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 Dick Innes


Weekend Encounter

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

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Vol. 16 – No. 2514   June 21, 2014

 
Thought for the week: "Well done is better than well said." – Benjamin Franklin
 
Index
1.   Words of Wisdom
2.   On the Lighter Side
3.   Scars of Life
4.   Not All Thieves Are Stupid—A Wise Warning
5.   A 'Yes' Face
6.   Give Good Memories
7.   Life Can Be Beautiful
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

"The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day." – Sally Koch

"The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes." – Benjamin Disraeli

"Don't be afraid of opposition. Remember, a kite rises against—not with—the wind." – Hamilton Mabie

"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who sought and found out how to serve." – Albert Schweitzer

"Evidence is conclusive that your self-talk has a direct bearing on your performance." – Zig Ziglar

Index

2. On the Lighter Side

There once was a rich man who was near death. He was very grieved because he had worked so hard for his money and he wanted to be able to take it with him to heaven. So he began to pray that he might be able to take some of his wealth with him.

An angel hears his plea and appears to him, "Sorry, but you can't take your wealth with you."

The man implores the angel to speak to God to see if He might bend the rules.

The man continues to pray that his wealth could follow him. The angel reappears and informs the man that God has decided to allow him to take one suitcase with him. Overjoyed, the man gathers his largest suitcase and fills it with pure gold bars and places it beside his bed.

Soon afterward the man dies and shows up at the Gates of Heaven to greet St. Peter. Seeing the suitcase, Peter says, "Hold on, you can't bring that in here!"

But the man explains to him that he has permission and asks him to verify his story with the Lord. Sure enough, Peter checks and comes back saying, "You're right. You are allowed one carry-on bag, but I'm supposed to check its contents before letting it through."

Peter opens the suitcase to inspect the worldly items that the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaims, "You brought pavement?!?!"

Source: Mickey's Funnies. To subscribe go to: http://www.mikeysFunnies.com/sub/

Index

3. Scars of Life

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother in the house was looking out the window saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.

From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go."

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But some wounds are because God has refused to let go.

In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way.

But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril—and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins—and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not and will not let you go.

He won't let any of us go, thank God!

Source unknown. Submitted by Ed Bradley

Index

4. Not All Thieves Are Stupid—A Wise Warning

1. Some people left their car in the long-term parking at San Jose while away, and someone broke into the car. Using the information on the car's registration in the glove compartment, they drove the car to the people's home in Pebble Beach and robbed it. So I guess if we are going to leave the car in long-term parking, we should NOT leave the registration and insurance cards in it, nor your remote garage door opener.

2. GPS. Someone had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money, and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.

When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked, and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house.

The thieves knew the owners were at the football game; they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish, and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.

Something to consider if you have a GPS: Don't put your home address in it. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.

Source Unknown

Index

5. A 'Yes' Face

by Charles Swindoll

During Thomas Jefferson's presidency he and a group of travelers were crossing a river that had overflowed its banks. Each man crossed on horseback fighting for his life. A lone traveler watched the group traverse the treacherous river and then asked President Jefferson to take him across.

The president agreed without hesitation; the man climbed on, and the two made it safely to the other side of the river where somebody asked him: "Why did you select the President to ask this favor?" The man was shocked, admitting he had no idea it was the President of the United States who had carried him safely across.

"All I know," he said, "is that on some of your faces was written the answer 'No' and on some of them was the answer 'Yes.' His was a 'Yes' face."

Source: www.inspirationpeak.com/cgi-bin/stories.cgi

Index

6. Give Good Memories

      By Michael Josephson, CHARACTER COUNTS
      (857:4)

In a society preoccupied with the quest for material possessions, it's easy to overlook the fact that our most valuable possessions are our best memories.

Good memories are a form of wealth. They are not simply something we own, they become part of who we are. Through our memories we can literally re-live and re-experience past pleasures.

So, if you want to give a gift that truly keeps on giving, use the opportunities of holiday gatherings to give good memories.

And don't overemphasize the importance of gifts. Sure, an especially thoughtful gift may create an enduring memory, but most of our best memories have nothing to do with the presents we receive.

What we remember are the feelings, sounds, smells and tastes of the entire holiday celebration.

You can't buy great memories in the mall or online. The experience of receiving a gift delivered by FedEx and opened in private can never rival the pleasure of anticipation, guessing, and unwrapping mysterious boxes in the presence of gift-givers who are equally excited.

Think about the atmosphere you want to create. Celebrate old traditions and create new ones—about the food you prepare, the music you play, the gift-giving rituals you adopt, and how you decorate the Christmas tree, light the Hanukkah candles, [or how you celebrate birthdays throughout the year].

And involve children whenever possible. No matter how corny or annoying kids think a family tradition is, it's almost certain that those homemade experiences will be among their most treasured memories. This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

© 2014 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. Life Can Be Beautiful

A sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."1

A friend wrote about holding her breath when she saw a lady come sailing out of a local shopping center in a wheelchair. "She was as happy and joyful as any mother I had ever seen," my friend said.

In this handicapped mother's lap sat her little boy. He laughed out loud as his mother did a fancy spin in her wheelchair. Round and round they went, laughing with delight as they disappeared into the crowd.

I realize that there are many tragic situations in this life, as we live in a world that has been broken by mankind's fall into sin. Unfortunately, all of life's "curses" will not be put away until Jesus Christ returns for all those who have put their faith and trust in him, and accepted him as their Savior and Lord.

In the meantime, however, in thinking about the handicapped woman in the wheelchair, in so many of life's situations life can become beautiful for many who have major setbacks in their life when they daily commit and trust their life to Jesus Christ, and in their mind and thinking choose to make the very best with what they have, in spite of what they don't have.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for the promise in your Word that assures me that 'all things' do work together for good for those who love you and who are called according to your purpose. Please take my life and make something beautiful out of it all for the glory of your name, and please help me to love you with all my heart, mind and strength. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Romans 8:28 (NKJV).

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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

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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


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