><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine - ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Issue Vol 2 # 3 FreEzine@telstra.easymail.com.au March 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: Lay Down One's Life NEW FEATURE: Broadening Our Horizon: 1. Judaism News Break: Sharing e-mail banned What's On? Seminars & Workshops Repeatable Quotable Serial story: The Continuing Saga of Peter Blank Episode 9 Article: The Trouble with Dying Free Software: Xteq Systems X-Setup 5.5.1 Opinion: (by the editor): Hard Drive Troubleshooting Techniques Focus on Health: Treat the Deaf and Blind with Respect Book Look: William Miller, 1844, and the Exegesis of Prophecy The Extensive Exposition: Schools Without Drugs The Funny Bone: Honesty in Marriage Website Review: http://www.geocities.com/redrangestore Etymological Trivia: Jerusalem Artichoke Take a Hint: Tracking Down Lost Friends and Family Agony Aunt Ezine: Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Letters to the Editor Overheard: Bent Knees Watch This Space Subscription & other information Last words: The Personality Test ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Editorial: Lay Down One's Life "Greater love hath no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" John 15:13. Laying down your life for a friend, as Jesus did, was dying for them (us). But we can also lay down our life by laying aside the things we would choose to do, to do something worthy for another. We can lay down our desires and take up the desires or needs of another. For example, I can choose not to read a book (something I really enjoy) and spend the time helping a neighbour in need. The year was about 1490. Nineteen-year-old Albrecht Durer and another young man who was slightly older than Albrecht, served as apprentices in a wood-carving establishment in Nuremberg, Germany. Both men came from homes of poverty, so they shared a room to save expenses as they pursued their common ambition to become master artists. Frustrated by their lack of money, they hit on a plan. One would study while the other worked and supported both of them, then the other would study while the first one worked. Each was willing to yield the first benefits to the other, so they finally tossed a coin, and the decision was made that Durer would go first. Durer left Nuremberg and went to Vienna to study under the greatest painter of his time. The other young man went to work first in a restaurant and then in a blacksmith shop. No toil was too menial or hard because he was helping his friend to receive the training he himself also desired and looked forward to. Durer returned to Nuremberg with a large sum of money from the sale of one painting. Now he would do for his friend what his friend had done for him. Arriving unannounced and unexpected at the room of his friend, Durer recognised the voice of his friend in prayer. He entered the room quietly and saw his friend kneeling in prayer, with his hands uplifted. Durer stood spellbound, gazing intently at those work-worn hands with enlarged joints, twisted fingers, and stiffened muscles and realised that the knurled hands of his friend could never become the hands of a master artist. Durer made an ink-drawing of those praying hands, and no doubt you have seen a copy of this famous work, commonly called "The Hands of an Apostle". For nearly 500 years this drawing has inspired men and women around the world and told the story of devotion and friendship. It reminds us too, of the hands of Jesus that were permanently scarred for us at Calvary. Durer's unnamed friend and benefactor, whose faith in God was far stronger than any disappointment in life, took this experience as one of the blessings handed him from the all-loving Father who knows what is best. He found satisfaction in knowing that he had helped Durer to be what he wanted to become. What can you do for someone else today? -- Editor. ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Broadening Our Horizon: Over the next few issues of FreEzine, your editor will be looking at ten different world religions in relation to Christianity. Naturally these will be only thumbnail sketches due to the size constraints of FreEzine, but we nevertheless hope the information proves useful in helping our readers to relate to those of other faiths. In "Broadening Our Horizon" the material will be selected from a variety of sources, and we will look at Judaism, Animism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Islam. ----------------- Broadening Our Horizon: 1. Judaism The roots of Judaism take us back some 4,000 years to the time when God called Abraham to be the father of His chosen people. The scriptures of Judaism are identical with the Christian Old Testament, but the Hebrew scriptures are divided into three parts: The Law, or Torah, the first five books of the Bible; the Prophets, which include the historical books as well as the prophetic writings; and the Writings, comprising the remaining books of the Old Testament and including Daniel, which Christians would classify as a prophetic book. Other Jewish writings include the Targum, the Aramaic translation of the Old Testament together with commentary; the