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WITandWISDOM(tm) - September 18, 2006 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: A careless word may kindle strife. A cruel word may wreck a life. A timely word may level stress. A loving word may heal and bless. Source: Carol's Thought for Today, http://users.adelphia.net/~mrs.carol ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Edward Steichen, who eventually became one of the world's most renowned photographers, almost gave up on the day he shot his first pictures. At 16, young Steichen bought a camera and took 50 photos. Only one turned out--a portrait of his sister at the piano. Edward's father thought that was a poor showing. But his mother insisted that the photograph of his sister was so beautiful that it more than compensated for 49 failures. Her encouragement convinced the youngster to stick with his new hobby. He stayed with it for the rest of his life, but it had been a close call. What tipped the scales? The vision to spot excellence in the midst of a lot of failure. Bits & Pieces, February 4, 1993 Source: Weekend Encounter, by Dick Innes, Copyright (c) ACTS International, 2004, http://www.actsweb.org/subscribe.php ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: (8-17-06) A young Austrian convict missed prison so much after his release that he tried to break back in. Detlef Federsohn, 23, was released from the Josefstadt prison in the Austrian capital Vienna after serving two years for theft. But he was arrested last week when police were called out to a suspected prison break after he was spotted on the roof of the jail. Federsohn said: "Life is so much easier on the inside. They feed you, do your washing and let you watch TV, which I can tell you is a lot more than my mum does. So I thought if I could sneak back in I would blend in with the others and the guards wouldn't notice." Source: Ananova http://www.ananova.com ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: As my friend neared her car, pushing a cart full of groceries, she noticed that a note had been stuck to her cracked windshield. It mysteriously read "Phone Ben," with a telephone number she didn't recognize. Puzzled, she unloaded the grocery cart, peeled the note from the glass and left. After she had unloaded the groceries at home, curiosity overcame her. She reached for the phone and dialed the unfamiliar number. After three rings a male voice answered: "Windshield repairs. Ben speaking." Submitted by Lorraine ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: About 20 years ago, I said something impromptu to the new members standing in a row across the front of the church. As we received them, the Holy Spirit prompted me to add, "And now, I charge you that if you ever hear another member speak an unkind word of criticism or slander against anyone—myself, an usher, a choir member, or anyone else—that you stop that person in mid-sentence and say, 'Excuse me—who hurt you? Who ignored you? Who slighted you? Was it Pastor Cymbala? Let's go to his office right now. He'll apologize to you, and then we'll pray together so God can restore peace to this body. But we won't let you talk critically about people who aren't present to defend themselves.' "I'm serious about this. I want you to help resolve this kind of thing immediately. And know this: If you are ever the one doing the loose talking, we'll confront you." To this day, every time we receive new members, I say much the same thing. That's because I know what most easily destroys churches. It's not crack cocaine, government oppression, or even lack of funds. Rather it's gossip and slander that grieves the Holy Spirit. Citation: Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (Zondervan, 1997); quoted in Men of Integrity (January/February 2001). Source: Leadership Weekly, http://tinyurl.com/fqm43