ACTS International
Home Page of ACTS International
Home Page of ACTS InternationalHow to Find and Know God without having to be religiousLife Help Articles dealing with faith, family, and practical helps for purposeful livingDaily and Weekend Encounters with more than a third-of-a-million worldwide subscribersSupport the Work of ACTS International a not-for-profit organization. Donations are tax deductible for U.S. donorsCurrent report on the ministries and services of ACTS InternationalOnline Store of ACTS ... ACTS CommunicationsAbout ACTS International
ACTS International Home Page Click here for the current issue of  Daily Encounter
         
     
   
Tell a Friend Site Map Share and/or Bookmark
   
         
   
 Dick Innes


Weekend Encounter

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

To receive the email edition of Weekend Encounter (without charge) click on the Subscribe button.

Privacy policy: We do not sell or rent subscriber's e-mail
addresses to anyone. We value your privacy.

 
Global Communications Outreach:
Learn how to be a missionary right from your own home and have a vital part in worldwide gospel outreach by becoming an ACTS People Power for Jesus Partner. Click HERE There is no charge.
 

Vol. 17 – No. 3915 September 26, 2015

 
Thought for the week: "Should you shield the canyons from the wind storms, you would not see the beauty of their carvings." – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
 
Index
1.   Words of Wisdom
2.   On the Lighter Side
3.   Slow Dance
4.   Reading His Own Obituary
5.   To Help a Child Who's Lost a Friend
6.   The Self-Portrait Called Character
7.   Inspiration or Perspiration
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
16.   Archives for Daily and Weekend Encounter

1. Words of Wisdom

"There's only one direction you can coast." – Brian Tracy

"Life is lived forward, but understood backward." – Soren Kierkegaard

"I began my education at a very early age—in fact, right after I left college." – Winston Churchill 

"The most damaging phrase in the language is: 'It's always been done that way.'" – Grace Hopper 

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

"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend." – William Blake 

Index

2. On the Lighter Side

A Sunday School teacher challenged her children to take some time on Sunday afternoon to write a letter to God. They were to bring their letter back the following Sunday.

One little boy wrote, "Dear God, We had a good time at church today. Wish you could have been there."

Index

3. Slow Dance

It is reported that this poem was written by a terminally ill young girl in a New York hospital, and sent by Dr. Dennis Shields, Professor, Bronx, New York.

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round,
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight,
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast,
Time is short,
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask, "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done,
Do you lie in your bed,
With the next hundred chores,
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down,
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short,
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die,
'Cause you never had time,
To call and say, "Hi"
You'd better slow down,
Don't dance so fast,
Time is short,
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere,
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift –
Thrown away.

Life is not a race
Do take it slower,
Hear the music,
Before the song is over.

– David L. Weatherford

Index

4. Reading His Own Obituary

One morning while Alfred Nobel was reading the paper, he was shocked to discover his own obituary.

Someone at the newspaper had obviously made a great error and falsely reported that he had died. You might say that Nobel was given a luxury that few people will ever receive: a chance to see what's said about him after his death.

The obituary primarily remembered him as the man who had invented dynamite, which had been used as a weapon of warfare, killing thousands. It turned his blood to ice to think that above all his other accomplishments in life, he would be remembered as the man who gave the world its most destructive weapon. Then and there, he determined that he would make some changes in his life. Nobel made a personal vow: "From this day forward, I will dedicate my life to the pursuit of peace." Creator of the Nobel Peace Prize, today when we hear of Alfred Nobel, we no longer think of dynamite, but of peace.

THOUGHT: As you examine your spiritual life, how would you describe it? Would you describe yourself as strong? Weak? About to give up? Before you become discouraged and fall out of the race entirely, give it one more shot. Put everything you have into it. Give it your all, or one day you may wake up and realize that you wasted and squandered the resources and potential God placed within you.

