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 Dick Innes


Weekend Encounter

Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes          
Published by: ACTS International

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Vol. 13 – No. 2811 July 09, 2011

 
Thought for the week: "Until you commit your goals to paper, you have intentions that are seeds without soil." – Anonymous
 
    INDEX
1.   Words of Wisdom
2.   On the Lighter Side
3.   Timely Advice
4.   The Power of Vision
5.   Stars, Stars and More Stars
6.   Tell Someone They're Valued
7.   Unrelenting Love and Commitment
8.   Receive Daily Encounter Devotional  Without Charge
9.   Weekend Encounter E-mail Edition  Without Charge
10.   Know God ... Without Having to Be Religious
11.   Prayer Partners Needed
12.   To Submit a Prayer Request
13.   Please Help Support Weekend Encounter
14.   Helpful Books, CDs, and Cassettes
15.   Services Without Charge
16.   ACTS in Action Report; Archives for Daily and Weekend Encounter

1. Words of Wisdom

"Life is a Journey, not a destination—pack light and enjoy the ride." – Anonymous

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." – Chinese Proverb

"Be the Change you want to see in this world." – Anonymous

"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do." – Pope John XXIII

"If you want your neighbor to know what Christ will do for him, let the neighbor see what Christ has done for you." – Henry Ward Beecher

"The key is not to prioritize what is on the schedule, but to schedule your priorities." – Stephen Covey

Index

2. On the Lighter Side

While I sat in the reception area of my doctor's office, a woman rolled an elderly man in a wheelchair into the room. As she went to the receptionist's desk, the man sat there, alone and silent. Just as I was thinking I should make small talk with him, a little boy slipped off his mother's lap and walked over to the wheelchair. Placing his hand on the man's, he said, "I know how you feel. My mom makes me ride in the stroller, too."

Index

3. Timely Advice

Before you speak, listen.
Before you write, think.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you invest, investigate.
Before you criticize, wait.
Before you pray, forgive.
Before you quit, try.
Before you retire, save.
Before you die, give.

William A. Ward

Index

4. The Power of Vision

Not much happens without an inspiring, compelling vision....

Not much was happening in Nehemiah's day. The people had no vision. Jerusalem lay in ruins, and no one was motivated to do anything about it (Nehemiah 1:3). Then along came Nehemiah with a vision to rebuild the gates and wall of the city.

Visions are exciting and energize people. They strike a spark—the excitement that lifts a ministry out of the mundane. They supply the fuel that lights the fire under a congregation—leaders are able to stop putting out fires and start igniting a few themselves.

A vision has the potential to turn a maintenance mentality into a ministry mentality. And when your vision resonates with your values and mission, it generates the energy that fuels the accomplishment of the task.*

"So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work" (Nehemiah 4:6).

Aubrey Malphurs, "Developing a Vision."
Cited on KneEmail by Mike Benson.
To subscribe, send any message to:

kneemail-subscribe@welovegod.org

Index

5. Stars, Stars and More Stars

Dan Brodek writes, "According to Wikipedia, a galaxy typically contains anywhere from 10 million to 100 trillion stars! See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy The Hubble telescope conservatively estimates that there are 350 billion galaxies! How big is that number? Only God Knows!

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1 NKJV).

"Let all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great You are! You are robed with honor and majesty. You are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; You lay out the rafters of Your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariot; You ride upon the wings of the wind" (Psalm 104:1-4, NLT).

"For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16, NASB).

"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star" (Revelation 22:16, NKJV).

From Dan Brodek

Index

6. Tell Someone They're Valued

By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (703.3)

The students at Sandy's high school were badly shaken by the news that a classmate had killed himself. The suicide note read: "It's hard to live when nobody cares if you die."

Glen, a teacher, realized this was a teachable moment about the importance of making people feel valued. He asked his class to imagine they were about to die, and to write a note "telling someone how and why you appreciate him or her."

Sandy, who had a rocky relationship with her mother, decided to write to her mom. Her letter read: "We've had some rough times and I haven't always been a very good daughter, but I know I'm lucky to have you in my life. You're the best person I've ever known. Even when I disagree with you, I never doubt you love me and want what's best for me. Thanks for not giving up on me."

When her mom read the note, she cried and hugged Sandy tightly but said little.

