FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine - International Standard Serial Number ISSN 1449-7425 Issue 51 Vol 5 # 9 September 2004 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. FreEzine is also available in Spanish - La Revista libre de Ezine, French - La Revue de Ezine libre, German - FreiEzine Zeitschrift, Italian - La Rivista di Ezine libera, and Portuguese - Revista livre de Ezine. 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: Acceptance Prayer Thought: Pray With Me From My Case Files: Making Something for Dinner Letters to the Editor: What's On? Seminars & Workshops Repeatable Quotable: We Do Not Learn for School Article: Victory in the Battles of Life Natural Remedies: Sweet Treatment for Cuts Havagiggle: Speeding Beatitude Split Second Wisdom: Don't Drive Faster Than... The Extensive Exposition: A Harmony of the Gospels The Funny Bone: When I Get There Sermon Snippet: Have a Laugh Freebies: Free 2005 Calendar Freebies: Free Christmas Piano Music Multimedia CD Cooks Corner: Fried Buttermilk Scones Watch This Space Subscription & Other Information And in Closing: Worry FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine -FreEzine Editorial: Acceptance I want to share with you the story that provides the closing narrative of the movie, The Doctor, with actor John Hurt. There once was a farmer who used to rid his farm of birds by setting traps and laying poison. One day he realised how cruel this was and went out into the field to welcome the birds instead. All day he stood there with his arms outstretched welcoming the birds. But the birds were frightened at what they thought was the farmer's new scarecrow. Sometimes we just have to let our arms down and do nothing if we want to be accepted. --Editor. Prayer Thought: Pray With Me "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem..." Psalm 122:6 (NLT) Several years ago God made a way for me to visit Israel. It was a land that seemed so much like my home away from home. All this time later, I still remember how I delighted in walking where Jesus walked. What peace I felt in that 'city of peace' Jerusalem. Vividly, I remember waking up in the middle of the night to a storm that had gathered suddenly on the Sea of Galilee. We watched from the balcony of our hotel just a few feet from the shores of the Sea. That storm was considered a bonus on our tour of the Holy Land. The thunder and lightning, in all its splendour, reminded us how fast those storms came up during the days of Jesus ministry here on earth. Gathering in the hewn out tomb where our Jesus lay for three days we sang "Up From The Grave He Arose". Taking communion together in the garden helped confirm in our spirit that we really were in the place of our Lord. My mind was awhirl as we actually put our hands on the Wailing Wall, visited the Museum of the Holocaust, and strolled down Via Dolorosa. There was such an awesomeness about God allowing me to see that tiny nation of Israel. I would go back tomorrow if God put it together again. My heart aches as I watch the unrest now in that land. Fear consumes the lives of many people and disturbances are a daily venue. Today, would you pray with me for the peace of Jerusalem? -- Melva Cooper From My Case Files: Making Something for Dinner 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. Names have been changed to protect privacy. Egbert tells me that every time he asked his wife Maggie to make something for dinner, she made 'reservations'. Letters to the Editor Cantos de poetry, Catchwords, Changes, Clamourings, Clichés, Commendations, Comments, Commercials, Complaints, Compliments, Congratulates, Credits, Cries, Criticisms, Critiques? We'll Take All! What's On? Seminars & Workshops: For information on free lifestyle seminars, see . Information on the 2005 GNU Seminars is available from . Also a number of free lectures are advertised on . (P.S. Carolyn of Good News Unlimited has advised that they have some new books in stock: 'The End of Terrorism' (1ET0001) by Des Ford $24.95; 'Which Jesus' (1WJ0001)by Tony Campolo $9.95; 'The Cross of Christ' (1TTC001) by John Stott $14.95; 'Body, Soul & Spirit' (1BS0001) by Pr Ritchie Way $10.00; 'Will Christians go to Heaven when Jesus returns? (1WCG001) by Pr Ritchie Way $7.95; and 'In the steps of our Lord' (1IT0001) by F F Bruce $13.95 (Prices do not include postage - see for details. Repeatable Quotable: Non scholę sed vitę discimus (We do not learn for school, but for life) --Seneca Article: Victory in the Battles of Life (Read 1 Samuel 17:32-50) Have you ever failed at something simply because you did not plan it all the way through? Sadly, this practice is all too common among most people, believers and non-believers alike. If we truly want to achieve victory in our pursuits, we must be willing to take the time to plan accordingly. It is not always enough to see the matter from start to finish; rather, we must demonstrate the wisdom to see all the steps leading up to the challenge, and then all the wonderful results that can follow. When we do this, we have a complete view; that is, we begin to see the matter from God's perspective. When David faced Goliath, he knew that he was entering into much more than a wartime dispute. He was keenly aware of the nature of the conflict; that is, the very name of God was at stake because all of the other nations would watch to see what happened. Failure at this important juncture would have shown the world that Israel's God was not all that powerful. More than understanding the nature of the conflict, David walked into battle knowing the outcome. He knew that God would empower him to do what he had been called to do: defeat Goliath and provide an unshakeable testimony to the power of God. If your pursuits keep falling short, ask yourself the question: 'Am I looking at the whole issue, or have I lost perspective?' If your point of view is too limited, commit the matter to God and allow Him to show you what He can do through your efforts. --Dr. Charles Stanley Natural Remedies: Exploring some of nature's hygiene helpers and ways to fix basic ills, chills, aches and pains. Common sense is paramount - some of these hints are health related, and if you have a medical condition such high blood pressure, are taking prescription medication or are in any way unsure whether you should follow the self-help suggestion/s provided, consult a doctor or natural therapist. This month: Sweet treatment for cuts The next time you need an antibacterial ointment for a cut or wound, apply unprocessed (unheated and unaltered) honey. It contains a natural antibiotic