Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 11 – No. 2809 July 11, 2009
Thought for the week: "If there are a thousand steps between us and God, he will take all but one. He will leave the final one for us. The choice is ours." – Max Lucado
"Failure is an event, never a person." – William D. Brown
"Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently." – Henry Ford
"A man does what he must—in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures." – John Kennedy
"Try not to become a success, but rather try to become a man of value." – Albert Einstein
"Don't regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many." – Unknown
"Not the maker of plans and promises, but rather the one who offers faithful service in small matters. This is the person who is most likely to achieve what is good and lasting." – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
The family all knew the story of Grandpa's ne'er-do-well father, the one who was hung as a horse thief after escaping from prison, where he wound up after robbing a bank and a train. They couldn't leave him out of the family history, but they could and did put some spin on the story.
The "official" family version of his demise went something like this:
"Joseph James was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory. He spent a period of time on the fast track with Wells Fargo. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets. He devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with other equestrian entrepreneurs. Joe James passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed."
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
Nathan Williams told of two men who had been business partners for over twenty years. They met one Sunday morning as they were leaving a restaurant. One of them asked, "Where are you going this morning?" "I'm going to play golf. What about you?" The first man responded rather apologetically, "I'm going to church." The other man said, "Why don't you give up that church stuff?" The man asked, "What do you mean?" "Well, we have been partners for twenty years. We have worked together, attended board meetings together, and had lunch together, and all of these twenty years you have never asked me about going to church. You have never invited me to go with you. Obviously, it doesn't mean that much to you."
John A. Stroman, God's Downward Mobility, CSS Publishing Company.
We sometimes miss the great opportunities of life because we get sidetracked. I once heard the tale of a talented and gifted bloodhound in England that started a hunt by chasing a full-grown male deer. During the chase, a fox crossed his path, so he began to chase the fox. A rabbit crossed his hunting path, so he began to chase the rabbit. After chasing the rabbit for a while, a tiny field mouse crossed his path, and he chased the mouse to the corner of a farmer's barn. The bloodhound had begun the hunt chasing a prized male deer for his master and wound up barking at a tiny mouse. It is a rare human being who can do three or four different things at a time—moving in different directions. (Eric S. Ritz, www.Sermons.com)
In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy asks Charlie Brown, "Why do you think we were put on earth?"
Charlie answers, "To make others happy."
Lucy replies, "I don't think I'm making anyone happy," and then adds, "but nobody's making me very happy either. Somebody's not doing his job!"
People like Lucy are so sure happiness is a matter of getting something that they ask not what they can do for others but what others can and should do for them. They usually feel shortchanged or cheated. They become so preoccupied with what they don't have that they can't enjoy what they do have.
What's more, they don't realize one of the best ways to be happy is to experience the joy and self-worth of making others happy.
In his book, Happiness Is a Serious Problem, Dennis Prager argues that it's human nature to want and feel we need more. The problem is, the quest for more is endless because we can always add more to whatever we have. As a result, the Lucys of the world often live in an "if only" world that keeps them one step away from happiness: "If only I get this raise, make this sale, pay off my debts, or win this game, I'll be happy."
Abraham Lincoln understood that happiness is essentially a way of looking at one's life. "A person is generally about as happy as he's willing to be," he said.
Thus, we're more likely to experience happiness if we realize it's not just getting what we want. It's learning to want what we get.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."1
In "Character Counts" Michael Josephson shares how the students at Sandy's high school were badly shaken by the news that a classmate had just committed suicide. He left a note saying, "It's hard to live when nobody cares if you die." Realizing this was both a traumatic event that needed to be confronted and a teachable moment, a teacher talked to the students about how important it is that people feel valued. So, he told them to imagine they were about to die. Then he gave an assignment: "Write a note to tell someone how important he or she is to you."
Sandy, who had a rocky relationship with her mother, was especially moved by the idea that she might die without telling her mom how important she was, so she wrote a note: "We've had some rough times and I know I haven't been a very good daughter but I know I'm lucky to have you in my life. You are the best person I've ever known. Thanks for not giving up on me." She told her mom about the assignment and gave her the note. Her mom cried and hugged Sandy but said little.
The next morning Sandy found a note on her mirror. "Dearest daughter," it said, "I want you to know how much you are valued. Being your mother is the most important thing in my life. The truth is I've felt like such a failure that I was seriously considering ending it all. I thought you'd be better off without me. Your appreciation makes my life worth living."
Be careful not to underestimate the power of expressed appreciation. As Sandy learned, it can make a big difference.2
Need I say more?
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be an encourager to all the people you bring into my life, and help me always to remember and be thankful for all the encouragement I have received from you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
1. Hebrews 3:13. (NIV).
2. This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts. www.charactercounts.org
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