Insights Magazine: September 2012

Page 1

September 2012

The Guts of

compassion


in this issue 3 Tenderness Charles R. Swindoll pressure points

6 Looking Past the Pain Steve Johnson lifetrac

“Rather than simply suffering

with our friends, we tend to give advice.”

9 Sharing the Father’s Heart Annalisa Brooks STRONG FAMILY

12 Getting Messy Sandy Shier laughing matters

14 Life, Love, & Hot Dogs Phil Callaway Help Me Understand

17 Spiritual Warfare, Part 2—The World Insight for Living Canada

Copyright © 2012 Insight for Living Canada. All rights reserved. No portion of this monthly publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. Insights is published by IFLC, the Bible-teaching ministry of Charles R. Swindoll. IFLC is an autonomous ministry and certified member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages are taken from the NASB. Printed in Canada. Unless otherwise noted, photography by IFLC staff.


by Charles R. Swindoll

3


W

hen I was just a kid, I got a bellyache that wouldn’t go away. It hurt so bad I couldn’t stand up straight or sit down without increasing the pain. Finally, my folks hauled me over to a big house in West Houston where a surgeon lived. He had turned the back section of his home into his office and clinic. It was a hot, muggy afternoon. I was scared. The doc decided I needed a quick exam—though he was fairly sure I was suffering from an attack of appendicitis. He had whispered that under his breath to my mom. I remember the fear that gripped me when I pictured myself having to go to Memorial Hospital, be put to sleep, get cut on, and then endure having those stitches jerked out. Looking back, however, I really believe that “quick exam” hurt worse than surgery the next day. The physician was rough; I mean really rough. He poked and thumped and pulled and pushed at me like I was Raggedy Andy. I was already in pain, but by the time Dr. Vice Grip finished his examination, I felt like I had been his personal punching bag. To him, I was nothing more than a 10-year-old specimen of homo sapiens. Male, blond, slight build, with a 99-degree temperature, nausea, and undetermined abdominal pain on the lower right side. Never once do I recall his looking at me, listening to me, talking with me, or caring about me. Although young, I distinctly remember feeling like I bored the man—like I was case number 13 that day, appendectomy number 796 for him in his practice. Truth be told, I felt like I was an irritating interruption in his plans for 18 holes of golf that afternoon. Granted, a 10-year-old with a bellyache is not much of a challenge for a seasoned 4

Tenderness continued from p. 3

physician…but his insensitivity left a lasting impression. His lack of tender caring cancelled out the significance of all those neatly framed diplomas, achievements, and awards plastered across the wall behind his desk. At that painful, terrifying moment of my young life, I needed more than credentials. Even though a little kid, I needed compassion. A touch of kindness. A gentle, considerate, soft-spoken word of assurance; and a smile would have helped. Something to cushion the blows of the man’s cut-and-dried verdict, “This boy needs surgery. Meet me at Memorial at five o’clock today.” Looking back more than 60 years, I’ve learned a valuable lesson: when people are hurting, they need much more than an accurate analysis and a quick diagnosis. More than professional advice. I needed far more than a stern, firm turn of a verbal wrench that cinches everything down tight. Attorneys, doctors, counsellors, physical therapists, dentists, fellow ministers, nurses, teachers, disciple-makers, parents…hear ye, hear ye! Fragile and fearful are the feelings of most who seek our help. Like tiny feathers, easily blown away in haste, they need to sense we are there to help because we care about them…not just because it’s our job. Truth and tact make great bedfellows. Sound too liberal? Weak? Would it help if you could see that someone like the Apostle Paul embraced tenderness? Although a brilliant and disciplined man, Paul was a compassionate and tender man. For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed— God is witness—nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have


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asserted our authority. But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. (1 Thess. 2:5-8)

“When people are hurting, they need much more than an accurate analysis and a quick diagnosis.” Some day we shall all be on the receiving end of tenderness. We shall be the ones in need of affirmation, encouragement, a gentle touch of tenderness. It’s like the timeworn counsel of Thomas Sydenham, the “English Hippocrates” (1624–1689), who offered to the professionals of his day: It becomes every person who purposes to give himself to the care of others, seriously to consider the four following things: First, that he must one day give an account to the Supreme Judge of all the lives entrusted to his care. Second, that all his skill and knowledge and energy, as they have been given him by God, so they should be exercised for His glory and the good of mankind, and not for mere gain or ambition. Third, and not more beautifully than truly, let him reflect that he has undertaken the care of no mean creature; for, in order that he may estimate the value, the greatness of the human race, the only begotten Son of God became himself a man, and thus ennobled it with His divine dignity, and far more than this, died to redeem it. And fourth, that the doctor being himself a mortal human being, should be diligent and tender in relieving his suffering patients, inasmuch as he himself must one day be a like sufferer. All of that applies to 10-year-olds with bellyaches, 80-year-olds with backaches, anybody with a headache…and everybody with a heartache.

