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 Dick Innes


Weekend Encounter

Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes          
Published by: ACTS International

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Vol. 19 – No. 0417  January 28, 2017

 

Thought for the week: "Great opportunities to help people seldom come, but small ones surround us every day." – Unknown

Read Chuck Colson's report on "Mental Health and Abortion." Click HERE

 
    INDEX
1.   Words of Wisdom
2.   On the Lighter Side
3.   The Power of One
4.   Guilty or Not Guilty
5.   Oh, Excuse Me Please
6.   Shattering Stereotypes
7.   Rewarding Irresponsible Behavior
8.   Receive Daily Encounter Devotional  Without Charge
9.   Weekend Encounter E-mail Edition  Without Charge
10.   Know God ... Without Having to Be Religious
11.   Seven Pillars of Character
12.   Prayer Partners Needed
13.   To Submit a Prayer Request
14.   Please Help Support Weekend Encounter
15.   Helpful Books
16.   Free Services
17.   ACTS in Action Report; Archives for Daily and Weekend Encounter
 

1. Words of Wisdom

"A great attitude does much more than turn on the light in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before we changed." – Earl Nightingale

"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else." – Benjamin Franklin

"The price of greatness is responsibility." – Sir. Winston Churchill

"Call on God, but row away from the rocks." – Indian Proverb

"You must be the change you want to see in the world." – Mohandas Gandhi

"The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events." – Winston Churchill

"Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done." – Harriett Beecher Stowe

Index

2. On the Lighter Side

A forestry-service employee was recording the rainfall in his area. One drizzly day, his thoughts were apparently elsewhere as he typed "thirty three inches" instead of "thirty-three hundredths of an inch" into the computer.

It was obvious that the machine had been programmed by someone with a sense of humor, for this message quickly appeared on the screen: "Build the ark. Gather the animals two by two."

Source: Laughter for a Saturday, ed548@yahoo.com. Cited on WITandWISDOM by Richard Wimer, www.witandwisdom.org.

Index

3. The Power of One

A mouse and a dove are conversing.The little mouse said, "Tell me the weight of a snowflake." The dove answers, "Why a snowflake weighs nothing more than nothing." To which the mouse replies, "In that case I must tell you a marvelous story: I sat on a fir branch, close to the trunk, when it began to snow. It was not a raging storm or a blizzard. No, it was just like a quiet dream without any violence. Since I didn't have anything better to do, I began to count the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch. Their number reached exactly 4,741,926. And when the next snowflake dropped gently onto the branch weight, as you said, 'nothing more than nothing,' the branch broke off and fell to the ground."

– Cited in Preaching Well, Vol. III, No. 9.

Index

4. Guilty or Not Guilty?

When Billy Graham was driving through a small southern town, he was stopped by a policeman and charged with speeding. Graham admitted his guilt, but was told by the officer that he would have to appear in court.

The judge asked, "Guilty, or not guilty?" When Graham pleaded guilty, the judge replied, "That'll be ten dollars—a dollar for every mile you went over the limit."

Suddenly the judge recognized the famous minister. "You have violated the law," he said. "The fine must be paid—but I am going to pay it for you." He took a ten dollar bill from his own wallet, attached it to the ticket, and then took Graham out and bought him a steak dinner! "That," said Billy Graham, "is how God treats repentant sinners!"

Progress Magazine, December 14, 1992 from
   Sermon Illustrations. Submitted by Leon White.

Index

5. Oh, Excuse Me Please

I ran into a stranger as he passed by, "Oh, excuse me please," was my reply. He said, "Please excuse me, too. I wasn't watching you."

We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way when we said goodbye. But at home a different story is told. How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal, my son stood beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked him down, "Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said: "While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the family you love, you seem to abuse.

"Go and look on the kitchen floor, you'll find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers he brought for you. He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue. He stood very quiet not to spoil the surprise; you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."

By this time I felt very small, and now my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt by his bed, "Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.

"Are these the flowers you picked for me?" He smiled, "I found them out by the tree. I picked them because they are pretty like you. I knew you'd like them, especially the blue."

I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today. I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."

He said, "Oh, Mommy, that's okay, I love you anyway."

I said, "Son, I love you too, and I like the flowers, especially the blue."

– Author Unknown. Cited in Encounter
   magazine (Australia), July/August, 2006, P. 6

Index

6. Shattering Stereotypes

By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (454.3)

In 1964, a young woman named Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death in Queens, New York. Despite screams that lasted more than an hour, none of the 38 neighbors who watched from windows intervened or called for help. The incident became a national symbol of a coarse and callous society filled with people unwilling to get involved to aid a stranger.

This week, NBC's Today show simulated a realistic abduction on a busy street in suburban New Rochelle, New York. Over and over they filmed a man acting as an angry parent, grab a seven-year-old girl and pull her away. The little girl kept yelling, "You're not my father," as kids are taught to do in such cases. After watching men, women and couples walk by with no more than a nervous glance at the staged abduction, it actually brought tears to my eyes when two young men intervened to help the little girl.

The central point of the show was to demonstrate that the Kitty Genovese mentality is, sadly, still alive and well: Most people will not summon the moral courage to put themselves to any trouble or personal risk to help a stranger.

But there was another obvious dimension to the story. All the other bystanders, the little girl and the abductor were white while the men who got involved were two young black men dressed in baggy clothes. Through the distorted lens of stereotyping, these were unlikely rescuers.

