "Mothers
on the Farm"
and Jesse
suggested this
song. If
you would like
to read his
blog see here:
Old
Windmill Farm
Blog. You
can also sign
up to receive
it by email here. 
When
folks visit us
we enjoy
taking them
for walk on
our farm lane
trail that
leads down to
Donegal Creek
where today's
lead mallard
duck photo was
taken. For
many years
since we moved
here in 2002
the section
above was a
tree-lined
path. Several
years ago the
farm was sold
and the new
owner removed
most of the
trees but
thankfully we
still have the
walking path.
Just beware of
ankle-twisting
holes!!! These
are our
friends from
the Finger
Lakes region
in New York
who visited us
Monday
afternoon.
(Click on photo to enlarge) 
On
the other hand
the river
trail, where
we rode our
bikes Sunday
afternoon, is
paved
providing a
stunningly
pleasant
walking or
bike-riding
path.
(Click on photo to enlarge) 
On
one side of
the trail is
an active rail
line.
It's
always a BONUS
to be on the
trail when a
train goes by!
(Click on photo to enlarge)
On
other side of
the trail is
the
Susquehanna
River where
the grass has
been freshly
mown.
(Click on photo to enlarge) 
On
our ride we
saw this foot
long snapping
turtle on the
trail. We sure
didn't care to
get too close
to that
snapping
mouth!
(Click on photo to enlarge)
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