activated november 2011

8/3/2019 Activated November 2011

1/16

Vol 12 Issue 1

change your l i fe . change your world

Keys to

Communication15 ways to win

The Bus TestChristianity in crisis

SELF-PRESERVATIONLove trumps human nature


2/16

Vol 12, Issue 11

P E R S O N A L L Y S P E A K I N G

You probably didnt understand the law o gravity

in scientic terms until someone explained it to

you, even though youve been subject to it since

birth. You became aware o its basic efect as soon as

you were old enough to sit up and topple over.What goes up must comedown. When you got a little bigger, you learned Te bigger they come, the

harder they all. Tose were tough lessons at a tender age, but they are why

you can now handle the good china without breaking it and climb a ladder

without breaking your neck. Gravity has benets as well as undesirable conse-

quences, o course. Without giving it a passing thought, much less due credit,

you use gravity to arch the ball into the basket, draw water rom the aucet,

check your weight, and perorm a thousand other services.

Just as God created gravity and other laws o physics to govern our physical

world, He created spiritual laws to govern our relationships with Him and

others. I gravity is our starting point in learning about physical realities,parental love is our starting point in learning about relationships. Our parents

love is all we need as babies to eel secure and complete. But as we grow up,

our worlds expand. Situations and relationships get more complex. We nd

that gravity isnt the only natural orce at play, and that not everyone loves us

the way our parents do.

Interpersonal relationships are one o lies greatest challenges, but also one

o its greatest rewards. How can we both give and get the most rom those

relationships? Where do we even start? Jesus gave us the keys when He said,

As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you, and Love one another as I

have loved you.1 As sure as the law o gravity, the better we get to know Jesus,the more o His love we experience and the more it spills over to our relations

with others.

Keith Phillips

ForActivated

Browse our website or contact one of the

distributors below to enjoy the inspiration

motivational, and practical help offered in

books and audiovisual material.

www.activated.orgActivated Ministries

P.O. Box 462805Escondido, CA 920462805, USA

Toll-free: 18778623228Email: [email protected]

Activated Europe

Bramingham Pk. Business Ctr.Enterprise WayLuton, Beds. LU3 4BU, United Kingdo+44 (0) 845 838 1384

Email: [email protected] Africa

P.O. Box 2509Faerie Glen 0043, South Africa+27 (083) 791 2804Email: [email protected]

Activated India

P.O. Box 5215, G.P.O.Bangalore 560 001, IndiaEmail: [email protected]

Activated Philippines

P.O. Box 1147

Antipolo City P.O.1870 Antipolo City, PhilippinesCell: (0922) 8125326Email: [email protected]

Activated Australia

+61 2 8005 1938Email: [email protected]

E Keith Phillips

D Gentian Sui

P Samuel Keating

www.auroraproduction.com

2011 Aurora Production AG. All RightsReserved. Printed in Taiwan by Ji Yi Co., Lt

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise

indicated, are taken from the New King

James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thom

Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights

reserved. Other Bible references are from t

following sources: New International Vers

(NIV). Copyright 1978, 1984 by Internati

Bible Society. Used by permission. New Liv

Translation (NLT). Copyright 1978, 1996

Tyndale House Publishers. Used by permis1. John 15:9,12

2


3/16

THEOTHER SIDEOF THEDESK

and she had to reboot. She muttered

that she was going to take an aspirin

and would be back in a minute.While she was away, I asked God

or wisdom in handling the situation,

and suddenly I saw things rom a

diferent perspective. For a moment

I put aside my aggravation with

how things were going and tried to

imagine what it was like to sit on the

other side o that desk.

As we waited or her computer

to reboot, I asked Olga i she hadencountered my specic problem

beore. Tat was the beginning o a

dialog between two tired, rustrated

women.