Yes!

You read right! It CAN be this easy! With this new line of quick answers and cliché reactions you’ll be ready for anything!

Photograph of Chuck Swindoll © 2012 by Luke Edmonson

5


Pressure Points

Looking

Past the

Pain by Steve Johnson

6


“Well, everybody hurts sometimes, everybody cries, and everybody hurts sometimes.” Song lyrics by R.E.M.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another…” (Eph. 4:32).

T

he call came at about 1:30 am. The 16-year-old son of a parishioner’s friend had hanged himself. They were at the hospital and would I come? As a pastor at the time I went and ministered to the grieving woman as best I could while her dead son lay on the gurney in front of us. I wanted to be compassionate yet found I had to detach emotionally and view the situation in a somewhat objective way. I thought I could minister better that way but to her I probably seemed cold and unfeeling. I don’t think I’m any different than you when I say I don’t like to experience pain of any kind—physical, emotional, or psychological. And that extends to other people’s pain. I don’t like to see others hurting either. Being compassionate or not is all about what you look at and see. The fact that we don’t like seeing pain makes compassion difficult, but compassion only occurs in the context of another’s pain. Therefore, it often isn’t felt because we are unwilling to look at another’s pain. Faced with the reality of pain and then striving to be compassionate I realize we need to see a few things. First, we have to see and accept that pain is part of living and dying. No one is immune from suf-

fering and pain. No one. Plato said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Job said, “Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). Jesus said, “In this life you will have trouble” (Jn.16:33). Tears, sorrow, and pain will not be wiped away until heaven (Rev. 21:4). Until we accept that pain is part of living and dying, we cannot be compassionate. We also learn a couple things by looking at Jesus. He saw and understood the heart of the Father God who identified Himself as “…The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God” (Ex. 34:6). Many of the parables Jesus told, such as the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son (Lk.15) are meant to display the Father’s compassionate heart. If we lack compassion it may be because we fail to understand the depth of compassion, which God has shown us. And when we comprehend that, our hearts will be softer to others’ pain. The other thing we see when looking at Jesus is how He sees people. He doesn’t look superficially. He looks deeply and sees their hearts and their pain. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36). He had eyes to see the hurt and then eyes to see the heart. 7


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Too often we fail to be compassionate because we get hung up on the pain we see. We don’t see past it. Job’s comforters didn’t have compassion. They only saw Job’s pain and suffering and didn’t get past it to the man himself. They thought too much and felt too little. Like too many of us they made judgments when they should have shown compassion. They analysed the suffering and then advised it was a sin you problem. What they should have seen instead was the heart of a man in pain. They didn’t see Job’s heart. Jesus shows us to look past the pain to the heart—to the person and to the deeper need beyond simply pain relief. He sees people’s plight and their need. When we look past the pain, we see the person and engage him with our heart. That doesn’t mean we ignore the pain. We acknowledge it and respect it. But we look past it to the heart of the person. Look past the suffering to the sufferer. Look past the hurt to the heart. When we do that true compassion is evoked. Compassion happens when your

heart connects with the heart of one in pain by relating to them at the heart level. When you speak, do it not from a mind that is analysing and judging, but from a heart that enters into their situation, identifies with it, and feels what it would be like to be in their situation.

Being compassionate or not is all about what look at and see.” To be compassionate, we must take others’ feelings into consideration. We must be understanding of the other person’s story. It means not being caught up in selfcentredness, being willing to look at and see their pain and then look past it to the need of their heart. Being compassionate is all about what you look at and see. As Mother Teresa said, “You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have the eyes to see.” Steve Johnson is the executive director at IFLC.

on the air in october

Daniel

Volume 1: God’s Man for the Moment Things are not always what they seem… sometimes they’re worse! Captivity for Daniel and his friends was a piece of cake compared with Babylonian barbecue—with you on the menu—or catnip for the king’s cats. Things can always be worse, but, as Chuck Swindoll reminds us, God’s sovereignty can cool the flames and close the lion’s mouth in our lives. 8

Upcoming Messages Include: Prophecy in Panorama How to Pass a Test Without Cheating A King on a Couch A Blueprint for Tomorrow


Sharing the

Father’s

Heart by Annalisa Brooks

hands

© istockphoto.com/ranplett

My life was changed when I was 16. I’ll never forget.

