Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 14 – No. 0512 February 04, 2012
Thought for the week: "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act." – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"I can't do it never yet accomplished anything. I will try has performed wonders." – Unknown
"America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: Its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, it will collapse from within." – Joseph Stalin
"With hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of swine flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?" – Jay Leno
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." – John Lennon
"Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way we cope with it, is what makes the difference." – Unknown
"If prophets are silent, profits will speak!" – Unknown
A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's it about?" he asked. "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."
Like the trees of the forest,
may you find nourishment
in rain as well as sunshine;
Bend with the winds of misfortune
without breaking;
Give of yourself to others
to provide shade from
the blistering heat;
Grow old gracefully and not
become rigid or unbending;
And above all –
may you keep reaching upwards
towards heaven and to God.
An economics professor stated he had never failed a single student before, but recently had failed an entire class.
That class had insisted that [a certain leader's] socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, after the Great Equalizer completes his plans.
The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on [this] plan". All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.
As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too, so they studied little.
The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the third test rolled around, the average was an F.
The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings, and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
How could I spend so much money at a place where things cost only one dollar? I went in to buy paper cups and craft sticks for a church project, and Spanish moss if they had any pretty gift bags.
Turns out the store had all of these things—and much more. Like this cool nail file that has green sparkly flowers on one side. Paper towels, sunglasses, a magazine that's only slightly out of date, and chewing gum. I even found a darling yellow hat for my granddaughter. And this purple pill organizer that lets me put all my supplements for the week in one place.
Wait. I'm beginning to see how I could spend $43.87 at the One Dollar Store. I did it one dollar at a time!
Little things tend to add up. A cookie here, some ice cream there; a pair of jeans that won't zip, a week too busy for devotional reading, a day so crowded that there's no time for exercise, an evening when one TV show turns into hours spent staring at the tube—then I wonder why I'm feeling sluggish, physically and spiritually.
But it works in a positive way, too. One little act of kindness, one smile at a hassled clerk, one card sent to brighten someone's day—and the world doesn't seem as hostile, as hopeless. So here's to little things. Well managed, they can have big results.
Reports of widespread cheating by schools in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and other districts—highlighted by the huge scandal in Atlanta involving 178 teachers and principals—should be alarming.
If our educators don't have the moral courage and integrity to resist pressures to cheat, what hope do we have that they will successfully instill these virtues in their students?
According to Josephson Institute's 2010 Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth based on a survey of more than 40,000 high school students, 59% admitted cheating on an exam at least once within the past year.
Though the cheating rate has been about 60% for more than a decade, very few schools have made a concerted effort to address the problem. What's more, parents haven't put any pressure on schools to do so. Perhaps no one thinks it's a problem.
It's seemingly impossible to summon any interest, let alone outrage, about the fact that student performance is regularly and rampantly inflated, that the typical high school culture permits and thereby promotes cheating, or that extensive cheating prevents learning (why study when you can cheat?).
The stakes are higher than they seem when we consider the impact of this generation's entering the workforce to become our future nurses and nuclear inspectors, corporate executives and cops, paramedics and politicians.
Cheating is a habit-forming coping mechanism, and unless we take steps to reverse the trend, you can bet that we will see and suffer from more economy-damaging frauds and credibility-destroying scandals in the coming years.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"1
Another subscriber asks, "I need help and don't know whom to turn to. I am a Moslem and just met a wonderful man who is a Christian. We want to explore the possibility of a long-term relationship. However, can a Christian and Moslem have a life together? I believe in God, but I have a difficult time figuring out why every religion says, 'We are the one. We are the true way to God and to eternal life.' So how does one determine which one is The Way?"
Hello Friend, "Thank you for sharing your heart with me. I can appreciate the dilemma you are facing. You have asked two questions: the first one being, "Can a Christian and a Moslem have a life together?" It is not impossible to have a relationship with someone of a totally different religion, but it is certainly not a good foundation upon which to build a lasting marriage relationship and especially for bringing up children. There is bound to be discord later on and it is very likely to lead to major conflict. In fact, God's Word, the Bible, warns us not to be unequally yoked with someone of a totally different faith."2 So as long as you have different religious beliefs, it would be very unwise to pursue this relationship.
However, your second question could be the answer for the dilemma you are facing. That question is, "How can one know The Way to God and to eternal life?" Furthermore, I strongly urge you not to make any lasting commitment to any man until you first resolve this critical life issue. When you settle this issue, you will know what is the right decision for you to make.
First, I suggest you pray to God and ask him to reveal to you the truth about the way to God and eternal life. As Jesus said, "...you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."3
Because you asked, please allow me to share the way to God from a Christian viewpoint. It is true that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God and the only way to God and to eternal life. But how can we know whether Jesus was just a good prophet or was he the Son of God? Many people over the centuries have claimed to have the truth about God and the way to him, but Jesus Christ is also the only leader who ever claimed that he would rise from death.4 And according to historical evidence, he did. Following his crucifixion and resurrection, he was seen by the women who visited his tomb and found it empty, by the disciples, and by more than 500 other witnesses.5
For more evidence regarding the validity of Jesus Christ be sure to read the article, "Jesus Christ: Is He God or Man?" online at: http://tinyurl.com/lu577. Also, for evidence regarding the validity of the Bible read the article, "Is the Bible God's Word?" at: http://tinyurl.com/yulazq. And if you would like to compare the beliefs of Christianity with those of Islam, the following website might be very helpful for you. It's at: http://tinyurl.com/christianity-islam.
Again, as you read each of these articles and consider which way is "The Way" [God's Way], always pray and ask God to reveal to you His Truth and help you to see "the Way." To see what the Bible teaches on how to become a Christian, please read the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http://www.actsweb.org/christian.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, in today's world there are many voices claiming that their way is the way to God and eternal life. I earnestly pray that you will always lead me into the pathway of Truth so that I will know that I know what the true and only way to you and to eternal life is, and that all of my sins are forgiven. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
1. John 14:6 (NKJV). 2. 2 Corinthians 6:14. 3. John 8:32 (NKJV). 4. Matthew 16:21. 5. Luke 24:13-43.
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