Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 18 – No. 2516 June 18, 2016
Thought for the week: "Pursue success like you ride a bicycle remembering you won't fall off unless you stop peddling." – Michael Josephson
I read about a lady who spent some time in Egypt and brought back a rather unusual story. She was at a bazaar on one of Cairo's side streets, and saw a skull being exhibited. She asked the proprietor about it. He told her it was the skull of Cleopatra.
Alongside that skull was a smaller one which piqued her interest.
When she asked about that one, the proprietor said: "That m'lady is also Cleopatra's—but as a child."
One night this past week I had a very unusual dream. Though very brief, it was very clear. I dreamt that my car (SUV) was out of oil. Nothing else. The dream was so vivid that when I got up that morning as soon as I got dressed, I checked the oil in my car. Guess what? It was totally out of oil! Empty! That night we were to take a long drive on a very busy Southern California freeway. Had we done so without filling my engine with oil, the engine would have burned out! Amazing.
For many years, ever since my youth, every morning at the beginning of each day, I have prayed the following prayer: "Dear God, afresh this day I commit and trust my life and way to you. Please make me usable and use me today to be as Jesus in some way to every life I touch. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."
While we strongly believe in the local church which is a dynamic part of God's plan for His people, but how are many churches today measuring success?
According to the highly respected Barna Research Group: "The research shows that when pastors evaluate the success of their church, they measure attendance, dollars raised, number of staff, number of programs and square footage of their buildings. The only problem is that Jesus did not die a horrible and unjust death on the cross to fill sanctuaries, generate cash, populate programs, hire religious professionals, or build out campuses."
Furthermore, is today's Church impacting Los Vegas or are we allowing Los Vegas to impact today's Church? Think about today's contemporary church music?
1. Don't educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be content, so when they grow up they will notice the value of things rather than the price.
2. Best awarded words in London: "Eat your food as your medicines, otherwise you have to eat medicines as your food."
3. The one who loves you will never leave you because even if there are 100 reasons to give up he or she will find one reason to hold on.
4. There is a big difference between a human being and being human. Only a few really understand it.
5. You are loved when you are born. You will be loved when you die. In between, you have to manage! If you just want to walk fast, walk alone! But if you want to walk far, walk together!
SEVEN Best Doctors in the World
1. God/faith
2. Sunlight
3. Rest
4. Diet
5. Exercise
6. Self Confidence and
7. Friends
An old legend tells of a monastery in France well-known throughout Europe because of the extraordinary leadership of a man known only as Brother Leo. Several monks began a pilgrimage to visit Brother Leo to learn from him. Almost immediately the monks began to bicker over who should do various chores.
On the third day they met another monk who was also going to the monastery and he joined their party. This monk never complained or shirked a duty, and whenever the others fought over a chore, he would gracefully volunteer and simply do it himself. By the last day the other monks were following his example, and they worked together smoothly.
When they reached the monastery and asked to see Brother Leo, the man who greeted them laughed: "But our brother is among you!" And he pointed to the fellow who had joined them late in the trip.
Today, many people seek leadership positions not so much for what they can do for others, but for what the position can do for them: status, connections, perks or future advantage. As a result, they do service primarily as an investment, a way to build an impressive resume.
The parable about Brother Leo teaches another model of leadership, where leaders are preoccupied with serving rather than being followed, with giving rather than getting, and doing rather than demanding. It's a form of leadership based on example, not command. It's called servant leadership.
Can you imagine how much better things would be if more politicians, educators and business executives saw themselves as servant leaders?
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."1
Some time ago I read how "a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.
"All but one.... He paused, took a deep breath, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.
"He told his buddies to go on without him, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.
"He was glad he did.
"The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, and helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.
"The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.
"When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?" She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly."
"As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, 'Mister....' He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, 'Are you Jesus?'
"He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning in his soul: 'Are you Jesus?'"2
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I am available, please use me to be 'as Jesus' in some way today to every life I touch, and grant that they, seeing Jesus in me, will want you for themselves. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
Note: If you have never committed your life to Jesus Christ and would like to do that, be sure to read the article, How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.
1. The Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 3:18NIV).
2. Author unknown.
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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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