Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 11 – No. 4909 December 05, 2009
Thought for the week: "Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice." – Henry Ford
1. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.
2. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these, yourself!"
3. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised, "mine says I'm 4 to 6."
4. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting," she said, "how do you make babies?" "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."
5. Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure," said the young boy confidently. "It means carrying a child."
6. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. "They use him to keep crowds back," said one child. "No," said another. "He's just for good luck." A third child brought the argument to a close. "They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."
"Give us grace and strength to persevere. Give us courage and gaiety and the quiet mind. Spare to us our friends and soften to us our enemies. Give us the strength to encounter that which is to come, that we may be brave in peril, constant in tribulation, temperate in wrath and in all changes of fortune, and down to the gates of death loyal and loving to one another." – Robert Louis Stevenson
There are passages in the Bible that coincide with scientific principles that weren't widely accepted until hundreds of years after the Bible had been written. Here are some examples:
The Bible said the earth is round and is suspended in space:In various verses, the Bible says the earth is round and that it is suspended in space:
"He [God]sits enthroned above the circle of the earth..." (Isaiah 40:22, NIV). (By the way, the Hebrew language at that time did not have a word for "sphere," only for "circle.")
"He [God] spreads out the northern [skies] over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing" (Job 26:7, NIV).
The Bible described the Hydrologic Cycle: In various passages, the Bible describes a hydrologic cycle, the process by which clouds are formed, rain is produced and ground water is replenished. Science made the same discovery in the 1600s, long after the Bible passages were written. Here are the related Bible verses:
"He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight" (Job 26:8, NIV).
"He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind" (Job 36:27-28, NIV).
"The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again" (Ecclesiastes 1:6-7, NIV).
George Bernard Shaw once got a letter addressed to George Bernard Shawm.
In a beard-tossing fury, Shaw roared to his wife that his correspondent could not even spell the name of the world's greatest man. Moreover, fumed G.B.S., there was no such word as "shawm."
Shaw's wife, one of the world's most martyred women, quietly disagreed, led Shaw to a dictionary and pointed to "shawm ... an old-fashioned wind instrument."
"A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor" (Proverbs 29:23).
There's a parable about a mother who discovered a butterfly struggling mightily to escape its cocoon through a tiny opening at the top. She became concerned when the creature seemed to give up after making no progress. Certain that the butterfly wouldn't make it out without help, she enlarged the hole.
On its next try, the butterfly wriggled out easily. But the young woman's joy turned to horror when she saw its wings were shriveled and useless. Her well-intentioned intervention had interrupted a natural process. Forcing the butterfly to squeeze though a small opening is nature's way of assuring that blood from the creature's body is pushed into the wings. By making it easier, she deprived the butterfly of strong wings.
Childhood, too, is a sort of cocoon. If a healthy adult is to emerge, parents must allow, even encourage, their children to struggle, make mistakes, learn from them, and pay the price for bad judgments and conduct.
Of course, good parents should protect their children from serious harm, but being overprotective can itself inflict damage. Adversity is not always an enemy. Teaching can help a young person develop wings strengthened by self-confidence and self-reliance.
Helen Keller once said, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."1
Bruce D. Weaver of Newcomerstown, Ohio, shared the following experience: One summer evening, my wife and I drove to pick up our son from Vacation Bible School. The sky was growing dark and there was a storm watch in effect, but no rain was falling yet.
However, by the time we arrived home with our son, the wind was blowing fiercely and lightning bolts were coming down all around us. We hurried inside the house and began to shut windows. Within a few moments we were without electrical power. We tucked our son into bed, trying not to betray our concern regarding the severe weather conditions outside.
I stood beside a window on the west side of the house and looked at the sky, watching intently for a funnel cloud. Suddenly the telephone rang. It was our neighbor informing us that a "code red" had been issued for our area. He confirmed that that meant a tornado funnel cloud had been sighted close by. I asked him why the siren in our small town was not sounding. He informed me it was because of power outage. He further explained that he had heard on his police scanner instructions for everyone who could hear the scanner to call their neighbors to inform them of the "code red." I was thankful for his concern and I was thankful that the funnel cloud sighted damaged neither my family nor anyone else in our area.
Later that evening, I thought about my neighbor's concern for me and I reflected upon my concern, or lack thereof, for my neighbors. Certainly it is important to inform neighbors that a "code red" has been issued by the police, because a funnel cloud has been sighted in the area. But it is all the more important to inform neighbors that a "code red" has been issued by God, because in due time Jesus Christ will return.
God does not want anyone to be destroyed, so God has sounded a "code red," but not everyone knows it has been sounded. Those of us who have been informed need to share the news with our neighbors that God's judgment is certain and that, without accepting his full and free pardon, they will be doomed forever.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for those who told me about your "code red" gospel message—how Jesus, your Son, died for my sins. Please use me to share your "code red" message to others and to join forces with those who are communicating your "code red" gospel message to people across the street and around the world. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
NOTE 1: If you have never responded to God's "Code Red" and accepted his pardon and gift of eternal life, for help see the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http://www.actsweb.org/christian.
NOTE 2: To help spread God's "code red" message around the world, please join with us as a People Power for Jesus partner. See http://www.actsweb.org/people_power.php for more information and to sign in.
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