Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 12 – No. 2510 June 19, 2010
Thought for the week: "When the winds of change blow, some seek shelter, others build windmills." – Chinese Proverb
"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks." – Phillips Brooks
"We are spinning our own fates, good or evil, and never to be undone. Every smallest stroke of virtue or of vice leaves its never so little scar." – William James
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." – Lord Acton
"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong." – Abraham Lincoln
"To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it. But we must sail, and not drift or lie at anchor." – Oliver Wendell Holmes
"The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." – Margaret Thatcher
It was the first day of school, and mother sent little Billy off to class. When he came home that day, she asked, "So Billy, what did you learn on your first day of school?"
Little Billy replied, "I learned to write."
"Oh, my!" his mother responded. "And on your first day of school! What did you write?"
"I don't know," said Billy. "I haven't learned to read yet."
Some time back I read a statement which really got my attention...
The statement declared that a little, tiny gnat can wreck an automobile. Of course, I wondered, "How?" And the article then explained that a tiny gnat had wrecked a car by flying into the eye of the driver at a critical time, causing the driver to lose control.
The lesson was quite plain: So often in life, little things can do great harm. It is easy for us to be like the gnat. Our petty criticisms, murmuring, complaints, and fault-finding can "wreck" the most ambitious person or program.
To put the world in right order,
we must first put the nation in order;
to put the nation in order,
we must first put the family in order;
to put the family in order,
we must first cultivate our personal life;
we must first set our hearts right.
During a BBQ, a woman 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, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening
Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital—(at 6:00 pm Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane 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 ... totally. 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
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
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 emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
T. New sign of a stroke: STICK OUT YOUR TONGUE.
Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.
The older I get the less I know, but I know some things:
I know that I'm a work in process and that there will always be a gap between who I am and who I want to be.
I know that I don't have to be sick to get better, and that every day brings opportunities to improve my life and my character.
I know that it's easier to talk about integrity than to live it, and that the true test is my willingness to do the right thing even when it costs more than I want to pay.
I know that character is more important than competence.
I know that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.
I know that I often judge myself by my best intentions and most noble acts, but that I'll be judged by my last worst act.
I know that I can't control what will happen to me, but that I have a lot to say about what happens in me.
I know that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.
I know that attitudes, both good and bad, are contagious.
I know that winning is more than coming in first, and that there's no real victory without honor.
I know that it takes a conscientious effort to be kind, but that kindness changes lives.
I know that neither gratitude nor forgiveness comes naturally; both often require acts of will.
I know that real success is being significant.
I know that happiness is deeper and more enduring than either pleasure or fun, and that I'm generally as happy as I'm willing to be.
I know that the surest road to happiness is good relationships, and that the best way to have good relationships is to be a good person.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."1
As reported by Chuck Colson in BreakPoint, a recent commencement speaker at Georgetown University, a Catholic school, was Francis Cardinal Arinze, the head of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. In his address Cardinal Arinze told the graduating students that "happiness is found not in the pursuit of material wealth or pleasures of the flesh, but by fervently adhering to religious beliefs."
He also stressed the importance of the family, stating that "in many parts of the world, the family is under siege" saying that "an anti-life mentality [is seen] in contraception, abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia." And that the family is "scorned and banalized by pornography, desecrated by fornication and adultery, mocked by homosexuality, sabotaged by irregular unions, and cut in two by divorce."
And as Chuck Colson said, "Well, that's a very Catholic message one might expect from a Catholic cardinal. But it proved too much for many in the audience. Teresa Sanders, a professor of theology, left the stage during Arinze's remarks. Seventy other faculty members signed a letter to the dean, protesting what one of them called Arinze's 'wildly inappropriate' remarks. Really? As a result, the dean apologized for the Cardinal's remarks and the 'hurt' they caused."2
While I don't think too many Christians are against contraception for married couples who take family planning seriously, everything else stated by Cardinal Arinze is certainly Catholic, Christian, and biblical. The opposition from the faculty is alarming for at least two reasons, not the least of which is because of the intolerance of another's point of view that differed from their own in a place of higher learning where every view is, supposedly, to be given a hearing. It seems today in the West that every religion and every message except Christianity is tolerated. This is even of greater concern when this happens in a Christian educational center.
Even more alarming is the opposition of the faculty of a Catholic school who are opposed to some of the basic tenets of the Catholic and Christian faith. One wonders at their ethics in that they are teaching in a school where they disagree with its foundational principles. Why don't they teach in a secular school?
And why is it that those who reject and oppose Christianity don't leave a country—that was founded on Christian values—to live in a pagan land?
Far too many today want the benefits, blessings, and privileges that are based on and built upon Judeo-Christian values, but don't want to accept the responsibilities that guarantee its continuance. Furthermore, they reject the very values that are the foundation of a free society. In doing so, they reject the source of the benefits they enjoy. In other words, they're biting the hand that feeds them—the hand of God!
We cannot have it both ways. We either accept God's directives or go our own way. And whatever we sow we will reap—even if it is eventually.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me in the midst of the ever-increasing pressure to be 'politically correct' to stand firm with my feet placed solidly on your Word—the principles of which are eternal and will endure forever. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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