Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 17 – No. 0115 January 03, 2015
Wishing all our readers a very Happy and God blessed New Year, and many thanks for the opportunity to share with you via Weekend Encounter every week.From Dick and Joy Innes, and the Board of ACTS International.
Thought for the week: Not everyone thinks the way you think. Remember this and you will go a long way in getting along with people." – Arthur Forman
"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He'd either be insane or else he'd be the devil of hell. 'You must make your choice,' Lewis continues. Either Jesus was and is the Son of God, or else He was insane or evil, but let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." – C.S. Lewis
"Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right.' Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." – Napoleon Hill
"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are scared." – Eddie Rickenbacker
"Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results, not attributes." – Peter F. Drucker
If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable." – Seneca, Roman philosopher
"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." – Paul Boese
What is the right age to get married? "Twenty-three is the best age, because you've known the person FOREVER by then." – Camille, age 10
How can a stranger tell if two people are married? "You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids." – Derrick, age 8
What do you think your mom and dad have in common? "Both don't want any more kids." – Lori, age 8
I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.
I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.
All that you sought and didn't find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it out with more determination.
All the good that you tried for and didn't achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.
All that you dreamed but didn't dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have—these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.
I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."
When you are upset with someone, wait a day before confronting them. You just may find that the issue was not worth the cost of a relationship. So many times we fail to measure the total value and substance of our relationships. If 90% of it is good, why blow it over the other 10%?
Not so long ago the top ten New Year's resolutions as reflected in most polls in the USA were:
1) Spend More Time with Family & Friends
2) Get Fit
3) Drop Some Weight
4) Quit Smoking
5) Enjoy Life More
6) Quit Drinking
7) Get Out of Debt
8) Learn Something New
9) Help Others
10) Get Organized
Since my children were small, I launched their day with the invocation to "be good, have fun and learn." I hope they remember that mantra, but when my daughter Samara began her independent life as a college freshman 3,000 miles away, I thought a more detailed set of maxims was needed. So I assembled a collection of concise (20 words or fewer) insights that I hope will guide, protect, nourish and inspire her to reach her potential for happiness and success.
Here are the first 10:
You will be as happy as you are willing to be; choose to be happy.
Have fun and enjoy your life, but never confuse fun or pleasure with happiness.
Never let your happiness or sense of self-worth depend on someone else's love or approval.
Pain is inevitable, but suffering is a choice.
How you deal with what happens to you is more important than what happens to you.
Real friends make you feel good about yourself, but encourage you to be even better.
It's not just what you say, do, or intend, but how you make people feel that is most important.
Failure is not a fact; it's a perspective. Find the lesson in every setback and you'll never fail.
It's never wrong to admit you were wrong; no one is always right.
Don't let grudges or resentments ruin your life or your day; let go, forget, and move on!
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."1
One of my favorite prayers set to music is the beautiful prayer of St. Francis of Assisi who lived in the 13th century. What a difference we would make in today's world if every Christian prayed this prayer from the heart regularly:
"Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
"O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal
life.
"Thank You, God, for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."
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