Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 9 – No. 1307 March 31, 2007
Thought for the week: "Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push—a smile, a word of optimism and hope, a 'you can do it!' when things are tough." – Richard De Vos
"Ideals are like stars. We never reach them, but like the mariners on the sea, we chart our course by them." – Carl Schurz in a speech in Boston in 1859
"Never doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light." – Source Unknown
"Samson killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass; everyday friendships are killed with the same weapon." – Ann Landers
"I believe in order to understand." – Augustine
"There is enough light for those who only wish to see, and enough darkness for those who are oppositely inclined." – From Pensees, by Pascal
"In all cases, the church is to be judged by the Scripture, not the Scripture by the church." – John Wesley
"Here is a test to see if your mission on earth is finished: If you are alive, then it isn't." – Richard Bach
In the book, The Gift of Pain, the authors present the three types of patients as described by Dr. Bernie Siegel. There are the 15 to 20 percent with a death wish who welcome their illnesses as ways to die. They resist their doctors' efforts to heal them.
There are also the 60 to 70 percent of patients who rely completely on their doctors to heal them. They rely on their doctors to do all the work and just tell them what to do—nothing difficult—or, better yet, just operate on what ails them.
Then there are the remaining 15 to 20 percent of those who are terrible patients. They do not meekly submit but ask for second opinions, demand their rights, and question procedures. But this demanding group of terrible patients are the ones who get well and who get well quicker.
Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey, The Gift of Pain, Zondervan Publishing House. Cited in Parables, Etc.
The following seven points were given as "Seven Habits of Highly Defective Salespeople." They would also apply to many other areas of work and life. They are as follows:
1. Overconfidence
2. Time abuse
3. Procrastination
4. Failure to communicate
5. Short-sightedness
6. Loose lips
7. Stunted growth
From Personal Selling Power. Cited in "Media Management Newsletter"
R.C. Sproul once said that "If you imagined your mother married to your father-in-law, and your father married to your mother-in-law, you'd have a good picture of the dynamics of your marriage."
* * * * * * *
I grew up in a home where my dad was a "Mr. Fix-it." When anything broke, he fixed it. Johnny grew up in a home where his dad wasn't interested in fixing things. It was his mother's job to call the repairman. One of our first misunderstandings as newlyweds was when an appliance broke. I kept hinting for Johnny to fix it, but to no avail. Finally in a fit of exasperation, I said, "Why haven't you fixed it?"
He responded, "Why haven't you called the repairman?"
I must admit that in the years since, he has become a better Mr. Fix-it, and I have called in a repairman a few times as well!
Susan Alexander Yates, And Then I Had Kids, England: Word (UK) Ltd, 1992, p.79. Submitted by Rowland Croucher of John Mark Ministries rowlandc@mira.net
As I get older, I come to appreciate more and more the wisdom of Aristotle's concept of the "golden mean," the idea that wisdom and virtue are usually found in the center between two extremes. It helps me understand how some very good ideas can have seriously harmful effects when they are taken too far. One example is the current tendency to dilute the principle of moral responsibility with psychological explanations of human conduct.
In general, heightened understanding of human nature and the kinds of things that lead us astray are good things. My concern is that psychological insight, empathy and compassion are too often treated as an end in themselves, replacing rather than tempering moral judgment. As a result, understanding too often turns into accepting. Accepting evolves into excusing. And excusing becomes condoning.
Teachers who seduce young students, priests who molest little boys and parents who kill or abandon their children are generally tortured people with severe psychological problems. Often they were themselves victims of horrendous abuse that explains their destructive behavior. A caring society needs to have room for compassion, even for such criminals.
At the same time, we do great damage to the idea of accountability if we come to believe these unfortunate people were simply living out their destinies. As hard as choices may seem, people do have choices and we must hold them morally responsible for the choices they make. Most victims do not become predators, and delinquency is never inevitable.
Judging and understanding are not mutually exclusive. As long as we have the ability to choose, we should be held accountable for our choices. In the end, this is the highest form of respecting our humanity.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"But he, willing to justify himself, said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'"1
Oldies but goodies: "The pedestrian had no idea which way to go, so I ran over him." That, says the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, is among a list of explanations the company has received for automobile accidents.
Others include: "The other car collided with mine without warning me of its intention."
"I had been driving my car for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had the accident."
"As I reached an intersection, a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision."
"I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment."
"The telephone pole was approaching fast. I attempted to swerve out of its path when it struck my front end."
"The guy was all over the road. He had to swerve a number of times before I hit him."
"The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth."
But Metropolitan says the strangest reason of all is, "An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car, and vanished."
I guess, like the lawyer who questioned Jesus, it's a human trait that too many of us want to justify ourselves whenever we do wrong or fail to do what we know we should.
However, it's only when we admit our mistakes that we can learn from them, grow, and find forgiveness—from God and others. As Solomon put it, "A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance."2
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be mature and honest enough to admit when I make a mistake, quit playing the blame game, and accept full responsibility for all of my actions. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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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
Books by Bestseller and Popular Authors: The Miracle of Kindness His Needs, Her Needs by Willard F. Harley, Jr.
has topped the charts as the best marriage
book available. More than one million couples
have read it ... made their marriage sizzle. Fall in Love Stay in Love Just Hand Over the Chocolate ... Love, Sex, and Lasting Relationships Sex Starts in the Kitchen Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours Harried With Children Adolescence Is Not an Illness Show Time It Takes a Church to Raise a Christian
On Sale at: http://www.actscom.com/store
Cassettes:
Healing, Wholeness & Happiness by Dick Innes
Loving & Understanding People by Dick Innes
I Hate Witnessing by Dick Innes
God's Formula for Success by Dick Innes
Damaged Emotions by David Seamands Healing of the Memories by David Seamands...
On SALE at:http://tinyurl.com/2unmmy
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