The next morning, Sandy found a note on her mirror: "Dearest Sandy, I want you to know being your mother is, by far, the most important thing in my life. Until I got your note, I thought I had lost your love and respect. I felt like such a failure. I intended to end it all last night. Your note saved my life."

Be careful not to underestimate the power of expressed appreciation. It won't always save a life, but it will always make someone's life better.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

© 2011 Josephson Institute of Ethics; reprinted with permission. Michael Josephson, one of the nation's leading ethicists, is the founder of the Josephson Institute of Ethics and the premier youth character education program, CHARACTER COUNTS! For further information visit www.charactercounts.org

Index

7. Unrelenting Love and Commitment

A sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

"There is none righteous, no, not one. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory [holiness] of God."1

"On Thursday, March 16, 2001, Kenneth Water, 46 years old, saw a cell phone for the first time, drank his first cup of Starbucks coffee, and ate his first corned beef sandwich in two decades. Waters had just emerged from 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. His murder conviction had been vacated by newly tested DNA evidence."2

And how was it that Waters was freed? It was because of his sister, Betty's unrelenting efforts. From the very beginning she was convinced that Kenneth was not guilty of murder. At the time she was a young mother of two children. She hadn't finished high school, so she went back to school, finished her high school education, went on to college, and then to law school and ultimately became her brother's attorney. She "waged an extraordinary legal battle that led to Kenneth's release." Through the checking of DNA it was proven that Kenneth Water was not guilty of the murder of Katharina Brow.

"Betty Anne's commitment to proving her brother's innocence is astonishing. By the time she walked out of the courthouse on March 16, 2001, she had spent 18 years in unbroken service to him. What commitment!"2

What an amazing expression this was of Betty's love for her brother. It is also a graphic reminder of God's total commitment to you and me—not because of our innocence, because we are all guilty before God in that every one of us has broken at least one or more of God's commandments, and have fallen far short of God's requirement for holiness.

As God's Words reminds us, "There is none righteous, no, not one. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory [holiness] of God."1 But because of God's infinite love for us, he gave his Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place to pay the penalty for all your sins and mine, so we could be fully forgiven and receive God's gift of eternal life.

Suggested prayer, "Dear God, because of your total commitment to me in giving your Son, Jesus, to die in my place on the excruciatingly painful Roman cross so I could be freely forgiven and receive your gift of eternal life, I commit myself totally to you to live for you all the days of my life. And please help me to be as committed as Betty in helping to share your gospel message to others so that they will be delivered from a lost eternity and receive your forgiveness and gift of eternal life. So help me God. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

Note: If you have never received God's forgiveness by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, please read, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" online at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Or: If you would like to renew your commitment and dedication to God and Jesus Christ, please let us know by noting this on the response form at: www.actsweb.org/decision.php.

1. Romans 3:10, 23 (NKJV).
2. When You Can't Pray, by Al Truesdale, Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, Missouri, 2002, pp 87, 88.

     For more information on Daily Encounter, Click HERE.

Index

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Index

9. Receive E-mail Edition of Weekend Encounter ... Without Charge

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Index

10. Know God ... Without having to be religious

Click HERE to Know God and be sure you're a real Christian

 

Index

11. Prayer Partners Needed

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 one prayer report is e-mailed monthly. Thank you.

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Index

12. To Submit a Prayer Request

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.

Helpers Needed: If you can help David pray for prayer requests, please could you go to:
www.responda.co.uk/member.php

Index

13. Help Support Weekend Encounter

    "Changing the World . . . One Person at a Time" 

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 403,000+ subscribers, and every week Weekend Encounter is going to 7,995 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:

Donate Online: You can donate online at ACTS secure web site. Click HERE on ACTS support donations.

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Index

14. Helpful Books, CDs and Cassettes

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

Click HERE for books, CDs, tapes and poems by Dick Innes and others.

Index

15. Services Without Charge

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3. E-Word Today for a daily Bible reading
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 6. ASK ... Smart answers fast
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 8. To check the weather in your area
 9. Hoax Web Sites
10. Plus many more sources of helpful information

GO TO: http://www.actsweb.org/links.php

Index

16. ACTS in Action Report and Encounter Archives

ARCHIVES: Daily and Weekend Encounters



"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."



© 2011 ACTS International


Know God

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PO Box 73545
San Clemente, CA 92673-0119
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To receive the email edition of Weekend Encounter
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Privacy policy: We do not sell or rent subscriber's e-mail
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