Olga explained that she had only

been working at that job or a ew

months. In the past year, she and

husband had divorced, and she ha

gone through a very dicult timeadjusting to her new lie as a singl

parent. I sympathized and explain

that I was a missionary, here to sh

Gods love with people whom I ha

also come to love.

Eventually, she was able to log

back into the system and enter the

correct inormation.

Over the next ew days, we spok

on the phone a number o times aschecked on the progress o my pap

work. Each time our communicati

grew riendlier and more relaxed, a

when I visited her oce to collect

nalized document, Olga took ext

time to veriy that everything was

correct. We parted as good riends

I caught mysel smiling as I

stepped out into the windy evenin

aking a personal interest in someone elses problems had transorm

a mutual ordeal into a mutually

positive experience.

Natalia Nazarova is a transla

tor and lan guage teacher in

Argentina, and a member of th

Family International (TF I).

By Natalia Nazarova

I was submitting somelegal paperwork,and to mydismay there were several discrepan-cies in my documents. Something

that at rst appeared easy to rectiy

instead took several weeks and

numerous appointments to sort out.

At one o the oces where I had

been sent, I came ace to ace with

Olga. She struck me as ecient, but

rather curt. We got of to a rough

start. Mine was probably the hun-

dredth problem she had had to dealwith that day, and it seemed I would

get no sympathy rom her. o make

matters worse, her computer roze


4/16

self-preseBy Peter Amsterdam allow that ear to overpower our aour trust in Gods care diminishes

and we eel that wemust take cont

o events by taking matters into ou

own hands. Tis isnt necessarily b

since the ght or ight instinctis built into our nature; we auto-

matically respond to perceived dan

with moves to protect ourselves an

our loved ones.

Te challenge we ace, though,

is nding the right balance betwee

our human nature and our spiritu

nature. As Christians, we are new

creations who possess more than

human nature alone. I anyone isin Christ, he is a new creation; old

things have passed away; behold,

all things have become new.1 We

have Gods Spirit dwelling within

Do you not know that you are th

temple o God and that the Spirit

o God dwells in you?2 We abide

in Jesus and He abides in us. Abi

1. 2 Corinthians 5:17


3. John 15:4

4. Galatians 5:2223

5. Philippians 2:4 NIV

In one episode ofFoyle'sWar,a V series set in Great Britainduring the early part o World War

II, the Nazis had already deeated

France and an invasion o Great

Britain seemed imminent. Teuncertainty, ear, and instinct to take

care o themselves and their own led

some people to show less concern or

others than they would in normal

circumstances. Many hoarded. Others

stole. Some even committed murder.

But some people, in contrast,

reacted in a completely diferent

manner. Tey were heroic, not by

dint o perorming great deeds,but because they perormed small

deeds selessly. Tey aced their

diculties with dignity. Tey helped

one another. Tey looked out or the

welare o their neighbors and shared

what they had.

Seeing the contrast between the

two types o responses brought homethe challenges we ace when we

nd ourselves in uncertain, dicult

circumstances. In times o economic

or social turmoil, when the status

quo changes, when everything seems

topsy-turvy, its natural or people to

eel concerned or themselves rst

and oremost. Not everyone will

respond in the same way, o course;

the human instinct o sel-preserva-tion takes a more prominent role or

some than or others.

When all around us is unstable, we

become destabilized too. When what

we thought to be solid ground begins

to eel like shiting sand, ear can grip

usear o the uture and ear o the

changes being thrust upon us. I we

4


5/16

vationin Me, and I in you. As the branchcannot bear ruit o itsel, unless it

abides in the vine, neither can you,

unless you abide in Me.3

Our responses to circumstances

and events should be inuenced byChrists presence in us. While we

eel naturally driven toward sel-

preservation, the Spirit o God can

temper that reaction and help us nd

a balanced responseone which is

compatible with Christs nature. Te

ruit o the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

longsufering, kindness, goodness,

aithulness, gentleness, sel-control.4

Such a response isnt easy, becauseour human nature is so, well,

human. Its our deault setting. Being

concerned or others or their need,

situation, or struggle isnt naturally

our rst priority. Because o this,

there is the danger that we will

minimize or even ignore someone

elses needs in avor o our own.

