Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 18 – No. 0616 Febuary 06, 2016
Thought for the week: "To educate a child in the mind but not the morals is to educate a menace to society." – Teddy Roosevelt
"Do a little more than you're paid to. Give a little more than you have to. Try a little harder than you want to. Aim a little higher than you think possible, and give a lot of thanks to God for health, family, and friends." – Art Linkletter
"A teacher affects all eternity. You never know where his influence stops." – Henry Adams
"Life is not a 'brief candle'. It is a splendid torch that I want to make burn as brightly as possible before handing on to future generations." – George Bernard Shaw
"The greatest things ever done on Earth have been done little by little." – William Jennings Bryan, politician
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." – Eleanor Roosevelt
"I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act. The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness." – Abraham Maslow
"Most of our so-called reasoning consists in finding arguments for going on believing as we already do." – James Harvey Robinson
"Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make the right things happen." – Peter Marshall
The pastor is walking down the street one day when he notices a very small boy trying to press a doorbell on a house across the street. The boy isn't very tall and the doorbell is too high for him to reach.
After watching the boy's efforts, the pastor steps across the street, walks up behind the little fellow and, placing his hand kindly on the child's shoulder leans over and gives the doorbell a solid ring.
Crouching down to the child's level, the pastor smiles and asks, "And now what, my little man?"
While sitting on the bank of a river one day, I picked up a solid round stone from the water and broke it open. It was perfectly dry in spite of the fact that it had been immersed in water for centuries. The same is true of many people in the Western world. For centuries they have been surrounded by Christianity; they live immersed in the waters of its benefits. And yet it has not penetrated their hearts; they do not love it. The fault is not in Christianity, but in men's hearts, which have been hardened by materialism and intellectualism."
Melissa was in a panic as she drove home with her six-year-old son. Her husband had just phoned to tell her that Gertie, the family's beloved dog, had slipped out of her collar during their walk, to chase after a cat. He'd looked everywhere. "Well, God only knows where she is," she'd told her husband.
"How will we ever find her?" she wondered as she drove through the neighborhood searching for the dog. "She's off the only path she knows. Gertie could be anywhere by now."
"Why don't you ask God?" Max piped up from the backseat.
"What did you say, Honey?"
"You said that only God knows, so why don't you ask him?" Max replied.
Melissa chuckled and said a silent prayer. When she turned the next corner, there was Gertie barking up a tree at the neighbor's cat.
There are many things that we can do to perk up and strengthen our interpersonal relationships. Yet the most effective involves the saying of just three words. When spoken or conveyed, these statements have the power to forge new friendships, deepen old ones, and restore relationships that have cooled. The following three-word phrases can enrich every relationship.
"I'll Be There"
If you have ever had to call a friend in the middle of the night, to take a sick child to hospital, or when your car has broken down some miles from home, you will know how good it feels to hear the phrase "I'll be there." Being there for another person is the greatest gift we can give. When we are truly present for other people, important things happen to them and us. We are renewed in love and friendship. We are restored emotionally and spiritually. Being there is at the very core of civility.
"I Miss You"
Perhaps more marriages could be saved and strengthened if couples simply and sincerely said to each other "I miss you." This powerful affirmation tells partners they are wanted, needed, desired and loved. Consider how ecstatic you would feel, if you received an unexpected phone call from your spouse in the middle of your workday, just to say "I miss you."
"I Respect You"
Respect is another way of showing love. Respect conveys the feeling that another person is a true equal. If you talk to your children as if they were adults you will strengthen the bonds and become close friends. This applies to all interpersonal relationships.
"Maybe You're Right"
This phrase is highly effective in diffusing an argument and restoring frayed emotions. The flip side to "maybe you're right" is the humility of admitting, "Maybe I'm wrong." Let's face it. When you have a heated argument with someone, all you do is cement the other person's point of view. They, or you, will not change their stance and you run the risk of seriously damaging the relationship between you. Saying "maybe you're right" can open the door to further explore the subject, in which you may then have the opportunity to get your view across in a more rational manner.
