Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 11 – No. 0709 February 14, 2009
Thought for the week: "Everyone has the power of greatness. Not for fame but greatness. Because greatness is determined by service." – Dr. Martin Luther King
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." – Eleanor Roosevelt
"I never tried quitting, and I never quit trying." – Dolly Parton
"Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure." – George Woodberry
"The years teach much which the days never knew." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Maturity is the ability to do a job whether or not you are supervised, to carry money without spending it, and to bear an injustice without wanting to get even." – Ann Landers
"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think." – Benjamin Disraeli
"The finest flowers are often found growing in the soil of sorrow." – G. B. Duncan
In Richard Foster's book, Celebration of Discipline ... The Path to Spiritual Growth, he divides discipline into three parts:
Inward, Outward, and Corporate discipline. He places simplicity under the category of the Outward Disciplines. Here are his ten ways to order our world so that we can create simplicity in our life.
First, buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.
Second, reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.
Third, develop a habit of giving things away.
Fourth, refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry.
Fifth, learn to enjoy things without owning them.
Sixth, develop a deeper appreciation for the creation.
Seventh, look with a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes.
Eighth, obey Jesus' instructions about plain, honest speech.
Ninth, reject anything that will breed the oppression of others.
Tenth, shun whatever would distract you from your main goal: "Seek first the kingdom of God."
Long ago in a small, far away village, there was a place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often.
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again.
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?
One of William Barclay's friends tells this story: In the church where he worshiped there was a lonely old man, Old Thomas. He had outlived all his friends and hardly anyone knew him. When Thomas died, this friend had the feeling that there would be no one to go to the funeral, so he decided to go so that there might be someone to follow the old man to his last resting-place.
There was no one else, and it was a miserable, wet day. The funeral procession reached the cemetery, and at the gate there was a soldier waiting—an officer, but on his raincoat there were no rank badges. He came to the gravesite for the ceremony; then when it was over, he stepped forward and, before the open grave, swept his hand to a salute that might have been given to a king. The friend walked away with this soldier, and as they walked, the wind blew the soldier's raincoat open to reveal the shoulder badges of a brigadier general.
The general said, "You will perhaps be wondering what I am doing here. Years ago Thomas was my Sunday school teacher; I was a wild lad and a sore trial to him. He never knew what he did for me, but I owe everything I am or will be to Old Thomas, and today I had to come to salute him at the end. Thomas did not know what he was doing."
David E. Leininger, Collected Sermons.
Cited on www.eSermons.com
Most Americans say they're religious and their beliefs are important to their lives, yet I'm astonished at how many blatantly ignore the moral expectations intrinsic to their religion.
Religion is not only about worship and ritual; it tells believers how they're supposed to live. Thus, the holy books of every major religion are filled with precepts and principles about honesty, justice, fidelity, compassion, and charity that leave no doubt about the role ethics and personal virtue should play in our daily lives.
In his fine book, The Business Bible, Rabbi Wayne Dosick tells of a soapmaker who challenged a rabbi: "What good is religion? It teaches honesty, but most people are dishonest."
The rabbi answered, "My dear soapmaker, religion—like soap—only works when you use it."
The ancient truths and enduring values embodied in traditional religions are much more than guidelines or suggestions about how to behave. To those who profess religious belief, moral and ethical behavior is not an option. It's a mandate.
To practice the rituals of a religion and to claim reverent identity without scrupulous concern for the moral teachings of that faith is like going to a fine restaurant and eating the menu rather than the food.
It's also blatant hypocrisy. Integrity is about wholeness—the unity of beliefs, words, and actions. I'm not saying you have to be devout to be ethical. I'm saying if religion is important to you, so is ethics.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."1
Letters such as the following are par for the course in the work that I do:
"My fiancée called off our wedding. How can I fill the hollow ache inside me?"
"My wife left me for another man. How can I even begin to think about the future?"
"After 30 years together, my husband has died. What meaning is there in life for me now?"
True, it's easy to believe the principle in today's Bible verse when we don't need it! But for heartbroken people it can seem that "joy in the morning" is a far way off.
The reality is that disappointment, heartache, grief, and sorrow come to all of us at some time or another. Sooner or later we are all going to lose an opportunity, our job, our investment portfolio, or a loved one.
And, as the poet said:
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
And the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and debts are high,
You have to smile but you want to cry.
It takes time to work through and resolve our grief (and we need supporting friends to help us do this). But when we do, we can come out a more understanding and caring person ... and better able to support others who are going through sad times. And, in time, joy in the morning will replace our mourning!
For whatever encouragement it may be, try to remember that no matter how disappointed you are feeling or how much you are hurting right now, know that every heartache and loss has within it the seeds of opportunity. Hidden within each disappointment is a pearl of great price, which, when found, will dwarf your problem. The greatest success stories are written by people who, against seemingly overwhelming and often insurmountable odds, have accepted their trials and turned them into opportunities for personal growth and stepping stones on their pathway to success.
With God's help you and I can do the same. Trust him and choose friends who will empower you to do so.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, in every disappointment, heartache, sorrow, and trial I experience, help me to always keep trusting my life to you, and in the process, will you please make something beautiful out of my life. Please do this for your glory, and thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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