Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 14 – No. 3012 July 28, 2012
Thought for the week: "He is not great who is not greatly good." – William Shakespeare
"Until you commit your goals to paper, you have intentions that are seeds without soil." – Anonymous
"The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire." – Unknown
"One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. 'Which road do I take?' she asked. 'Where do you want to go?' was his response. 'I don't know,' Alice answered. 'Then,' said the cat, 'it doesn't matter.'" – Lewis Carroll
"We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated." – Maya Angelou
"I've learned that necessity is not a fact, it's an interpretation, and that too many people confuse the intensity of their feelings with the likelihood that they're right." – Michael Josephson
"If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, but your joy will be full!" – John Piper
Studies show that entire families who begin the day with hot food, encouraging words, and affection do their respective tasks more efficiently during the time they are apart...
The unfortunate ones who leave each other after a quarrel do not fare as well. Unhappy or stressed students make poorer grades in school and do not get along with others as well as children who leave home with a positive attitude. It is the responsibility of parents to instill in their children positive attitudes, as well as a depth of love and forgiveness that makes for peace in families. This is best done by example. Be before them what you want them to become.
Think carefully about whom you choose to represent you and America. CHOOSE WISELY and elect a man or woman whose beliefs and life exemplifies what you believe and what America stands for:
Choose life or abortion.
Speak the truth or speak lies.
Seek, follow, and worship God or a man only.
Be a servant or a self-serving person.
Be a wise steward of your money and talents or be wasteful re: finances and get into more debt.
Choose wise counsel or choose foolish persons.
Be a uniter or a divider of people.
Be kind or spread hate.
Seek best for america or seek best for oneself.
Proven character or one who must tell you what his or her character is.
Christian or anti-Christian.
Your "ONE VOTE does count" .... Be sure to exercise your God-given right and responsibility.
The Buzzard: If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.
The Bat: The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Only then can it take off like a flash.
The Bumblebee: A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way to escape where none exists.
People: In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to our problems. Just look up!
Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up!
Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and trust in our Creator who loves us.
"I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1-2, NIV).
Despite romanticized myths about the gloriously carefree teenage years, adolescence has always been an emotional battlefield where young people must fight their way through insecurity, depression and anger.
For many teens, classrooms, playgrounds and hallways are hostile environments where name-calling, malicious gossip, taunting, and physical bullying regularly threaten their emotional and physical well-being
Technology has not made kids meaner but it has provided them with new weapons to inflict more severe and lasting damage on each other. And while greater vigilance by schools and stiffer penalties for bullies may reduce unkind behavior, somewhat more is needed to protect young people from each other.
Hard as we may try, we can't insulate children from all negative interactions with their peers, excessive pressure to succeed, debilitating self-doubt, or feelings of alienation. We can, however, help them develop emotional resilience, the inner strength to prevent or purge toxic feelings.
Emotional resilience consists of two major attributes: mental toughness and realistic optimism. Mental toughness is the ability to handle problems and pressures without panic or surrender. It's the ability to overcome negative emotions and to rebound from disappointment, disruptive change, illness, or misfortune without being overwhelmed or acting in dysfunctional ways.
Through discussions, simulations and counseling, we can teach kids how to discount or ignore hurtful words, to lose without being defeated, to fail and not become failures, and to deal with rejection without becoming hopelessly dejected. We can also instill a sense of realistic optimism. We can give them confidence in their capacity to survive, knowing that tough times are temporary. We can teach them Little Orphan Annie's undaunted certainty that, no matter how bleak it is today, "the sun will come out tomorrow."
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow—perhaps it all will."1
I recently read about a woman who planted some 50,000 daffodil bulbs in her back yard—one at a time—over a period of nearly 50 years!
"Year after year, she kept planting bulbs until she had created five acres of ineffable magnificence, beauty and inspiration. After seeing the spectacular garden, one woman remarked, 'It makes me sad in a way. What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal 35 or 40 years ago and had worked on it one bulb at a time through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!' Her daughter responded, 'Start tomorrow.' The mother said, 'I'll start today.'"2
It's amazing what can be accomplished by doing just a little every day, day after day. You've probably heard the old saying that says, "Inch by inch anything's a cinch—but yard by yard it's miles too hard."
When I first wanted to write a book, it seemed like an overwhelming task. However, a friend suggested I considered writing just one page at a time. "I can handle that," I said to myself ... and that's what I did 205 times.
Not many people are going to plant five acres of daffodils and not everybody is going to write a book. However, the important thing is to invest your life in a worthwhile cause that will achieve at least three things: (1) it will have eternal value; (2) it will benefit others; and (3) it will give you a deep sense of satisfaction in that you will not have lived in vain, but have achieved something worthwhile with your life. It doesn't have to be profound or earth shattering—just significant. And that you can start today ... one "bulb," one "page," one kind word of encouragement, one act of kindness at a time ... every day for the rest of your life.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a noble cause for which to live—not so big that it will cause me to be proud ... not so small that it will never be a challenge ... but big enough to make me stretch and grow ... and give my life significance. And most of all grant that it will be a blessing to others and bring glory to your name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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