><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine - ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Issue Vol 2 # 12 Dec 2001 ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> FreEzine is a free email magazine/newsletter containing articles of interest from a Christian perspective and is published no less than monthly. FreEzine is NOT Spam and is only sent to people who request it. If you ever want to stop (or start) receiving FreEzine you'll find instructions at the end of this newsletter. A special "hello" to all of our new subscribers. We welcome and appreciate feedback on how we can improve this e-zine for you. IF YOU FIND THIS NEWSLETTER USEFUL... ... PLEASE FORWARD IT TO FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES! ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> IN THIS ISSUE: Editorial: Mary, Did You Know... Prayer: The Lord's Excellent Name What's On? Seminars & Workshops: A Christ for Everyone Repeatable Quotable: Friends Article: The Bible - True or false? By Jack Chester Havagiggle: When There's Not Enough Blood in your Alcohol System The Extensive Exposition: 1. Broadening Our Horizon The Extensive Exposition: 2. How to Spot a Neighbour The Funny Bone: Religious Education Split Second Wisdom: Nonconformity Sermon Snippet: The Blended Family From My Case Files: Love is blind; marriage the eye-opener. Take a Hint: Averting Anger Letters to the Editor: Watch This Space Subscription & Other Information The Last Word: 'Do... As long as...' ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Editorial: Mary, Did You Know... Recently I accepted an invitation from my eldest son to attend a contemporary music programme at an Adventist Community Church. As he was singing in the choir, I was strangely moved by the lyrics of a Christmas song I had never heard before. The song (with lyrics by Mark Lowry and set to music by Buddy Greene) raised an interesting question: <>< "Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water? Mary, did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new; This child that you delivered will soon deliver you? <>< Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man? Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand? Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss your little baby, you've kissed the face of God? <>< The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again. The lame will leap, the dumb will speak the praises of the Lamb. <>< Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations? Did you know that your baby boy is Heaven's perfect Lamb? This sleeping child you're holding is The Great I Am?" <>< This song reminded me of a saying Oscar Levant once said about Hollywood, and that is that if you 'strip away the phoney tinsel... you will find the real tinsel underneath'. If we strip away all the tinsels of Christmas, this song reminds us, we will find The Great I Am. Wishing you all a safe and happy year-end. -- Lionel Hartley, Editor ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Prayer: The Lord's Excellent Name O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens? Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! -- David Benjessie (Psalm 8, circa 1047 BC) ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> What's On? Seminars & Workshops: A Christ for Everyone. How the Gospel of Luke shows that you are included in God's gift of eternal life, through Jesus Christ. Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne seminars in February 2001 with Dr Des Ford & Pr Ron Allen. For further information, visit ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Repeatable Quotable: Friends 'We should ever feel a care and friendly interest deep For the saving of the wayward, impenitent and cheap But we can with perfect safety, only choose For friends, those folk we really can't afford to lose Because they first and foremost seek The precious company of God to keep.' Poems and Prose of Bruce of Farrants Hill, Donald (Bruce) Whittaker (1941-2000), L&R Hartley, Publishers, 2000, p10 (Available from ) ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Article: The Bible - True or false? By Jack Chester If there is only one chance in a hundred that the Bible is true in its statements about life after death, one would have to be considered vary careless with his future welfare if he did not make a careful and honest assessment of its contents. In so doing he would have to decide whether or not Jesus Christ was who he claimed to be or whether he was an outrageous fake. If he was a fake he was one of the greatest deceivers this world has ever known. But if not, then our eternal well-being depends entirely on clearly understanding some of the vital statements made by Him and some of His apostles. For example, He said, "...I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6. He also said, "All that the Father gives me will Come to me and whosoever comes to me I will never drive away." John 6:37. The apostle Peter said of the Lord Jesus, "Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12. If Peter's statement is true, and it most surely is; then there is not salvation through Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, or any other religious leader or religious system. In reference to the death of the Lord Jesus; the apostle Paul said, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men - the testimony given in it's proper time." 1 Timothy 2:5-6. The Lord Jesus surrendered for all who will appropriate him as their Lord and Saviour. In speaking about the forgiveness of sins, the apostle John said, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:8, 9. The Lord Jesus was crucified to pay the penalty for the sins of all who will confess their sins and possess Him as their own Lord and Saviour Paul said, "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:22-23. Until natural men realises he is a sinner and cries to God for forgiveness, he is on the broad road to destruction. In speaking about forgiveness through the Lord Jesus, Peter