Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 17 – No. 0915 February 28, 2015
Thought for the week: "The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions—the little, soon-forgotten charities of a kiss or smile, a kind look or heartfelt compliment." – Samuel Taylor Coleridge
"Giving is the greatest way to receive." – Rick Beneteau
"It is easy to be wise after the event." – Proverb
"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." – Theodore Roosevelt
"Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens." – John Homer Miller
"Work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need." – Voltaire
"The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit for doing them." – Benjamin Jowett
1. Parking: 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/ 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 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.
3. CELL PHONES: This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her cell phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet, etc., was stolen. Twenty minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says, "I received your text asking about our Pin number and I've replied a little while ago." When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within twenty minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.
Moral of the lesson: First: Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc....
Second: And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.
Third: Also, when you're being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you.
Certain words in this message are purposely misspelled. See footnote below.
The author, Rick Mathes, is a well-known leader in prison ministry. The man who walks with God always gets to his destination. If you have a pulse you have a purpose. The Mu-lim religion is the fastest growing religion per capita in the United States, especially in the minority races.
Last month I attended my annual training session that's required for maintaining my state prison security clearance. During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Mus-im faiths, who each explained their beliefs.
I was particularly interested in what the Isl_mic Im-m had to say. The Mus_im gave a great presentation of the basics of Isl_m, complete with a video.
After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers. When it was my turn, I directed my question to the M_slim and asked: 'Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Ima_s and clerics of I_lam have declared a holy jih-d [Holy war] against the infidels of the world and, that by killing an infidel, (which is a command to all Musl_ms) they are assured of a place in heaven. If that's the case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?'
There was no disagreement with my statements and, without hesitation, he replied, 'Non-believers!'
I responded, 'So, let me make sure I have this straight. All followers of A__ah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can have a place in heaven. Is that correct?'
The expression on his face changed from one of authority and command to that of a little boy who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.'
He sheepishly replied, 'Yes.'
I then stated, "Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine The Pope commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Dr. Stanley ordering all Protestants to do the same in order to guarantee them a place in heaven!"
The Mus_im was speechless.
I continued, "I also have a problem with being your friend when you and your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me! Let me ask you a question:
"Would you rather have your A--ah, who tells you to kill me in order for you to go to heaven, or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I am going to heaven and He wants you to be there with me?'
You could have heard a pin drop.
Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the 'Diversification' training seminar were not happy with my way of dealing with the Isl-mic Im_m, and exposing the truth about the Mu_lims' beliefs.
In twenty years there will be enough Mus_im voters in the U.S. to elect the President.
Footnote: The reason for the misspelling of the above words is
Internet search engine "spiders" hopefully won't find this message exposing this religious belief system, and "attack" our website.
Love is a whisper,
Love is not loud.
Love is not boastful,
Love is not proud.
Love is a sigh,
Love is not a shout.
Love is not fear,
Love is not doubt.
Love is a whisper,
Sent softly again.
Echoes of God
From hearts of men.
– Janice M. Lyons
Janice M. Lyons LYONSJM@mail.etsu.edu
Coordinator
Department of Psychiatry
P.O. Box70567 ETSU
Johnson City, TN 37614
423-439-2233 (phone)
423-439-2210 (fax)
When Teresa, a widow with four young children, saw a notice that members of her church would gather to deliver presents and food to a needy family, she took $10 out of her savings jar and bought the ingredients to make three dozen cookies. She got to the church parking lot just in time to join a convoy going to the home that was to receive the congregation's help.
The route was familiar, and she was stunned when the cars pulled up in front of her house. When the pastor saw her, he said, "We never expected you to join us, Teresa. We know it's been a great struggle since your husband died, and we all wanted to support you."
Although she was uncomfortable being thought of as the object of charity, Teresa didn't want to embarrass anyone so she cheerfully said, "Well, at least I can share these cookies with our friends."
This parable teaches us that no one is too poor to help others and that true charity is rooted in love and compassion. Poverty of spirit is worse than economic distress. Teresa's story reminds us that very few of us give as much as we could and should.
My friend Larry Rosen, former president of the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, introduced me to the concept of "sacrificial giving" – giving in abundance to a point where one must sacrifice something one desires.
You can start out easy. Take whatever amount you were thinking of giving to charity, then double it. If that's too much, increase it by 50 percent instead. The idea is to stretch yourself. It will mean a lot to those you help, but it will mean as much to your heart.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"1
Some of the most fascinating trees I have ever seen are the magnificent California and West Coast redwoods.
They reach their leafy arms heavenward, commonly growing 200 to 275 feet tall. The tallest one in Humboldt County, California, towers 368.6 feet in height. These trees stand like sentinels of time and have done so for hundreds of years. Some were living at the time Christ walked on earth.
They've been through winds, earthquakes, fires and storms—still they stand. Nothing seems to deter them.
What is so amazing is that these trees, among the tallest in the world, have a comparably shallow root system and yet they rarely ever fall. How do they keep standing even in the wildest of storms? It's because the redwood's root systems reach out for great distances and are intertwined with one another. They literally hold each up other up.
If you and I are going to reach our full potential, we too need the support of each other, not to be overdependent but inter-dependent.
None of us can stand alone. As Solomon also said, "If two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."2
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be like a mighty redwood tree giving and receiving support to and from my fellow Christian friends so that I, too, can reach the heights of my God-given potential. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name. Amen."
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