I we plow orward with our sel-

serving plans without consideration

or those around us, chances are we

will make decisions that will hurt

others. Promises and commitments

that weve previously made willtake a back seat, and well gravitate

toward what is best or us. Tis can

cause disillusionment, resentment,

and bitternessany o which will

damage riendships. Tose let in the

wake o our selshness will sufer,

because we allowed our human

nature to override the Spirit o God

within us.

When this happens, we sufer aswell. It may not come in ways we can

see, at least not immediately, but it

invariably does us harm. We under-

mine Gods blessing, and we lose the

respect o others. I read somewhere

that in business, i someone is

displeased with a certain product, as

a rule they will tell about 50 other

people about it in their lietime. I

we have damaged someones aith

in us by harming them with our

sel-preserving acts, they may neve

ully trust us again. And its possib

even likely, that they will convey tmistrust to others. It hurts them, a

it hurts us.

aking care o your own needs

and the needs o your loved ones

isnt wrong, but as ollowers o Jes

lled with the Spirit o God, we

should step back rom ocusing on

on our own needs in order to see t

needs o others also. Each o you

should look not only to your owninterests, but also to the interests o

others. 5 Finding the proper balan

in that should be our goal.

Peter Amsterdam and his wife

Maria Fontaine, are director

of TFI, an international

community of faith.


6/16

THE ASSIGNMENTGod puts people in our lives on purpose so we can

help them succeed and help them become all He cr

ated them to be. Most people will not reach their u

potential without somebody else believing in them.

Tat means you and I have an assignment. Everywh

we go, we should be encouraging people, building

them up, challenging them to reach or new heights

When people are around us, they should leave bette

of than they were previously. Te Bible says that lois kind.1 One translation says, Love looks or a way

o being constructive.2 In other words, love looks

ways to help improve somebody elses lie.

Joel Osteen3


2. New Testament in Modern English by J.B. Phillips

3. Become a Better You, Free Press, New York 2008

THE RESPECT EFFECT

A banker always tossed a coin in the cup o a legless

beggar who sat on the street outside the bank. But

unlike most people, the banker would always insist

on getting one o the pencils the man had beside him.

You are a merchant, the banker would say, and I

always expect to receive good value rom the mer-chants I do business with.

One day the legless man was not on the sidewalk.

ime passed and the banker orgot about him until

he walked into a public building one day. Tere in

the concessions stand sat the ormer beggar, now the

owner o his own small business.

I have always hoped you might come by someday,

the man said to the banker. You are largely respon-

sible or my being here. You kept telling me that I

was a merchant. I started thinking o mysel that way,rather than as a beggar receiving gits. I started selling

pencilslots o them. You gave me sel-respect. You

caused me to look at mysel diferently.

Retold by Randy Stanford

THE L IFESAVER

Susans personal problems were

enormous. She was dealing with tou

issues rom her past. Her husband ha

emotionally withdrawn rom her. Te

amily was in nancial trouble. Someho

she kept up a good ront at work, even

though she was thinking o suicide.

Ten she received a Christmas card rom

her boss with these handwritten words: I

dont know what wed do without you. Tank

you or being so competent and helpul.

Later she commented, I ramed that card an

put it up in my kitchen. Its like a sign that says,Youre okay!

So send that card. Write that note. You may be

giving someone just the lit he or she needs.

David C. Egner

6


7/16

,

-. R

Y ,

The 14th Dalai Lama (b. 1935)

LOVING-

KINDNESSIS TWICE

BLESSEDBy Lilia Potters

The weather had been dark and rainy,and I elt just as gloomy. It happens to us all, I guess.