said, "All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes In him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." Acts 10:43. Regarding the validity of the Bible, Paul said, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 11 Timothy 3:16, 17. The Bible is God's instruction book for mankind, and it tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Saviour of lost sinners who will put their whole trust in him to cleanse them for the next life. This article is not an invitation to join a church or attend a religious meeting, but a very earnest request that you, my reader, take time to read through the New Testament with considerable care and honesty at least a couple of times, and then read through the whole Bible. If you are honest with yourself and with God, you will not be disappointed. If you do not have a Bible, then we suggest that you purchase one. This could be the greatest business transaction of your life. Jesus Christ is not a fake, but the Lord and Saviour of all who will put their whole trust in Him. The Bible is a thrilling book for all who are dissatisfied with their present lifestyle; and it has the answers for those who are desperate for a renewed life. ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Havagiggle: When There's Not Enough Blood in your Alcohol System. A drunken man was wandering around the parking lot of a bar, bumping into things and rubbing the roof of each car in turn. The manager comes out of the bar and stops the guy. "What are you doing?" he asks the drunk. "I'm looking for my car, and I can't find it." he replies. "So how does feeling the car roof help you?" asks the puzzled manager. "Well," replies the drunk earnestly, "My car has two blue lights and a siren on the roof!" ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> The Extensive Exposition. Each issue we will make available a longer article available by email free to those who request it. This is to keep the FreEzine a readable length yet make available more in-depth material for those who are interested. Articles provided under this section do not always reflect totally the beliefs of the editor. In some issues more than one article will be available under this section and articles will need to be asked for by name to save confusion. We have no separate mailing list for the automatic despatch of articles in The Extensive Exposition so a separate request will need to be made for each article. This month's articles: 1. Broadening Our Horizon - different world religions in relation to Christianity - The full collection of ten articles, which appeared in FreEzine this year, helping our readers to relate to those of other faiths. 2. How to Spot a Neighbour, by Ron Allen Articles may be obtained free by writing to the editor and asking for the article by name. ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> The Funny Bone: Religious Education A kid is flunking a public school, so his parents move him into a private school. All the sudden in the private school his grades skyrocket up to A's. Then one night at the dinner table his parents ask, "Why were you doing so bad in a public school, and when we switched you to a private school you did so well?" The kid says, "because I knew they were really serious about school. The first day I walked in they had a guy nailed to a plus sign on the wall." -- Anon ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Split Second Wisdom: Nonconformists are all alike. ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Aside: Are you a writer, a poet or an illustrator? If you have something you have written or illustrated that you would like to consider having published, a free 60 page Style Guide is available online at , or from the Editor of this FreEzine. There is no charge for publishing and YOU receive payment on publication (see the free Style Guide for details). Publishing formats include Books, Pamphlets, Leaflets, Magazines & Ezines, Online video & audio, CD-ROM & floppy-disk electronic books & multimedia, Video & Audio tapes and Talking Books & audio CDs. ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Sermon Snippet: The Blended Family My Pastor husband died on my thirtieth birthday, leaving me with three small children. I soon realised I was not cut out for the single life. But available men weren't growing on trees, especially men who were willing to take on a ready-made family. Desperately wanting a daddy they could call their own, my kids began praying that God would send just the right man into our lives. I was stuck with the awesome responsibility of not only finding someone else I could love, but of insuring that this future 'someone' would also be good for my children. After two lonely years of widowhood, God answered our prayers, sending us the man of my dreams and the daddy the kids needed. With his great sense of humour, God also sent along four more kids for me to raise-it seems our new man for the job, Jack Harvey, was also given the responsibility of finding a good stepmother for his brood when their mother died of a brain tumour. When we went out for our first date, neither of us could find sitters for our Terrible Two's, so we brought them along. The restaurant was packed with men for a Rotary Club luncheon. The maitre d' escorted us to a table in the dining room where the Rotarians were meeting, making our kids the only rowdies in the restrained atmosphere of a business luncheon. Shortly after we were seated, Jeff whispered, 'Mummie, I hafta go to the bafroom.' I hurriedly deposited Jeff at the men's room door because he refused to use the women's 'bafroom'. Suddenly Jeff's voice bellowed. 'Mummie! Come wipe me!' My face flamed as polite snickers grew into loud guffaws. Jack reached across the table and patted my hand. 