Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
To receive the email edition of Weekend Encounter (without charge) click on the Subscribe button.
Privacy policy: We do not sell or rent subscriber's e-mail
addresses to anyone. We value your privacy.
Global Communications Outreach:
Learn how to be a missionary right from your own home and have a vital part in worldwide gospel outreach by becoming an ACTS People Power for Jesus Partner. Click HERE There is no charge.
Vol. 12 – No. 3510 August 28, 2010
Thought for the week: "Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be." –Thomas á Kempis
"How we think shows through in how we act. Attitudes are mirrors of the mind. They reflect thinking." – David J. Schwartz
"I have never been especially impressed by the heroics of people convinced they are about to change the world. I am more awed by those who struggle to make one small difference." – Ellen Goodman
"Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right." – Max Lucado
"We have a word of warning to say to you. There is room in the precious blood of Christ. There is room at the gospel feast. There is room in the church on earth. There is room in heaven. But if you will not occupy this room, I must solemnly tell you that there is room in hell!" – C.S.Lewis
"There are no guarantees in life, but one thing is for sure: if you believe you can't, then you can't!" – Ray Lammie
"Calling an illegal alien an 'undocumented immigrant' is like calling a drug dealer an 'unlicensed pharmacist.'" – Seen on an email
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
We all have at some point in our life had at least one mentor that has touched our lives with such an impact and virtually served as a guide, example, role model and teacher, that prevails through the test of time and has influenced our life in making us the man or woman we are today. Some of us can reflect back in our lives and realize that we may have been blessed with more than one mentor.
A mentor is anyone who, even for but a moment, may have said or done something in your life that you will never forget, that has built your character for the better, and has served as a motivator to give one the incentive to thereby spread the knowledge and love to others. Then this will enable you to create a positive energy of imparting to others that which you have learned and experienced in life.
A mentor could have been a teacher, a college professor, a friend, a parent, a sibling, a business associate, or even a total stranger. I am one who has been blessed to have had more than one mentor. I would have to say that the key mentors in my life are GOD, our Lord Jesus Christ, my parents, the renowned radio and TV talk show host, Mr. Joe Franklin, and the works and writings of Mr. Napoleon Hill, all have greatly influenced my life.
Being a mentor encompasses an extreme amount of responsibilities. One must look into the mirror of their soul and ask him or herself, who am I, where am I going with my life, what do I want out of life, am I getting there and most importantly, if I am NOT getting there, WHY? For the most part, one can be his or her own worst enemy and can sabotage their own happiness, which prevents them from reaching and achieving their goals in life. "Be true to thine own self" which means to look into your own heart, examine yourself, be steadfast in your affirmations, and then one can set an example to manifest and emulate goodness to others.
Make the most of your life because we all have an expiration date, and as Charles Shultz once said, "Just be your beautiful self, because everyone else is taken." We are living in times that are surrounded by our country at war, the threat of terrorism, starvation, homelessness, crime, tragedies, abuse to children, the elderly and animals, as well as overall worldwide crisis affecting all of us.
What a better world it would be if we could only turn back the hands of time and remember when "under the gun" meant you were under pressure instead of a weapon being pointed at your face; when "having a record" meant you had music to listen to pressed on a piece of vinyl rather than a rap sheet with the law enforcement; when "on the run" meant you were busy rather than on the lam eluding the authorities; when "a dude" denoted you worked on a ranch; when "dope" was a vicious slang word for someone who was not intelligent rather than a drug; when "to kill" meant that you had a really good gig or a presentation rather than to take someone's life; when "being gay" meant you were happy; when "having time" meant you had time to spare rather than a prison sentence; when "crack" was a fault or crevice in a sidewalk or building and not a destructive drug; when "acid" was something that built up in your stomach causing indigestion rather than a hallucinating drug; when "pot" was something you cooked in; when "rap" was something you did with a present; when "Coke" was the number one soft drink of America and not a drug that destroys lives; when "ecstasy" was something you felt when you asked a girl out to go to the prom with you and she said YES, and gave you a goodnight kiss instead of a deadly high from a lethal drug; and when "abortion" was to put the brakes on a plan or mission that was in motion rather than destroying the life of an unborn child.
