Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 8 – No. 2506 June 24, 2006
Thought for the week: "The virtue of man ought to be measured, not by his extraordinary exertions, but by his everyday conduct." – Blaise Pascal
Q: Name the four seasons?
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.
Q: Name a major disease associaed with cigarettes?
A: Premature death.
Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized?
A: The body is consisted into three parts—
the brainium, the borax, and the abdominal cavity.
The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains
the heart and lungs; and the abdominal cavity
contains the five bowels: A, E, I, O and U.
Q: What is a fibula?
A. A small lie.
Q: Give the meaning of the term "Caesarean Section."
A: The Caesarean Section is a district in Rome.
– Submitted by Babs Eggleston. Cited
on Parables, Etc. September, 2005.
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or
Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner
for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey
through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through
a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something
worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel
appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?
The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life. "Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia."
It comes as no surprise that a recent study done by the RAND Corporation shows that there is a strong connection between teens who watch and listen to sex and sexual talk on television and teens who engage in sexual activity.
The study, published in the September issue of Pediatrics, found that teens who watched and listened to sex and sexual situations on television were twice as likely to have sex within the next year as teens not exposed to such. To put it in real numbers, one out of every two teens who watch immoral programs on television will end up behaving that way.
Thought: It isn't single events like the Super Bowl half-time show that move the hearts and minds of television viewers to practice what they see. It is the litany of daily barrages in the "soaps," "sit-coms" and evening "dramas" that affect us most.
"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders of the World." Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."
The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help. "The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World' are:
1. To See
2. To Hear
3. To Touch
4. To Taste
5. To Feel
6. To Laugh
7. And to Love.
The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous!
A gentle reminder that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.
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 what a 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.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2, NIV).
"The glossy, coffee-table book was grandly titled, The Greatest Weddings of All Time. It featured media stars like Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, Ted Turner and Jane Fonda."
As Mark Early of BreakPoint said, "Sadly, most relationships like those don't last very long—which is probably why the book celebrates great weddings instead of great marriages."1
Like far too many marriages, partners have little or no idea what qualities to look for in a spouse—and even more importantly—what qualities they need to have in order to find a suitable partner and to make a happy marriage.
I've taught in divorce and recovery groups for a number of years and over and over I hear the same question asked: "How can I find a good marriage partner?"
My answer is always the same, "By being a good marriage partner."
The reality is that like attracts like. If I want to find a mature partner, I need to be a mature person. If I want to have a happy marriage, I need to be a happy person. Only happy, mature people have happy, mature marriages.
And why should I expect God to give me a great partner if I'm an immature, self-centered, control freak or whatever? Trust me, he won't.
Before getting married, or to help save a poor marriage, or to make an even good marriage better, learn what it takes to make it happen. Read good books on marriage relationships.* Attend relationships and growth seminars. Join a recovery and/or growth group. Learn how to communicate effectively. Good relationships don't happen by chance. They take knowledge, understanding, commitment, and hard work on the part of each partner so that they become healthy and mature (spiritually and emotionally), and are thus able to build a healthy and lasting marriage.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to grow in faith and love and every grace so that I will become a mature and whole person and thereby be able to build mature, loving and lasting relationships. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
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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
Books by Bestseller and Popular Authors: The Miracle of Kindness His Needs, Her Needs by Willard F. Harley, Jr.
has topped the charts as the best marriage
book available. More than one million couples
have read it ... made their marriage sizzle. Fall in Love Stay in Love Just Hand Over the Chocolate ... Love, Sex, and Lasting Relationships Sex Starts in the Kitchen Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours Harried With Children Adolescence Is Not an Illness Show Time It Takes a Church to Raise a Christian
On Sale at: http://www.actscom.com/store
Cassettes:
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...
On SALE at:http://actscom.com/store/cassettes.htm
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