Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 13 – No. 0611 February 05, 2011
Thought for the week: "A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral." – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"When one door closes, another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." – Alexander Graham Bell
"If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at anytime, and you would achieve nothing." – Margaret Thatcher
"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein." – Jackson Brown Jr.
"To be conscious that you are ignorant of the facts is a great step in knowledge." – Benjamin Disraeli
"One person with courage makes a majority." – Andrew Jackson
"Conviction is worthless unless it is converted into conduct." – Thomas Carlyle
3. Warning: Freedom of Worship Newspeak (note for me ... run this article in Nov before the elections)
Since November of 2009, Mr. Obama and his people have been using the term "Freedom of Worship" instead of the traditional "Freedom of Religion" as provided in the U.S. Constitution. Freedom of worship can mean something totally different to freedom of religion. For instance, freedom of worship means that we will be free to worship any way we like, providing we do so in private, but it doesn't give us the freedom to preach or teach what the Word of God says—including the preaching of the gospel. On the other hand, freedom of religion gives us the freedom to preach and teach the full counsel of God.
At the time of writing, there is pressure from certain groups to have preaching what God's Word says about homosexuality labeled a hate crime that will be punishable by law. We can be certain that that day is coming and thereafter, inch by inch, our freedom of religion will slowly but surely be eroded while our leaders will be declaring that we will never lose our freedom of worship.
This kind of deception is called newspeak which is "deliberately ambiguous language used to mislead and manipulate the public." Some politicians, media personnel, lawyers and others are notorious for using newspeak. Have you noticed that since Hilary Clinton, when she got caught lying, said that she misspoke, how many others are doing the same thing? Misspoke? No, Mrs. Clinton lied and so did many, if not all, of the others who misspoke.
One day a woman's husband died, and on that clear, cold morning, in the warmth of their bedroom, the wife was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't "anymore". No more hugs, no more special moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat, no more "just one minute." Sometimes, what we care about the most gets all used up and goes away, never to return before we can say good-bye and say, "I love you."
So while we have it, it's best we love it, care for it, fix it when it's broken, and heal it when it's sick. This is true for marriage, for children with bad report cards, and aging parents and grandparents.
Some things we keep—like a best friend who moved away or a sister-in-law after divorce. There are just some things that make us happy, no matter what.
I was thinking I could die today, tomorrow or next week, and I wondered if I had any wounds that needed to be healed, friendships that needed rekindling, or three words that needed to be said.
Let every one of your friends know you love them. Even if you think they don't love you back, you would be amazed at what those three little words and a smile can do.
"I Love you!"
Live today to the fullest because tomorrow is not promised.
I remember the day I told my daughter Samara, who was then five, that I was going on a trip for one night. "Please don't go, Daddy," she begged. When I wouldn't agree to stay, she threw an all-out tantrum.
I knew that was the risk when I told her. I could have said nothing and let her mother explain my absence, or I could have pretended to give in by saying that "I'd see" if I could get out of it.
Well, actually I couldn't. You see, I made a decision long before that I wanted to establish relationships of unquestioned trust with my children. And I knew that even well-intentioned lies, deceptions, and broken promises could be land mines to trust.
When she calmed down, she took a new tack: "Take me with you." When this didn't work, she came up with her final offer: "Then I want you to wear this tie." And she got a tie she had given me for Father's Day. It was a special tie, one that she'd drawn pictures on.
When I dressed for my trip, I thought of putting the tie in my briefcase and wearing one more appropriate. But a promise is a promise, so I wore the tie. During my talk I told the tie story in the context of trust, pointing out that while I was certain that my daughter would never know if I wore the tie or not, trust is too precious to take chances with.
When I returned the next afternoon, I went straight to my office. Later, my wife showed up in a surprise visit with Samara. She'd never done that before. When Samara saw I was wearing the tie, she beamed and gave me a huge hug. I was so glad I kept my promise to that little girl.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
Much of our society today is being infected by a virus. No, I don't mean a computer or biological virus, but a moral virus that could, if not arrested, spread like a plague and eventually infect, or at least seriously affect, our entire society. It's the irresponsible "blame-game" virus that can end up over time (even though ever so slowly) seriously weaken what was once a healthy, virile people. When a nation becomes morally weakened from within, it becomes vulnerable to opposing forces from without. Today, I believe that we in America and the West are in far greater danger of being horrifically attacked than we ever were during World Wars I and II and in the days of the Cold War with Communism.
Too many business leaders irresponsibly cook their company books out of selfish interest and reap havoc in thousands of other people's lives. Too many employees refuse to accept responsibility for doing the best job they can possibly do. Failing people often blame racial prejudice for their lack of advancement. Irresponsible parents blame teachers when they fail their children for cheating on exams. And as Michael Josephson of Character Counts reports, in a survey of some 36,000 high school students a high percentage of students admit to cheating and lying and at the same time claim to be highly ethical.2 These kids who already know how to play the blame-game will be the business and political leaders of tomorrow. Politicians blame the opposition party, divorced people blame their former spouse—and so on ad infinitum—all without accepting personal responsibility for their own failures.
Whether it is at a national or an individual level, when we fail to accept personal responsibility for our actions, we inevitably fall into the blame-game trap. As long as we do this, we will never resolve our personal or national problems.
Individually, we need to accept personal responsibility for every aspect of our life. At the local and national level, we need to vote for leaders who we know will act responsibility and put the genuine needs of their constituents first instead of bowing to personal interest groups in order to further their own political careers.
We live in perhaps the most developed, highly educated, and technically advanced society ever. But what kind of defense are super powered high speed jet fighters against suicide bombers and dirty bombs? Our brilliant technology will not save us. Remember that in his day Hitler was the leader of one of the most educated, intelligent, and enlightened societies up to that point in history. The reality is that if we abandon our moral moorings and lose our moral compass we will be (and perhaps are already) on a course heading towards national disaster.
May we never forget that "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD."
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please grant in your loving mercy that you will send a great spiritual awakening to our nation before we are struck again with another "nine eleven" wake-up call (that so soon we forgot), and as a nation turn our hearts back to you. Please let your work begin in me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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