Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 12 – No. 1610 April 17, 2010
Thought for the week: "It isn't where you came from; it's where you're going that counts." – Ella Fitzgerald
"If ever a time should come when vain and aspiring men shall possess highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." – Samuel Adams
"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." – Albert Einstein
"He who has no vision of eternity will never get a true hold of time." – Thomas Carlyle
"Every artist was first an amateur." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The most important thing about goals is ... having one." – Geoffry F. Abert
"Don't be fooled into thinking Satan is merely a symbol of evil. He is real." – Author Unknown
I have one deep supreme desire,
That I may be like Jesus.
To this I fervently aspire,
That I may be like Jesus.
I want my heart His throne to be,
So that a watching world may see
His likeness shining forth in me;
I want to be like Jesus.
Oh, perfect life of Christ my Lord,
I want to be like Jesus.
My recompense and my reward,
That I may be like Jesus.
His Spirit fill my hung'ring soul,
His power all my life control;
My deepest pray'r, my highest goal,
That I may be like Jesus.
Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.
Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.
Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.
Had no army, yet kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.
Feel honored to serve such a Leader who loves us.
A legend tells of a French monastery known throughout Europe for the extraordinary leadership of a man known only as Brother Leo. Several monks began a pilgrimage to visit Brother Leo to learn from him. Almost immediately, they began to bicker about who should do various chores.
On the third day they met another monk going to the monastery, and he joined them. This monk never complained or shirked a duty, and whenever the others would fight over a chore, he would gracefully volunteer and do it himself. By the last day, the others were following his example, and from then on they worked together smoothly.
When they reached the monastery and asked to see Brother Leo, the man who greeted them laughed. "But our brother is among you!" And he pointed to the fellow who had joined them.
Today, many people seek leadership positions, not so much for what they can do for others but for what the position can do for them: status, connections, perks, advantages. They do service as an investment, a way to build an impressive resume.
The parable about Brother Leo teaches another model of leadership, where leaders are preoccupied with serving rather than being followed, with giving rather than getting, with doing rather than demanding. Leadership based on example, not command. This is called servant leadership.
Can you imagine how much better things would be if more politicians, educators, and business executives saw themselves as servant leaders?
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."1
You may have read how, "... when Sadhu Sundar Singh and a companion were traveling through a pass high in the Himalayan Mountains, at one point they came across a body lying in the snow. Sundar Singh wished to stop and help the unfortunate man, but his companion refused, saying, 'We shall lose our lives if we burden ourselves with him.'
"But Sundar Singh would not think of leaving the man to die in the ice and snow. As his companion made his farewell, Sundar Singh lifted the poor traveler onto his back. With great exertion on his part, he bore the man onward, but gradually the heat from Singh's body began to warm up the beleaguered frozen fellow, and he revived. Soon both were walking together side by side. Catching up with his former companion, they found him dead—frozen by the cold.
"In the case of Sundar Singh, he was willing to lose his life on behalf of another, and in the process, found it; but in the case of his companion who sought only his own well-being, he only lost it."2
As the caption of the painting (housed at Girls and Boys Town National Headquarters in Nebraska) of the "Two Brothers" commissioned by Father Flanagan back in 1943, and copied from the original statue done in sandstone, says, "He ain't heavy, Father ... he's m' brother."
When we treat a needy person who crosses our path as our brother (or sister), the rewards of carrying them until they can get on their own two feet will far outweigh the burden of the load.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to treat each person you bring into my life as a brother and/or sister and be willing to help them when they need a helping hand, to help lift their spirit when they need an encouraging word, and to help carry their load when it is too heavy for them to bear alone—as you have done for me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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