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 Dick Innes


Weekend Encounter

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

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Vol. 10 – No. 0308  January 19, 2008

 
Thought for the week: "Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get." – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
 
    INDEX
1.   Words of Wisdom
2.   On the Lighter Side
3.   Cherokee Indian Legend—Fatherhood
4.   A True Hero
5.   Greater Than God
6.   Just Trying to Matter
7.   Songs in the Night
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

"Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God." – Author Unknown

"I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been." – Wayne Gretzky, Hockey Player

"No one can sum up all God is able to accomplish through one solitary life, wholly yielded, adjusted, and obedient to Him." – D. L. Moody

"Money which comes to the young with but little effort on their part will not be valued." – Author Unknown

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." – Edmund Burke

"He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass." – George Herbert

"A leader not only stays above the line between right and wrong, he stays well clear of the gray areas." – G. Alan Bernard

Index

2. On the Lighter Side

An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%.

The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, "Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again."

The gentleman replied, "Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will three times!"

       Source: Preaching Now
       www.preaching.com/newsletter/subscribe.html

Index

3. Cherokee Indian LegendFatherhood

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage? His dad takes him into the forestblindfoldedand leaves him.

He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not take off the blindfold until the ray of sun shines through it. He is all by himself. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he survives the night he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience. Each lad must come into his own manhood.

The boy was terrified. He could hear all kinds of noise. Beasts were all around him. Maybe even some human would hurt him. The wind blew the grass and it shook his stump.

But he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It was the only way he could become a man.

Finally, after a horrific night, the sound of the night disappeared. He could feel the warmth of the sun. He removed his blindfold.

It was then that he saw his fathersitting on the stump next to himon watch the entire night.

We are never alone. Even when we do not know it, our Father is protecting us. He is sitting on the stump beside us.

All we have to do is take off our blindfolds.

     Author Unknown. Submitted by Joy Innes

Index

4. A True Hero

Kip Keino, an uncoached Nandi tribesman from Kenya, burst onto the world track and field scene at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. There he had a legendary showdown with Jim Ryun of the United States. Ryun, a heavy favorite, hadn't been beaten in the 1500 meters in over three years. Then, on the day of the race, Keino got caught in traffic on the way and was forced to jog the last mile to the stadium. Still, Keino won the race by an astounding 20 meters!

Four years later at the Munich Games, after placing second in the 1500 meters, he entered the 3000-meter steeplechase and won the gold medal, setting an Olympic record.

But Keino remained humble and used his fortune to help others. Although famous enough to ride in limousines, he chose instead to drive an old four-door Nissan with a busted speedometer and no hubcaps. Over the years, Kip and his wife, Phyllis, have taken in more than 100 orphaned and abandoned children and given them hope and love. Keino says, "I came into this world with nothing. I will leave with nothing. While I'm here, I should be mindful of those people who need help."

     By Bill McCartney in 4th and Goal
      http://isbn.nu/9780842370448
     Source: Men of Integrity, http://tinyurl.com/jsmyw
     Cited on WITandWISDOM www.witandwisdom.org

Index

5. Greater Than God

A riddle has been making the rounds through e-mail. You may have already seen it, but if you haven't, I think you'll enjoy it. It is said that when asked this riddle, 80% of kindergarten students got the answer, compared to 17% of Stanford university seniors. Here's the riddle:

What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich want it, and if you eat it, you'll die?

What is it?

Think about it and then scroll down for the answer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The answer is nothing. Nothing is greater than God, nothing is more evil than the devil, the poor have nothing, the rich want nothing, and if you eat nothing you will die!

It seems so obvious. Maybe that's why younger children have an easier time answering it than educated adults. As we get more educated and more sophisticated, we look for deeper answers. But no matter how much we learn, the question, "What is greater than God?" will always have the same answer.

"I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds. Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God? You are the God who does wonders..." (Psalm 77:11-14a).

     Alan Smith, Helen Street Church of Christ
     www.tftd-online.com

Index

6. Just Trying to Matter

      By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (522.3)

With four young kids to keep entertained, I don't see many movies. So I still haven't seen Reese Witherspoon's performance in the film "Walk the Line" that earned her a Best Actress award.

But I remember her exceptionally intelligent acceptance speech and was struck by her quotation from June Carter Cash, the country singer she played in the film. Apparently, when Ms. Cash looked tired and was asked how she was doing, she would often say, "I'm just trying to matter."

Ms. Witherspoon spun off that provocative comment and said about her own career: "I'm just trying to matter," adding, "I'm just trying to live a good life and do meaningful work." That's a pretty heavy thing to say because deciding to live a life that matters raises profound questions about meaning and purpose.

Harold Kushner, in one of my favorite books, Living a Life That Matters, wrote, "Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter, so that the world will be at least a little bit different for our having passed through it."

Prior to Ms. Witherspoon's comments, the Oscar Awards show featured a montage of powerful scenes from movies about people of great courage, idealism, and character who made a difference. I remember being uplifted and moved by those movies.

Although there is an awful lot I find distasteful about Hollywood, I have to admit that lots of films do matter well beyond box-office earnings and Oscar nominations, and I am so glad there are still people who want to make them.

And I'm gratified that a glamorous star at the top of her profession takes so much pride in "trying to matter."

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. Songs in the Night

Sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

Job asked, "Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night?"1

I have read how Ludwig von Beethoven, one of the world's greatest musicians, was born into a musical family in Germany.

By the age of eleven he was already composing his own music and conducting an orchestra. In his late teens he went to Vienna for further study. There he reached fame, though not fortune.

According to the story, one evening when Beethoven visited in a cobbler's house, he noticed that the young lady at the piano was blind, so he offered to play the piece for her. He did so for her for more than an hour and while he did, darkness fell and the lone candle in the room had gone out.

Outside in the night sky the moon shone brightly and sent its radiant beams glistening into the room where Beethoven sat playing beautiful music. He was so inspired by the appreciation of his music by the young lady and the beauty of the atmosphere in the room that he composed his famous "Moonlight Sonata."

Do you ever feel that your dreams have been shattered and you feel all alone in the darkness of despair? I certainly have. However, when our life is committed to Christ, it's in these "dark nights of the soul" that God is working in us to give us more understanding of life and compassion for others and, in time, will bring back "beautiful music" into our life.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please put a song in my heart, a song of gratitude and love for you for all that you have done for and given to me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Job 35:10 (NIV).

Index

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

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Over 28 million e-mail Daily, Weekend and Prayer Encounters are delivered to subscribers every year!

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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 125,000+ 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 12-14 salvation and re-commitment to Christ responses from around the world—over 5000 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.

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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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     San Clemente, California 92673-0119
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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
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