THIS WEEK’S GRAPHIC
Is "PUSH: Pray Until Something Happens. The graphic is free for use in your non-profit organization's publications, and can be downloaded at www.timothyreport.com
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Welcome to THE TIMOTHY REPORT for May 24, 2004
“To assist, encourage, enable and equip”
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
CHANGING ADDRESSES? If you are changing addresses, first unsubscribe
from the list and then subscribe to the new address
TO UNSUBSCRIBE:
Send a blank e-mail to: TimothyReport-unsubscribe@in-his-steps.com
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
COURAGE
Courage is not limited to the battlefield or the Indianapolis 500 or bravely catching a thief in your house. The real tests of courage are much deeper and much quieter. They are the inner tests, like remaining faithful when nobody’s looking, like enduring pain when the room is empty, like standing alone when you’re misunderstood.
--Charles R. Swindoll
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 24, 2004)
-------------------
SOUL REST
Jesus commands us to learn from Him, to allow Him and His way of life to become such a part of our lives and who we are, that we instantly know His heart. The result is that we will find rest for our souls, the rest we’ve been searching for, the rest we need, the rest that makes every burden light, the rest that changes our entire lives.
I saw this fleshed out this very morning. I got up early, and went outside with the dogs. I was standing there looking at the lake, as I do almost every morning, when I noticed something small moving around in frantic circles out in the water. When I focused on it (this was before I had had any coffee!) I realized that it was a baby duck which had somehow become separated from its mother. It was obvious that this duckling was in a state of panic, swimming around in tight little circles.
But then I saw Momma. She was far out in the middle of the lake, and I found myself wondering how could I help that little duckling know where his Momma is? But there was no need for worry. With a single “quack!” Momma called the little one, and the baby wasted no time in half-swimming, half-flying in a bee-line to Momma.
Momma saw the frenzied, panicked circles of her baby, and she said, “Come!” And once that duckling got to Momma, all the panic ceased. Jesus looks at us and says, “Come!” and if we’ll stop our worry, hustle and panic long enough to go straight to Him, we’ll discover that soul rest we’ve been needing and for which we have been searching for so long.
--Rocky Henriques
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 24, 2004)
-------------------
FACING JUDGMENT
During an impassioned sermon on death and facing judgment, the pastor said forcefully, "every member of this church is going to die and face judgment." Early on in the sermon he noticed a gentleman smiling on the front row.
The minister kept pushing his theme, "Every member of this church is going to die." The guy smiled even more while everyone else in the congregation had a very somber look.
In an effort to get through to the guy, the preacher repeated it several more times forcefully, "EACH MEMBER OF THIS CHURCH IS GOING TO DIE."
Each time the phrase was repeated, the man smiled more. This really got the preacher wound up and he preached even harder. The man still smiled. The preacher finally walked down off the platform to stand just in front of the smiling man and shouted, "I SAID EACH MEMBER OF THIS CHURCH IS GOING TO DIE."
At the end of the service the man was smiling from ear to ear. While everyone else was looking pretty grim from the prospects, the man was now almost laughing out loud. After the service the preacher jumped down off the platform and worked through the crowd to find the man. Pulling him aside, the preacher said, "I don't get it. Every time I said, 'Every member of this church is going to die,' you were laughing. I want to know why you did that?"
The man looked the preacher square in the eye and said confidently, "I'm not a member of this church."
--sent by Timothy Report subscriber David Ledbetter—Thanks, David!
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 24, 2004)
-------------------
CONFLICT
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approve his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.
--Thomas Paine
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 24, 2004)
------------------
THAT’S ONE WAY TO DO IT
A couple just started their Lamaze class and they were given an activity requiring the husband to wear a bag of sand -- to give him an idea of what it feels like to be pregnant.
The husband stood up and shrugged saying, "This doesn't feel so bad." The Lamaze instructor then dropped a pen and asked the husband to pick it up.
"You want me to pick up the pen as if I were pregnant, the way my wife would do it?" the husband asked. "Exactly," replied the instructor.
To the delight of the other husbands, he turned to his wife and said,
"Honey, pick up that pen for me."
--from Richard G. Wimer’s “Wit and Wisdom,” witandwisdom-on@lists.tagnet.org
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 24, 2004)
------------------
GOT A HEADACHE? FORGIVE SOMEONE!
While neurologists and headache specialists have long thought anger could cause headaches, recent research at St. Louis University School of Medicine confirms it. Studies show that individuals who tend to hold onto their anger may be more likely to suffer chronic headaches. Clinical psychologist Robert A. Nicholson studied 422 people, 171 who suffered from chronic headaches and 251 who did not. After dismissing participants with depression and anxiety--two known causes of chronic headaches--he found most of the remaining headache sufferers also had what psychologists call "anger-in," a tendency to suppress their feelings of rage.
