A Weekly World Wide Word of Encouragement to those in the Ministry
PRAISE GOD IT’S MONDAY!
A WEEKLY ‘WWW (world-wide word) OF ENCOURAGEMENT’
TO THOSE IN MINISTRY
A FREE service, currently connecting with Christian leaders from 3,000 denominations and ministries, in 70 countries.
Issue No: 15 Published: 04 Feb 2002
DOES GOD REALLY NEED A HOLIDAY?
In the Northern half of New Zealand, today is a Public Holiday. For here, it is Anniversary Weekend. Hence why the Newsletter is a few hours late this week. But to be really honest, I am not 100% sure what today is the anniversary of! I presume it goes back to the original founding of the Auckland Province of New Zealand in the 1800's. However, since then the country has been split into smaller provincial units, so we now live in the aptly named Bay of Plenty. But it doesn't really matter when it comes to taking a holiday. Along with everyone else who lives in the several provinces of the northern part of our country, I too am happy to have a day off.But a day off what? Off work, relaxing in the summer sunshine. Yes, that is good. While I don't know about you, I find on these special days that I tend to have a day off God too! Not that I go and deliberately do evil things. But I do get out of routine, neglecting to spend as much time in His Word and in communication with Him, as I would do on a normal day.
So am I giving God a holiday too? Perhaps I am helping Him out, as He must find it difficult to make time to communicate with all of us every day? For undoubtedly each day will be a holiday somewhere in the world. So I, and probably we, do our little bit to reduce the stress of His workload on these, to us, special days!
God, of course, does not need our help in this direction, for He is well capable of looking after us all, all of the time. So I guess it is me who has to make the changes in my life - once again! Funny how God is limitless and always right!
I can't resist finishing with this story sent to me this week in response to last week's newsletter, which says it all.
"A moment to share: I had my 6 year old grand-daughter with me last week. Last thing at night we prayed, among other things, that she would have a good nights rest. Next morning we were down on the beach and Samantha wanted to know "When does God rest?" I said that He never needed to rest, at which she came back with, "At night time Mr God has a nap and Mrs God takes over, then in the daytime Mr God takes over while Mrs God has a nap!" Total common sense to a, mostly, unchurched 6 year old!" (Thank you Frances)
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FROM THE WORD
"To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 1:2-3)"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken........ One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done." (Psalm 62:1-2, 11-12)
DAVID'S DOODLINGS
*** The lips of a foolish man blaspheme God, those of a wise man honour God, but a godly man’s lips glorify his God.*** It is so easy to remember the gift, but to forget the giver.
*** S/He who has suffered the greatest rejection, most appreciates the comfort of God’s acceptance.
There are more than 30 recent David sayings (Nos. 178-212) on the web at...
MORE RESPONSES TO LAST WEEK'S NEWSLETTER
"What prophetically aims at developing humility (the cricket scene, completely incomprehensible to Americans...) sounds dangerously like hubris. (smile) bob"Bob, What is hubris? Just joking! I looked it up and found it is in the "Kiwi Dictionary"! David
"Since God in His goodness, has not let us thrash the Aussies for ages, here in England we will enjoy seeing them judged. Pity about the instrument of His judgement... still He does use the small, weak foolish things of the world."
You are right there! It took New Zealand over 50 years to win its first Test match! The fairy tale continues..... NZ beat Australia for a third time on their national day, Australia Day! (Became NZ's Day!) South Africa gave us a hiding yesterday mind you, to keep the 'hubris' at bay!
"I got a laugh our of your Facts for Fun section last week and this week. The
question about the dog in a Shakespeare play? My college roommate and I
always said the dog was in MacBeth. Lady MacBeth keeps trying to throw him
out of the castle in the middle of the night - after all, she keeps waking
up and saying, "Out, out, damn Spot."
Yes, I know it's a bad joke . . . but I thought I'd share it anyway. Mike"
I once played MacBeth in a school play, so appreciated this. No, the audience didn't yell, 'Out, out, damn David.' They were too polite for that - just!