that has proved effective against organisms that cause infections -- Pamela Allardice, Natural therapist Havagiggle: Speeding Beatitude A minister was forced to stop by a traffic policeman to pull over for speeding. As the constable was about to write the ticket, the minister said to him, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." The policeman handed the minister the ticket and said, "Go thou and sin no more." --Editor's Archives Split Second Wisdom: Don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly! - Bumper sticker 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 article is the full text of "A Harmony of the Gospels" This is in Adobe(R) Acrobat format, resourced from the editor's archives and made available free by writing to the editor and asking for the article by name. (Please check the available space in your email box before requesting articles (187k req.) The Funny Bone: When I Get There There was this Christian lady that had to do a lot of travelling for her business so she did a lot of flying. But flying made her nervous so she always took her Bible along with her to read and it helped relax her. One time she was sitting next to a man. When he saw her pull out her Bible he gave a little chuckle and went back to what he was doing. After a while he turned to her and asked "You don't really believe all that stuff in there do you?" The lady replied "Of course I do it is the Bible." He said "Well what about that guy that was swallowed by that whale?" She replied "Oh, Jonah. Yes I believe that, it is in the Bible." He asked "Well, how do you suppose he survived all that time inside the whale?" The lady said "Well I don't really know I guess when I get to heaven I will ask him." "What if he isn't in heaven?" the man asked sarcastically. "Then you can ask him." Replied the lady. --Editor's Archives 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: Have a Laugh Laughter is good for us; if we think about it, there is a funny side to many things we prefer to worry about. We have all heard the expression "I've been worried sick". If negative emotions can have such an impact on the body, then it is common sense to suppose happiness and humour have a positive effect on our health. Every time we laugh our body releases natural painkillers; we also produce cortisone which is an anti-inflammatory agent, and so on. We are getting an inner body work-out when we laugh. Laughter gives us a great lift, filling our hearts with joy. It reinforces the good feelings we have for ourselves and for those around us. Has God got a sense of humour? He created us and included a sense of humour in our character and also the face muscles to enjoy a good laugh. God made us in His own image! One of God's many promises to us is found in Job 8:21: "He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." -- Trudy Lechner Freebies: 2005 calendar Normally using the "Reply To Sender" email option doesn't work with FreEzine as a commercial or other unrelated distributor occasionally sends out the magazine. However, for this issue, by using the "Reply To Sender" email option we will regard it as a request and will send you a free one-page 2005 calendar to print or give-away. Get in early for 2005! Reply to sender. Freebies: Free Christmas Piano Music Multimedia CD. This is a free CD (however you will need to pay postage). Used is as an audio CD and enjoy 13 carols from around the world. It is also MP3 compatible. And it can also be used in a computer to print the full sheet music scores (intermediate piano) for all 13 carols! Check out the new Australian web site Cooks Corner: Fried Buttermilk Scones Ingredients: 900 ml. buttermilk, warmed, 2 tablespoons active dry yeast, 1/4 cup of warm water, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 8 cups of flour 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda Method: Dissolve yeast in water. In a large bowl combine buttermilk, sugar, eggs, oil, and softened yeast, then add salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add 4 cups flour and beat until smooth. Add enough of remaining flour to make a soft dough. Cover, allow to rise until double. Punch down, cover, refrigerate 30 minutes. Roll out to a 1/2 inch thickness, cut into rectangles and fry in 375 degree oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serves 8. --Recipe courtesy of Windows Cuisine 2.0 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 email magazine/newsletter, published by Lionel Hartley, PhD () no less than monthly and sent out ONLY to those who request it. As FreEzine only uses an opt-in email list, we never buy or otherwise obtain email addresses. Although we encourage our readers to forward a copy of FreEzine to their friends and invite them to subscribe, we have a strictly No Spam Policy. To subscribe, please send an email telling us where you heard about FreEzine, to and type SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. To change your email address, please send a message listing your old and new addresses 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! Unsubscribing permanently removes your name and address. 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. A note on the format: Your editor has considered many possible formats, including a colourfully illustrated E-book, hypertext WebPages, 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 a commercial or other unrelated distributor may occasionally send out this magazine. Free offers in FreEzine of CD-ROMs, 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. Back issues are available at 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. E&OE. Although all care has been taken to check details in this newsletter but no responsibility can be taken if information is inaccurate. The Editor would appreciate being informed of erroneous information so that it may be corrected. Contents of FreEzine are COPYRIGHT and we make every endeavour to acknowledge sources. (Our extensive search for copyright sometimes causes some articles to appear in FreEzine some considerable time after they were written). 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. Although all out-going emails are scanned using Symantic's Norton AntiVirus with the most recent virus definitions, FreEzine cannot warrant or represent that this communication (including any enclosed files) is totally free from any electronic viruses, faults or defects. And, in closing: Worry is a small trickle of fear that meanders through the mind until it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained. -- Anon (Courtesy W G Price)