Mishnah, a long series of expositions of scripture accumulated through many centuries, forming the first part of the Talmud. The Talmud itself is the great collection of Jewish law, both civil and religious. Judaism has three main branches today: Orthodox, Reformed, and Conservative. The Orthodox Jews seek to keep their religion true to the traditions of the past. The Reformed Jews, however, are liberals who believe that the only hope of the race and the religion is to admit frankly that changes must be introduced and that Judaism must accept the obligation of interpreting itself in the light of modern knowledge. Christianity emerged out of Judaism. Christians, of course, accept Jesus as the promised Messiah, but Judaism generally still looks forward to the coming of the Messiah at some time in the future. The Apostle Paul desired that the Hebrew people might recognise that Jesus was their Messiah. Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" Romans 1:16. ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> News Break: Sharing e-mail banned The following article was published in the Sydney Daily Telegraph, March 4, 2001: Sharing e-mail banned. Forwarding an e-mail to friends, family or colleagues without permission from the sender is illegal from today and could result in severe penalties. New laws set out maximum penalties of five years jail or fines of $60,000. The illegality stems from breaching the copyright held by the person who originally wrote the e-mail. An estimated five million or more e-mails are for-warded each day around the nation. Attorney-General Daryl Williams QC has warned Australians that they could be breaking the law, if they continue to forward e-mails from today. "It's quite possible that the forwarding of an e-mail could be a technical infringement of copyright," Mr Williams' legal adviser told The Sunday Telegraph. "E-mailing something is a 'communication' under the Digital Agenda Act and so is putting something up on a Website." The new measures cover material which already has law copyright protection -such as excerpts from books or song lyrics - as well as personal messages. This means a simple message about office gossip, holiday plans or a new romance carries personal copyright and the recipient has no right to forward it without permission. An e-mail sex scandal erupted in Britain last year when London lawyer Bradley Chait forwarded a personal e-mail from his girlfriend, Claire Swire, to six friends, who in turn forwarded the e-mail to others. The e-mail, which described his sexual prowess, eventually made its way around the world and led to the lawyer being severely disciplined by his employer. Internet Industry Association executive director Peter Coroneos said forwarding e-mail had probably always involved a technical breach of copyright, adding: "It's a matter of whether the authors themselves are likely to be concerned." He urged people sending e-mail to spell out whether they gave permission for the content to be forwarded to others. -- Simon Kearney (National political writer) You have our permission to freely distribute FreEzine to your friends without fear and we encourage you to do so. -- Editor. ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> What's On? Seminars & Workshops - See the Website http://members.nbci.com/seminars_workshops/whats_on.htm If you know of a forthcoming seminar, conference, workshop or similar that OUGHT to advertised on this free Website, please write to the editor or go to the site yourself and follow the links. ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Repeatable Quotable: Life is mostly froth and bubble; Two things stand like stone: Kindness in another's trouble Courage in our own. --Adam Lindsay Gordon - Ye Weary Wayfarer. Finis Exoptatus courtesy of Peter Stafford Sumner, peter@peterspearls.com.au ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Aside: E-Book Library E-Book Library is an extensive Electronic Book Library containing a selection of some of the world's best-loved books. All books are fully computer searchable and printable. These books are ideal for carrying on a laptop or use them at home for general reading or study and research. Many are illustrated with interactive links. The selection is continually being updated and revised and includes local as well as international authors. The price is only $5.00 per book. Books are then yours to keep! Available from http://www.users.bigpond.com/lionelhartley/ or email the editor for a free E-Book Library catalogue. ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Serial story: "Not Finished Yet" - Episodes in the Continuing Saga of Peter Blank. This serial saga, although novel, is not a novel. It is merely a series of true-life episodes highlighting the extraordinary working of an extraordinary God in a very ordinary life. Each episode contained a lesson for Peter Blank, a lesson we can all learn, from a lesson-book life that is not finished yet. Episode 9: Outback Evangelism A pilot and an evangelist planned an outback evangelism campaign and asked Peter and two young ladies to assist. A small Cessna aircraft airlifted the team to Mungindi, Collarenabri & Burke. At each venue, the campaign was much the same with the young ladies singing at the beginning, and Peter singing during and at the close of each programme. Although the mission was successful, for Peter the trip was memorable for a few events of apparent greater magnitude than the campaign. For example, at Mungindi, the airstrip was (and maybe still is) on an isolated part of the property some ten miles or so from the homestead. However no-one was there to meet the team when they arrived. With no way to get to the homestead, they waited patiently for some hours until the lengthening shadows warned that maybe they had better start walking. This was not a welcome prospect as they carried a certain amount of luggage in the form of musical equipment, a large slide projector & screen and a public address system, as well as their personal items. It was about this time that the pilot, who had been examining the condition of the airstrip in closer detail, invited the others to uncover an old rusting truck he had discovered in the long grass to one side of the runway. Miraculously the truck engine responded to a little coaxing and the team began the bouncing ride towards the homestead. As the sun set the team sang their way across the open plain and the truck made it without incident. The unbelief of the locals when they were told of the journey by truck educed a story of how that, many years earlier the truck had "died" and was abandoned to the elements. None could understand how the vehicle could have possibly worked after all those years, and the sight of the vehicle in daylight reinforced that belief. Even Peter was at a loss to explain (apart from Divine intervention) how a decayed vehicle with most of the engine parts rusted and seized could possibly have been driven the night before. And yet, there it was! The lesson for Peter is not finished yet. ----------------- Collarenebri, being a small community, was hand-billed door to door by Peter and the evangelist in a single afternoon - they having divided the town according to a map and taken half each. One household is well remembered, for as Peter reached a hand over the gate to unlatch the fastening, a tiny dog - no larger than a kitten - chomped at him. Although no skin was broken, the dog refused to release it's treasure and as Peter raised his hand to investigate, the dog hung suspended in mid-air. Peter, with his hand still fastened in the clutches of the little dog's mouth, proceeded to open the gate with the other hand and venture up the path to the house. It was a most astonished householder who opened the door to view Peter's up-lifted, out-stretched, puppy-dangled hand, and Peter asking, "Does this belong to you?" Amid profuse apologies and poorly concealed mirth, an invitation to the meeting was given. That night, a couple came up to Peter after the meeting and with a gesture resembling that of Peter's out-stretched, puppy-chomped hand asked, "Remember us?" How strangely God works to bring people to hear about Him! The lesson for Peter is not finished yet. ----------------- Collarenebri is better remembered by the pilot. For it was there that the team found, to their dismay that a new fence had been built (that very day) around the perimeter of the rear of the hall - and the only key that had been provided to access the hall was for the rear door within the fence. A padlock, left presumably by a workman, secured the gate and made entrance an almost impossibility. Almost, that is, excepting that the pilot was of a disposition to emulate youthfulness and climb the fence. Access to the building was gained and a front door opened for the rest of the team to enter a little more gracefully. Following a most successful and Spirit-filled meeting, the equipment was brought out to the footpath and the pilot returned to the building to lock it up for the night and to climb the fence once more. As the team waited in the semi-darkness for his return, the evangelist pointed out a supposed alcoholic crawling along in the darkness on his hands and knees. It was mentioned that the presence of such poor souls in that town reinforced the importance of the soul-calling work the team was doing. Then, as the figure moved into the light, it became immediately necessary to change the course of the conversation, for the figure was none other than the pilot! And, rather than it being inebriation which had rendered him prostrate, a broken ankle following a fall from the fence explained this out-of-character behaviour. Upon return to their lodgings, the ankle was ice-packed and a splint applied. However piloting a plane the next day with a broken ankle was not a comforting prospect. Nevertheless, come morning, they all boarded the plane and prepared for a return journey. Peter recalled the sincerity of the prayer for safe travel which preceded the journey that day, and the pilot not only flew the plane, but simultaneously gave instructions to the evangelist in the co-pilot's seat as this untrained reluctant assistant operated the foot controls for them. God brought them home safely - but the lesson for Peter is not finished yet. Watch in the next newsletter for the next episode in the continuing true-life saga of Peter Blank. "Not Finished Yet" is