– By Greg Laurie. Cited on KneEmail.
    kneemail-subscribe@welovegod.org

Index

5. To Help a Child Who's Lost a Friend

Chances are, your child will get dumped by a friend at some point. Some suggestions from Parenting magazine:

Be sympathetic. Don't minimize or dismiss what she's feeling. Let her know you're there to listen, and share a story from your past.

Don't bad-mouth the other kid. It's tempting, but try to stay above the fray and let the kids work it out.

Go over what happened. Sometimes kids don't realize that they may have played a role in the demise of a friendship. Ask if they had a fight or if the friend seemed angry recently.

Talk up friendship. A true friend doesn't just abandon someone for the sake of being thought of as "cooler." Remind your child of this.

Source: Charlotte Observer. Cited on ArcaMax.com.

Index

6. The Self-Portrait Called Character

      By Michael Josephson of CHARACTER COUNTS (919.5)

While I was on a radio call-in show talking about cheating, a listener I'll call Stan mocked my concern. He cheated to get into college, he said. He cheated in college to get a job. And now he occasionally cheats on his job to get ahead. In fact, he concluded, cheating is such an important life skill that parents ought to teach their kids how to cheat.

Evidence is mounting that lots of people share Stan's amoral pragmatism. Because they define success and happiness in terms of getting what they want when they want it, ethics seems irrational. After all, in a world where cheaters so often prosper, why should anyone give up the benefits of dishonesty?

Well, for one thing, the Stans of the world have no idea the price they're paying for the little they're getting. A life without principles is demeaning and self-defeating. The Stans of the world are cheated as often as they cheat others. What's more, they cheat themselves. As they scrape and struggle to fill their lives, they give up their chance to lead fulfilling lives.

The happiest people I know are those who find purpose and meaning pursuing a grander vision of a good life measured in terms of worthiness, not net worth. Virtue is not a tactic; it's a life philosophy.

We paint the self-portrait that we call our character by our values and actions. We can choose to paint that portrait in the pale watercolors of shallow successes and short-lived pleasures or in the deep, rich oils of honor, spirituality, peace of mind, and self-respect.

The enduring impact of our choices is not what we get, but what we become.

For Commentaries go to: http://whatwillmatter.com/category/commentary/

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. Inspiration or Perspiration

A sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

"If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow—perhaps it all will."1

At lunchtime today I was telling my wife that if I always waited for inspiration to motivate me to write, I wouldn't get much written because there are lots of other things I enjoy doing. Not always, but as a general rule, writing for me is only about five percent inspiration. The rest is 25 percent discipline and 70 percent perspiration or hard work. I think every writer, from time to time, struggles with a writer's block.

When I thought about writing a book some years ago, it seemed like a daunting task but a friend suggested that I think of writing just one page at a time. Yes, I thought to myself, I can handle that.

When people ask me if I love writing, I usually answer by saying, "I love having written." I do like to communicate ideas however and writing is one way to do that. Teaching in person is a whole lot more fun, but for me, writing has proven to be more effective, especially today with all the wonderful means of communication available to us.

Life's like that. Obviously not everybody is called to write, but we are all called to do that which we are equipped to do. There's a company where I live that is called Instant Grassification. It's a cute and clever name for making instant lawns. But for achieving something worthwhile in life means having a clearly defined purpose and then discipline, hard work, and determination to hang in for the long haul—and to "keep on sowing our seed." There is no such thing as instant success.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to know what my God-given life purpose is and, with Your help, to keep on keeping on so that when I get to the end of life's journey I will hear Your welcoming words, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.' Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6 (TLB).

NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon, click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php.

Or if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ,
please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.

For more information on Daily Encounter, Click HERE.

To Subscribe Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/subscribe.php.

Index

8. Receive Daily Encounter E-mail ... Without Charge

Daily Encounter, a without charge weekday e-mail inspirational from ACTS International is now going to 373,000+ subscribers. Scores of letters from around the world have come from readers saying how much they are being helped by this brief, practical devotional.

Over 100 million e-mail Daily, Weekend and Prayer Encounters are delivered to subscribers every year!

