Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 9 – No. 1207 March 24, 2007
Thought for the week: "The most important things in life aren't things." – Unknown
"You have not converted a man because you have silenced him." – Unknown
"The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated." – William James
"The highest reward for your toil is not what you get for it, but what you become by it." – John Ruskin
"Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it." – Albert Einstein
"Where you are headed is more important than how fast you are going. Rather than always focusing on what's urgent, learn to focus on what is really important." – Stephen Covey
"One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again." – Abraham Maslow
"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these." – George Washington Carver
After a caller told the Humane Society in Battle Creek, Michigan, about two ducks trapped by the ice on a pond, shelter manager Mike Pearson rushed right over.
He inched his way out a considerable distance and, as onlookers stood by, gently gathered up the ducks and made his way back to safety.
Both of the wooden decoys were expected to survive.
Many of us have at some time dreamt of owning one of those magic purses that would never be empty. No matter how much money we would draw from it, it would remain full! As it turns out, we already have such a contraption in us and this one's worth a lot more than a trillion enchanted wallets. Our heart can love 24-hours a day without ever running empty. As a matter of fact, the more love we pass to others, the more love we'll have!
A lad was saying his prayers at grandmother's knee. Suddenly he stopped; then ran downstairs. In a few minutes he was back to finish his prayer. As she tucked him in bed, Grandmother reproved him mildly, saying: "Bobby, you must think when you pray."
"But, Grandma, I did think. When I prayed I remembered that I had upset all Johnnie's tin soldiers to tease him, and I hurried down to fix them all up again."
Yes, Bobby did think. Perhaps some of our own prayers could be interrupted profitably in a similar way.
A son and his father were walking in the mountains. Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"
He receives the answer: "Who are you?"
Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"
He receives the answer: "Coward!"
He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention." And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"
The voice answers: "I admire you!"
Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"
The voice answers: "You are a champion!"
The boy is surprised, but does not understand. Then the father explains: "People call this echo, but really this is life. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.
This relationship applies to everything, in all aspect of life; life will give you back everything you have given to it."
Gary Smit, a school superintendent in Lombard, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), is a passionate advocate of CHARACTER COUNTS! He says his school system adopted the program because it makes such a difference in the lives of kids and communities.
He illustrates his convictions with powerful stories including the following. An elementary school was engaged in a major fundraising drive to purchase plants and flowers to beautify its grounds. After collecting $400, it scheduled a Saturday for a special planting celebration and sought the help of kids and their parents. One of the students—a girl I'll call Karen— announced she and her parents would not be participating in the planting because her father had lost his job and they had been evicted from their apartment. She said she would have to move to another school.
Chris, a fourth-grader, made a motion to donate all the money they had collected for plants to Karen's family so she could stay in the school. "If we're a CHARACTER COUNTS! school," he said, "caring is more important than plants."
The motion passed unanimously. When the faculty heard about the gesture, they decided to match the $400. And when word reached the local newspaper, the community got involved. More money was contributed, and Karen's father was offered a job. Karen was able to stay at the school and eventually graduated.
By the way, Dr. Smit added, the school was beautifully landscaped with plants and flowers also donated by members of the community—all because of the character of one fourth-grade boy.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead. Men of God in days of old were famous for their faith."1
As it has been said, "If you want to hit home runs, you've got to be willing to strike out." Top batters in baseball have all struck out many times. And most people who have succeeded in life have also struck out many times.
For example, Walt Disney went broke seven times and had a nervous breakdown before he became successful. At age 40 Henry Ford was broke. Enrico Caruso, who became one of the world's greatest tenors, was advised by his voice teacher to quit singing because he failed so many times to carry his high notes. Thomas Edison failed more than 6,000 times before he could get an electric light bulb to work, but when a child, one of his teachers once called him a dunce. Abraham Lincoln was well known for his many failures but became one of America's most beloved presidents. And Albert Einstein and Werner von Braun both flunked courses in mathematics. History is filled with similar stories.
The reason these people all succeeded is because they didn't quit. They believed they could succeed and they stuck with it until they did. As the old saying goes, "Quitters never win and winners never quit!" So, if you and I want to hit some home runs, we need to get out there, stand at the base and keep on swinging. Eventually we, too, will win if we "keep the faith" and never give up.
Furthermore, if you're genuinely seeking to do what you know God wants you to do, there will always be a way to do it. Faith says, "With God's help I'll find the way and I'll keep on trying!"
Remember, too, that the only real failure is not to get up one more time than we strike out or get knocked down. Remember, too, that in every failure God always has something valuable for us to learn. In fact, failure is often our greatest teacher, a blessing in disguise. The key issue is to follow your God-given dream...not your personal fantasy!
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to know for certain what my God-given life purpose and dream is, and with your help never give up, no matter how great the challenges are. Help me also to realize that in every failure, you have a valuable lesson for me to learn. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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