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 Dick Innes


Weekend Encounter

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

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Vol. 9 – No. 4307 October 27, 2007

 
Thought for the week: "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
 
    INDEX
1.   Words of Wisdom
2.   On the Lighter Side
3.   What Really Matters
4.   Some Things Money Can't Buy
5.   The Dark Side of the Digital Revolution
6.   Shopping-Cart Virtue
7.   Is That You, God?
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 and Cassette Messages
16.   Free Services
17.   ACTS in Action Report; Archives for Daily and Weekend Encounter
 

1. Words of Wisdom

"Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that's how dogs spend their lives." – Sue Murphy

"Opportunity's favorite disguise is trouble." – English proverb

"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty." – Unknown

"Live as though Christ died yesterday, rose from the grave today, and is coming back tomorrow." – Theodore Epp

"Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use." – Charles M. Schulz

"You raise your voice when you should reinforce your argument." – Samuel Johnson

"Be bold in what you stand for and careful what you fall for." – Ruth Boorstin

Index

2. On the Lighter Side

After the accident, I told the police officer I thought the driver of the other vehicle was drunk.

He told me the other vehicle was a cow.

     Cited on Mickey's Funnies, www.mikeysFunnies.com

Index

3. What Really Matters

An acquaintance of mine nearly lost his life in a flying accident a few years ago. I had breakfast with him some time after that accident, and I asked him how his accident and his lingering physical problems had affected him. He said, "Bill, I see life so much more clearly now. My relationship with Jesus Christ is now of supreme importance." It hadn't been before. "Now when I hold my wife and when I kiss my children, I realize what a treasure they are." I remember sliding back from the table, thinking, That loss served this brother well. It simplified and clarified what really mattered in life.

Citation: Bill Hybels, "The Often-overlooked Benefits of Losing," Preaching Today, Tape No. 80. Source: Leadership Weekly, http://tinyurl.com/fqm43. Cited on WITandWISDOM by Richard Wimer.

Index

4. Some Things Money Can't Buy

The story is told of a professor who gave a big test one day to his students. He handed out all of the tests and went back to his desk to wait. Once the test was over, the students all handed the tests back in.

The professor noticed that one of the students had attached a $100 bill to his test with a note saying "A dollar per point."

The next class the professor handed the tests back out. This student got back his test score and $64 change!

We live in a world where virtually anything can be bought with money.

Money is sometimes used to buy not only grades, but diplomas, promotions, special favors, and relationships. Our world is sometimes recognized as one which follows the golden rule—not the one Jesus taught, but the one which the world holds dear—"He who has the gold makes the rules."

It's important for us to be reminded every now and then that there are some things that money can't buy. And there are some things God has done for us which are so precious that all the money in the world couldn't pay for it.

"Conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (I Peter 1:17b-19).

Have a good day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

http://www.tftd-online.com

Index

5. The Dark Side of the Digital Revolution

SANTA MONICA, CA (ANS) — The Los Angeles Times reported on cell phone use in Korea that revealed remarkable information about where our digital culture may be heading. They discovered Korean teenagers make up to 90 cell phone calls a day, and social scientists are now beginning to correlate high cell use with rising rates of depression. For some time, I've noticed that many young people value their digital life as much (if not more) than their real life. A friend of my daughter sent 2,500 text messages last month. (That's more than 84 per day.)

Add that to another recent study released by the Knight Ridder News Service that Americans are reporting fewer and fewer close friends. In 1985, pollsters noted that the average person reported having three close friends, but today, it's only two. And the number who say they have no one to discuss important matters with has doubled to one in four. The social implications are significant, from no friends to visit people in the hospital, weakened bonds during crisis, fewer watchdogs to deter neighborhood crime, and a lack of community.

Technology has brought wonderful changes into our lives. Through computers, cell phones, and more, it's made a dramatic difference in our business and personal lives. But at the same time, we need to be aware of how the digital universe is impacting our relationships. Thanks to the news media, we're already aware of online predators who directly target minors for sex, Internet scams that prey on seniors, and the explosion of online pornography.

But one my biggest concerns is how it affects our behavior.

By Phil Cooke Special to ASSIST News Service, Tuesday, September 19, 2006. ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net

Index

6. Shopping-Cart Virtue

     By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (476.4)

This is number four on my list of all-time favorite commentaries.

