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 Dick Innes


Weekend Encounter

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

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Vol. 18 – No. 2716 July 02, 2016

 
Thought for the week: "Don't sacrifice your future on the altar of the immediate." – Bob Jones
 
Index
1.   Words of Wisdom
2.   On the Lighter Side
3.   Learning to Listen
4.   Satan's Plan
5.   Virtue Versus Religious Belief
6.   A Sad, Sad Ending
7.   Yes, Sometimes I Am
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

"Do not wait for leaders. Do it alone, person to person." – Mother Theresa

"The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time." – Abraham Lincoln

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." – Michael Althsuler

"The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions." – William F. Scolavino

"A 'NO' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a 'YES' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble." – Mahatma Gandhi

"He that waits upon fortune, is never sure of a dinner." – Benjamin Franklin

Index

2. On the Lighter Side

Unable to attend the funeral after his father died, a son who lived far away called his brother and told him, "Do something nice for Dad and send me the bill."

Later, he got a bill for $200.00, which he paid. The next month, he got another bill for $200.00, which he also paid, figuring it was some incidental expense.

Bills for $200.00 kept arriving every month, and finally the man called his brother again to find out what was going on.

"Well," said the other brother, "you said to do something nice for Dad. So I rented him a tuxedo."

– Cited on ArcaMax.com

Index

3. Learning to Listen

Back when the telegraph was the fastest means of long-distance communication, there was a story, perhaps just a legend, about a young man who applied for a job as a Morse code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, noisy office. In the background a telegraph clacked away. A sign on the receptionist's counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office.

The young man completed his form and sat down with seven other waiting applicants. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. Why had this man been so bold? They muttered among themselves that they hadn't heard any summons yet. They took more than a little satisfaction in assuming the young man who went into the office would be reprimanded for his presumption and summarily disqualified for the job.

Within a few minutes the young man emerged from the inner office escorted by the interviewer, who announced to the other applicants, "Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has been filled by this young man."

The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and then one spoke up, "Wait a minute—I don't understand. He was the last one to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That's not fair."

The employer responded, "All the time you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse code: 'If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.' None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. So the job is his."

Learning to hear what is being said (not what we think is being said) is essential for healthy relationships and more importantly, is listening to and hearing what God's Word says to each and every one of us. We ignore it to our peril.

– Traditional

Index

4. Satan's Plan

A minister was planning to preach on the text, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." While in his study meditating upon the subject he fell asleep and dreamed that he saw Satan and the fallen angels gathered for the purpose of devising ways and means by which they might effectively damn souls. He said that in the dreams he saw an infernal spirit arise and say, "I will go and tell the people there is no God." But Satan said, "That will not do, for only fools deny that fact."

Then another fiend, of unusual intelligence, arose and said, "I will go and tell them that there is nothing to religion; that it is all a farce."

But Satan replied, "That will never do, for multitudes have seen saints die, in sight of heaven, declaring that salvation was real."

One after another arose making suggestions, but Satan refused them all. Finally the most subtle of all arose and said, "I will go and tell them that there is a God; that the Bible is true; that salvation is real, but that there is plenty of time."

The minister said that in the dream he could see all were jubilant and Satan said, "Go! that is the plan." And the meeting disbanded.

– By William Moses Tidwell,
   Effective Illustrations
.

Index

5. Virtue Versus Religious Beliefs

Barrie McClymont, the late Director of ACTS International, New Zealand, in a published letter to the Editor of the New Zealand Morning Herald, writes:

Dear Sir,

The suggestion that religious belief should take second place to virtue makes superficial sense, but does not stand the light of closer scrutiny.

First, the historical excesses of religions of all types must be seen as the excesses of human failing, not of religion itself. There is an abundance of evidence that shows man without religion is more prone to act in non-virtuous ways.

Second, when we talk of virtue, we must ask what virtue, whose virtue? Is this virtue to be that of our neighbors, our workmates, our friends, the folk who make the films we view, the film censor, the prime minister, the leader of the opposition, et al.?