As I sat at my desk, I remembered it was the birthday

o a longtime rienda single, middle-aged woman

who had dedicated the past 30 years to nursing and

loved her work. Knowing that she didnt have amily in

town, I decided to give her a call. Sure enough, she was

on B shit, scheduled to work late into the evening, and

wouldnt have much o a birthday this year. As always,

though, she sounded cheerul and was happy I had called.

Ater I hung up, I couldnt shake the eeling that she

would really appreciate a little special attention on her

birthday. Still eeling a little gloomy mysel, I tried to

put the thought out o my mind, but as the day passed

I couldnt shake it. I nally gave in, and that evening se

of to the hospital with a card, a slice o cheesecake, an

ower sculpted rom balloons.

My riends grateul smile and joyul exclamationsassured me I had done the right thing and were a gene

ous reward or the little efort it had taken.

When I got home, I realized that I had not only

cheered up a lonely riend on her birthday, but I had

caused my own gloom to dissipate in the process. Mak

her day had made my own.

Isnt that the way it is when we take the time and m

the efort to do something or someone else? Its like th

little saying, Loving-kindness is twice blessed; it blesse

him who gives, and him who receives.Lie constantly presents us with opportunities to tak

an extra step or do a kind deed that will make a difere

to someone. And the wonderul thing is that as we do,

changes things or the better or us too. Like a boomer

ang, the blessing comes back to us.

Lilia Potters is a writer and editor who lives i

the U.S.


8/16

I stood on the crowded bus, heart poundingand eeling ushed. I had read somewhere that a pregnant

woman at rest is in efect working harder than the average

person climbing a mountain. But that wasnt the reason

or my rapid heart rate and the resultant glow.

I was uming. Here I was, over seven months pregnant,

and no one ofered me and my prominent belly their

seat. I had been one o the last people to board the bus

because nearly everyone else had pushed ahead to secure

themselves a seat.I had been involved in volunteer work in that Asian

country or a ew years. Ater a long day at a program

or the underprivileged, the only transport available was

a city bus, stufy and packed with commuters. I could

understand their end-o-the-workday weariness, but not

their lack o common courtesy. Who wouldnt ofer a

pregnant woman a seat? I stood there hung to mysel

until I reached my destination.

Te next day, I voiced my annoyance to a coworker.

She sympathized and shared a ew o her own experienceso having to deal with rude ellow passengers on buses.

Back and orth we went about the lack o manners and

consideration we sometimes encounter.

My husband listened silently or a ew minutes, and

then ofered a ew words o his own, which helped put

things in perspective. We want to make a diference

with our projects and programs. Te real test o our love,

though, is the buses.

BE SLOWBE QUICK!

Be slow to suspectquick to trust;Slow to condemnquick to justify;

Slow to oendquick to defend;

Slow to exposequick to shield;

Slow to belittlequick to appreciat

Slow to demandquick to give;

Slow to provokequick to help;

Slow to resentquick to forgive.

Author unknown

He was right. I dedicate much o my time to helpin

others, but here I was, in the comort o my own home

surrounded by all that I need, being critical o those

same people. Who qualies or my love and empathy?

Only those who exhibit certain social graces that I

consider elementary?

Sometimes it is healthy to travel on a hot, crowded

bus, to see and eel the things that others ace on a

daily basis, to remember how blessed I am, and to

be reminded that everyone needs and deserves love,respect, and consideration.

Bonita Hele is a freelance writer and editor in

the U.S., and a member of TFI.

By Bonita Hele

THE BUS TEST

8


9/16

At about 3 pm on March 11,2011, the ohoku earthquake hitthe northeastern hal o Japan. It was

the worst earthquake in that areas

recorded history. Tousands werekilled, and hundreds o thousands

more were orced to evacuate

and move in with riends or into

temporary shelters.