On lifetrac.ca/blog this month: Uncomfortable Compassion By Laura Vanderwel


I

t happened on a three-week missions trip at an orphanage in Mexico. Boarding the bus overflowing with luggage and an excited group of teenagers, I had no idea what to expect. At the orphanage there were endless ways to serve: canning jars of tomatoes, weeding, washing dishes, holding babies. We also went to villages on the outskirts of town to share about Jesus through conversations and show a short film. I enjoyed these evenings the most. I loved playing with the children and giving out much-needed food. One night, I held a young girl and it was hard to ignore the thick smell of smoke and dirt. Her dress was ripped and worn. As we sat watching the Jesus film play on the back of a van, I was struck with the realization I would never see little Maria again.

“I held a young girl and it was hard to ignore the thick smell of smoke and dirt. Her dress was ripped and worn.” What made leaving more difficult was Maria did not know Jesus. She didn’t know how much He loves her. With the help of a translator, I shared the Gospel with her before leaving that night, explaining how He died for us because He loves us. I shared about God and heaven. Without knowing the impact this would have on her life, I slipped the bracelet I was wearing around her small wrist, hoping she would always remember. My eyes filled with tears as we left. ComSharing the Father’s Heart continued from p. 9

passion for the people I had met overwhelmed me. And I was compelled to pray for Maria as we drove away, for her salvation. I recognized this was a prompting from the Holy Spirit. For the rest of the missions trip, I thought about Jesus’ ministry and the compassion He must have felt for the many people He encountered. People He taught, healed, and those who desperately cried out to Him. He even had compassion for those who mocked Him. When Jesus was crucified, He cried, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing“ (Lk. 23:34). God sent Jesus to die for our sins. This was the ultimate act of compassion. In his article, “The Compassion of Christ,” Wayne Jackson explains the Greek word sympatheo, sun (with) patheo (feeling) is where our English word sympathy is found. There are so many examples of Christ being moved by compassion for others. He physically reached out and touched people. He wasn’t held back by anxiety, doubt, or fear. Genuinely feeling compassion for others and reaching out is courageous. As Jackson explains, “A heart immersed in compassion will overcome superficial barriers.” In 2 Corinthians, God is referred to as “the Father of compassion” (1:3-5 NIV). Jesus’ actions on earth are our greatest example of compassion because they reveal the heart of God to us. Christ died for us to give us eternal life. How can we not show grace and compassion to others knowing this? Compassion is a direct result of accepting Christ into our hearts.


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The Bible says we are made in the image of God. If compassion is God’s heart, we have the opportunity to be filled with it. Practicing compassion blesses others and it blesses you. It is a gift. Probably the most real example of God’s compassion is His grace in our own lives. He hears our prayers, heals, comforts, brings peace, and restores. Being a Christian my whole life, I’ve heard it over and over how we are to act, think and feel as Christians. When I met Maria, I saw my own undeserved acceptance by God, creating a deeper understanding of compassion within me. I’m not saying compassion is easy. Sometimes it’s a challenge or seems downright impossible, especially if there is past hurt. It takes an extra amount of time and effort to do something for someone. And it may not be within your comfort zone. Pray for compassion in situations. Maybe you know someone who needs someone to talk to, a position in your church needs filling, or you feel led to write politicians who need encouragement. Whichever way you show compassion, choose to say, “I will” and you will be encouraged. It is a prompting from the Holy Spirit in your life. God is there. Since my Mexico experience, saying “I will” created opportunities to join missions teams to Zambia, India, and China. The lyrics to one of my favourite songs, taken from Psalm 145:8 has always stuck close to me, “The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” If I can share one more thought, it would be to follow God’s example. He didn’t just feel compassion for you and me. He sent His one and only Son. I’m overwhelmed when I think about the possibilities in my own life to show compassion to others.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is

sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardship, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Cor. 12:9-10 NIV

Strength in Weakness Strength in weakness—sounds like an oxymoron. However, when you are weak it is possible to be strong, just as Paul says in 2 Corinthians. Listen online anytime at lifetrac.ca

Free mp3 When times are tough; when things go from bad to worse, a person needs a friend. Not a preacher or a counsellor, not a physician or an attorney. Just a friend— someone to be near and listen, to reassure and understand. In this month’s free mp3, Friends in Need, Chuck Swindoll focuses on King David at a time in his life when he really needed a friend. Download this encouraging message today at lifetrac.ca

Annalisa Brooks is the communications and ministry relations co-ordinator at Insight for Living Canada.