According to a story in the book, Hugs for Dad, by John William Smith, a father asked his son after grocery shopping to return their cart to the retrieval area. Although it would have taken only a minute, the son protested.

"C'mon, Dad," he said, "there are carts all over the lot. None of those people returned theirs. No one expects them to."

Then Mom chimed in. "For heaven's sake, they pay people to collect the carts. Returning one more won't change the history of the world. Let's just go."

Dad was about to surrender when he saw an elderly couple walking together to return their cart. After a moment, he said to his son, "We're not responsible for what other people do, but we are responsible for what we do. There are two kinds of people: those who put their carts away and those who don't. We put our carts away because that's the kind of people we are."

This story isn't just about grocery carts. It's about doing the right thing in a world that seems to promote rationalizations and excuses that demean or trivialize simple acts of virtue. There are two kinds of people: those who find the strength to do what they ought to and those who find excuses not to.

People of character do the right thing even if no one else does, not because they think it will change the world, but because they refuse to be changed by the world.

I'm not saying people who don't return their shopping carts are moral felons, but there is a lot to admire in people who have such a strong sense of decency and responsibility that they put principles above convenience.

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. Is That You, God?

Sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

"I [God] have loved you with an everlasting love."1

When my boys were little, I would tuck them into bed every night, say their prayers with them, and speak positive affirmations to them—affirmations such as, "I am so proud of you," "I'm so glad God sent you to be a part of our family," "I love you devotedly," etc., etc.

When my youngest son, Mark, was about nine I crept into his bedroom real early one morning. I was certain he was asleep—because he looked like an angel!

I quietly leaned over and whispered in his ear, "O beloved of the Lord."

As quick as a flash he spun his head around and, looking upward, asked without a moment's hesitation, "Is that you, God?"

When I regained my composure, I whispered back in his ear, "No, it's not God, but he sent me to tell you that."

Dear Reader, God is "sending" me to tell you that today, too. No matter what you have ever done or have failed to do, God loves you with an everlasting love and has a wonderful plan and purpose for your life.

His primary purpose is that you find God and receive his forgiveness for all your sins and his gift of eternal life. If you have never done this and would like to, click on: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9 for help.

Second, God wants you to discover and fulfill his divine purpose for your life and in so doing become a part of what he is doing in the world in which you live. Your life purpose will have to do with using your God-given abilities to serve God by helping others.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I thank you that you love me with an everlasting love no matter what. Help me to know and experience your divine love, forgiveness, and acceptance and communicate these to every life I touch. Help me, too, to discover and fulfill my God-given life purpose. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Jeremiah 31:3.

Index

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

Daily Encounter, a free weekday e-mail inspirational from ACTS International is now going to 102,000+ subscribers. Scores of letters from around the world have come from readers saying how much they are being helped by this brief, practical devotional.

Over 23 million e-mail Daily, Weekend and Prayer Encounters are delivered to subscribers every year!

Click HERE for more samples of Daily Encounter

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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 102,000+ subscribers, and every week Weekend Encounter is going to 10,000+ 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—over 3000 in the past 12 months!

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 1-949-940-9050.

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

     ACTS International
     P.O. Box 73545
     San Clemente, California 92673-0119
     U.S.A.

Index

15. Helpful Books and Cassette Messages

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

More books, tapes and poems by D. Innes & others are also available at: http://www.actscom.com/store

Index

16. Free Services

 1. Bible concordance and Bible helps
 2. New Hope Crisis Counseling with trained
     lay/volunteer counselors. www.newhopenow.org
 
3. E-Word Today for a daily Bible reading
 4. To find your ZIP+4 Area Code in the U.S.A.
 5. How to find and write to your U.S. Representative
 6. ASK ... Smart answers fast
 7. Send a FREE greeting card for all occasions
 8. To check the weather in your area
 9. Hoax Web Sites
10. Plus many more sources of helpful information

11. Also donate to Food for the Hungry

GO TO: http://www.actsweb.org/links.php

Index

17. ACTS in Action Report and Encounter Archives

ARCHIVES: Daily and Weekend Encounters

"Because the world is hungry,
    go with bread.
Because the world is filled with strife,
    go with peace.
Because the world is filled with deceptions and lies,
    go with truth.
Because the world would die without,
    go with the love of God."


Know God

ACTS International
PO Box 73545
San Clemente, CA 92673-0119
U.S.A.

To receive the email edition of Weekend Encounter
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