When we elt the rst tremors,

my sister, Yuriko, and I thought

nothing o them. Small earthquakes

are requent, sometimes daily, occur-

rences in Japan. Everyone learns

to take them in stride. However,when the shaking escalated instead

o subsiding, we rushed outside and

held onto each other just to stay on

our eet. Te ground undulated.

Our house, which was built to

withstand earthquakes, swayed like

the trees outside but didnt all. We

later learned that in the area where

I , ; ,

.John Churton Collins

By Yoko Matsuoka

BUILT TOSTAND

we live, 205 km (128 mi) rom the

epicenter, the tremor measured 6.5

in magnitude.

My rst concern ater the quake

was how my riends and amily hadared. Te electricity, gas, and water

had all been cut, the phone lines

were jammed, and it was very cold.

ransportation had ground to a halt,

so Yuriko and I could not even get

to where our parents were. Realizing

that the best thing we could do

in such a situation was pray, we

prayed or everyone we could think

o. Eventually we were able to getthrough to our parents. I have never

been so relieved as when they told us

they were sae.

When our electricity was restored,

I got online to nd out how my

other amily members and riends

across Japan were doing. It had

only been a ew hours since the

earthquake struck, but my Facebo

wall was already plastered with no

How are you doing? Im prayin

or you! You and your amily are

my prayers!One by one, our riends report

that they were unharmed. Some

people told o having been near

actories that had caught re, or n

the seashore where they could hav

been swept away by the ensuing

tsunami, but all had been protecte

rom harm.

Te earthquake made me appre

ate my riends and their supportmore than ever. Like the sturdy

construction o our house, made t

withstand violent shaking, riends

is best proven in times o trouble.

Yoko Matsuoka is an

illustrator and a member of

TFI in Japan.


10/16

I boarded the plane thatwould take me homefrom a visit to Toronto,Canada.A gentleman came andsat in the seat beside me, talking on

his iPhone. I recognized his SouthArican accent, having attended a

conerence there the previous year.

Soon enough, Andrew Harrison

and I were engaged in a lively con-

versation that lasted or the rest o

the ight. He had a lot o stories to

tell, and I mostly listened. I discov-

ered he had experience in outdoor

adventure team-building. For several

years his job had involved takingteams o coworkers, oten executives,

on adventurous outings into the

South Arican bushan experience

that would, quite literally, stress them

to their limits.

Andrew grinned as he told me in

detail about the various dilemmas,

puzzles, and challenges he would set

By Jessie Richards

up or these oce dwellers in the

great outdoors. As they encountered

situations where they were physically

challenged, emotionally tested, and

downright scared, they would start

to become diferent peoplepeoplewho had gained new perspectives and

understood things about themselves

and their coworkers that they

hadnt seen or understood beore.

When they returned home, most o

them would get back to work with

signicant issues resolved.

Tat sounded to me like a

ascinating prospectto learn new

things about mysel and my co-workers by testing my limits. I also

thought about how engaging it must

have been to be in his positionnot

just or the sheer adventure o being

in interesting and exciting places,

but or the opportunity to see

others experience epiphanies and

transormations.

Its not every day that I get to

talk to someone like Andrew, and

gured I could get some excellent

tips and advice based on his years

experience in working with people

rom such an interesting angle.In all your years o team-build

ing, I asked, what would you say

has been the most common issue o

problem that needed to be resolve

among these groups o people?

Communication. Te issue ha

nearly always been communicatio

Because people who work

together dont talk to each other

enough?Teytalkplenty! What hardly

anyone does enough o is listen.

Tat was anAha!moment or

me or more like a Duh!momen

It sounded amiliar enough, altho

I know Im not nearly as good at

listening as I should be. I said earl

that I mostly listened during our

I THINK

10


11/16

conversation, but that was because

I really wanted to hear Andrews

stories. In other circumstances,

though, I dont think I can say as

much or mysel.