Strong Family

by Sandy Shier

G

od gave it. Jesus modelled it. Joseph felt it. Daniel received it. The parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal taught it. We are encouraged to do it. It is often inconvenient, messy, and time-consuming, yet richly fulfilling. But what is IT? It is compassion. The Greek word for compassion is splagchnizomai, which literally means the bowels (heart, lung, spleen). At first it sounds strange. However, it is in your gut 12

you feel your most passionate feelings like anger, love, or tenderness. Compassion means to be moved to a gut level feeling of distress over the suffering of another. Reading the Scriptures reveals compassion is a feeling that motivates people to act. The word compassion is most commonly followed by the word “on.” For example, Jesus had compassion on… the crowds, the woman, Mary. I draw your attention to the word “on,” because it reveals compassion


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starts in relationship. The Israelite’s God, and in raw experience, I am learning to Yahweh was a God full of compassion (Ps. exercise and hold in tension my compas78:38; 86:15; 111:4; 112:4; 145:8; La. 3:22). sionate muscle with my conviction muscle. Compassion means to be present, to Moreover, we see in the New Testament, that Jesus Christ’s compassion was at the give hope, share in the circumstances, and heart of His earthly ministry and teachings. therefore know what is needed. SomeGod, seeking relationship with us, is in times compassion is given for a short season in another’s life, such contact with and supports “Rather than as the death of a loved one, you! (Matt.9: 36.14:14,18:27; simply suffering and for others it is a life Mk.8:2; Lk. 10:33;Heb 5:2.) I had never given the with our friends, long vocation. Both are essential. idea of compassion much we tend to give Compassion is not about thought until a few months advice.” fixing people or their probago when in the midst of a friend’s crisis, I felt gut wrenching pain lems. Fixing is a personal, hidden agenda and realized, for the first time, this was to keep the pain at a distance. Rather than what true compassion felt like. How could simply suffering with our friends, we tend this be? I grew up in a home open to those to give advice. If they follow our advice without family, walked alongside friends correctly, healing comes and all is well. If in crisis, and currently serve in a street they don’t take our advice, we are off the level church of marginalized, homeless, hook because we think we did what we could so continued suffering is their own addicted and broken people. The tension-filled answer is that I was fault. In essence, compassion is at the core of forced from my sterile, safe, arm’s length do-gooding to in my face, up to my neck, being human. I have learned that not only messy suffering alongside. I identified do we make God more acceptable by ignorthree changes within me. First, hot tears ing the parts we don’t like or don’t underof suffering and hopelessness penetrated stand about Him, but we also put God in my heart. Second, more than being just a box so He is not all-powerful and Glorimoved, I felt frightened because I was ous Mystery. By doing this we limit “being being woven into my friend’s pain and suf- human” so we can minimize suffering. So what now? Do you have the guts fering. Finally—and most powerfully— was the reality that my well-meaning act and courage to show compassion? Is of doing good had failed. The truth was I there someone in your life who feels added to her pain. My lack of sensitivity lonely and isolated? Are you willing to and ability to be there in a way she needed take the risk of listening, getting messy, taking time and suffering alongside? It were my failures to own. In the heat of her crisis, I selfishly tried to will make a difference. Allow your friends to be fully human be there unconditionally for her, choosing judgmental rules over relationship (or in and at the same time encourage God’s Christianese law over grace), which caused healing and hope. For me, my discovery of her to withdraw from me. Gratefully, there true compassion made a difference in my was another friend who compassionately own life and more importantly, the life of carried her. My friend and I did reconnect my struggling friend. Sandy lives in Kelowna, BC with her husband Randy and youngest daughter Hannah. She volunteers at Metro Community, a street level church.

13


Laughing Matters

by Phil Callaway

PIZZA

PIZZA 14


One Monday morning my wife left me. Packed up some earthly belongings, our only daughter, and a Visa card before heading west for a week, leaving Jeffrey, Stephen, and me to fend for ourselves.

