Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 11 – No. 5209 December 26, 2009
Thought for the week: "In the middle of every difficulty comes opportunity." – Albert Einstein
1. Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?
2. Why is the third hand on the watch called the
second hand?
3. If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would
we ever know?
4. If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he
find the words?
5. Why do we say something is out of whack?
What is a whack?
6. Why does "slow down" and "slow up" mean the
same thing?
7. Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean
the same thing?
8. Why do "tug" boats push their barges?
9. Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game"
when we are already
there?
10. Why are they called "stands" when they are
made for sitting?
Happiness is to be found along the way, not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it is too late. Today, this hour, this minute is the day, the hour, the minute for each of us to sense the fact that life is good, with all of its trials and troubles, and perhaps more interesting because of them.
Robert R. Updegraff, author of "Be Thankful For Your Troubles."
Source: "Insights Of The Day" insights@insightoftheday.com.
I am struck when I find a like-minded friend, one who shares my outlook on life and willingly listens to my pains with compassion and understanding. A great number of people have episodes they would rather not broadcast, still they long for an intimate listener, a close friend.
I think that during my life, only two or three men are my like-minded friends. Most of us have many acquaintances, but few close-to-the-heart friends. Proverbs 27 says that a nearby friend is better than a far-away brother. Interestingly, it takes trials and adversity to give reason for wanting such a friend.
I am reading the story of David as found in 1 Samuel. David was quite comfortable in the role of runt of the family. Relegated to tending sheep, he killed lions and bears that attacked his herd. He knew what it was like to shepherd before being anointed by Samuel as the next King of Israel. He was unaware he would soon need a close, like-minded friend.
In 1 Samuel, this friend came on the scene before David was anointed King. Saul was battling the Philistines, and one of his commanders was his son Jonathan. Then-current wisdom said that you would engage the whole army to defeat the enemy. Jonathan asked his armor bearer whether he felt God could win a battle with just two people. Without Saul's knowledge, Jonathan and his armor bearer, with God's direction, destroyed an outpost of twenty Philistines. This unexpected action incited widespread panic: The Philistines were randomly killing each other. Saul and the rest of his army saw the action and joined in routing many more Philistines.
Months later, after the Philistines had regrouped, the seven-foot-tall Goliath taunted and frightened Israel for forty days. David, now Saul's soothing harpist, observed and asked why a Philistine should daily insult God's people. Still a youth, he volunteered to fight Goliath. Trusting God and using a sling, his weapon of choice, David slew Goliath with one perfectly aimed smooth stone.
After David moved into Saul's household, Jonathan became better acquainted with him. During the Goliath incident, Jonathan recognized in David a like-minded spirit, one quick to assess the situation, trusting God for guidance. And, over the next twenty years, David, in fear for his life, leaned on Jonathan because of their close love for one another. The ultimate picture is that God directs the affairs of men and women, using people who trust Him. People like Jonathan, and like David, and you and me.
Remember the 1st Three Letters....S.T.R., plus a fourth indicator, the Tongue.
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics). She said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.
They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening
Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within three hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within three hours, which is tough.
Recognizing a Stroke
Remember the '3' steps, STR. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S. Ask the individual to SMILE.
T. Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today).
R. Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call an emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
T. Another sign of a Stroke: STICK OUT YOUR TONGUE. Ask the person to 'stick' out his or her tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked' or if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.
Dave had to undergo painful throat surgery. Since he made his living as a professional speaker, the experience was frightening and traumatic.
He told me his surgeon was skilled and the hospital workers were competent, but the cold indifference of the parade of nurses and doctors who came in and out of his room was one of the most depressing, demoralizing, and dehumanizing experiences of his life.
They treated his disease rather than treating him as a person with a disease, often talking in front of him as if he were a dumb animal who couldn't understand what they were saying. Although they were assigned to his care, they acted as if they didn't care. Their behavior was outright toxic.
I can understand why medical practitioners keep an emotional distance from human suffering as a form of self-protection. And I understand how confronting difficult and demanding patients as well as pain, disease, and even death on a daily basis can form calluses around the heart. But when professional distance translates to disrespect, it's a form of malpractice.
The job of medical professionals is not simply to cure disease but to care for the overall well-being of patients. They do their job best when they help patients get better and help them feel better.
What saved him, Dave said, wasn't the pain-killing drugs but the attitude of a few nurses who uplifted his spirits by simple acts of human decency— a smile, a kind word, a compassionate expression or tone—that conveyed the message that they cared.
We have to love and admire those who can bring their hearts to their work. Mental sunshine and flowers are powerful medicines.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things."1
"Do you remember the Mercedes TV commercial a few years ago that showed a Mercedes crashing into a concrete wall during a safety test? An engineer in a white lab coat walks over after the crash and kneels down to examine the damage, which is minimal. A reporter then asks the engineer about Mercedes' energy absorbing car body. After the engineer tells all about the unique design, the reporter asks him why Mercedes doesn't enforce their patent on the design, a design evidently copied by several other companies because of its success.
"The engineer then replied matter-of-factly, 'Because some things in life are too important not to share.' How true this is. There are many things in life that fall into this 'too important not to share category.' Advances in science, in medicine, in technology. But all of these pale in importance to that of sharing our faith."2
As Billy Graham said, "I am convinced the greatest act of love we can ever perform for people is to tell them about God's love for them in Christ."
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I come to you with all my fears, insecurities, and weaknesses, but I'm available. Please use me today to be 'as Christ' to someone in need and help me in a loving way to share an appropriate word about you and my Christian faith. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
1. Romans 10:15 (NKJV).
2. Rev. Steve Jackson, Sermon: "Come and See."
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