Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 15 – No. 0513 February 02, 2013
Thought for the week: "The army of Israel looked at Goliath through the eyes of man and said he's too big to beat. David looked at him through the eyes of God and said he's too big to miss." – Wally Carter
My five-year-old son squealed with delight when he opened his birthday present from his grandmother. It was a water pistol. He promptly ran to the sink to fill it.
"Mom," I said. "I'm surprised at you. Don't you remember how we used to drive you crazy with water pistols?"
Bishop Gerland Kennedy of California tells the true story of a shipwreck off the coast of Evanston, Ill. many years ago. The students of Northwestern University came to the rescue. One student, Edward Spenser, personally saved the lives of 17 persons that day. Years later a reporter was writing a follow-up story on the event, and went to interview the now elderly Spenser. When asked what was the one thing that stood out about the incident in his mind, Spenser replied: "I remember that of the seventeen people I saved that day, not one of them ever thanked me."
"When we hate our enemies we give them power over us—power over our sleep, our appetites, our happiness. They would dance with joy if they knew how much they were worrying us. Our hate is not hurting them at all, but it is turning our days and our nights into hellish turmoil." – Dale Carnegie
5. Seeing From Above
Bill Hybels, pastor of one of the largest churches in the United States, races sailboats in his spare time. Each summer, he or some member of his racing crew has to deliver their sailboat to various harbors in the Great Lakes area in preparation for a race. Lake Michigan is massive in size, and quite often Hybels faces storms and rough winds out on the water. During these times, he reminds himself to keep a higher perspective. From his position in the sailboat, things look bleak. The water is choppy, the wind is high, the skies are dark. But from above, from the perspective of an airplane, Hybels can see Lake Michigan from shore to shore. He can see the rough waters and the vast areas of smooth, calm waters. He knows that if he just holds on and pilots his boat well, he will reach calm waters again. He will reach shore safely. This vision of Lake Michigan from above encourages and comforts Hybels in the midst of a storm.
And Hybels encourages us to look at all of life from a different perspective, an eternal perspective. If we could see the joys, the blessings, the maturity, the wisdom, the strength, the influence that God is cultivating in us through our times of trial, then we would be less likely to lose heart. We would be able to trust God, even thank God, no matter what our circumstances. Good times and bad times lose their power over us when we see life from an eternal perspective.
– Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership (Grand Rapids,
Mich.: Zondervan Publishing Company, 2002),
pp. 249-250. Cited on www.Sermons.com
If you want to help your children do well in life, there are a few things you can do. A high proportion of high achievers had two things in common:
First, there were lots of books in their homes and a great emphasis on reading; second, there was a family tradition of regularly eating dinner together.
Filling a house with books surrounds children with endless and varied opportunities and challenges to explore and learn. Books provide knowledge and the seeds of wisdom and great stories teach about morality and character.
Eating dinner together assures that parents have an opportunity to participate in their kids' day-to-day lives and help shape the way they think and react. Coordinating schedules so that the family eats together often requires a conscious effort to elevate family time above other things, and the effort itself instills in children a sense of belonging.
But we can do more than promote reading and family discussions to offset all the bad influences our kids are exposed to. Remember, everything we do to, or in front of, our children matters; what we allow, what we encourage, and what we do ourselves teaches our children how to live and conveys powerful messages about values.
So, be sensitive as to what you say and how you say it, what you read and what you watch on TV. Be especially careful in the way you handle relationships and deal with emotions like disappointment, anger and frustration because what you do is what you'll get.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day [in Heaven]—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."1
Roger Perkins of Higher Ground writes: "A few years ago I sat and listened to an eighty-year old man who had retired as pastor of a church in New Jersey after serving there for forty years—his only parish. Ten years before, at age seventy, he and his wife moved to Africa to spend their final years in Kingdom work—much of it in prisons.
"He said to our small gathering, 'I don't want to be too harsh, but what are you doing that would cause God to want to extend your life?'
"I was stunned. My old analytical self tried to counter his reasoning, but the Spirit clearly gave me a wakeup call to make every day count by remaining close to God and living out his will. Life is short, no matter how long it is.
"The above pastor's name is Grover Wilcox. He started a church in the inner city of Newark after graduating from Wheaton College and was a pastor there for forty years. He knows about faithfulness. He has experienced planting, sowing and reaping. He's still going strong in East Africa—he's about 85 now. And by the way, his denomination wouldn't ordain him when he got out of Wheaton College because they thought he wasn't good material or ready for the pastorate."2
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to carefully examine my life to see if there is any reason why you would choose to extend my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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