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 Dick Innes


Weekend Encounter

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

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Vol. 11 – No. 0409  January 24, 2009

 
Thought for the week: "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." – Mother Teresa
 
    INDEX
1.   Words of Wisdom
2.   On the Lighter Side
3.   Woodcutter's Observations
4.   Today ... the Only Day We Ever Have
5.   The Danger of [Some] Curiosity
6.   One More Day
7.   A Contrast of Births
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

"The only things that stand between a person and what they want in life are the will to try it and the faith to believe it's possible." – Rich Devos

"To get what we've never had, we must do what we've never done." – Anonymous

"Enjoy the little things for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." – Robert Brault

"The beginning is the most important part of any work." – Plato

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of his actions and the integrity of his intent." – Anonymous

"We are what we repeatedly do." – Aristotle

Index

2. On the Lighter Side

A clergyman was walking down the street when he came upon a group of about a dozen boys, all of them between 10 and 12 years of age.

The group surrounded a dog. Concerned lest the boys were hurting the dog, he went over and asked "What are you doing with that dog?"

One of the boys replied, "This dog is just an old neighborhood stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take him home. So we've decided that whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog."

Of course, the reverend was taken aback. "You boys shouldn't be having a contest telling lies!" he exclaimed. He then launched into a ten minute sermon against lying, beginning, "Don't you boys know it's a sin to lie," and ending with, "Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie."

There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the reverend was beginning to think he'd gotten through to them, the smallest boy gave a deep sigh and said, "All right, give him the dog."

Source: www.mikeysFunnies.com

Index

3. Woodcutter's observations

I sometimes tell patients the parable about the two wood choppers who had taken down a tree that was over one hundred years old. Looking at the growth rings to determine the tree's age, the younger man noticed that there were five very narrow rings. He concluded that there had been a five-year-drought, during which the tree had shown very little growth.

However, the other lumberman, a wise old man with a philosophical bent, had a different viewpoint. He contended that the dry years actually were the most significant in the tree's history. His reason: Because of the drought, the tree had to force its roots down further to get the water and the minerals it needed. With a strengthened root system, it was able to grow faster and taller when conditions improved.1

1. Pesach Krauss and Morrie Goldfisher, "A Time of Trouble
    Is a Time To Grow," WHY ME? — Coping with Grief, Loss,
    and Change
," p. 71.
    Source: kneemail-subscribe@welovegod.org

Index

4. Today ... the Only Day We Ever Have

None of us knows what is ahead. The important thing is to use today wisely and well, and face tomorrow eagerly and cheerfully and with the certainty that we shall be equal to what it brings.

Channing Pollock, 1926-2006

Index

5. The Danger of [Some] Curiosity

Rob Chaffart wrote, "My dad learned at an early age that curiosity kills the cat. Or, more literally, the monkey! Monkey hunters in Africa will take a coconut and cut it in half. They will carve a hole in one end, just big enough for a monkey to put his paw through (Or do monkeys have hands? I'm confused!), then they will put a delicious smelling orange in the other half. Next, they fasten the two halves together and hang the "bait" from a tree. All they have to do next is wait!

Soon an innocent monkey will come swinging by, and when it smells the orange, it stops in its tracks. Curiosity will then take over, and it won't be long before the monkey sticks its paw/hand in the coconut. Once it has its prized possession in its grasp, however, the monkey can no longer withdraw its hand/paw! As it hangs there, struggling to remove the orange, the monkey hunters will throw out a net and catch it red-handed. Literally.

Curiosity [can lead] you into a trap that can be deadly! The worst kind is the one that leads to a life of addiction. Was it worth it to give into your curiosity?

"But I just wanted to try it out!"

Remember: The monkey also wanted to try it out, and now he's no longer around to tell us about it.

"The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust" (James 1:14 The Message).

Rob Chaffart add@sermonillustrator.org
Source: http://www.answers2prayer.org

Index

6. One More Day

By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (573.3)

From time to time Linda Ellis, a talented writer in Georgia, sends me poems. Here's an excerpt from "One More Day."

This day, this precious, wonderful gift has been bestowed upon me free! / And whatever I choose to do with it remains entirely up to me.

I could squander these given hours, treat each task as if it's a chore / And mark this day off my calendar like so many times before.

I could overlook the blooming flowers and ignore the sun's warm light / Before it inevitably sets again, turning my gift of day to night.

I could dwell upon mistakes I've made and cry regretful tears / And live my life in the shadow of my own anxieties and fears.

Or I could make a resolution, before one more day has passed, / That I shall live it to its fullest, live it...as it if were my last.

Then I shall, as I awaken, relinquish my fret and my sorrow / And accept one more day to love and laugh with no guarantee of tomorrow.

At night, as I lay down my head only to wake again, I'll pray, / And if I do, then I'll thank God for giving me "One More Day."

The theme of gratitude and appreciation for every day reflects old but important wisdom like this from an unknown author: "Yesterday is a dream. Tomorrow is a vision. But today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope."

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

To thank Linda for her lovely thoughts and to read more of her poems, visit www.lindaellisonline.com.

© 2009 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. A Contrast of Births

Sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

Jesus said, "'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."1

Walter B. Knight reported how, "An hour after Queen Elizabeth's third child was born, 128 cables were sent to all parts of the world! Lights in Buckingham Palace, the Home Office, Foreign Office, Colonial Office, and Commonwealth Relations Office had burned all night. The palace's big switchboard was manned all night. And personnel on night duty were doubled in the ministries."

How different was the birth of Jesus, "The Prince of Peace." No earthly potentates proclaimed his coming. Atrocious, bloodthirsty Herod concerned himself with the event because he thought some rival ruler had appeared.

God, however, signaled the birth of Jesus by dispatching angelic hosts to proclaim the good news and by placing in the heavens the guiding star to direct humble shepherds and seekers to the lowly place of Jesus' birth.

How different will be the second coming of Jesus. The first time, he came as a babe to identify with lost mankind and to pay the price of our redemption through his death on the cross. The good news is that Jesus is coming again and, when he does, he will come in all his divine glory as King of kings and Lord of lords. To him every knee will bow. What a day this will be!

Jesus himself promised that he would come back to earth to get and take his true followers to be with him forever in Heaven. The important thing is to be sure that we are ready for his return and/or to meet God face to face should we pass from this life to the next before Jesus Christ comes back again.

We do this by confessing our sinfulness, believing that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins, and accepting Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord. For additional help see the article, "Ho w to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for your wonderful promise that Jesus is right now preparing Heaven for his true followers and that he is coming back to earth to take these ones to be with him and you forever. Help me to be sure that I am prepared for this great and glorious day to meet you face to face. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus' name, Amen."

1. John 14:1–3 (NIV).

Index

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

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Over 60 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 236,000+ 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 15-16 salvation 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.

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
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