ACTS International
Home Page of ACTS International
Home Page of ACTS InternationalHow to Find and Know God without having to be religiousLife Help Articles dealing with faith, family, and practical helps for purposeful livingDaily and Weekend Encounters with more than a third-of-a-million worldwide subscribersSupport the Work of ACTS International a not-for-profit organization. Donations are tax deductible for U.S. donorsCurrent report on the ministries and services of ACTS InternationalOnline Store of ACTS ... ACTS CommunicationsAbout ACTS International
ACTS International Home Page Click here for the current issue of  Daily Encounter
         
     
   
Tell a Friend Site Map Share and/or Bookmark
   
         
   
 Dick Innes


Weekend Encounter

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

To receive the email edition of Weekend Encounter (without charge) click on the Subscribe button.

Privacy policy: We do not sell or rent subscriber's e-mail
addresses to anyone. We value your privacy.

 
Global Communications Outreach:
Learn how to be a missionary right from your own home and have a vital part in worldwide gospel outreach by becoming an ACTS People Power for Jesus Partner. Click HERE There is no charge.
 

Vol. 16 – No. 2114   May 24, 2014

 
Thought for the week: "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." – Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6 (TLB)
 
Index
1.   Words of Wisdom
2.   On the Lighter Side
3.   Managing Guilt
4.   The Mother Hen
5.   Who Is Jesus?
6.   Winning Isn't Everything but It's a Lot
7.   Heaven's Musical Messenger
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.   Please Help Support Weekend Encounter
13.   Helpful Books, CDs, and Cassettes
14.   Services Without Charge
15.   ACTS in Action Report; Archives for Daily and Weekend Encounter

1. Words of Wisdom

"Reading without reflection is like eating without digesting." – Edmund Burke

"Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once." – Lillian Dickson

"My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." – Oprah Winfrey

"What is important is not what happens to us, but how we respond to what happens to us." – Jean-Paul Sartre

"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving." – Dale Carnegie

"Every failure is a challenge. If taken as a feedback, you are bent to succeed!" – Unknown

"Remember, what we allow we encourage." – Michael Josephson

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." – Abraham Lincoln

Index

2. On the Lighter Side

My kid brother, a strict vegetarian, travels abroad for long periods on business. When he got back from Europe one time, he called our parents' home and told Dad he was about to pay them an unexpected visit.

When Dad hung up the phone, he called to mother. "The prodigal son is returning! Kill the fatted zucchini!"

– Cited on andychaps_the-funnies     Andychap@aol.com

Index

3. Managing Guilt

Once, when he was managing the Washington Senators, baseball legend Gil Hodges discovered four of his players had broken curfew the previous night.

Immediately, he called a team meeting and said, "I know who you are but I do not wish to embarrass you. You know the rules—you will each be fined $100. I have placed a cigar box on my desk. I expect the four of you who broke curfew to put your money in the box by 3:00 p.m."

At the end of the day, Hodges found $700 in his cigar box!

– Cited on www.oakhillcoc.org

Index

4.The Mother Hen

Have you ever seen a chicken hawk go after its prey? The old mother hen is often aware of the presence of the hawk in time to gather her chicks under her wing. With a furious fuss she squawks till her brood is safe by her side. She fluffs out her wings and protects them with her own body. The chicken hawk dives and the hen turns her body toward him and cocks a wary eye without moving from her children. The predator comes in again for the kill and the mother spreads her wings even wider. A third time he dives only to be thwarted by the determined self-sacrifice of the mother hen. She is too big to be a target and the chicks are too safe to be seized, so he flies away.1

He [God] shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler" (Psalm 91:4, NKJV).

1. Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com, March 2001.

Index

5. Who Is Jesus?

Teacher, yes. Messiah, no?

You can speak of Jesus as prophet, holy man, teacher, or spiritual leader, and few will object. But speak of Him as Son of God, divine, of the same nature as the Father, and people will line up to express their disapproval.

A billion Muslims will say: "Prophet, yes. God, no!" Jews scattered around the world will say: "Teacher, yes. Messiah, no!" Liberal Protestants and religionists of various stripes will say: "Exemplary man, yes. Divine, no!"

Who do you say Jesus is?1

But what about you?" he [Jesus] asked. "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16:15, NIV).

Click HERE for the article: "Jesus Christ: Is He God or Man?"

1. Richard Dresselhaus, Sermon Titled: "Behold the Son!"

Index

6. Winning Isn't Everything but It's a Lot

Michael Josephson in Character Counts 266.1

If you want to raise the blood pressure and lose the respect of people serious about sports, belittle their passion by telling them, "It's just a game." Then smugly point out, "It's not whether you win or lose that matters most. It's how you play the game."

To those who devote substantial portions of their lives to sports as athletes, coaches or administrators, these clichés are naive and offensive. In the world they live in, winners are respected and highly paid while losers get eliminated or unemployed. In fact, even youth coaches rate winning so highly that they think a child would rather sit on the bench of a winning team than play for a losing team. Surveys show they are dead wrong. Kids like to win, but it's the adults who need to win.

Winning isn't everything, but it's a lot. It's the grand reward for effort, the golden ring that motivates sacrifice and justifies hard work. Yet too many adults overestimate the importance of victory and underestimate all the fun and learning that can take place in passionate pursuit of victory.

I always wanted to win but as a high school basketball player who played three years for a mediocre C-team, I know that one can enjoy the game immensely and develop important life skills without winning.

If we teach our children to love the process more than the result, to find pleasure in competition and play, not merely victory, we give them a lifetime gift of renewable pleasure.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

© 2002 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. Heaven's Musical Messenger

Sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

He [Jesus] was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities [sins]: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD [God] laid on him the iniquity [sins] of us all" (Isaiah 53:5-6, NIV).