F

PIZZA

FRUIT LOOPS

HOT

DOGS

or her this was good. She deserved a break. She deserved to surround herself with mountains and siblings and hot springs. But for me? Well... let me say I developed a new theory that week. If you’re a theologian you may disagree with me, but here goes: I think God invented Eve mainly to help Adam find things. Adam would be walking around saying, “Let me see...where did I put those figs?” and none of the animals would tell him. So, after God stopped laughing, He thought, This guy can do without a rib, but not without a wife. Ever since, men have been pursuing women, largely because we need help finding stuff, “Honey, do you remember where we put the kids?” That week I visited the fridge roughly 450 times and found nothing there. Oh sure, there was milk. Parmesan cheese and soy sauce. But where were the sandwiches? The lasagna? These are the things meals are made of. Stephen ran out of socks on Tuesday, and we weren’t sure where fresh ones came from. I couldn’t find my wife’s list of meal suggestions. Jeffrey couldn’t find any more shirts, so he wore the same one 24 hours a day. It had a most interesting design. This shirt could tell you what we’d eaten the last five days. Mostly we’d eaten pizza. Sometimes we ordered it in. If we were really famished we’d go get it. For breakfast we enjoyed Fruit Loops, which have all the nutritional value of steelbelted radials. For lunch, I phoned friends and told them my wife was gone, then wept openly. No one seemed to care. The girls would come home and find us flat out on the carpet—pale, emaciated, gasping. “We couldn’t find the Rolaids,” would be our famous last words. On Thursday we went to a baseball game and consumed our weight in hot dogs. The box told us they contained “actual meat products,” which was certainly a comfort. After the final out Jeffrey rubbed his belly 15


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and asked, “When’s Mom coming home?” “In six more meals,” I told him. He rolled his eyes and uttered the cutest burp. What I didn’t tell him was this: Although she promised to return Sunday, she was the mother of three young children and has a husband who can’t find anything, so we may not see her until the boys’ high school graduation. I also did not tell him that even as we speak she’s probably sitting in the hot springs swapping childbirth stories with her sisters and saying, “They thought I was coming home Sunday. Can you imagine? Just how insane do they think I am?” And then the mountains would echo with crazed laughter. On Friday night I went to a convenience store to pick up the necessities of life: some pop, some chips, a Rocky video. Standing in line, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was a classmate from high school. We exchanged handshakes. “How’s it going?” he asked. “Oh, man,” I said, laughing, “my wife’s gone for a week, so I’m here to pick up some health food. Life’s been a little wild lately.” He looked down and kicked at a floor tile. “How about you?” “Well, not so good. My wife’s...well... she’s been gone on a more permanent basis. She left a year ago, you know....” His

voice trailed away as a little girl peeked out from behind him. “I’m sorry,” I said, embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to...I’m sorry.” Our kids are grown now, but I still remember that week so well. It reminds me of life. Of love. And God’s amazing grace. You see, after I got home from the convenience store, I searched through the freezer looking for ice cream. I found some. And to my surprise I found a whole lot more. Lasagna. Home made buns. All beef hot dogs. My wife had put them there for us. I hadn’t found the note she left. I guess that’s life. Sometimes the best things we’ll ever have were there all along. Phil is a popular speaker and the best-selling author of Making Life Rich Without Any Money. Visit him at philcallaway.com

This Month’s FEATURED RESOURCE

Perfect Trust Chuck Swindoll encourages you to discover a more meaningful, intimate relationship with God by learning to trust Him more completely. This classic favourite is revised with an updated design and new quotes that go right to the heart.

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See enclosed form for ordering information


Spiritual warfare

part 2—the world


Spiritual Warfare

part 2—the WORLD

“I’ve gotta have that!”

18

There’s a story in the Bible I can’t wrap my head around. It’s when Jesus talks to the rich man who has kept the law all his life and tells him to sell everything he has and give it to the poor. Why would that do anyone any good? If I gave all my money to the poor then I would have nothing. Then I would be the charity case. How would that be helping the kingdom? The way I see it, God has blessed me financially because I follow the rules and keep His commands. And I can inspire others to keep the law by being a good example of what happens when you do. A nice house, the best clothes, a fast car. What better way to show others the benefits of following Christ? I really don’t see the problem with prosperity and enjoying the pleasures that go with it. God doesn’t want me to be unhappy.


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Our Problem—We battle the world and worldliness

The “world” represents people, religions, governments, or systems and values that oppose Christ. The world that rejects the truth of Christ is under the control or deception of the god of this world, the Devil (1 Jn. 5:19; 2 Cor. 4:4). Though we’re in the world, our battle is not to be like it. Worldliness means loving the values and pursuits of the world. It means gratifying and putting oneself first to the exclusion of God and His rule over our lives.