'Don't worry, I'll take care of it.' I began to fall in love with him at the moment, and we were soon married. The wedding was a corporate merger, with his four lined up on one side of the aisle and my three on the other. When the organist hit the triumphant chords of Mendelssohn's recessional, the kids were to fall in line two by two behind us, signifying the union of the two families. But our two toddlers, awed by the pomp and circumstance, chose to play with the altar flowers. We each hoisted a squirming little boy to our shoulder and proceeded down the aisle-the bride and groom each carrying a Terrible Two, followed by five other kids of assorted sexes and sizes. Before long, folk began seeing us as a unit, not as two badly mismatched families struggling to live under the same roof. After a time of melding our two families into one, we discovered we were going to have another to add to the number! The Bible says, A merry heart doeth good like a medicine , and Jack's great sense of humour saved the day. In those days Zero Population Growth was the big thing, and our large family was the butt of many jokes. We figured if people were laughing at us anyway, we might as well join in the fun and laugh at ourselves. We went en masse to the state fair, boldly marched into the Planned Parenthood tent and picked up Zero Population Growth buttons. We then strolled leisurely through the fairgrounds, a very pregnant Mamma with a ZPG button pinned under my chin (that's where my stomach was then), Papa with his ZPG button ... and seven kids all sporting buttons. While each half of our brood had lost a parent to death, we taught them that death is only a temporary parting. The kids spoke freely and naturally about 'my (sleeping) dad or mum,' as they did about Jack and me. Now twenty-seven years after the merger, we often forget whose is who. When Jack's girl Rhoda, gave birth to our first grandchild Jack stroked the baby's long slender fingers, then picked up my hand and kissed my fingertips. Tears in his eyes, his voice breaking, he murmured, 'She inherited your beautiful hands.' Which would be fine, except, unfortunately there's not one smidgen of my genes running around in that gorgeous little girl! -- Adapted from Adell Harvey (God's Vitamin 'C' For The Spirit, Compiled by Kathy Collard Miller and D Larry Miller) ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> From My Case Files: After three decades of counselling, your editor (a retired sociologist) sometimes ponders some of the things which have come up in counselling that, in retrospect, contain an element of humour. This section will be included from time to time to share some of these snippets. <>< Love is blind; marriage the eye-opener: Not surprisingly, a week after their wedding they were in my office. "I've finally discovered why grooms wear black," she said, "it's because of the opposite: brides wear white for purity". To which the husband retorted, " Of course they wear white, didn't you know that all household appliances come in white - the dishwasher has to match the stove and the refridgerator!" ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Take a Hint: Averting Anger 'He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly... /A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger / Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath' Proverbs 14:7, 15:1; Ephesians 4:26 ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Aside: A puzzle How could you rearrange the letters in the words "new door" to make one word? Note: There is only one correct answer. (Answer below) ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Letters to the Editor ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Watch This Space: Future issues will include other sections not listed here. Why not write to us suggesting what you would like to see included. ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Subscription Information: FreEzine is a Free ezine magazine/newsletter, published no less than monthly and sent out only to those who request it. As FreEzine uses an opt-in email list, we never buy or otherwise obtain email addresses. We have a strictly No Spam Policy. To subscribe, please send a blank message (we invite your comments also) to and type SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. To change your email address, please send a blank message to and type ADDRESS CHANGE in the subject line. To unsubscribe, simply send a blank message (we invite your comments also) to and type UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. It is NOT necessary to access a website and/or go through a complicated ritual to unsubscribe from FreEzine! Privacy: Protecting your privacy is very important to us. We will not share, rent, sell, or exchange your e-mail address with a third party for any purpose. Unsubscribing permanently removes your name and address. A note on the format: Your editor has considered many possible formats, including a colourfully illustrated E-book, webpage, Portable Document Format (.pdf), etc. Reluctantly, plain text was chosen to make this ezine available to the greatest number of users - DOS, Windows(R), Macintosh, etc. Address all correspondence to the editor Please do not use "Reply To Sender" email option as this magazine may occasionally be sent out by a commercial or other distributor, unrelated to FreEzine. Free offers in FreEzine of CD-ROMs, Back issues, software, posters, additional articles, screensavers, etc. have a time limit which is normally until the issue of the next edition of FreEzine. Special exceptions are sometimes made. Contact the editor for information. In order to cater for a variety of tastes and beliefs, the content of FreEzine does not always reflect totally the beliefs of the editor. Contents of FreEzine are COPYRIGHT and we make every endeavour to acknowledge sources. You may freely quote from FreEzine PROVIDED is cited as a reference source. Occasional contributions from Good News Australia are used with permission. YOUR contributions and comments most welcome. E&OE PS. This could be your next home: Check out ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Answer to the puzzle above: "one word" ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Last Word: "Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can." --John Wesley (1703-1791)