Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 10 â€" No. 2608 June 28, 2008
Thought for the week: "God asks no man whether he will accept life. That is not the choice. You must take it. The only choice is how." â€" Henry Ward Beecher
"Be careful, the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful, the friends you choose for you will become like them." â€" W. Clement Stone
"Every man dies. Not every man lives. The only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the 'buts' you use today." â€" Les Brown
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." â€" Mark Twain
"Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new." â€" Brian Tracy
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." â€" Soren Kierkegaard
"A lot of people are afraid to tell the truth, to say no. That's where toughness comes into play. Toughness is not being a bully. It's having backbone." â€" Robert Kiyosaki
My four-year-old son, Matthew, and I were discussing my upcoming birthday. I asked him if he was going to sing "Happy Birthday." He said he was and started to sing. "Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear ...."
He stopped, looked at me and said, "What's your name again, Mom?"
"Welcome into your life each positive experience. Don't erect a wall to protect you from experiencing life. The same wall that keeps out your disappointment also keeps out the sunlight of enriching experiences. So let life touch you. The next touch could be the one that turns your life around." â€" Jim Rohn
I believe it all just happened. All of life, all matter, all people, the entire universe, the whole shooting matchâ€"all of it. Isn't it so easy to think that all the stars we see at night just magically appeared one day? Out of all those stars and planets only one tiny planet had intelligent life, that we know of, and all this by accidentâ€"wow. That some slime came out of the water and prestoâ€"I'm here!
It's simple to believe Mother Nature [such a kind lady] decided one day that I needed "eyes to see" and "ears to hear" [where did she get those great ideas from?] Did she invent the mouth and voice box because that's my favorite gift from Ma Nature. I love to speak! I do wonder what was around before the stars and the universe? What was Mother Nature doing and where was she prior to that? Yes, it's all so easy to believe it all just happenedâ€"no purpose, no reason, just here I am, and boomâ€"I'm gone. However, I do have a question or two for Ma Nature if I ever see her:
• Why do I have this "thing" called a
conscience?
• If there is no real purpose, why is it needed?
• Why can't I just go and do whatever I feel
like and not feel bad about it?
• Why does Love for others feel good?
• Who invented that?
I'm thankful she gave me this internal deep yearning to know my Creator; is it Ma Nature?
Signed: The Sodona Brotherhood of Peace, Love, Nature and all Things That Move in Harmony.
Of course, there is no Sodona Brotherhood [well, who knows] I made this all upâ€"after drinking some very strong hot-chocolate! However, there are a lot people who believe at least part of the above.
"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed, these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping" (2 Peter 2:1- 3).
Thought for Today by Ray Lammie, RIL3@aol.com. To subscribe send a blank email to Ray with Subscribe in the Subject line.
As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.
Author Unknown. Source: Pulpit Pieces Weekly, Copyright 1999-2007 Compiled and Produced by Net 153 Publicationshttp://net153.com.
A young boy was walking with his father along a country road. When they came across a very large tree branch, the boy asked, "Do you think I could move that?"
His father answered, "If you use all your strength, I'm sure you can."
The boy tried mightily to lift, pull, and push the branch, but he couldn't budge it. Discouraged, he said, "Dad, you were wrong. I can't do it."
His dad said, "Try again."
This time, as the boy struggled with the task, his father joined him. Together they pushed the branch aside.
"Son," the father said, "the first time you didn't use all your strength. You didn't ask me to help."*
This is an important lesson. There are many things we can't do alone, but that doesn't mean we can't get them done. We're all surrounded by resources that can be mobilized to help us achieve our goals including family, friends, and faith.
Sometimes we fail to ask for help because of pride or stubbornness. Sometimes we think it's a sign of weakness to admit we need a hand. And sometimes we don't even think about asking for help. Whatever the reason, it's a waste.
It's important that we learn to use all our strength. This includes inner resources such as discipline, courage, and even love. It also includes outer resources. Just as we should be willing to help others, we should be willing to ask the help of others. It's one of the great things about being human.
*This is derived from a story by David Wolpe in Teaching Your Children About God (Harper Perennial, 1995).
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."1
My friend Graham was only 44 when cancer struck him down. When they discovered the disease, it had gone too far. Not long before he died I asked him, "What does it feel like to be 44 and in your situation?"
He sat in silence for quite a while as he pondered the question. And then he said some things I will never forget. He felt angry in that there was so much more he wanted to do with his life and now it was too late. He felt guilty because he had been too busy too much of the time and hadn't spent enough time with his wife and children and now that opportunity was gone forever. And then, after more thought, he said, "I wonder if I have ever done anything that has been truly worthwhile with my life."
Those words certainly made me thinkâ€"and I've never forgotten them.
According to God's Word, the Bible, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment [of God]."2 The good news is that if we have lived for and served God faithfully, we will be rewarded accordingly. If not, we will also be rewarded accordingly.
Hopefully for all our readers when we meet God face to face, it will be a very exciting time as we hear him say to each of us, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord."3
But if we are NOT true followers of Jesus, we will hear God say something terrible: "Depart from me for I never knew you."4 Fortunately, none of us ever has to hear God say this to us for he has provided a full and free pardon for all of our sins and has the gift of eternal life for all who accept His wonderful and FREE gift of forgiveness and salvation.
If you haven't done so already, be sure to accept God's pardon and His gift of eternal life today. Whatever you do, don't leave Earth without it! To help you do this go to: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you gave your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins and provide for me a free pardon and the gift of eternal life. Help me to so live for you that when I meet you face to face, I will hear your wonderful words, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.' Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
1. The Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 5:10).
2. Hebrews 9:27.
3. Jesus (See Matthew 25:21).
4. Jesus (See Matthew 7:23).
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