Click HERE for more samples of Daily Encounter
Click HERE to subscribe

 

 

NOTE: Some ISPs (especially AOL) now use e-mail filtering software that allows you to add e-mail addresses to your 'buddy', 'safe', or 'approved' list. Please be sure to add acts@actsweb.org to yours so you won't miss any issue of Daily Encounter.

Index

9. Receive E-mail Edition of Weekend Encounter ... Without Charge

Click HERE to subscribe

 

Index

10. Know God ... Without having to be religious

Click HERE to Know God and be sure you're a real Christian

 

Index

11. Prayer Partners Needed

One of ACTS greatest needs is Prayer Partners to stand with us as we seek to share the gospel with millions of people around the world through E-mail and the Internet and to win the lost to Jesus. If you would like to be an ACTS Prayer Partner, please subscribe to the Prayer Encounter list. Approximately one prayer report is e-mailed monthly. Thank you.

Click HERE to subscribe

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 373,000+ 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:

Donate Online: You can donate online at ACTS secure web site. Click HERE on ACTS support donations.

Donate Through PayPal:You can donate securely through PAYPAL. Click HERE on PayPal. Where it says Payment For: type in Donation.

Donate by Telephone: ACTS accepts credit card donations by phone by calling 1-949-940-9050.

Donate Through Postal Mail: If you prefer to write a check or money order, please send it and make it payable to:

     ACTS International
     P.O. Box 73545
     San Clemente, California 92673-0119
     U.S.A.

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

14. Services Without Charge

 1. Bible concordance and Bible helps
 2. New Hope Crisis Counseling with trained
     lay/volunteer counselors. www.newhopenow.org
 
3. E-Word Today for a daily Bible reading
 4. To find your ZIP+4 Area Code in the U.S.A.
 5. How to find and write to your U.S. Representative
 6. ASK ... Smart answers fast
 7. Send a greeting card without charge for all occasions
 8. To check the weather in your area
 9. Hoax Web Sites
10. Plus many more sources of helpful information

GO TO: http://www.actsweb.org/links.php

Index

15. ACTS in Action Report
 
Click HERE for ACTS in Action ... Monthly Report Letter
 
16. Archives for Daily and Weekend Encounters
 
Click HERE for 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

ACTS International
PO Box 73545
San Clemente, CA 92673-0119
U.S.A.

To receive the email edition of Weekend Encounter
without charge click on the Subscribe button.

Privacy policy: We do not sell or rent subscriber's e-mail
addresses to anyone. We value your privacy.

 
   
         
   
Site Map   Top
   
     
         
Find Peace With God footer
 
  ARTICLES
About God
About Faith
Relationships
Success/Failure
Solutions
Recovery
Ask the Teacher
Better Living Tips
Friendship
Words of Love
Words of Inspiration
People Power for Jesus
Simple and Effective Witnessing for Christ

SITE TRANSLATIONS
Spanish Espanol
French Francois

  DEVOTIONS
Devotionals
Daily Encounter
Weekend Encounter
Encuentros Diarios
Archives
Subscribe
When God Is Silent
Prayer Partners
  Needed

Special Needs

BIBLE HELPS
Helps and Studies
Today's Reading
Annual Reading

  QUOTES AND TESTS
Today's Quotes
Happiness Test
Stress Test

ACTS IN ACTION

ACTS Websites
ACTS in Action Report

COMMUNICATIONS

Syndicate ACTS Articles
"I Hate Witnessing"
   Audio—No Charge

Opening Closed Minds
Effective Communications
Jesus, the Communicator
Punching Holes in
   the Darkness

  REPORTS
About ACTS
Be an ACTS Friend

MISC.
People Power Invite
Links
Weather
Privacy Policy
Snail-Mail List
Contact Us/Feedback

ACTS BOOKSTORE
Online Bookstore


Site Map
Report problems to ACTS International
All pages in this site © Copyright 2005-2024 by ACTS International
P.O. Box 73545, San Clemente, CA 92673 U.S.A.
 
HOME   Daily Encounter  Find Peace With God