Dr. Merle Diamond, associate director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago commented: "Just like some people get ulcers and some grind their teeth, some people get headaches. Anger has to come out somehow."
Doctors had already documented the contribution anger makes to conditions like ulcers, heart disease and high blood pressure. What's new is documentation of anger's relationship to other pain conditions such as backaches and arthritis. Nicholson's recent findings on anger and headaches are part of a larger study on how cognitive traits (personal beliefs, coping skills and tendencies to forgive) are factors in chronic pain. Learning to forgive is one lifestyle change Nicholson recommends to those who suffer from anger-induced headaches. He also suggests using breathing exercises and participating in vigorous activities such as tae kwon do or kickboxing.
--Source: Elena Conis, "Experts say suppressed anger may cause chronic headaches," The Post and Courier, 12 August 2003, www.charleston.net
(NOTE: The above summary was written by Jennifer Denning, and posted at the LifeWay.com website.)
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 24, 2004)
-------------------
FOUR LEVELS OF MATURITY
John Maxwell has identified four levels of maturity for Christians. They are given in progressive order with the least mature viewpoint listed first: (1) I'm going to do what I want, regardless of any thought for God; (2) If God gives me what I want, then I will give him what he wants; (3) I will give God what he wants, with faith that he will give me what I want; and (4) I will give God what he wants, regardless of any thought for myself. Many Christians spend the balance of their life at level two or three but the greatest joy is found at level four.
--"How to Get Commitment for Ministry," John Maxwell, The Pastor's Update, April 1991)
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 24, 2004)
-------------------
THAT’S NOT WHAT HE MEANT TO SAY
One pastor went into the pulpit one Sunday morning wearing a pair of new bifocals. The reading portion of the glasses improved his vision considerably, but the top portion of the glasses didn't work so well. In fact he was experiencing dizziness every time he looked through them.
He explained to the congregation that the new glasses were causing problems, "I hope you will excuse my continually removing my glasses," he said. "You see when I look down I can see fine, but when I look at you, it makes me sick."
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 24, 2004)
-------------------
STEWARDSHIP
There is the story of a pastor who got up one Sunday and announced to his congregation: "I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new building program."
A voice from the back called, “And what is the bad news, pastor?”
“The bad news is, it's still out there in your pockets."
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 24, 2004)
-------------------
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Nearly everytime Jesus is mentioned in the Scriptures as being at the right hand of God, He is sitting. Nearly everytime. But there is one instance, and only one that I can find, where Jesus is seen standing on the right hand of God. What significance is that, and how can it encourage and comfort us when a loved one has died?
Always on the search for another story or illustration? Ever hesitate to use any particular story because you've used it too many times already?
Here's a solution! "Funeral Ideas and Illustrations" contains more than 100 stories, poems, and quotations for use in funerals or in Bible studies or sermons on death.
The items found in this collection come from a wide variety of sources. There may be some stories and/or poems you've used for years, and there are some you've never seen before. Some of the sermon outlines and messages are original material. And it's only $5.
In this collection, you will find:
--A sermon specifically designed for the Thanksgiving Season
--A poem written by a wife and son of a relatively young man who passed away.
--What a man wrote after losing three children to death
--Which hymn encouraged Daniel Webster in his final hours
--What Golda Meir said when asked if Israel would allow Nikita Kruschev's body to be buried in Israel
--An encouraging poem which is great to use in a funeral when a grieving spouse is left behind.
--A portion of a letter a Godly woman left behind for her family to read after she had gone on to be with the Lord.
--Mary Pickford's wonderful analogy of death
--Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's viewpoint of his own approaching death
--The word early Christians used to describe the place where they placed the bodies of loved ones when they died--a comforting, encouraging thought!
Visit http://www.timothyreport.com/funeral.html to view sample illustrations and to learn how to get your copy.
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 24, 2004)
-------------------
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
All lists are owned by S. M. Henriques, publisher of THE TIMOTHY REPORT and of CQDAILY. Both are free and you may unsubscribe at any time by following the instructions above or on each message.
PLEASE do not send unsubscribe messages to the list owner without first trying to unsubscribe yourself.
****************************
This material is copyrighted 2004 S. M. Henriques, Jackson, Mississippi. To receive your FREE subscription, Visit http://www.timothyreport.com
Scroll down on the main page for instructions on how to subscribe.
The Timothy Report is published every Monday by Rocky Henriques, 255 Swan Lake Drive, Jackson, MS 39212. E-mail address: rocky@timothyreport.com. Phone: 601-372-7710
Home Page: www.timothyreport.com
