Thought for the week: "He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." – Martin Luther King

"Grace is the presence of God in every circumstance fulfilling God's loving intention in our lives." – Tod Bolsinger

"I am more and more convinced that our happiness or our unhappiness depends far more on the way we meet the events of life than on the nature of those events themselves." – Karl Wilhelm

"The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend." – Henry David Thoreau

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." – Winston Churchill

"Great deeds are usually wrought at great risks." – Herodotus

"Be true to your work, your word, and your friend." – Henry David Thoreau

"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men." – Martin Luther King Jr.

2. On the Lighter Side

"I was walking down the street wearing glasses when the prescription ran out." – Steven Wright

"We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons." – Alfred E. Neuman (Mad Magazine)

"When you were a little kid remember how hard it was to get a cookie? Way in the back, unless your mom was really mean—then they'd be on top of the refrigerator. Nowhere on a package of Oreos does it say, 'Keep out of reach of small children.' But where's the Liquid Drano? Under the sink, right next to the rest of the poisons." – Mike Bullard

3. Learning from Children

Author and lecturer, Leo Buscaglia, once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.

The winner was:

A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

Source Unknown

4. Together As Brothers

We must learn to live together as brothers
or perish together as fools.

Hatred paralyzes life;
love releases it.

Hatred confuses life;
love harmonizes it.

Hatred darkens life;
love illuminates it."

Martin Luther King Jr. Source: Molly Rhea, "Quotes of the Day"

5. Looking in the Mirror

Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, "surely I can't look that old?" I love this story below that has been widely circulated:

I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 37 years ago. Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then?

Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. Hmmm ... or could he?

After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School.

"Yes. Yes, I did. I'm a Mustang," he gleamed with pride.

"When did you graduate?" I asked.

He answered, "In 1967. Why do you ask?"

"You were in my class!" I exclaimed.

He looked at me closely. Then, that ugly, wrinkled old man asked, "What did you teach?"

It's so easy, isn't it, to see the faults in someone else? We see their wrinkles. We see their gray hair. Even more than that, we see all the "specks" in their eyes (Matthew 7:3). But we are not so quick to notice those flaws in ourselves.

Alan Smith, Friday's Thought For The Day. To subscribe send a blank email to join-thought-for-the-day@hub.xc.org. Archives at http://www.tftd-online.com

6. The Make-Up Test

By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (551.2)

Chad and his three friends were college seniors doing well in their classes. Even though the final physics exam was scheduled for the following Monday, Chad persuaded his buddies to take a weekend trip several hundred miles away. He told his worried friends they could study in the car when they got back Sunday night. Instead, the boys partied all weekend and by Sunday night they knew they weren't ready for the exam.

Chad, an A student, told them to relax. He had a plan. He called the professor at home Monday morning and told him they were on the road and ready to take the final. But they'd had a flat tire, didn't have a spare, and couldn't get help. Chad convinced the professor to let them take a make-up exam.

When they showed up to take the exam, the professor placed them in separate rooms and handed each a test booklet. They were relieved that the first problem, worth 5 points, was simple. They were less pleased when they read the second problem, worth 95 points: "Which tire was flat, and what time did the repair truck finally come?"

Chad's exam had an additional note: "Chad, I just received a reference request from Harvard. How you do on this exam will determine how I fill it out."

Then he added a P.S.: "You took two exams today. One was on physics, the other was on integrity. It would have been much better if you only flunked physics."

Kids will be kids, but all choices have consequences. Chad and his buddies took one risk by not studying, but they took a much greater risk when they made up a phony excuse.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

© 2007 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

7. Does God Care?

Sample of Daily Encounter by Dick Innes

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."1

My twenty-something son came to see me last night. He was terribly distraught over a broken relationship that triggered a lot of pain from the past. As I hugged him, he sobbed his heart out on my shoulder. I am so thankful that he felt safe enough to do this, knowing that it is always okay to share his feelings with me no matter what those feelings are.

At times like these I have little to say—I feel my silence and giving him my presence speaks the loudest. I do, however, assure him of my love and acceptance no matter what. Unfortunately—usually more by men than women—when our kids or anyone else is hurting, we want to fix them and wax eloquent with unsolicited advice—advice that is totally divorced from the need of the moment and totally misses the opportunity to be as Jesus to one who is hurting. What people need when they are troubled is a listening ear, an understanding heart, and a shoulder to cry on.

At a time like this the question is often asked, "Where is God when our heart is breaking ... does he care? Strange enough, right while my son was sobbing his heart out, the following gospel song was being sung on my computer. It brought tears to my eyes.

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress,
And the way grows weary and long?

Refrain:
Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.

Does Jesus care when I've tried and failed
To resist some temptation strong;
When for my deep grief there is no relief,
Though my tears flow all the night long?

Does Jesus care when I've said "goodbye"
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks –
Is it aught to Him? Does He see?2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you do care when my heart is breaking. Help me to always remember this and sense your comforting presence knowing that when I commit and trust my life to you, you will, in time, turn my mourning into rejoicing and I will become a richer, healthier, more caring person. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."