Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 19 – No. 0517 February 02, 2017
Thought for the week:"There is a time when we must firmly choose the course which we will follow or the endless drift of events will make the decision for us." – Herbert V. Prochno
"It really doesn't matter if the person who hurt you deserves to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. You have things to do and you want to move on." – Author Unknown
"You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take" – Wayne Gretzky
"Every generation of Americans [and others] needs to know that freedom exists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought." – Pope John Paul II
"We can stand affliction better than we can prosperity, for in prosperity we forget God." – Dwight L. Moody
"If it is desirable that our children be kind, responsible, pleasant and honest, then those qualities must be taught—not hoped for." – James Dobson
"When your only tool is a hammer, you see every problem as a nail." – A. Maslow
"You can wash your hands but not your conscience." – Yiddish Proverb
As a new commercial pilot, I found that most of my time and energy was put into learning how to fly a jet. I could see that my fiancée's patience was wearing thin because I had little time to spend with her. It became even worse when our spring wedding clashed with a new series of required training flights that would take me abroad for more than a month.
At my suggestion we decided to marry sooner. The day was perfect, with no talk of flying. My heart melted as I watched her walk up the aisle to stand next to me. But as we recited our vows, I looked into her eyes and said, "With this wing, I thee wed."
Everybody's Normal Until You Get to Know Them by John Ortberg. I've included this quote from the book: "One of the most thorough research projects on relationships is called the Alameda County Study. Headed by a Harvard social scientist, it tracked the lives of 7,000 people over nine years. Researchers found that the most isolated people were three times more likely to die than those with strong relational connections.
"People who had bad health habits (such as smoking, poor eating habits, obesity, or alcohol use) but strong social ties lived significantly longer than people who had great health habits but were isolated. In other words, it is better to eat Twinkies with good friends than to eat broccoli alone. Harvard researcher Robert Putnam notes that if you belong to no groups but decide to join one, "you cut your risk of dying over the next year in half."
"For another study, as reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 276 volunteers were infected with a virus that produces the common cold. The study found that people with strong emotional connections did four times better fighting off illness than those who were more isolated. These people were less susceptible to colds, had fewer viruses, and produced significantly less mucous than relationally isolated subjects."
Matt Emmons had the gold medal in sight. He was one shot away from claiming victory in the 2004 Olympics 50-metre, three-position rifle event. He didn't even need a bull's-eye to win. His final shot merely needed to be on target.
Normally, the shot he made would have received a score of 8.1, more than enough for a gold medal. But in what was described as "an extremely rare mistake in elite competition," Emmons fired at the wrong target. Standing in lane two, he fired at the target in lane three. His score for a good shot at the wrong target? Zero. Instead of a medal, Emmons ended up in eighth place.
It doesn't matter how accurate you are if you are aiming at the wrong goal.
– Leadership, Winter 2005. Cited in Encounter
magazine (Australia), July/August, 2006, p. 21.
It has been well said that you can't push a river but you can go with the flow.
As Marie Stilkind said, "Today I know that I cannot control the ocean tides. I can only go with the flow. When I struggle and try to organize the Atlantic to my specifications, I sink. If I fail and thrash and growl and grumble, I go under. But if I let go and float, I am borne aloft."
One of the toughest jobs in the world is being a teenager. Everything is in transition. Everything is intense—even apathy.
Kids on the brink of adulthood have to cope with inconsistencies and conflicts. A desire to be special and different clashes with the need to belong and fit in. The desire for independence collides with an aversion to self-reliance and personal responsibility.
I want to suggest five strategies that can make the journey through adolescence less painful and more enjoyable:
One: Don't run from responsibility; run toward it. The sooner you become visibly responsible, the sooner you will be authentically independent and free to do what you want and be what you want.
Two: Be yourself. You don't need orange hair, a nose ring or tattoos to be special. Dressing or behaving in extreme ways to stand out or blend in can seem like a desperate demand for attention. Discover your talents and build your character, and you will be not only noticed but respected.
Three: Resist the seduction of selfishness and short-sightedness. People who think only of their wants and needs sentence themselves to a dark and lonely dungeon. Don't confuse pleasure with happiness. Just because it feels good doesn't make it good. Don't trade all your tomorrows for today.
Four: Don't expect too much or settle for too little. No one can make you happy, but you can be happy. Hang out with people who bring out the best in you, and be the kind of person who brings out the best in others.
Five: Control your attitudes and you will control your life. You can't always control what happens to you but you can always control what happens in you. Remember, pain is inevitable but suffering is a choice. So is happiness.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
A boy came home from school one day with a note from his teacher saying she had to punish him for swearing. His father took him aside and said, "Well, Son, what about it?"
The boy replied, "I have nothing to say, Dad. I deserved it. She heard me say what I said and called me into her office."
"Then what happened?"
"Well, she asked me where I had heard such language. But I didn't give you away, Dad. I blamed it on the parrot."
Need I say more except to say that the heart of all effective teaching is "show me don't tell me." That is, we need to model what we want our children to learn, be, and do!
"Only let your conversation and manner of life be worthy of the gospel" (Philippians 1:27).
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to model for my children and others the kind of person you want me to be so that others seeing what you have done in my life will want the same for themselves. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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