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 Dick Innes


Weekend Encounter

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

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Vol. 17 – No. 0215   January 10, 2015

 
Thought for the week: "Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them." – Unknown
 
Index
1.   Words of Wisdom
2.   On the Lighter Side
3.   How Does the Atheist Answer This Question: by Chance or Creation?
4.   A True Leader
5.   A Word or Two About Failure
6.   Sharpen Your Ax
7.   The Power of One
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

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do." – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude." – John Maxwell

"Only those who constantly retool themselves stand a chance of staying employed in the years ahead." – Tom Peters, Author

"It has been said that 'you can reach more than you think with a drop of ink.' You can reach mega millions more via e-mail and the Internet." – Dick Innes

"What you do today can improve all your tomorrows." – Ralph Marston

"A goal is a dream with a deadline." – Napoleon Hill

Index

2. On the Lighter Side

Newspaper Article Mistakes!

Dr. Benjamin Porter visited the school yesterday and lectured on "Destructive Pests." A large number were present.

The sewer expansion project is nearing completion, but City officials are holding their breath until it is officially finished.

The ladies of the county medical society auxiliary plan to publish a cookbook. Part of the money will go to the Samaritan Hospital to purchase a stomach pump.

Columbia, Tennessee, which calls itself the largest outdoor mule market in the world, held a mule parade yesterday headed by the Governor.

The attorney general's office said yesterday that an autopsy performed on the headless body of a man found in Mason failed to determine the cause of death.

Weather: Sunny with a few cloudy periods today and Thursday, which will be followed by Friday.

– Source Unknown

Index

3. How Does the Atheist Answer This Question: by Chance or Creation?

Why does the earthworm always look clean,
When you consider where it has been?
How does the butterfly with new-formed wings
Know how to fly with such cumbersome things?
Where does the spider keep all its thread?
Who put the web-pattern into its head?
How does the ant carry food twice its size,
And store for the winter?
Who made it so wise?

Dorothy Bull, Cited in ACTS (Australia) Encounter
magazine, Sep/Oct, 2001.

Index

4. A True Leader

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of his
actions and the integrity of his intent." – Anonymous

  Index

5. A Word or Two About Failure

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed." Theodore Roosevelt

"Half of the failures in life come from pulling one's horse when he is leaping." – Thomas Hood

"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt." – William Shakespeare

"Every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success." – Napoleon Hill

"Failure is blindness to the strategic element in events; success is readiness for instant action when the opportune moment arrives." – Newell D. Hillis

– Submitted by Gary Kallio

Index

6. Sharpen Your Ax

      By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (885.3)

Ben was a new lumberjack who swung his ax with great power. He could fell a tree in 20 strokes, and in the first few days he produced twice as much lumber as anyone else. By week's end, he was working even harder, but his lead was dwindling.

One friend told him he had to swing harder. Another said he had to work longer. Neither idea worked. Finally, an old fellow asked Ben how often he sharpened his ax. Ben said he had no time; there was too much to do.

The lesson of this parable contains the remedy to ineffectiveness in today's workplace.

Dedicated executives may work enormous hours not realizing how much their failure to sharpen their ax by taking time off reduces their effectiveness. As one exceeds the limits of intellectual and physical stamina, both the quantity and quality of work suffer. Fatigue affects judgment and mental acuity, and soon the time and energy needed to fix errors offsets the extra time devoted to the task.

Organizations fail to sharpen their ax when they give short shrift to screening job applicants and training new hires. Burdened with heavy workloads, managers consumed by a sense of urgency to fill open positions succumb to the "warm body" fallacy—the false idea that anyone is better than no one.

You need three things in a good employee: competence, commitment, and character. Shortcomings in any area will be costly, consuming time and resources, and damaging morale. Sharpening your ax in this setting means being more diligent in background checks, more selective in hiring, more serious in training, and more demanding during probation.

Without the right tools, hard work isn't enough.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

© 2015 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. The Power of One

A sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

"I [God] sought for a man [person] among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one."1

Have you ever felt helpless in light of the seemingly overwhelming problems we face in today's world—either at home or abroad? The truth of the matter, however, is that one person can make a world of difference to at least one other person and, more often than not, to a host of other persons.

Some time ago a friend sent the following anonymous poem to me. I'd like to share it with you today.

    One song can spark a moment,
    One flower can wake the dream.
    One tree can start a forest,
    One bird can herald spring.
    One smile begins a friendship,
    One handclasp lifts a soul.
    One star can guide a ship at sea,
    One word can frame the goal.
    One vote can change a nation,
    One sunbeam can light a room.
    One candle can wipe out darkness,
    One laugh will conquer gloom.
    One step must start each journey,
    One word must start each prayer.
    One hope will raise our spirits,
    One touch can show you care.
    One voice can speak with wisdom,
    One heart can know what's true.
    One life can make the difference,
    You see it's up to YOU!

As another has said, "All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of one small candle." And as Edward Everett Hale so eloquently said, "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do." Don't ever forget how very important you are in your world, and remember too, that "One person is very important to God, too." Most of His work on earth has been started by one person. God is always looking for people who will do His work on earth. Will you be the one He is looking for today?

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I'm available. I want to say yes to You today and be one You are looking for. Please use me to be a part of Your plans in what You are doing in the world in which I live. Please show me where I can begin. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV).

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Index

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Index

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Index

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Index

11. Prayer Partners Needed

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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 375,000+ subscribers, and every week Weekend Encounter is going to 7,300+ 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:

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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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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."



© 2015 ACTS International


Know God

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PO Box 73545
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