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 Dick Innes


Weekend Encounter

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

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Vol. 10 – No. 5108 December 20, 2008

 

Wishing all Weekend Encounter readers a very Merry and God blessed Christmas

Thought for the season: "The message of Christmas is not about the proclamation of a holiday or the declaration of a season. It is about the proclamation of a Person and the declaration of Salvation. The birth of the Child in the manger was an event that prophets had written about, the people of Israel had spoken about, the patriarchs of old had wondered about, and the angels of God shouted about on that glorious night when Christ was born." – Roy Lessin, Co-Founder DaySpring Cards. Submitted by Dr. Cath Filmer-Davies

 
    INDEX
1.   Words of Wisdom
2.   On the Lighter Side
3.   Not Only for Christmas
4.   If Jesus Came to Your House
5.   Will Jesus Come to Earth Again?
6.   The Missing Baby Jesus
7.   Missing the Point of Christmas
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

"Don't prepare the path for the child, prepare the child for the path." – Anonymous

"What is powerful is when what you say is just the tip of the iceberg of what you know." – Jim Rohn

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity" – Albert Einstein

"Don't worry that children never listen to you. Worry that they are always watching you." – Robert Fulghum

"Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones tend to take care of themselves." – Dale Carnegie

"The organization that can't communicate can't change, and the corporation that can't change is dead." – Nido Qubein

"People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things." – Sir Edmund Hilary

Index

2. On the Lighter Side

An ode to English plurals: We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes / But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes. / One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, / Yet the plural of moose should never be meese. / You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice, / Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice. / If the plural of man is always called men, / Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen? / If I speak of my foot and show you my feet, / And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet? / If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, / Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those, / Yet hat in the plural would never be hose, / and the plural of cat is cats, not cose. / We speak of a brother and also of brethren, / but though we say mother, we never say methren. / Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him, / but imagine if the feminine were: she, shis and shim!

Let's face it ... English is a crazy language.

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England.

We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend. If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? We ship by truck but send cargo by ship. We have noses that run and feet that smell. We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.

And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

And in closing, if father is pop, how come mother's not mop?

Bill's PunchLine by Bill Rayburn bill@billrayborn.com

Index

3. Not Only for Christmas

Somehow not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.

E. B. White

Index

4. If Jesus Came to Your House

"If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two / If He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you'd do. / Oh, I know you'd give your nicest room to such an honored Guest, / And all the food you'd serve to Him would be the very best, / And you'd keep assuring Him you're glad to have Him there / That serving Him in your own home is joy beyond compare.

"But when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door / With arms outstretched in welcome to your heavenly Visitor? / Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in? / Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they'd been? / Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn't heard? / And wish you hadn't uttered that last, loud, hasty word?

"Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out? / Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about? / And I wonder if the Savior spent a day or two with you, / Would you go right on doing the things you always do? / Would you go right on saying the things you always say? / Would life for you continue as it does from day to day? / Would your family conversation keep up its usual pace? / And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace? / Would you sing the songs you always sing, / and read the books you read, / And let him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed? / Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you'd planned to go? / Or would you, maybe, change your plans for just a day or so?

"Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends? / Or would you hope they'd stay away until His visit ends? / Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on? / Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone? / It might be interesting to know the things that you would do? / If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you."

– Credited to Lois Blanchard Eades.

Index

5. Will Jesus Come to Earth Again?

Year after year with "tireless regularity and eternal patience," God reminds the world every Christmas that he sent his Son, Jesus, to save lost mankind. Christmas is also God's reminder that Jesus is coming back to earth for all who have accepted him as their personal Lord and Savior.

His first coming is an indisputable fact of history. His second coming to end this world age is as certain. According to Bible scholars, there are 1,845 references in the Old Testament and 318 in the New Testament about Christ's coming again. This means for every prophecy in the Bible about Christ's first coming—every one of which was fulfilled in minute detail—there are eight about his second coming!

Jesus is coming again. God has promised this in his Word, the Bible. Jesus himself promised it as well.* And all the signs that Jesus and the Bible said would immediately precede his return are evident today, also reminding us that Christ's return could be very soon. If it were today, would you be ready?

    *See John 14:2–3 (NIV).

Index

6. The Missing Baby Jesus

By Michael Josephson of Character Counts

In Alice Gray's book, Christmas Stories for the Heart, contributor Jean Gietzen wrote about a Christmas in 1943 in North Dakota.

Her mom bought a nativity set with small figurines but was disturbed to discover the set included an extra baby Jesus. She felt sure someone else's set would be incomplete so she asked the store manager to put a sign in the window saying: IF YOUR NATIVITY SET IS MISSING A BABY JESUS, CALL 7162.

When she hadn't received a call by Christmas Eve, she made Jean's father trek to the store in 20 below zero weather to check if the sign had been put up.

When he returned, Jean's mother was gone but he shortly received a phone call from her. She asked him to bring the kids along with three blankets, a plate of cookies, and a bottle of milk to a house at 205 Chestnut Street.

When they arrived, they found her talking with a woman and her two young children in a cold, dark home. The lady's husband had abandoned his family days before, taking the bedding and furniture and leaving a broken furnace.

While Jean's mom distributed the blankets, cookies, and warm milk, her dad cheerfully set about to fix the furnace. He called some buddies, and within hours extra oil for the furnace, clothes, bedding, two lamps, and toys had transformed gloom and despair into joy and gratitude.

How was it that her family was called to this mission of mercy? The woman had seen the sign posted in the store earlier that day and figured that anyone kind enough to worry about a missing figurine of baby Jesus would care enough to help her. She was right.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

© 2008 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. Missing the Point of Christmas

Sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

"The people of this generation ... are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.'"1

On a December day back in 1903 at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright, after numerous failures to fly a heavier-than-air machine, made amazing history. They achieved something that no man had ever done before. Ecstatic, they sent a telegram to their sister Katherine: "We have actually flown 852 feet. Will be home for Christmas."

Overjoyed, Katherine ran down to the local newspaper and pushed the telegram—the greatest news story of the new century—into the hand of the editor. After reading it, he smiled and said, "Well, well! How nice the boys will be home for Christmas."

The religious people of Christ's day who were actually anticipating his coming as their Messiah failed totally to recognize him—and ironically had him crucified—because he didn't come and didn't operate in the way they expected him to.

How sad it is that so many miss the full meaning of Christmas in that they have never thanked Jesus for dying for their sins, nor accepted the most profound and precious Christmas gift ever given ... the gift of the Savior and his pardon for all their sins and his gift of eternal life.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for the most wonderful Christmas gift ever given—the gift of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Please use me to share your great gift of salvation with as many people as possible for as long as I shall live. And because of my inadequacies, please do this through me. Use me every day to be as Christ to whomever you bring into my life and grant that they, seeing Jesus in me, will want you for themselves. Eternally grateful, in Jesus' name. Amen."

1. Luke 7:32 (NIV).

Index

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Index

9. Receive E-mail Edition of Weekend Encounter ... Free

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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 220,000+ 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 salvation responses from around the world—over 4500 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.

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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

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     lay/volunteer counselors. www.newhopenow.org
 
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 9. Hoax Web Sites
10. Plus many more sources of helpful information

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

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PO Box 73545
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