The lingo today sends out strong signals and is representative of the thoughts that helps pattern the lives of today's youth. Let us all concentrate on sending out a positive message to our youth for they are our future, and let us be careful of our choice of words and how we conduct our lives, which will ultimately, in the long run, help mold theirs. Let us put away hatred, prejudice and violence out of our lives and, as the lyrics from the song by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young so aptly put it, "Teach Your Children Well." The Bible states, "Nourish them in the way of the Lord and they will not depart from it." I am sure that motivator, Mr. Napoleon Hill, would place his blessing and validate these principles.
With knowledge, get understanding; with understanding, get wisdom, and go out and mentor someone you love today! GOD bless you all. Peace and love.
Pete DeLorenzo
Mr. Pete DeLorenzo is a nationally recognized comedian, impressionist, actor, recording artist, screenwriter, producer, director and foremost humanitarian. He has been a professional entertainer in show business for 38 years, has a Broadcasting and Journalism Degree, a Master's Degree in the performing arts and graphic arts, as well as a Literary Degree. He was honored by former and late President Ronald Reagan for his humanitarian work. For more information on Mr. DeLorenzo and his motion picture "The Mentor" please visit his website www.petedelorenzo.com.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.
Rev. William J. H. Boetcker
(often credited to Abraham Lincoln)
A hit number in the 1960 play Bye Bye Birdie began with a classic parent's lament: "I don't know what's wrong with these kids today. Why can't they be like we were?"
The answer, of course, is they're just like we were. Sometimes that's good, often it's not. Every generation of kids coping with raging hormones and a need to express independence and individuality will use language, wear clothes, listen to music, and dance in ways that may offend their parents. Many will engage in conduct that their parents think is wrong or unwise.
Should modern parents just relax and let kids do their thing, confident that no lasting harm will come of it? I don't think so.
Sure, we should recognize the inherent limitations of parenting and the futility and impropriety of trying to control every phase of our children's lives, but that doesn't justify passive or permissive parenting. Although we can't control our kids, we can influence them. And when necessary, we can confine their options by saying no and backing it up with whatever tools we have.
Parents may disagree on where to draw the line when it comes to sloppy or sexy clothing, Internet use, loud music with crude lyrics, and body piercing and tattoos, but lines must be drawn somewhere and enforced. This is particularly important regarding issues about alcohol, drugs, and sex. Kids need and deserve guidance and boundaries.
Our children won't necessarily accept our views of right and wrong, but if we state them clearly and continually, they're more likely to consider them.
What do you think?
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."1
If you happened to watch the world-wide TV New Year's Eve 2000 celebrations a decade ago, you would have seen, not only the impressive fireworks display in Sydney (Australia), but also emblazoned in extremely large neon writing right across the Sydney Harbor Bridge the word, "Eternity."
This word was in celebration of the "work and witness" of sidewalk chalk artist (if that's what you could call him), Arthur Malcolm Stace, who became affectionately known as "Mr. Eternity."
"July 30 of this year marked the 43rd anniversary of the death of Arthur Stace. Born in 1884 into a drunken Australian family, Arthur described what he'd become, "a petty criminal, a bum, and a metho (metholated spirits alcohol) drinker."
"His new birth from an old life in crime and sin to a new life in Christ and service took place on the night of August 6, 1930.
"This spiritual turn around occurred after he heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached faithfully by Rev. R.D.S. Hammond at St Barnabas church in Broadway, Sydney. Twelve years later, on a Sunday night, November 14, 1942, at his home church in Darlinghurst, as he sat listening to 'The Echoes of Eternity' proclaimed forthrightly by Australia's beloved evangelist—the late Rev. John G. Ridley—Stace was challenged to go out and write with chalk the word Eternity multiplied thousands of times on city sidewalks. This he did continuously and consistently for the next quarter of century till he died on July 30, 1967.
"By the time Arthur Stace was called by God to exit this world into eternity, he had left behind a legacy of an enormous value in the copperplate writing of one word—Eternity.