Andrew went on to share howcommunication isnt communica-

tion unless people understand one

another. More oten than not, people

think they have communicated

because they have said what they elt

needed to be said, or have written

what they elt needed to be written,

but in reality they dont have a clue

whether or not the other person

understood them. Very oten, theother person will have gotten a

completely diferent idea than what

the communicator intended.

o nd out i you have communi-

cated efectively or have understood

what someone else was communicat-

ing, ask questions andyou guessed

itlisten!

Not long ago I listened to a talk by

Peter Kreet, One Ting Needed,

that built on my newound listening

lesson. He wisely stated, Not many

people can be great speakers. We can

allbe great listeners. I think thatsometimes I try too hard to be a good

speaker, and orget that the majority

o the time thats simply not what

people want or need.

Kreet also said, When we listen

to each other, thats rare, thats special.

Something always happens when we

listen. I do have a ew recollections

o times when I discovered something

amazing by the simple act o shuttingup and listening. Unortunately, they

are relatively ew. I could have had so

many more.

I dont know that a lielong resolu-

tion to listen more is realistic, but I am

now trying to ocus on nding people

to listen to. Why would I want to limit

mysel to whats in my own mind when

I can gain insights rom many mind

including, notably, Gods mind.

Something else just came to me

about the beauty o listening: Ter

are times in our livesand now is

one such time in minewhen wedont eel we have a whole lot to

give. Were struggling, maybe even

little lost, ourselves. We want to he

others, but what can we say thats

sure to help? Well, maybe there are

situations when there isnt anythin

we can say that would help. But

everyone wants to be listened to an

understood. I I can listen, Ill alwa

have something valuable to give. Mlikely, that will be more appreciate

than whatever I could say anyway.

Jessie Richards is supervisor o

TFIs Mission Services depart-

ment, which produces Activat

She lives in the Washington D

area.

I GET IT


12/16

We could all stand toimprove in our r elationswith others, and the Bible haslots o helpul counsel or us on that

subjecthow to work with others,

how to treat them, and so on. It talks

about patience, longsufering, unsel-

ishness, and giving. But it goes on to

say that loveis the most importantthing. Te greatest o these is love.1

Love is the most important ingredi-

ent in our relations with others.

Te hallmark o Jesus ministry

was love, and He tells us to love like-

wise. A new command I give you:

Love one another. As I have loved

you, so you must love one another.2

How can we say we love God whom


2. John 13:34 NIV

3. See 1 John 4:20. Paul mentions three Christian

virtuesfaith, hope, loveat th

end of 1 Corinthians 13, his grea

chapter on love, and each one

enfolds a paradox.

Love involves caring about

people most of us would prefer

not to care about.Hope gives us the power to

look beyond circumstances that

otherwise appear hopeless.

As for faith, it will always mea

believing in what cannot be

proven, committing to that of

which we can never be sure.

Philip Yancey

And it must be possible, or He

wouldnt have put us in that situat

We only grow and learn when

have a challenge, so look at this as

a new challenge. What can I do t

grow in my relationships with othpeople? Part o the answer to tha

is growing in our relationship with

Jesus, because when we do, were

more loving toward other people.

we love God, well love others, too

because loving others is one way w

show Him love. And thats what it

all about. Tats the main purpose

livingto love God and others. L

is the most important thing!

LOVEis theMostImportant

ThingBy Maria Fontaine

we cant see, i we cant love the

people we live and work with all thetime? How can we say we love people

whom we havent seen, i we dont

love those we see every day?3

God puts certain people in our

livesrelatives, coworkers, overseers,

clients, or neighborswhether we

like it or not. Whether we like to be

with these people or not, He has put

us with them and its our responsibil-

ity to love them. I we have a hardtime getting along with them, He

evidently knows we need to learn to,

or He wouldnt have put us together.

12


13/16

Good communication

depends on a few basicprinciples. Learn these, and youwill be well on the way to happy,

productive relationships.

Honesty. I you want to get of

on the right oot with others, be

honest and straightorward rom

the start.

