Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 7 – No. 3205 August 06, 2005
Thought for the week: "Forgiveness is unlocking the door to set someone free and realizing you were the prisoner." – Max Lucado
"One of the things my parents have taught me is never listen to other people's expectations. You should live your own life and live up to your own expectations." – Tiger Woods, Golfer
"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones" (Proverbs 16:24, NIV).
"Whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows." – Michael Landon, former actor
"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important." – C.S. Lewis
"Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises." – Demosthenes
"Plant a kernel of wheat and you reap a pint; plant a pint, and you reap a bushel. Always the law works to give you back more than you give." – Anthony Norvell
"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." – Theodore Roosevelt
Parachuting from a helicopter over a drop zone inside Camp Dawson in West Virginia a lieutenant colonel from the Special Forces Group Airborne found himself doing battle with a sudden 22-knot wind, which forced him onto a nearby golf course. On landing, the Green Beret fumbled for the release but another gust drove the chute and its struggling captive down the fairway, catching the attention of three players about to tee off.
"Can we help?" shouted the golfers.
Sliding by them, the officer clung to his sense of humor as well as his pride. "No, thanks," he called out. "I'll just play through."
– Contributed to "Humor In Uniform"
by S. Sue Ward.
Received from: America In Uniform www.dailyinbox.com/aiu/
It's been around a while and it's just a joke ... maybe some truth in it however for "sue-crazy grown up toddlers."
1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If it's in my hand, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in
any way.
6. If I'm doing or building something, all of the pieces
are mine.
7. If it looks like mine, it's mine.
8. If I saw it first, it's mine.
9. If you are playing with something and you put it down,
it automatically becomes mine.
10. If it's broken, it's yours.
If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place, but have not love, I am a housekeeper—not a homemaker. If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but have not love, my children learn cleanliness—not godliness.
Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh.
Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned
window.
Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the
spilled milk.
Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.
Love is present through the trials.
Love reprimands, reproves, and is responsive.
Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler,
runs with the child, then stands aside to let the
youth walk into adulthood.
Love is the key that opens salvation's message to a child's heart. Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection. Now I glory in God's perfection of my child. As a mother, there is much I must teach my child, but the greatest of all is love.
Our team had been in Parimaribo, Suriname, for only a day or so when we saw the headlines in the newspaper, "Jaguar escapes from local zoo."
Since Parimaribo is not a very large city, some of us were understandably concerned about the possibility of a confrontation with the animal. When we mentioned this to local people, their reaction was a casual dismissal. One said, "Don't worry, it will turn up." In fact it did, outside a house, making a meal of the family dog.
A few years ago I read an interview with a prominent humanist. This agnostic was asked about the possibility of life after death. The response was another casual dismissal. "Let the future take care of itself; if there is life after death we will deal with it then."
Common to both these situations is the undeniable fact that if one waits until the beast "turns up," every advantage is given to the beast. Do you really want to walk into a dark house where a hungry jaguar is waiting? In the same way, if Biblical teaching on eternity, judgment and responsibility is true (and it is), then should we wait until we verify that truth after death before we attempt to prepare? We cannot; it will simply be too late.
I believe that Canfield and Hansen are telling us not to panic. They are sharing hundreds of stories about people with courage and patience in the midst of chaos and peril. For example. At the age of 20, Art Berg was a very happy man. Everything was going right. He was a gifted athlete and had started his own tennis court construction company. And he was engaged to a beautiful woman. Leaving California one Christmas eve, he was headed to Utah with a friend. He was going to meet his fiancée and complete their wedding plans.
During the long drive, he fell asleep while at the wheel. His car hit an abutment and rolled down a hill. He was ejected from the car and found himself lying on the desert with a broken neck. He was paralyzed from the chest down. He completely lost the use of his legs and arms. The doctors told him he would never work again. They concluded that he could never play sports again and would be dependent on others the rest of his life. One even suggested he forget getting married.
Art Berg was really afraid. It was the darkest moment in his life. The "end times" were upon him. In the midst of his peril his mother came and whispered a few words in his ear. "Art, while the difficult takes time....the impossible takes a little longer." In other words, "don't panic!"
Suddenly, Art's darkness was filled with a light of hope. That was eleven years ago. Today Art Berg is president of his own company, a professional speaker and author. He has gained back some of the use of his arms and legs and can now drive. He travels across the country sharing his message, "that the impossible just takes a little longer." Art married his fiancée and they have two children. He has even returned to the world of sports, swimming and scuba diving. In 1993 Art was the first quadriplegic to race 32 miles in a marathon, all because he didn't panic.
Don't panic, is the message of the day. While darkness and hopeless may loom in your life, God has not abandoned you. Chaos happens to every generation and every individual, "But, he (or she) who endures to the end will be saved."
"Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus" (John 1:40-42, NIV).
Did you ever stop to think how very important you are in God's economy and his plans? Pretty much throughout the entire Bible when God had a work to be done, he chose and called an individual to lead. True, he chose the nation of Israel to be his special people, but he chose individuals to lead this nation to do his work. God has a place for you and me, too, in his plan. It may not be a gigantic role but it is an important one.
Think of the twelve disciples, for example, who were all a vital part of God's mission. Half of them never said anything that is recorded in the New Testament. And if I remember correctly, three of them said only a word or two that was recorded. And Andrew, who didn't have much to say, but in his own quiet way brought Peter, who became the early church leader and evangelist, to Jesus. Andrew was also the one who brought the boy with the two loaves and fishes to Jesus that Jesus used to feed the multitude. It was only Peter, James, and John that we heard much from.
So, be your task great or small, God wants to use you to be a part of his plans and what he is doing in your world today. All we need is to be available. As the anonymous poet wrote:
One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.
One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.
One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room.
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.
One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.
One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true.
One life can make the difference,
You see it's up to you!
In the words of Edward Everett Hale: "I am only one. But still I am one. I cannot do everything, But still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the Something that I can do."
Don't ever forget how very important you are, not only to your loved ones, your work, but also to God. Remember, too, if it's going to be, it's up to you and me!
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I'm available, please use me to be a part of your plans and what you are doing in the world in which I live. Use me to be as Jesus in some way to make a difference in someone's life today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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