Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 17 – No. 4915 December 05, 2015
Thought for the week: "Every man dies. Not every man truly lives." – Braveheart
"Man, despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and many accomplishments, owes the fact of his existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains." – Unknown
"Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind." – Leonardo da Vinci
"He who has begun has half done. Dare to be wise—begin!" – Horace
"I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent; curiosity, obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism, have brought me to my ideas." – Albert Einstein
"The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs ... one step at a time." – Joe Girard
"Light tomorrow with today!" – Elizabeth Barrett Browning
"If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm." – Vince Lombard
A lady found the fawn under her step (they think the doe might have been hit by a car). Her Ridge Back dog is helping look after it. The family named the fawn Bella. Once she has regained her strength (she was not in good shape when the family found her) they are going to send her to some friends who, in the past, raised two orphan deer and released them to the wild. Right now Bella is being bottle fed. Their dog, Hogan, has basically taken over. The fawn even shares his bed.
Sam Rayburn was a Democratic politician who served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives for 17 years, and is regarded by many as the most effective Speaker of the House in American history. Allow me to share with you some of his most memorable statements:
"Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good action; try to use ordinary situations."
"No one has a finer command of language than the person who keeps his mouth shut."
"You'll never get mixed up if you simply tell the truth. Then you don't have to remember what you have said, and you never forget what you have said."
One day I phoned an 800 number to make a motel reservation...
The depressingly disinterested reservations clerk who answered the phone tempted me to think the worst of her. 'Who does she think she is? I'm the customer. I don't have to put up with this. I don't have to do business with these people. Does she have any idea how many motel chains there are? I can go anywhere I want,' I thought. But I was in a good mood. "You must be having a bad day," I said cheerfully.
"Oh, yes, sir, I am. My last customer kept yelling at me, and I am a little rattled right now. Thank you for understanding."
Of course, I had not understood a thing. I simply stumbled into the principle of letting the little ones go. What came within a whisker of ruining my day and making this nice young girl want to quit her job turned into an uplifting, encouraging ten-minute opportunity to glorify God. She even found a room for me at an extraordinarily low rate.
Thought: The secret of loving others is to let the little things go.
– Patrick M. Morley, "The Most Important Thing," The Rest of Your Life, (p. 185-186). Cited on "KneEmail," Mike Benson, Editor. www.oakhillcoc.org
Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But, do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name, Iraq, means country with deep roots. Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible. Here's why.
Eden was in Iraq (Genesis 2:10-14).
Adam and Eve were created in Iraq (Genesis 2:7-8).
Satan made his first recorded appearance in Iraq (Genesis 3:1-6).
Nimrod established Babylon and the Tower of Babel was built in Iraq (Genesis 10:8-9,7; 11:1-4).
The confusion of the languages took place in Iraq (Genesis 11:5-11).
Abraham came from a city in Iraq (Genesis 11:31; Acts 7:2-4).
Isaac's bride came from Iraq (Genesis 24:3-4, 10).
Jacob spent 20 years in Iraq (Genesis 27:42-45; 31:38).
The first world Empire was in Iraq (Daniel 1:1-2; 2:36-38).
The greatest revival in history was in a city in Iraq (Jonah 3).
The events of the book of Esther took place in Iraq (Esther).
The book of Nahum was a prophecy against a city in Iraq (Nahum).
The book of Revelation has prophecies against Babylon, which was the old name for the nation of Iraq (Revelation 17 and 18).
These are powerful words. Authentic apologies can work like a healing ointment on old wounds, dissolve bitter grudges and repair damaged relationships. They encourage both parties to let go of toxic emotions like anger and guilt and provide a fresh foundation of mutual respect.
But authentic apologies involve much more than words expressing sorrow; they require accountability, remorse and repentance.
An accountable apology involves a sincere acknowledgment that the apologizer did something wrong. "I'm sorry your feelings were hurt" is a fake apology because it accepts no personal responsibility. A better apology is "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings." An even better one reveals an understanding of the wrongdoing from the point of view of the person injured and asks for forgiveness: "I'm sorry I called you a bad mother. I was speaking out of anger, and I ask you to forgive me." Given the natural human tendency to interpret our own words and actions in a manner most favorable to us, it takes great self-awareness to be accountable.
An authentic apology also conveys remorse. It's easier to forgive people who have hurt us if we believe they have suffered some pain themselves in the form of regret, sorrow or shame. Self-inflicted guilt is a form of penance or reparation that clears the road to forgiveness.
Accountability and remorse must be joined by repentance—recognizing something we did was wrong coupled with a credible commitment not to do it again. Without such a commitment, an apology is hollow. Thus, repetitive apologies for the same conduct are meaningless and often offensive. "I'm sorry" is not a Get Out of Jail Free card that lets people off the hook who repeatedly break promises, get drunk or say cruel things.
It takes character to both give and accept an authentic apology.
"He [the leper that Jesus healed] threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, 'Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?'"1
"It seems to be human nature to forget to say, 'Thank you.' Samuel Leibowitz, a brilliant criminal lawyer, saved 78 people from the electric chair; not one thanked him. Art King had the radio program, 'Job Center of the Air.' He supposedly found jobs for 2500 people, of whom, only ten ever thanked him. An official of the post office, in charge of the Dead Letter Box in Washington, D.C., reported, one year, that he had received hundreds of thousands of letters addressed to 'Santa Claus' asking him to bring many things, but after Christmas, only one letter came to the box thanking Santa Claus for bringing the toys asked for."2
How do I appreciate thee? Let me count the ways!
Whoever the "thees" are in your life and mine, let us take stock and name the ways we have been blessed through their love, their friendship, their support, their encouragement, their help and so on.
And let us not fail to express gratitude when such is due. As William Arthur Ward said, "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." Furthermore, let us be givers, not just takers.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a grateful heart and may I never ever fail to thank You for the innumerable blessings I continually receive from Your hand. Most of all I am and will be forever grateful for Your 'so great salvation' with the gift of sins forgiven and eternal life through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."
1. Luke 17:16-18 (NIV).
2. Tony Bland. Cited on www.sermons.com .
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