I was prompted by your bit in this wk's PGIM to remember a friend who clowns.
At the end of his gig he passes round the hat, reminding us that statistics show that more people die of natural causes than any other known disease.
So we are invited to subscribe to his 'charity' to help stamp out natural causes.
Now wouldn't that be something?!
No problem! All we need to do is stamp out sin!
IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
!!!!! Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.!!!!! The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese!
!!!!! Criticising another's garden doesn't keep the weeds out of your own.
!!!!! Accomplishing the impossible means only the boss will add it to your regular duties.
!!!!! Character is like a fence - it cannot be strengthened by whitewash.
!!!!! Grandma's advice: Do your best and leave the rest.
There are now 40 extra fun and thoughtful thoughts on ...
TAPE OF THE WEEK
In association with Inspirational Tapes Ministriesinspirational.org.nz
we are pleased to offer you this inspirational tape - absolutely free of charge!
GOD DIRECTS OUR LIVES
By Kathryn Kuhlman
This well known and controversial 'miracle worker', died 25 years ago, yet this tape is still hugely popular today. While presentation and style may change, truth is eternal. Well worth listening to and making your own judgement upon.
Order your free tape today at...
FACTS FOR FUN
LAST WEEK'S QUESTION: What invention has resulted in less sleep times for humans?Answer: No, it's not the alarm clock, television or the pill! But it is electric lights! Americans, on average, now sleep 1 1/2 hours less each day than before the 'dang'(in NZ 'darn') things came along.
THIS WEEKS QUESTION: a. What exactly defines a planet? b. Which is the only planet to have an orbit that crosses that of another planet?
Answer next week.
DID YOU KNOW?
?!? A RUSSIAN MAN EATING FISH!?
Authorities in central Russia banned swimming in Staraya Surka Lake after a fisherman caught a sharp-toothed fish that turned out to be a piranha. The fisherman was bitten by his catch. He froze the fish and turned it over to a local institute, where incredulous scientists identified it as a piranha, which is native to Latin America. There's no logical explanation for the flesh-eater's appearance in the Russian lake, other than
someone's intentional release of the fish into local waters. Authorities banned swimming as a precaution in case other piranhas were lurking in the lake's muddy waters. Scientists in Ulyanovsk feared there may have been a breeding pair of piranhas in the lake, in which case the fish could quickly multiply. Even if there had been, they wouldn't have survived the long, cold Russian winter.
?!? FAST EATERS
A school of piranhas (each 20-30cm or 8-12 inches long) have been observed eating a 400 pound hog to the bone (to the BONE, mind you) in just minutes. Their teeth are
extremely sharp, almost like a saw blade, and when they bite, the points of their upper teeth fit into the notches of their lower teeth, forming a deadly trap. Piranha, in large groups, have been known to leap from the water while attempting to feed.
?!? X-RAY PROOF UNDERWEAR
When the X-ray machine was first developed in 1895, it (like almost any new technology) was a bit feared. One of the fears was that the machine would be used primarily by "peeping Toms" to look through people's clothes. Thus, London merchants
sold "X-ray" proof underwear to the more anxious segment of the population.
Another WORD PUZZLE for you.
SEARCHING
SEARCHING
Answer at the end of ‘A David Musing’
Many more Fun Facts at...
ANOTHER REFLECTIVE SITE TO VISIT - JEWELS FOR JESUS
The purpose of Fran Sherwoods site is to glorify Jesus Christ and encourage those who visit to trust, and obey Him, knowing He alone is Faithful, Forgiving and Gracious under ALL circumstances. Using poems of praise, prayer, penitence or meditation, her ‘Jewels for Jesus’ includes 700+ Christian quotations too! Tremendous.LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.***TECHNICAL WIZARDRY WINS FOR GOD!