Seventeen-forty-one was a very depressing year for George Frederick Handel. His latest opera failed. His Italian opera company in London was disbanded. That same year Queen Caroline passed away and the commissions Handel had received for composing music for royal occasions all but dried up. A stroke experienced several years prior not only affected him physically, but affected his music. It seemed as if he had lost the genius that made his music so popular.

Late that year, Charles Jennens, a poet known by few, sent Handel a manuscript with a request that Handel set it to music. When Handel read the copy, the words gripped him. Suddenly he came alive. Immediately, he began to put the words to music. He labored all through that night and much of the following day. In fact, he worked day and night for 22 more days, barely stopping to eat or sleep.

When his composition was finished he sensed that it would be a true masterpiece. His "Messiah" was performed the following year and was an immediate success.

The words that Jennens wrote that inspired Handel and lifted him out of the pit of despair were about the Savior: "He was despised and rejected of men. He looked for someone to have pity on him, but there was no man. He trusted in God. God did not leave his soul in hell. I know that my Redeemer lives. Rejoice. Hallelujah!"

On this day 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on a torturous Roman cross to pay the penalty for our sins. But thank God on Easter Sunday Jesus rose from the grave, triumphant over death, giving all who accept him (Jesus) as their Savior the same assurance that Job of old had when he said:

"For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,
Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold ..."
(Job 19:25-27, NKJV).

Suggested prayer: "Dear Jesus, how can I ever thank you enough for dying on the cross in my place so all my sins could be forgiven and I could be given the gift of eternal life. Indeed, you are the Christ, Son of the Living God, the Great Creator of the entire universe—and I claim you as my Lord, my God, and my Savior. In appreciation for your dying for me, help me to live for you. Always and forever. Gratefully in Jesus' name. Amen." 

For more information on Daily Encounter, Click HERE.

To Subscribe Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/subscribe.php

Index

8. Receive Daily Encounter E-mail ... Without Charge

Daily Encounter, a without charge weekday e-mail inspirational from ACTS International is now going to 373,000+ subscribers. Scores of letters from around the world have come from readers saying how much they are being helped by this brief, practical devotional.

Over 95 million e-mail Daily, Weekend and Prayer Encounters are delivered to subscribers every year!

Click HERE for more samples of Daily Encounter
Click HERE to subscribe






NOTE: Some ISPs (especially AOL) now use e-mail filtering software that allows you to add e-mail addresses to your 'buddy', 'safe', or 'approved' list. Please be sure to add acts@actsweb.org to yours so you won't miss any issue of Daily Encounter.

Index

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

Click HERE to subscribe




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.

Click HERE to subscribe

Index

12. 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 373,000+ subscribers, and every week Weekend Encounter is going to 7,400+ 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 3,000 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.

Donate Through PayPal:You can donate securely through PAYPAL. Click HERE on PayPal. Where it says Payment For: type in Donation.

Donate by Telephone: ACTS accepts credit card donations by phone by calling 1-949-940-9050.

Donate Through Postal Mail: If you prefer to write a check or money order, please send it and make it payable to:

     ACTS International
     P.O. Box 73545
     San Clemente, California 92673-0119
     U.S.A.

Index

13. 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

14. Services Without Charge

 1. Bible concordance and Bible helps
 2. New Hope Crisis Counseling with trained
     lay/volunteer counselors. www.newhopenow.org
 
3. E-Word Today for a daily Bible reading
 4. To find your ZIP+4 Area Code in the U.S.A.
 5. How to find and write to your U.S. Representative
 6. ASK ... Smart answers fast
 7. Send a greeting card without charge for all occasions
 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

15. 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."

© 2014 ACTS International


Know God

ACTS International
PO Box 73545
San Clemente, CA 92673-0119
U.S.A.

To receive the email edition of Weekend Encounter
without charge click on the Subscribe button.

Privacy policy: We do not sell or rent subscriber's e-mail
addresses to anyone. We value your privacy.

 
   
         
   
Site Map   Top
   
     
         
Find Peace With God footer
 
  ARTICLES
About God
About Faith
Relationships
Success/Failure
Solutions
Recovery
Ask the Teacher
Better Living Tips
Friendship
Words of Love
Words of Inspiration
People Power for Jesus
Simple and Effective Witnessing for Christ

SITE TRANSLATIONS
Spanish Espanol
French Francois

  DEVOTIONS
Devotionals
Daily Encounter
Weekend Encounter
Encuentros Diarios
Archives
Subscribe
When God Is Silent
Prayer Partners
  Needed

Special Needs

BIBLE HELPS
Helps and Studies
Today's Reading
Annual Reading

  QUOTES AND TESTS
Today's Quotes
Happiness Test
Stress Test

ACTS IN ACTION

ACTS Websites
ACTS in Action Report

COMMUNICATIONS

Syndicate ACTS Articles
"I Hate Witnessing"
   Audio—No Charge

Opening Closed Minds
Effective Communications
Jesus, the Communicator
Punching Holes in
   the Darkness

  REPORTS
About ACTS
Be an ACTS Friend

MISC.
People Power Invite
Links
Weather
Privacy Policy
Snail-Mail List
Contact Us/Feedback

ACTS BOOKSTORE
Online Bookstore


Site Map
Report problems to ACTS International
All pages in this site © Copyright 2005-2024 by ACTS International
P.O. Box 73545, San Clemente, CA 92673 U.S.A.
 
HOME   Daily Encounter  Find Peace With God