"God took his tool—a piece of chalk—his text of one word, Eternity, and his territory of one pavement at a time in Sydney, and multiplied it abundantly.
It was witnessed first by many thousands in Sydney, Woolongong, Newcastle, and Melbourne. Then on the eve of the new millennium celebration, more than a million people who crammed around the Sydney Harbor Bridge saw it electronically emblazoned across the bridge of our Olympic city after a spectacular display of fireworks. It was also beamed around the world to more than two billion viewers, as well as at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games later on in the year."2
Eternity. It is a powerful word with eternal consequences. In his own simple but profound way, Arthur Stace was posing the question, "Where will you spend eternity?"
Eternity! Where will you spend it? Whatever you do, don't leave earth without your "Passport for Heaven." To pick up your "Passport for Heaven" go to: http://tinyurl.com/passport-heaven it comes without charge.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you have provided the way to spend eternity with you through the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus, so that all who will believe in and accept him as their savior have your promise and guarantee of spending eternity with you in heaven. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
8. Receive Daily Encounter E-mail ... Without Charge
Daily Encounter, a without charge weekday e-mail inspirational from ACTS International is now going to 350,000+ subscribers. Scores of letters from around the world have come from readers saying how much they are being helped by this brief, practical devotional.
Over 91 million e-mail Daily, Weekend and Prayer Encounters are delivered to subscribers every year!
NOTE: Some ISPs (especially AOL) now use e-mail filtering software that allows you to add e-mail addresses to your 'buddy', 'safe', or 'approved' list. Please be sure to add acts@actsweb.org to yours so you won't miss any issue of Daily Encounter.
One of ACTS greatest needs is Prayer Partners to stand with us as we seek to share the gospel with millions of people around the world through E-mail and the Internet and to win the lost to Jesus. If you would like to be an ACTS Prayer Partner, please subscribe to the Prayer Encounter list. Approximately two prayer reports are emailed monthly. Thank you.
If you have a special prayer request please submit it to David Clark at: www.responda.co.uk/prayer.php. David is not on the ACTS staff but is offering this as a service to Daily and Weekend Encounter readers. NOTE: Please hold prayer requests until September first as David is on holiday.
Helpers Needed: If you can help David pray for prayer requests, please could you go to: www.responda.co.uk/member.php
Weekend Encounter and Daily Encounter are just two of the ways the nonprofit organization, ACTS International, is working to improve the spiritual and emotional life of many thousands of people around the world.
Every weekday Daily Encounter is going to 350,000+ subscribers, and every week Weekend Encounter is going to 8,000+ subscribers worldwide— many of whom are in places where it is forbidden to spread the Christian gospel and message. Plus we reach several hundred thousand more every week through our advertising. As a result every day we are seeing an average of 5-6 salvation responses from around the world—almost 3000 in the past 12 months!
If you find value in the Weekend Encounter and/or Daily Encounter, we hope you will be comfortable donating at least $26. That's only 50 cents a week for an entire year (tax-deductible in the U.S.). You can donate in one of the following ways:
Oprah Winfrey: "Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi." – Oprah Winfrey
1. Bible concordance and Bible helps
2. New Hope Crisis Counseling with trained
lay/volunteer counselors. www.newhopenow.org 3. E-Word Today for a daily Bible reading
4. To find your ZIP+4 Area Code in the U.S.A.
5. How to find and write to your U.S. Representative
6. ASK ... Smart answers fast
7. Send a greeting card without charge for all occasions
8. To check the weather in your area
9. Hoax Web Sites
10. Plus many more sources of helpful information
"Because the world is hungry,
go with bread.
Because the world is filled with strife,
go with peace.
Because the world is filled with deceptions and lies,
go with truth.
Because the world would die without,
go with the love of God."
ACTS International
PO Box 73545
San Clemente, CA 92673-0119
U.S.A.
To receive the email edition of Weekend Encounter
without charge click on the Subscribe button.
Privacy policy: We do not sell or rent subscriber's e-mail
addresses to anyone. We value your privacy.