Rick volunteers with prison ministries, and in his work has become friends with a pastor of a store front church. The pastor's church is called Almighty God Tabernacle.
On a Saturday night several weeks ago, this pastor was working late, and decided to call his wife before he left for home. It was about 10:00 PM, but his wife didn't answer the phone. The pastor let it ring many times. He thought it was odd that she didn't answer,
but decided to wrap up a few things and try again in a few minutes.
When he tried again she answered right away. He asked her why she hadn't answered before, and she said that it hadn't rung at their house. They brushed it off as a fluke and went on their merry ways.
The following Monday, the pastor received a call at the church office, which was the phone that he'd used that Saturday night. The man that he spoke with wanted to know why he'd called on Saturday night. The pastor couldn't figure out what the guy was talking
about. Then the guy said, "It rang and rang, but I didn't answer."
The pastor remembered the mishap and apologized for disturbing him, explaining that he'd intended to call his wife.
The man said, "That's OK. Let me tell you my story. You see, I was planning to commit suicide on Saturday night, but before I did, I prayed, 'God if you're there, and you don't want me to do this, give me a sign now.'
At that point my phone started to ring. I looked at the caller ID, and it said, 'Almighty God'. I was too afraid to answer!!
Fifteen more gems of Christian humour loaded last week at ...
A DAVID MUSING
Many of you will realise by now that I do a bit of running to try and keep fit as well as to keep that seemingly inevitable middle age spread to reasonable proportions. To be able to run and eat, rather than just not eat!It is summer here in New Zealand, so it makes sense to run with the shirt off to keep a little cooler. But do I want to bare my now 'not so beautiful' body for one and all to see? How is my pride?
Then the thought occurred to me as to how pride can change with age. For when we are young, pride comes in taking off our shirt (males I am talking about here) and exposing the body beautiful to attract the attentions of those of the opposite gender. But now, as the sands of time take their toll, our pride may get expressed in the opposite way. For now we keep our shirts on to hide the fact that the harsh reality of result of sin (Adams and ours) has caused the body to become distinctly less beautiful than it once was. We may try to justify our feelings by declaring that it is ungodly to display the body, or that we may get skin cancer, a real problem here in NZ due to the very thin ozone layer over us. But I suspect, if the truth be known, we really wish to cover up our age.
However the Lord has taught me a lesson this week. For on the three days I dared to bare the body not so beautiful, I ran cooler and did great times. Put on the shirt and was hotter and slower. So my pride will now take second place. Sorry if it's not a pretty site when I run by you - but you could always look the other way!
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's Word Puzzle Answer: Searching high and low.
LINKS
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ABOUT US
WALKING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES is a non-profit, non-denominational, Bible based ministry located in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. A ministry dedicated to developing discipleship, fostering unity amongst God’s people to achieve the Great Commission, and in doing so, preparing for Christ’s return. It is securely based upon the foundational principles of the Apostles Creed while recognising the wide and rich diversity of beliefs amongst Christians in other areas. In accordance with the Lord’s direction, materials produced by the ministry are available, free of charge, to genuine enquirers upon request. The ministry is solely funded by donations, as the Lord provides. A list of materials available (plus some fun!) is obtainable and freely downloadable from our websitewwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.
Walking With Jesus Ministries
P O Box 5160
Mount Maunganui
New Zealand
Phone: (07) 575-7164 International (0064) 7575-7164
Fax: (07) 575-7124 International (0064) 7575-7124
Email: enquiries@wwj.org.nz
Web: wwj.org.nz
Our role is to bless and encourage those in ministry while promoting co-operation and unity of direction amongst the body of Christ, as emphasised 3 times by Jesus in His longest prayer, immediately prior to His arrest and crucifixion. "… so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17:12, 21, 23-4) Our website is currently being developed to encourage your participation one with another, to share resources, and to enable you to promote events and items of interest to the body as a whole – and have a smile while doing it!
For comments upon and contributions to this service, please contact
david@wwj.org.nz