Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 17 – No. 2015 May 16, 2015
Thought for the week: "Do what is right, not what you think the high headquarters wants or what you think will make you look good." – Norman Schwarzkopf, General
As I enjoy my twilight years, I am often struck by the inevitability that the party must end.
There will be a clear, cold morning when there isn't any "more." No more hugs, no more special moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat. It seems to me that one of the important things to do before that morning comes, is to let every one of your family and friends know that you care for them by finding simple ways to let them know your heartfelt beliefs and the guiding principles of your life, so they can always say, "He was my friend, and I know where he stood...."
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails... (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV).
It is written in God's Word, the Bible: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7).
Following are some men and women who mocked God:
John Lennon (Singer): Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said: "Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that; I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple; today we are more famous than Him." (1966). After saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, Lennon was shot six times.
Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil): During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from the Presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President and died.
Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet): During a show in Canecio, Rio de Janeiro), while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said, "God, that's for you." He died at the age of 32 of lung cancer in a horrible manner.
The man who built the Titanic: After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic would be. With an ironic tone he said: "Not even God can sink it." The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic.
Marilyn Monroe (Actress): She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said: 'I don't need your Jesus'. A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.
Bon Scott (Singer): The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang: "Don't stop me; I'm going down all the way, down the highway to hell." On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his own vomit.
In Campinas, Brazil, in 2005: A group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend. The mother accompanied her to the car, and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends, she said to the daughter holding her hand, who was already seated in the car: "My Daughter, go with God and may He protect you." She responded: "Only If He (God) travels in the trunk, because inside here it's already full." Hours later, news came that they had been involved in a fatal accident; everyone had died. The car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact. The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs; none were broken.
Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer) said that God's Word, the Bible, was the worst book ever written. In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle.
Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name that was given so much authority as the name of Jesus. Many have died, but only Jesus died and rose again, and He is still alive.
We demonstrate the virtue of respect for others by being courteous and civil, and treating everyone in a manner that acknowledges and honors basic human dignity.
An important but often neglected aspect of respect is listening to what others say. Respectful listening is more than hearing. It requires us to consider what's being said. That's hard when we've heard it before, aren't interested, or don't think much of the person talking. It's even worse when we act like we're listening, but are just waiting for our turn to speak.
The fact is, most of us don't listen well, certainly not all the time, and especially with those closest to us. Kids are especially adept at tuning out their parents; but parents are equally skilled at ignoring or dismissing as foolish or irrelevant what kids have to say.
The disrespect of not listening is most apparent when others ignore or patronize us: (rolling their eyes in a show of impatience or contempt or faking interest with a vacant stare or wandering eyes).
We all want to know that what we say and think matters. But if we want others to care about what we say, we need to care about what they say. Like all the important virtues, we teach respect best by demonstrating it. So listen up! It'll make people feel better, and you may learn something.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"1
"When she looked ahead, Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog. Her body was numb. She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours.
"Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. Now, at age 34, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast.
"On that Fourth of July morning in 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so dense she could hardly see her support boats. Sharks cruised toward her lone figure, only to be driven away by rifle shots. Against the frigid grip of the sea, she struggled on—hour after hour—while millions watched on national television.
"Alongside Florence in one of the boats, her mother and her trainer offered encouragement. They told her it wasn't much farther. But all she could see was fog. They urged her not to quit. She never had ... until then. With only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out.
"Still thawing her chilled body several hours later, she told a reporter, "Look, I'm not excusing myself, but if I could have seen land I might have made it." It was not fatigue or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She was unable to see her goal.
"Two months later, she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog, she swam with her faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, eclipsing the men's record by two hours!"2
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me when I am in a fog and cannot see my way, and am afraid, to trust in You no matter what—for I know that You will never leave me or forsake me. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."
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