Tact. Its important to be honest,

but its also important to be loving

and considerate in your presenta-tion, especially with people who

are naturally sensitive or when the

subject could be sensitive.

Wisdom.Wisdom is what helps

you be tactul. Youll nd a lot o

useul wisdom within the pages

o the Bible, but you can also get

wisdom that is tailor made or

each situation by asking God or

it. Tat is promised in the Bible,1but you need to ask.

Love. You may not do or say

everything right, but i others see

that you are motivated by love

and concern, little problems or

1. See James 1:5.

2. Matthew 7:12

misunderstandings are less likely

to become big ones. Prayer. Sometimes praying

together about a shared situation

can help things click between two

people like nothing else.

Positiveness. Being upbeat usually

elicits a like response.

Timing.Knowing when to say

something is oten as important as

knowing what to say. So is know-

ing when notto say anything. Approachability.Dictionary

denitions o approachable

include accessible; easy to meet,

know, talk with, etc.; riendly.

When someone knows you will

take time or him or her, youve

won a riend.

Attentiveness. Listen to what

others have to say without inter-

rupting, trying to hurry themalong, or nishing their sentences

or them. Nothing opens a

channel or constructive dialogue

better than being a good listener.

Open-mindedness. Peoples

opinions and the way they

approach problems are as difer-

ent as people themselves. Letting

others express their thoughts

and eelings conveys respect anosters positive, ruitul exchan

People will be much more at ea

with you and more likely to tur

to you or advice i they know

will be open to what they have

say, even i you dont agree.

Empathy. Be sensitive to other

likes and dislikes, needs, and

moods. Put yoursel in their sh

Practice the Golden Rule.2

Asenseofhumor. A little laugh

can be just the thing to keep

potentially dicult exchanges r

getting too intense. Lighten up!

Clarity. Tere would be a lot e

misunderstandings between peo

i they didnt beat around the bu

or rely so much on hints. Dont

leave others guessing; say what

you mean. I youre not sure theunderstand your point, ask them

Eort. Sometimes communica

ing is plain hard work.

Consistency.People who comm

nicate regularly understand eac

other better and are more likely

be able to work through proble

when they come up.

keys tocommunicationBy Keith Phillips


14/16

Jesus wants to be your closest,

truest friend. If you dont yet kn

Him personally, you can meet H

right now. Simply pray:

Jesus, I want to know You. Com

into my life and help me experien

Your loving presence.

Good friends are honest even

when they know it may hurt

initially.

Wounds rom a sincere riend are

better than many kisses rom an

enemy.Proverbs 27:6 NLT

Friends celebrate each

others victories.

What woman, having ten silvercoins, i she loses one coin, does not

light a lamp, sweep the house, and

search careully until she nds it?

And when she has ound it, she calls

her riends and neighbors together,

saying, Rejoice with me, or I have

ound the piece which I lost!Luke

15:89

It is the bridegroom who marries

the bride, and the best man is simplyglad to stand with him and hear his

vows. Tereore, I am lled with joy

at his success.John 3:29 NLTTrue friends are there for

each other in hard times.

o him who is aicted, kind-

ness should be shown by his

riend.Job 6:14

A riend loves at all times, and a

brother is born or a time o adver-

sity.Proverbs 17:17 NIV

Friends help make you a better

person.

As iron sharpens iron, so a riend

sharpens a riend.Proverbs 27:17 NLT

wo people are better of than

one, or they can help each othersucceed. I one person alls, the other

can reach out and help.Ecclesiastes

4:910 NLTFriends give good advice.

Te heartelt counsel o a riend is

as sweet as perume and incense.

Proverbs 27:9 NLTFriends are forgiving.

Love prospers when a ault is

orgiven, but dwelling on it separatesclose riends.Proverbs 17:9 NLTFriends dont gossip.

A whisperer separates the best o

riends.Proverbs 16:28

Choose your friends wisely.

