Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 10 – No. 2308 June 07, 2008
Thought for the week: "Do not wait; the time will never be "just right." Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." – Napoleon Hill
"He's passé. Nobody cares about Mickey anymore. There are whole batches of Mickeys we just can't give away. I think we should phase him out." – Roy Disney, Walt Disney's brother, 1937
"I can say from experience that 95% of knowing the will of God consists in being prepared to do it before you know what it is." – Donald Barnhouse
"Success is never final; failure is never fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts." – Winston Churchill
"Liberty will not descend to a people, a people must raise themselves to liberty; it is a blessing that must be earned before it can be enjoyed." – Benjamin Franklin
"You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving." – Unknown
"To belittle is to be little." – Unknown
"If we play the blame game, we will b-lame." – Unknown
A man scolded his son for being so unruly and the child rebelled against his father. He got some of his clothes, his teddy bear and his piggy bank and proudly announced, "I'm running away from home!"
The father calmly decided to look at the matter logically. "What if you get hungry?," he said.
"Then I'll come home and eat!" bravely declared the child.
"And what if you run out of money?"
"I will come home and get some!" readily replied the child.
The man then made a final attempt, "What if your clothes get dirty?"
"Then I'll come home and let mommy wash them," was the reply.
The man shook his head and exclaimed, "This kid is not running away from home; he's going off to college."
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me!"
We all heard that saying when we were children, and, like so many other childlike chants, it was a great myth. Words do have power, immense power, and they can cause much pain, because when they are repeated in negative fashion, people, especially children, may end up believing them. "You're a bad boy," "You'll never amount to anything." "You're a loser," "Does your face hurt? It's killing me." These are only slight examples of the negative language we often hear. We have all heard them, and unfortunately have been guilty of dishing them out as well.
Chris Snook with Chet Snook From Wealth Matters.
Cited on Insight of the Day by Bob Proctor, insights@insightoftheday.com.
I run into a lot of cynics. The nicer ones commend me for my good intentions, but they all have one common question: "Do you really think your little 90-second talks about ethics and character make any difference?" Their message: You're wasting your time. People are what they are, and nothing you say will make them change.
Do I feel like Don Quixote tilting at windmills? A salmon swimming up stream? A voice in the wilderness?
To be honest, sometimes I do wonder whether it's worth the effort. But then I'll receive a letter from someone who says he or she found something I said very valuable, and I get re-energized.
A good example is a letter I once received from a 13-year-old named Calvin. He thanked me for being a positive influence in his life saying my commentaries stimulated him to become kinder and less egotistical. It was better than vitamins.
My point isn't to congratulate myself for making a difference in Calvin's life; rather it's to thank him for making a difference in mine.
It's been said that unexpressed gratitude is like wrapping a present and failing to give it to the person you got it for.
Don't underestimate the impact you can have when you take the time to make someone feel valued and valuable. Everyone—children, parents, teachers, bosses, coworkers, even people you don't know—crave confirmation of their worth.
So if you want to make a difference in the lives of others, give compliments, express gratitude, and write notes whenever you can do so sincerely.
No act of appreciation is ever wasted.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me."1
Alton Gansky, in his book, 40 Days, talks about Harry Houdini who "made a name for himself by escaping from every imaginable confinement—from straightjackets to multiple pairs of handcuffs clamped to his arms. He boasted that no jail cell could hold him. Time and again, he would be locked in a cell only to reappear minutes later."
It worked almost every time. "He accepted another invitation to demonstrate his skill. He entered the cell, wearing his street clothes, and the jail cell door shut. Once alone, he pulled a thin but strong piece of metal from his belt and began working the lock. But something was wrong. No matter how hard Houdini worked, he couldn't unlock the lock. For two hours he applied skill and experience to the lock but failed time and time again. Two hours later he gave up in frustration."2
The problem? The door wasn't locked. All he needed to do was push on it and it would have opened for him.
Now isn't that just like so many people who believe they have to earn their way into heaven through their own efforts or some man-made religion when all they need to do is believe in what God's Word, the Bible, teaches; that is, believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the cross to pay the penalty for all their sins, and in all sincerity confess their sinfulness to God, ask for his forgiveness, and accept his free gift of eternal life—and repent of their sinful ways and ask God for his help to live in harmony with his will.
For help to accept God's invitation to accept his gift of forgiveness and eternal life go to: http://tinyurl.com/6k49w
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that there is absolutely nothing for me to do to enter your Heaven except to admit that I am a sinner and believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty for all my sins, and to ask for and accept your forgiveness and gift of eternal life. 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...
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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."
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