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 Dick Innes


Weekend Encounter

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

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Vol. 11 – No. 1309 March 28, 2009

 
Thought for the week: "Until you give yourself to some great cause, you haven't really begun to fully live." – Ray Lammie
 
    INDEX
1.   Words of Wisdom
2.   On the Lighter Side
3.   The Danger Within Us
4.   Wallowing in Tolerance
5.   For All Moments
6.   Teaching Our Children to Make Good Decisions
7.   Encouragement
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

"A ship in a harbor is safe. But that is not what ships are built for." – John A. Shedd

"The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference." Elie Wiesel

"According to a comment on the John F. Kennedy library website, President Kennedy's favorite quote was based on Dante's Inferno: 'The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality.'" Michael Josephson

"You have to put in many, many, many tiny efforts that nobody sees or appreciates before you achieve anything worthwhile." Brian Tracy

"Pray for a good harvest, but keep on plowing." – Nancy Otto

"I think one of life's great milestones is when a person can look back and be almost as thankful for the setbacks as for the victories. Gradually, it dawns on us that success and failure are not polar opposites. They are parts of the same picturethe picture of a full life, where you have your ups and your downs." Bob Dole

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome." -- Booker T. Washington

Index

2. On the Lighter Side

During the minister's prayer one Sunday, there was a loud whistle from one of the back pews. Tommy's mother was horrified. She pinched him into silence and, after church, asked, "Tommy, whatever made you do such a thing?"

Tommy answered soberly, "I asked God to teach me to whistle, and He did just then!"

Submitted by Al Rowley

Index

3. The Danger Within Us

French author Victor Hugo has a short story titled, "93." In the midst of this tale, a ship at sea is caught in a terrific storm. Buffeted by the waves, the boat rocks to and fro, when suddenly the crew hears an awesome crashing sound below deck. They know what it is. A cannon they are carrying has broken loose and is smashing into the ship's sides with every list of the ship. Two brave sailors, at the risk of their lives, manage to go below and fasten it again, for they know that the heavy cannon on the inside of their ship is more dangerous to them than the storm on the outside. So it is with people. Problems within are often much more destructive to us than the problems without. Today, God's word would take us "below decks" to look inside ourselves concerning the whole matter of forgiveness.

Stephen M. Crotts / George L. Murphy, Sermons For Sundays: After Pentecost (Middle Third): The Incomparable Christ, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. Cited on www.eSermons.com

Index

4. Wallowing in Tolerance

In a sermon called "Is Jesus the Only Way?" Bill Bouknight observes, "Lots of Americans almost wallow in tolerance. They feel that as long as a person is sincere about his religious beliefs, it doesn't matter what he believes. Isn't it strange that they apply this logic to faith but not to any other area of their lives? They want the pilot flying their next commercial flight to be right, not just sincere. They want the accountant who does their taxes to be right, not just sincere. They want the pharmacist who prepares their prescription to be right, not just sincere. Why then in the single most important area of their lives, their relationship with God, would they be willing to settle for sincerity instead of accuracy? It makes no sense."

Source: PreachingNow
http://tinyurl.com/6rxecm

Index

5. For all Moments

If God brings you to it,
He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God.

– Author Unknown

Index

6. Teaching Our Children to Make Good Decisions

By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (583.4)

Two young men in Florida removed a stop sign and brought it back to their fraternity house as a trophy. Shortly afterward, a fatal accident occurred at the sign-less intersection. The students were convicted of manslaughter.

In Tennessee, two teenagers were in a high-rise building. One dared the other to slide down a trash chute. His friend did so—right into a trash compactor. The one who egged him into the fatal accident was traumatized, possibly for life.

Four college fraternity students in California were charged with manslaughter when a pledge they were hazing died after they forced him to drink gallons of water.

What makes these stories all the more tragic is that we're not talking about bad kids. We're talking about fundamentally decent ones who made really bad choices.

The recurring nightmare of caring parents is that, during the course of growing up, their children will seriously damage themselves or others by an unwise decision. An endless array of bad consequences can result from reckless conduct to impress friends, thrill-seeking, or giving in to the temptation of drugs, alcohol, or sex. When kids get involved with irresponsible, manipulative, cruel, selfish, or simply stupid people who call themselves friends, there's no telling what dumb things they can do.

All youngsters make foolish mistakes, as we did. Still, we can equip them with reasoning tools that can help them see and avoid really big, bad choices.

We can improve their decision-making skills by talking to them often about the importance of acting rationally, even when everyone around them seems overtaken by impulse. We can tell them stories to help them evaluate situations and anticipate potential consequences.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

© 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. Encouragement

Sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."1

Paul Harvey reports how "Snow Man was a nameless, gray-white gelding that Harry De Leyer picked up cheap at a horse auction. The only other bid for the horse came from a glue factory.

"Harry trained Snow Man, and the horse served well at the girls' school where Harry was the riding master. However, when the school closed for the summer, a neighbor made a generous offer for Snow Man, and Harry could not afford to refuse it. So Snow Man had a new home.

"Snow Man, however, liked his old home. Time and time again he jumped the neighbor's high fences and returned to Harry. Finally, Harry bought his horse back.

"In that series of events, though, was a clue to Snow Man's real greatness. Snow Man was a natural jumper, and the horse that once jumped fences to return to his loving previous master later jumped at Madison Square Garden for two national titles!"2

There's nothing like loving attention and encouragement to bring out the best in all of us! We all need it. And we all need to give it! The word "encouragement" comes from "en" meaning "in" with the word courage. Thus, to encourage someone is to put courage into them—to help them to be and do their very best.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for all the people who loved me, believed in me, and encouraged me to help me get to where I am today. Please help me to be a great encourager to all my friends and loved ones, to all the people you bring into my life, and to those whose path I cross. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name. Amen."

1. I Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV).
2. Paul Aurandt, Paul Harvey's the Rest of the Story, Lynne Harvey, ed. (New York: Bantam Books, 1977), pp. 6-8.

Index

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

Daily Encounter, a free weekday e-mail inspirational from ACTS International is now going to 260,000+ subscribers. Scores of letters from around the world have come from readers saying how much they are being helped by this brief, practical devotional.

Over 67 million e-mail Daily, Weekend and Prayer Encounters are delivered to subscribers every year!

Click HERE for more samples of Daily Encounter

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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 260,000+ 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.

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     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
San Clemente, CA 92673-0119
U.S.A.

To receive the email edition of Weekend Encounter
without charge click on the Subscribe button.

Privacy policy: We do not sell or rent subscriber's e-mail
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