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
"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
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."
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.
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.
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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).
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.
"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.
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