Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 11 – No. 2509 June 20, 2009
Thought for the week: "I don't think of myself as a poor deprived ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as somebody who from an early age knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good." – Oprah Winfrey
"Forgo your anger for a moment and save yourself a hundred days of trouble." – Chinese proverb
"No one accomplishes anything worthwhile all by themselves. It's what you do with the help of others that determine your success in life." – Ray Lammie
"The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion." – Billy Graham
"Inch by inch, life's a cinch. Yard by yard, life is hard." – Robert Schuller
"Success is always temporary. When all is said and done, the only thing you'll have left is your character" – Vince Gill
"Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not on this earth for eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake." – Marie Beynon Ray (Adapted)
A young lady was soaking up the sun's rays on a Florida beach when a little boy in his swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, "Do you believe in God?" She was surprised by the question but she replied, "Why, yes, I do." Then he asked her: "Do you go to church every Sunday?" Again, her answer was "Yes!" He then asked: "Do you read your Bible and pray everyday?" Again she said, "Yes!" By now her curiosity was very much aroused. The little lad sighed with relief and said, "Will you hold my quarter while I go in swimming?"
This story may or may not be true as it was read in an email. Either way, it is a good parable illustration. Are we who claim to be followers of Christ always trustworthy?
Though less than an inch in length, the bombardier beetle is noted for its unique defense system. When threatened, the insect sprays boiling, foul-smelling liquid and steam from its posterior, warding off spiders, birds, and even frogs.
Consider: This beetle is equipped with "a pair of glands which open at the tip of [its] abdomen." Each of these has a reservoir that stores an acidic compound and hydrogen peroxide as well as a reaction chamber filled with enzymes dissolved in water. To protect itself, the insect can squeeze the solution from the reservoirs into the reaction chamber to trigger a chemical reaction. The result? Noxious chemicals, water, and steam—at a temperature of about 212 degrees Fahrenheit—are sprayed onto an attacker. The chambers are less than sixteenth of an inch long, yet the beetle can change the speed, direction, and consistency of its toxic spray.
Researchers have studied the bombardier beetle to learn how to develop more effective and ecologically-sound mist systems. They have discovered that the beetle not only used one-way inlet valves to allow chemicals into the reaction chambers but also has a pressure-relief valve to expel them. Engineers hope to use spray technology based on the bombardier beetle in car engines and fire extinguishers, as well as in medial drug-delivery devices, such as inhalers. Professor Andy McIntosh of the University of Leeds, England, says: "Nobody had studied the beetle from a physics and engineering perspective as we did—and we didn't appreciate how much we would learn from it."
What do you think? Did the bombardier beetle's complex system of valves, combustion, and explosion develop by chance? Or was it designed? (Awake)
"Then God said, 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind;' and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:24-25).
Whatever your cross,
Whatever your pain,
There will always be sunshine after the rain,
Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall;
But God's always ready to answer your call,
He knows every heartache, sees every tear,
A word from His lips can calm every fear,
Your sorrows may linger throughout the night,
But suddenly vanish by dawn's early light,
The Savior is waiting somewhere above,
To give you His grace and send you His love.
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle!
It's a sad and sobering fact that as I get older, attending funerals of dear friends and relatives become an ever more frequent part of my life.
I spent a recent birthday in Detroit at the funeral of my Uncle Marvin, a gentle, generous, modest man described by all as a mensch—a person of extraordinary character.
It's been said that "If you want to know how to live your life, think about what you want people to say about you after you die—and live backward." Uncle Marvin seemed to do that, and he would have been pleased by the things people said about him.
Although it's heartwarming to hear words of tribute for a life well lived, I confess I feel a profound sense of loss and foreboding when I'm forced to face the fact that people I care about have left and will never come back.
In one of my poems, I acknowledge that "Some day it will all come to an end; there will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days." I can't get my mind around the idea that there will be a day when my life will not be measured by moments but by memories. And it chills me to contemplate not being able to caress, counsel, or comfort my wife and children. Far worse is any thought of the grief they may suffer when I leave them.
Yet I know I must accept what I cannot change. Although it doesn't feel like enough, I find some consolation knowing I'm striving daily to live my life as fully as I can and will not squander any opportunity to express my love and appreciate the love I'm lucky enough to receive.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock."1
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew destroyed thousands of homes in South Florida. Yet in an area where the wreckage looked like a war zone, one house remained standing, still firmly anchored to its foundation. When a reporter asked the homeowner why his house had not been blown away, he replied, "I built this house myself. I also built it according to the Florida state building code. When the code called for 2"x6" roof trusses, I used 2"x6" roof trusses. I was told that a house built according to the code could withstand a hurricane—and it did."2
I can identify with this builder because in former years I was a builder by trade and built my own home at the top of the Adelaide hills in Australia where the winds blow furiously. I not only built according to the local building codes, but went the second mile. Instead of using 2"x8" rafters I used 3"x8" and instead of using large nails to secure these, I used large coach screw/bolts, and so on. I lost a few roofing tiles on one occasion in a wild storm, but never was there any other damage.
As Jesus reminds us, it pays to build solidly on a solid foundation. He was referring to building our lives according to his code as found in his Word, The Bible. Those who do will not be swept away by the storms of life and adverse circumstances that threaten to destroy us.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to build my life on 'Christ, the Solid Rock' and live according to your instructions as found in the Bible. I thank you that, if I do this, you have guaranteed that I will be able to stand firm in all of life's storms. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
1. Matthew 7:25 (NASB).
2. Tom Moore, preacher@hsnp.com cited in KneEmail, http://www.oakhillcoc.org.
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