Te righteous choose their riends

careully, but the way o the wicked

leads them astray.Proverbs 12:26 NIV

Walk with the wise and becom

wise; associate with ools and get i

trouble.Proverbs 13:20 NLT

Tere are riends who destroy

each other, but a real riend sticks

closer than a brother.Proverbs

18:24 NLT

Jesus set the ultimate examp

of a friend, and He shared Hsecret with us.

Love each other in the same wa

I have loved you. Tere is no great

love than to lay down ones lie or

ones riends.John 15:1213 NL

Samuel Keating is Activated s

production coordinator and

lives in Milan, Italy.

FEEDING READING

By Samuel Keating

Fr i endsh i P

14


15/16

A riend is someone who understands

your past, believes in your uture,

and accepts you just the way you are.

Author unknown

Each riend represents a world in us,

a world possibly not born until they

arrive, and it is only by this meeting

that a new world is born.Anais Nin (19031977)

Do not save your loving speeches

For your riends till they are dead;

Do not write them on their

tombstones,

Speak them rather now instead.

Anna Cummin

Are you upset little riend? Have youbeen lying awake worrying? Well,

dont worry Im here. Te ood

waters will recede, the amine will

end, the sun will shine tomorrow,

and I will always be here to take care

o you.

Charlie Brown to Snoopy in

Peanuts, by Charles Schulz

Te only way to have a riend is to

be one.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (18031882)

A good riend is a connection to

liea tie to the past, a road to the

uture, the key to sanity in a totally

insane world.

Lois Wyse (19262007)

Te riend who can be silent with us

in a moment o despair or conusion,

who can stay with us in an hour

o grie and bereavement, who can

tolerate not knowing not healing,

not curing that is a riend who

cares.

Henri Nouwen (19321996)

Sometimes being a riend means

mastering the art o timing. Tere is

a time or silence. A time to let go

and allow people to hurl themselves

into their own destiny. And a time to

prepare to pick up the pieces when

its all over.

Gloria Naylor (b. 1950)

Tere are only two people who can

tell you the truth about yoursel

enemy who has lost his temper an

riend who loves you dearly.

Antisthenes (445365bc)

A cheerul riend is like a sunny da

spreading brightness all around.

John Lubcock (18341913)

A riend is one to whom one may

pour out all the contents o ones

heart, chaf and grain together,

knowing that the gentlest o hand

will take and sit it, keep what is

worth keeping, and with a breath

kindness blow the rest away.

Arabian proverb

I will speak ill o no man, and spe

all the good I know o everybody.

Benjamin Franklin (17061790

Te greatest good you can do or

another is not just share your rich

but to reveal to him his own.

Benjamin Disraeli (18041881)

POINTS TO PONDER

be a friend


16/16

I once told My ollowers, Do to others as you would have

them do to you.1 So many problems would be solved ipeople would live by that simple rule. Not only is it theright thing to do, but it is the smart thing to do. When youdo iteven when its to your own hurt at rstit eventu-ally comes back to you in the orm o more love and othergood things in your own lie. When you build your lie andcharacter on treating people the way you want to be treated,its inevitable that they will return the avor by treating youwith respect and kindness. But it starts with you.

You have opportunities every day to spread goodwill. Youace choices every day in which you can either do what isbest or yoursel or best or someone else. Sometimes it canbe dicult to do the right thing, especially when the personyoure dealing with hasnt done right to you. You may noteel others deserve to be treated with love and kindness orthat they are worth the sacrice, but I didnt say, Do toothers as they do to you. My code or living is ar abovethat normal perception o airness. I want you to live on a

higher plane. Anyone can be nice to those who are nice, butthe person who can be nice to those who arentis the biggerperson and more blessed by Me.

1. Matthew 7:12, paraphrased

FROM JESUS WITH LOVE

Live the

Golden Rule

activated november 2011

Documents