Third, we have to accept a field of reference before we can agree on what is virtue. Many people's virtues and ethics are subject to change whenever that change is convenient, and are therefore of dubious value. The Bible sets out clear guidelines, and from the Law and the old covenant in the Old Testament to the new covenant in the New Testament (as delivered through Christ), so-called "ethics" stand aside for morals, false beliefs are exposed and clear guidelines are given for virtuous living.

I cannot imagine how rudderless it would feel not to be a Christian. Belief must precede virtue, and virtue makes real sense only as it relates to a field of reference.

Barrie McClymont, Te Atatu,
   Auckland, New Zealand.

Index

6. A Sad, Sad Ending

       By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (469.5)

Although I wasn't a fan of Ken Lay, convicted former founder and chairman of Enron, I was deeply saddened to learn of his sudden death [some time ago]. It was a tragic ending to the long fall from grace to disgrace.

Ken Lay was not a thoroughgoing villain. This son of a minister from a small town in Missouri had many great qualities that helped him become an American business icon before he became a symbol of greed, corruption and self-denial. He was smart (he had a Ph.D. in economics), industrious and, according to people who knew him, charming and charitable.

During the bulk of his business life he received accolades and admiration as the embodiment of the rags-to-riches possibilities of free enterprise.

It all began to unravel [some] years ago and, ever since, his life was more hell than heaven, marked by accusations, vilification and ridicule.

He was convicted ... and faced living the rest of his life in prison. Although he died before being sentenced, he lived to see the Ken Lay YMCA in Fort Bend County, Texas, remove his name.

His death is a bookend to scores of ruined lives that started with the suicide of Lay's friend, the former vice chairman of Enron, J. Clifford Baxter. Baxter shot himself in his Mercedes shortly after the scandal broke. His note to his wife sums up the terrible cost of shame:

Clifford Baxtor Suicide Note

In the end, both men died of self-inflicted wounds, but whether just or not, no one should rejoice at such a sad, sad ending.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

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

© 2006 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

s Index

7. Yes, Sometimes I Am

Sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven"1

"You are nothing but a pharisaical religious b______," Jennifer (not her real name) angrily criticized me in front of a seminar group of about 100 people. Understandably I was taken aback but answered simply by saying, "Yes, sometimes I am."

Had I become defensive and sought to justify myself, I'm sure I would have built a wall between myself and Jennifer and most likely there never would have been any further meaningful communication between us.

This actually happened in a seminar I was leading following a session discussing the subject of homosexuality. I learned later that Jennifer was gay, so her hostility towards me was understandable.

A few weeks later, for those who wanted to deal with personal issues, we had a live-in in-depth week-long recovery workshop. What amazed me was that Jennifer attended even though she disagreed with me vigorously regarding homosexuality. At the beginning of the week she kept me at arm's length. However, I assured her that even though I disagreed with her lifestyle, I loved and accepted her.

There were about 30 of us at the retreat and not one person judged or criticized Jennifer in any way all week. We all loved and accepted her. This was somewhat overpowering for her as she was so used to being condemned, especially by Christians. What shocked me even more was that at the end of the week, she came to me, hugged me warmly and said, "Perhaps you are right after all."

I am convinced that at least for many, it is a lack of love that drives people into self-destructive acts of sin in their desperate search for love and acceptance—and only love—God's love through you and me will ever take them out again.

True Christianity is much more than a creed (as important as the creed is)—it is experiencing divine love, divine forgiveness, and divine acceptance—and communicating these to every life we touch.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to understand every person you bring into my life and communicate your divine love, forgiveness, and acceptance to them at their point of deepest need. In doing so may they find your love, forgiveness and acceptance for themselves. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Luke 6:37 (NIV).

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Index

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Index

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Index

11. Prayer Partners Needed

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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 410,000+ subscribers, and every week Weekend Encounter is going to 6,400+ 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.

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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

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

   On Sale at: http://www.actscom.com/store

CDs/Cassettes:

  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://tinyurl.com/2unmmy

Index

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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."



© 2016 ACTS International


Know God

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