"Please Forgive Me"
Many broken relationships could be restored and healed if people would admit their mistakes and ask for forgiveness. All of us are vulnerable to faults, foibles and failures. A man should never be ashamed to own up that he has been in the wrong, which is saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.
"I Thank You"
Gratitude is an exquisite form of courtesy. People who enjoy the companionship of good, close friends are those who don't take daily courtesies for granted. They are quick to thank their friends for their many expressions of kindness. On the other hand, people whose circle of friends is severely constricted often do not have the attitude of gratitude.
"Count on Me"
A friend is one who walks in when others walk out. Loyalty is an essential ingredient for true friendship; it is the emotional glue that bonds people. Those that are rich in their relationships tend to be steady and true friends. When troubles come, a good friend is there indicating you can "count on me."
"Let Me Help"
The best of friends see a need and try to fill it. When they spot a hurt they do what they can to heal it. Without being asked, they pitch in and help.
"I Understand You"
People become closer and enjoy each other more if they feel the other person accepts and understands them. Letting your spouse know in so many little ways that you understand them, is one of the most powerful tools for healing your relationship. This applies to any relationship.
"I Love You"
Perhaps the most important three words that you can say. Telling someone that you truly love them satisfies a person's deepest emotional needs. The need to belong, to feel appreciated and to be wanted. Your family, your friends and you, all need to hear those three little words, "I love you."
When we think about character we tend to think about really big things, like taking heavy risks or performing bold acts of integrity or grand acts of generosity or self-sacrifice. These sorts of noble choices do indicate character, but for the most part our character is revealed in much smaller events, like apologizing when we're wrong, giving to causes we believe in, being honest when it's simply embarrassing—and returning our shopping carts.
One of my favorite stories is about a father who asked his son to return a cart they had just used. The son protested, "C'mon, Dad! There are carts all over. No one returns them. That's why they hire people to collect them."
After a short argument, Mom chimed in, "For heaven's sake, it's no big deal. Let's go."
Dad was about to surrender when he saw an elderly couple walking together to return their cart. After a moment he said, "Son, there are two kinds of people in this world: those who put their carts away and those who don't. We are the kind that returns their shopping cart. Now go return the cart."
Obviously, this story is about more than grocery carts. It's about doing the right thing in a world that promotes rationalizations and excuses, and demeans or trivializes simple acts of virtue. I suppose another way of putting it is: There are two kinds of people: Those who have the character to do what they ought to do and those who find reasons not to.
People of character do the right thing even if no one else does, not because they think it will change the world, but because they refuse to be changed by the world.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
Before I wrote my first book the task seemed impossible. "No way," I said to myself, "that I could ever write a book." A friend suggested I tackle it just one page at a time.
Good idea, I thought and that's exactly what I did. Several years ago I wrote 365 daily devotionals hoping to get them published in a book—but little did I know that I would end up using these to get Daily Encounter started several years ago. I also wrote these messages just one at a time.
Are you facing a daunting task, a major responsibility, or just need to clean your garage. If it's the latter, start in one corner and work your way around it in a clockwise pattern, picking up one thing at a time and either store it in its proper place, put it in a pile to be given away, or throw it away.
Treat cleaning your house the same way, systematically tidying one room at a time. As you see one corner and then one room tidied, each of these successes will help keep you motivated. Just don't jump all over the place or discouragement will knock you out. Apply the same principle to any task you have to face. Do it one step at a time—one day at a time. As the old saying goes, "Inch by inch anything's a cinch" to which a friend added, "but yard by yard it's miles too hard."
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to take care of today's responsibilities one thing at a time, and not worry about what I need to do tomorrow. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."
1. Isaiah 28:10.
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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
Books:
Books by Dick Innes, Editor of Weekend Encounter You Can't Fly With a Broken Wing How to Mend a Broken Heart I Hate Witnessing—A Handbook for Effective Christian
Communications
Healing, Wholeness & Happiness by Dick Innes
Loving & Understanding People by Dick Innes
I Hate Witnessing by Dick Innes
God's Formula for Success by Dick Innes
Damaged Emotions by David Seamands
Healing of the Memories by David Seamands
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