God’s Answers

“Do not love the world…” it doesn’t satisfy, nor will it last (1 Jn. 2:16-17). “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 Jn. 5: 4-5). God tells us to have faith, which sees what is eternal and lives for that. Faith focuses on Jesus to persevere (Heb. 12:1-2).

The Solution

We overcome the world and worldliness through our faith. In faith we believe: 1. In the work of Christ for us personally. Resist worldliness by focusing on Christ and His work and considering the world as dead to you. For it is “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,” wrote Paul, “by which the world has been crucified to me, and I

to the world” (Gal. 6:14; Heb. 12:1-2). 2. Though we live in the world it is not our home. We are foreigners here and citizens of heaven. Therefore we are not to embrace the world’s values. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom.12:2). Learn what pleases God and let that be what pleases you. “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer” (2 Tim. 2:4).

“God tells us to have faith, which sees what is eternal and lives for that. ” 3. Christ is most important. Resist worldliness by setting your affections on Christ and the things that are important to God. Consider the Saviour who died for you and rose victorious over sin and death. (Col. 3: 1-3). 4. Do not define yourself by, or boast in, anything you possess or accomplish in this world. Instead, identify with Christ and strive for His definition of greatness: the humble, the servant. 5. Rely on God’s grace to overcome worldly desires. Humbly seek from Him the desire and power to be godly in an ungodly world. (Ti. 2: 11-12). 6. Remember, one day the world and everything in it will be destroyed (2 Pet. 3:10). Live for that which is eternal, not temporal (Heb. 11:26). by

Insight for Living Canada

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on sale in

SEPTEMBER Suffering: Making Sense of Suffering pamphlet by Joni Eareckson Tada 14 panels, 8.5 x 5.5 inches, unfolds to 38 inches long

A diving accident left Joni confined to a wheelchair at the age of 17. Her insights will bring hope and comfort to those suffering with grief, disabilities, emotional and physical trauma, divorce, and more.

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These thank-you cards will reflect your grateful heart. They’re perfect for expressing appreciation to people who touch your life in a meaningful way. Along with original black-and-white photographs, each card contains a Bible verse and quote from Chuck Swindoll to help you say what’s on your heart.

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The Great Go-Cart Race: Halloween Handout Paws & Tales audio episode, set of 20 CDs

For a limited time we’re offering the Paws & Tales audio episode The Great Go-Cart Race for only $1 each when purchased in groups of 20. This CD makes a great Halloween handout!

Limited Supply! Order by October 12 to ensure delivery

order/donate at insightforliving.ca or call 1.800.663.7639 offer expires OCTOBER 31, 2012


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Life is like a refrigerator—it offers us a lot of good things, but it can be smelly if left for too long. Don’t let life be a stinker. God provided the equipment to laugh—we just have to remember to use it!

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Perfect Trust hardcover by Charles R. Swindoll, 128 pages

Chuck Swindoll encourages you to discover a more meaningful, intimate relationship with God by learning to trust Him more completely. This classic favourite is revised with an updated design and new quotes that go right to the heart.


ON THE AIR THIS MONTH Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives 14 CD messages + workbook

Do you want to be famous? Many people would answer—yes! But God, more often than not, does some of His most significant work through His forgotten few, as Chuck Swindoll reminds us in this Old Testament study.

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Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives paperback by Charles R. Swindoll, 251 pages

Chuck examines little-remembered Bible characters. He will help you discover biblical principles and practical applications so that you can be who you are in God’s estimation… a person of true significance.

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9

$ 00 reg. $12.00

Doing Right When You’ve Been Done Wrong single CD

In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul addresses how to respond correctly to wrongdoing. Retaliation remains one of our favourite carnal sports. But there’s a supernatural alternative to our natural reaction.

Sale!

600

$

reg. $8.00

Sale!

2000

$

reg. $32.00

CLEARANCE! David: A Man of Passion and Destiny 2-part radio theatre CD set

This captivating radio theatre is fully dramatized with riveting performances, vivid sound effects, and a magnificent musical score. Perfect for the whole family!


will send one Cuban pastor to an Insight for Living Canada leadership conference and provide a set of three Chuck Swindoll books. will impact not just one pastor but an entire congregation.

Every gift of

WILL make a difference!

Donate securely online at insightforliving.ca/cuba or call 1.800.663.7639

info@insightforliving.ca • insightforliving.ca • 1.800.663.7639


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