Copyright (© 2001, FreEzine) ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Article: The Trouble with Dying Last issue we had the article The Trouble with Living by Ron Allen. This issue we have the companion article, The Trouble with Dying. Death troubles us in several ways. First, it threatens self-realisation. The future is for us a place where goals are reached; a time when creativity and effort will bear fruit. But death contradicts this. Existentialists may argue that the achievement of human potential is possible here and now. They will say that when a person enjoys friendship, learns to co-operate with fellows in common causes, enjoys music art and technology , that person is realising human potential. The problem is, that this is only an option for a few. The few that live in affluent societies, where life is not a day by day struggle for survival. The elite are adequately fed and housed. They have time to appreciate art and culture. But most people live cramped and deprived lives. More than half of the world's population has never been to school. A large percentage will never have sufficient nutrition for normal intellectual development. To long for comfort and joy and to react violently with fear and anguish- that is the prevailing human condition. Quite simply this life is not enough for human fulfilment for most people. Eric Fromm says "the tragedy in the life of most of us is that we die before we are fully born." And the apostle Paul says: " If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." Death is a problem because it frustrates reason. Jean Paul Sartre said that death deprives life of the only meaning it might conceivably have had. For him, death made life a matter of chance; an absurdity. If personality is extinguished by death, it is hard to see that the universe is a reasonable place. If the Earth was once uninhabited, and if it will be again in the future; if we and our children will all be dead; if all that was ever hoped for, dreamed about and laboured over will cease; if intelligence, beauty and creativity will all be snuffed out; if poets, prophets, musicians, sculptors will vanish, never to be thought of again; if personality is to be conquered by matter; if the things we care about most are to be eclipsed by all that matters to us least, is not the universe stupid? Death troubles us because of its connection to the problem of pain. An existence after the present one is necessary for a satisfactory resolution to injustice. There is a view of suffering that says that the trials of this generation can be justified on the basis that they contribute to a better world for the next generation. But there is little consolation in this since we who are here now, will have no part in the better world being wrought by our ordeal. Hindus have it that the inequities of life are not inequities at all when it is realised that they are a consequence of previous lives. But this too falls short as an answer because a first life is never posited. There is only an endless cycle of re-incarnations, with an ultimate resolution endlessly postponed. There are many who are not troubled at all by death. They know they will die but they give themselves up to the pursuit of pleasure in the meantime. But let such a person lose a friend; a lover, and then he cannot be as glib about death as he was before. To lose the most precious person one knows, is to be forced to peer into the abyss; to wonder and hope for something else beyond. Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote these words for all who have ever grieved: " I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground. So it is and so it will be , for so it has been for time out of mind. Into the darkness they go. The wise and the lovely. Crowned With lilies and laurels they go. But I am not resigned. …….. Down, down, down, into the darkness of the grave Gently they go; the beautiful, the tender the kind Quietly they go; the intelligent , the witty, the brave I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned. From Good News Australia No. 2, 1996 Next issue: The Coming of Hope ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Aside: ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Free Software - Xteq Systems X-Setup 5.5.1 This column has been added to FreEzine as a trial and will feature free software available from the Internet and other sources. The information will be gleaned from a variety of sources including your suggestions and FreEzine neither endorses nor takes responsibility for the programmes or their usage. This month's Freebie: Xteq Systems X-Setup 5.5.1 Xteq X-Setup is a so-called "Hacker" program. It allows you to change settings, that are normally hidden deeply in some configuration-files (like the registry), fast and easily. By using X-Setup you do not need to use REGEDIT.EXE or search for some INI files where you can change these hidden features, you simply use X-Setup, tell it what you want to do and it does the rest. One of the major features X-Setup has, is that is allows you to choose between two modes: Plug-in Mode and Wizard Mode. In Plug-in mode you use a hierarchical display to navigate to the settings you want to change. In Wizard Mode, you simply select a topic you are interested in from the "Wizards" menu and X-Setup will display a Wizard that allows you to change the settings in a step-by-step process. Because many of this features change quickly (with every new versions of a program or Windows), Xteq X-Setup uses plug-ins (See What are plug-ins? for more information). X-Setup comes with a lot of plug-ins and of course Xteq Systems will make more plug-ins available. Includes extensive help files. Requires Windows(R). Freeware (plus others) available from http://www.xteq.com. ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Opinion: (by the editor) A couple of readers have expressed gratitude for some of the tips I have included in FreEzine in relation to computers. This month's freebie software is specifically for those who are computer literate. But what about those who are having a struggle coming to grips with this new medium? I have prepared an article on Computer Hard Drives (too large for FreEzine) which is available by email, free of charge by writing to the editor and requesting the article, Hard Drive Troubleshooting Techniques - Typical Errors and the Steps Needed to Resolve Them. (Due to the large numbers of letters I receive each day, I am no longer able to answer all your requests for computer help personally). ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Focus on Health: Treat the Deaf and Blind with Respect Three members of your editor's family wear both hearing aids and spectacles. If you are in this category, then here is a Bible verse to share with your friends: Leviticus 19:14 "Treat the deaf and blind with respect says the Lord your God." The King James (Authorised) Version puts it this way: "Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord." ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Book Look: William Miller, 1844, and the Exegesis of Prophecy by Desmond Ford, edited by your FreEzine editor. Originally published as a supplement to Good News Australia, Issue 4, 1992, this booklet is one of a number of budget publications to be released this month by Good News Unlimited. Be one of the first to get your copy - $A3.50 +PP&H - telephone (07) 5524 5040 (Australia) or email goodnews@coolgold.com.au ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> The Extensive Exposition. This is a new feature of FreEzine. 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. 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. This month's article: Schools Without Drugs: A Plan for Us All, L&R Hartley, Publishers Articles may be obtained by writing to the editor (hartley@telstra.easymail.com.au) and asking for the article by name. ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> The Funny Bone: Honesty in Marriage A couple decides to get married. As the day gets closer, they grow apprehensive. Each has a problem they've never shared with anyone, not even each other. The groom-to-be decides to ask his father for advice. "Father, I am deeply concerned about the success of my marriage. I love this woman, but I have smelly feet. I'm afraid that she'll be put off by them." "No problem," says Dad. "Just be sure to wash your feet often, and always wear socks, even to bed." The bride-to-be approaches her mother with her problem. "Mom, when I wake up in the morning, my breath is truly awful." "Try this," she replies. "In the morning, get right out of bed, go to the bathroom and brush your teeth. Don't say a word until you've finished," her mother affirms. The couple finally gets married in a beautiful ceremony. Not forgetting the advice each had been given, they manage quite well. That is, until about six months later. On that night, the husband wakes to find that one of his socks had come off. Fearful of the consequences, he frantically searches the bed, waking his bride. Without thinking, she asks, "What on earth are you doing?" "Oh, no!" he gasps in shock, "You've swallowed my sock!" -- Selected ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Website Review: http://www.geocities.com/redrangestore I break from tradition for this issue only to tell readers about a huge family/business complex for sale, consisting of a five-bedroom weather-board house, self-contained three-room granny flat, attached shop and separate one-room cottage, 3 lockable sheds and vehicle storage, blacksmith shop, outdoor kiln, carport, etc. in the beautiful New England district of NSW, Australia for only $A65,000 - Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/redrangestore ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Aside: The Best Policy It isn't chance that guides us through this life but once For providence decrees that water from the bridge must flee We come not back the second time to rectify our gaffes* Then why do we try the honest and contrived to harmonise? Such can never see to act as one and in agreement be May God and right ever be the subject of our thought and fight. (*gaffe - a blunder; an indiscreet act or remark - OED) -- The late Bruce Whittaker, Poems & Prose by Bruce of Farrants Hill, L&R Hartley, Murwillumbah, 2000, p14. Available from http://www.users.bigpond.com/lionelhartley/ ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Etymological Trivia: Jerusalem Artichoke The Jerusalem Artichoke is a species of sunflower, Helianthus tuberosus, with edible underground tubers or just the tuber part when it is used as a vegetable. It does not come from the Holy Land. The name 'Jerusalem' is actually a corruption of the Italian word 'girasole' which means 'sunflower'. (The Italians call the Jerusalem artichoke: girasole articiocco). -- Editor ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Take a Hint: Tracking Down Lost Friends and Family Recently a friend of ours in another State moved house at very short notice. They had been waiting to purchase a house and they found an unoccupied one quite unexpectedly. As a consequence the moved almost immediately and, it seems, lost their address book in the moving process. Consequently, they were unable to tell their friends where they were. After a couple of months trying to locate them, My wife and I drove interstate to try to track them down. We were unsuccessful and upon our return I resorted to an online search. The first place to look is usually the telephone directories (www.whitepages.com) because, as private investigators may tell you, most "missing persons" can be found in a phone book someplace. Searches of credit records and motor vehicle registrations are usually a last resort. However, don't rule out searching the Internet if you think your missing person is a denizen. If they have posted a message to any Usenet newsgroup in the past six months - under a real name you can find it by heading to the DejaNews page at http://www.dejanews.com/ There you can search past Usenet postings for the person's name, pull up any messages they wrote (or are mentioned in) and get an Internet address. Talk about Big Brother! And who knows - your missing person may have a World Wide Web page. Try entering the person's name into a Web searcher like Lycos (http://www.lycos.com/). If you want to go one step further, enter the term birth records, death records or military records into any Web searcher. While few such records exist on-line, a smattering of sites are popping up. For instance, the Genealogical Guide to Ireland page (http://www.bess.tcd.ie/roots/prototype/genweb2.htm) lists references to records on births, deaths, marriages, land holdings and estate settlements in Ireland back to 1821. In the United States, some universities, military academies, historical societies and a few States are putting records on-line. In Australia you can enter their name in www.search.com. I recently used the Alumni address book at a certain university online to locate a fellow past student. To protect the friends that I mentioned at the beginning of "Take A Hint", I won't reveal how I obtained the information, but we are overjoyed to have made contact with them again. ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Agony Aunt Ezine - A service provided by The Listening Post Dear Listening Post, I am a 34-year-old guy with a rather worrying problem. For many years now I have felt the need to constantly check and re-check things to make sure that they are in place. I seem to need to lock and unlock doors and windows before I leave a room or my house, to make sure they are locked. I live alone and have constant fears about members of my family being struck down with cancer or something. I read about obsessive-compulsive disorder on a poster at the local hospital and wonder if I need to seek some mental help. I feel quite distress by it all. Name Withheld, NSW --------------------- Dear reader, The behaviour you mention is indeed typical of the obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Don't be frightened by it though, as people with this malady - those with obsessive thoughts (often of death) and compulsive behaviours (often in regard to safety) are not alone in feeling this way. This is a very common disorder of the personality, but there is help available. I suggest you speak with the staff at the hospital where you saw the poster or with your local GP for a referral to a specialist in matters affecting the psyche. All of us, at some time have problems, not just with our physical health, but also our mental and spiritual health where we need help outside of ourselves. ©2001 Listening Post (TM) is a trademark of the Listening Post Counselling Service. Address your questions to: listeningpost@telstra.easymail.com.au ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Aside: Trouble At a shower tea I attended, the last gift to be opened was accompanied by a card reading: "May this always be so," and signed, "Much love, Mother and Dad." Inside was a beautifully framed, yellowed piece of paper with childish handwriting on it, which had once graced the bulletin board in the bedroom of the young bride-to-be. There were tears in her eyes as she read us the message: "Today we had a test in history. I had to go to the dentist too. We did not win the paper drive. This is the worst day I have ever had in my life." Source unknown, courtesy of Peter Stafford Sumner, peter@peterspearls.com.au ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Letters to the Editor (hartley@telstra.easymail.com.au) Subject: What a jerk you are I have a question, why would you think I would be interested in receiving your quirky little FreEzine? Please remove my name from your list and stop being so pushy with your sectarian views. I have never asked to receive it. I don't want it. You have the audacity to ask someone to go to your web site to unsubscribe. You are nuts. No responsible Emailer does this. -- BH. Editor's response: FreEzine is not Spam and is never sent unsolicited, although a subscriber may have forwarded it to you. As detailed at the bottom of every issue, there is no need to go to any website to unsubscribe. What do other readers think about FreEzine? Why not write and tell us how we can improve it? ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Overheard: Bent Knees Cynthia Rowse writes: As a little girl on holiday with my grandparents, a job I liked doing, was feeding the hens. I can't say I was overly fond of the birds themselves, but collecting the eggs was certainly a novelty. It was also extra reassuring to have my grandfather nearby because I didn't like it when the hens pecked near my feet! Observing them closely one night after their evening meal, I was fascinated to see them on their perches, head tucked under their wings, and fast asleep. Why didn't they fall off? What was special about them? I knew that if humans fell asleep while in an upright position, it is impossible for them to keep their balance and they end up falling over, unless of course, there is some support to stop them from doing so. My grandfather patiently explained to me that the secret was in the bird's legs. Apparently they are so constructed, that when the leg is bent at the knee, the claws contract and grip like a steel trap. The claws refuse to let go until the knees are unbent again. The bent knee gives the bird the ability to hold on to her perch very tightly, but she is also relaxed enough to sleep. Amazing, isn't it? Don't you think the bent knee should also be the holding power of a Christian? Daniel, of lion's den fame, found this to be true. He lived in a pagan environment, was tempted by others to compromise with evil, urged to weaken his grip on God, but he refused to let go. Others had been tested and they had faltered, so what was his secret? Daniel was a man of prayer. He knew the power of the bent knee. Dan. 6:10 tells us, "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he got down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously." Living a victorious Christian life is not easy, but the knee bent in prayer, is certainly a great strengthener! It is a means whereby we can seek to get a firmer grip on those values that God seeks in us, like honesty, purity, thoughtfulness, honour, steadfastness and a God-like character. Of course we don't have to kneel to pray. We can talk to God in any position and at any time, but kneeling denotes a humbling of ourselves before the Lord. I have learned that when I seek the Lord's face in prayer on a regular basis, it helps me to hold firmly onto Him. When I relax my prayer life, I invariably fall off my perch! -- Cynthia Rowse, http://www.justaminute.one.net.au/meet_cynthia_rowse.html ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> 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? (hartley@telstra.easymail.com.au) ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Subscription information: FreEzine is a Free ezine magazine/newsletter, published no less than monthly and edited by retired Sociologist, Lionel Hartley PhD. To subscribe, please send a blank message to FreEzine@telstra.easymail.com.au and type SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. To unsubscribe, please send a message to FreEzine@telstra.easymail.com.au and type UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line (we invite your comments also). 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®, Macintosh, etc. Address all correspondence to the editor: hartley@telstra.easymail.com.au 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. Back issues? 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 FreEzine@telstra.easymail.com.au is cited as a reference source. Occasional contributions from Good News Australia are used with permission. YOUR contributions and comments most welcome. E&OE ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> : <>< : ><> Last words: The Personality Test A psychology student is helping his professor conduct a personality test. The room is set up with various props in order to move through the assessment quickly. The first person to enter the room starts the test. "How does this glass of water look to you?" asks the professor. Person 1 replies, "It is half empty". The student checks 'pessimist.' A second enters the room. "How does this glass of water look to you?" He says, "It's half full." The student checks 'optimist.' Person 3 enters. "How does this glass of water look to you?" Person 3 answers, "Looks like you have twice as much glass as you need there." The student looks totally blank and has to consult the professor. "Oh them!" says the professor. "I forgot to warn you about ezine editors! They have no personality." -- Adapted from Tommy Mackay http://ukhumour.about.com?PM=n2030301a