Yes, it was very disturbing to watch so many people look the other way at the plight of a little girl, but it was inspiring and uplifting to see stereotypes shattered by a simple spontaneous act of conscience and courage.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

© 2007 Josephson Institute of Ethics; reprinted with permission. Michael Josephson, one of the nation's leading ethicists, is the founder of the Josephson Institute of Ethics and the premier youth character education program, CHARACTER COUNTS! For further information visit www.charactercounts.org

Index

7. Rewarding Irresponsible Behavior

Sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."1

It seems, at least here in the U.S.A., that our society is plagued by frivolous lawsuits. A man sued MacDonald's because he spilled hot coffee on himself—the coffee that he purchased! I have read that another man sued his company because he backed into his own car with a company vehicle. In student days in Chicago for two summers I drove a CTA passenger bus. We were informed that some passengers would purposely fall so they could sue the bus company.

I was listening to the news last night and once again I could hardly believe what I heard. A woman whose husband was a heavy smoker all his life died so she sued a well-known tobacco company for three billion dollars (yes, three billion) and ended up being awarded $50,000,000.00. Talk about the blame-game! Why judges and courts reward irresponsible behavior is beyond my comprehension.

Don't misunderstand me. I am not justifying the tobacco company in any way, shape or form. They are responsible too, but this man in question chose to smoke, just as the alcoholic chooses to drink. Both are equally responsible for their irresponsible actions.

And when we who are codependents take responsibility for over-dependent family members and short circuit the natural consequences of their irresponsible behavior, we too, are being irresponsible. And when we, as parents, don't discipline our children for their irresponsible behavior, we too are being irresponsible and are guilty of reinforcing their negative behavior.

The same is true of societies as with driving on roads and highways. Irresponsible driving kills people. Irresponsible living destroys societies. From the cradle to the grave, responsibility (with consequences for irresponsible behavior) needs to be taught and adhered to. Among the richest to the poorest ...from the lowliest positions to the highest offices in the land—including in the courts and with judges, ministers, politicians, lawyers and every other profession—responsibility needs to be taught, emphasized and enforced, without which we end up with mayhem and ultimately destroying ourselves.

The fact is, I am responsible. And unless one is mentally handicapped we are all responsible.

Furthermore, before God we are also responsible and in the end will have to give an account to him for how we have lived, what we have done with our life, and whether or not we have confessed our sinfulness and accepted God's gift of forgiveness through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to accept personal responsibility for every area of my life and so live that I will not be ashamed or embarrassed (or grief stricken) when I stand before you to give an account of my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV).

Index

8. Receive Daily Encounter E-mail ... Free

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Index

9. Receive E-mail Edition of Weekend Encounter ... Free

NOTE: Some ISPs (especially AOL) now use e-mail filtering software that allows you to add e-mail addresses to your 'buddy', 'safe', or 'approved' list. Please be sure to add acts@actsweb.org to yours so you won't miss any issue of Weekend Encounter.

Index

10. Know God ... Without having to be religious

Click on: How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian -- without having to be religious. Know God

Index

11. Seven Pillars of Character

The first of these six pillars of character are from Michael Josephson of Character counts to which I have added a seventh:

  • Trustworthiness
  • Respect
  • Responsibility
  • Fairness
  • Caring
  • Citizenship
  • Personal Honesty

Index

12. Prayer Partners Needed

One of ACTS greatest needs is Prayer Partners to stand with us as we seek to share the gospel with millions of people around the world through E-mail and the Internet and to win the lost to Jesus. If you would like to be an ACTS Prayer Partner, please subscribe to the Prayer Encounter list. Approximately two prayer reports are emailed monthly. Thank you.

Index

13. To Submit a Prayer Request

If you have a special prayer request please submit it to David Clark at: www.responda.co.uk/prayer.php. David is not on the ACTS staff but is offering this as a service to Daily and Weekend Encounter readers.

Helpers Needed: If you can help David pray for prayer requests, please could you go to:
www.responda.co.uk/member.php

Index

14. Help Support Weekend Encounter

    "Changing the World . . . One Person at a Time" 

Weekend Encounter and Daily Encounter are just two of the ways the nonprofit organization, ACTS International, is working to improve the spiritual and emotional life of many thousands of people around the world.

Every weekday Daily Encounter is going to 225,000+ subscribers, and every week Weekend Encounter is going to 6,000+ subscribers worldwide—many of whom are in places where it is forbidden to spread the Christian gospel and message. Plus we reach several hundred thousand more every week through our advertising. As a result every day we are seeing an average of 5-6 salvation responses from around the world!

If you find value in the free Weekend Encounter and/or Daily Encounter, we hope you will be comfortable donating at least $26. That's only 50 cents a week for an entire year (tax-deductible in the U.S.). You can donate in one of the following ways:

Donate Online: You can donate online at ACTS secure web site. Click HERE on ACTS support donations.

Donate Through PayPal:You can donate securely through PAYPAL. Click HERE on PayPal. Where it says Payment For: type in Donation.

Donate by Telephone: ACTS accepts credit card donations by phone by calling 1-949-481-4262.

Donate Through Postal Mail: If you prefer to write a check or money order, please send it and make it payable to:

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Index

15. Helpful Books

Oprah Winfrey: "Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi." – Oprah Winfrey

Books:

Books by Dick Innes, Editor of Weekend Encounter
   You Can't Fly With a Broken Wing
   How to Mend a Broken Heart
   I Hate Witnessing—A Handbook for Effective Christian
      Communications

   On Sale at: https://actscom.com/books_sale_5-14.php

Index

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Index

17. ACTS in Action Report and Encounter Archives

ARCHIVES: Daily and Weekend Encounters

"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace."


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