From: R & S Scarcella & Family [inbox@webpastor.com] Sent: Wednesday, 12 April 2000 10:56 PM To: inbox@webpastor.com Subject: CoGS Weekly Hits! 2000 Vol.4. No.2 =================================================== YOUR CoGS WEEKLY HITS! - FREE NETMAGAZINE =================================================== distributed by Rev. Rocco & Mrs. Susan Scarcella from Church of the Good Shepherd Bossley Park NSW Australia WEBSITE: www.webpastor.com ITEMS, JOKES ETC TO: hits@webpastor.com SUBSCRIBE: subscribe@webpastor.com UNSUBSCRIBE: unsubscribe@webpastor.com (Please write "no hits" in the subject frame) WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?: Go to... http://www.christianity.net.au HELP BLIMBINGSARI ORPHANAGE?: Go to... http://www.webpastor.com/miss&supp.htm *************************************************** Dear NetFamily, You may not realise it, but you have a champion in your midst. This week, Sue has bested a mouse with her bare hands, and successfully disposed of a VERY large spider, which found its way onto the back of her clothes. (Round of applause, please! LOL-)Which reminds me of a much more famous story from the Scriptures.... READING FROM THE WORD OF GOD Samson went down to Timnah and saw a young Philistine woman. When he returned, he said to his father and mother "I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife." His father and mother replied, "Isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me. She's the right one for me." -Judges 14:1-3 (NIV) Many of us know the story of Samson and Delilah, but few have grasped the central theme of his life. Samson was dedicated to the Lord before he was even conceived, to be Israel's judge or "saviour" from the Philistines. It was a serious vow, to which his parents assented, and which Samson started off taking seriously until he met a Philistine woman. The dialogue between him and his parents show basic flaws in their characters. The parents are indulgent of their only son, and so go back on the vow they made to God, and fail in their role as parents to discipline him. Samson stands over his parents and declares that he will marry the girl because she is "the right one for me". The phrase used is very similar to one that turns up repeatedly in the book of Judges "they did as they saw fit". So Samson is declaring he will do what he likes regardless of what God or his parents think. Once having embarked upon this life of wanton disobedience, Samson's life goes downhill: he eats unclean food, marries disastrously twice to women who betray him, shows disregard for people and things, and finally, betrays the only part of his vow that he has managed to keep, cutting his hair. Only in his death, his sacrificial death, does Samson fulfil with personal sincerity, the role set out for him. He saves Israel by destroying the Philistine nobility in the temple of its idol. And us? Does God have to wait until the moment of our deaths to see our potential? Hopefully not. Let us use the gifts that He has given us while we have eyes, strength and health. TESTIMONY Speaking of Samson, here is a beautiful testimony by Sam! "I had been taught a lie--in church--a lie. I was told that I could be and should be perfect. I was far from perfect so I pretended to be perfect until my hypocrisy destroyed my health, my family and nearly killed me. I did drugs and drank and cried myself to sleep at night. On a dark street in Wilmington, N.C. I cried out, "God! Where are you? I can't find you! I hope I will before I die." A short time after that Christ came to me and said, "Go out and spread the gospel." I was stunned to say the least. I was not worthy of spreading the Gospel! Then through a series of small miracles God made that dream a reality--like the lost sheep in Luke 15:1-7, Jesus sought me until He found me and then said, "Rejoice, I have found the sheep that was lost." --Evangelist Sam. PRAYER POINTS **Thank God for the gifts we have each been given. Help us to use those gifts in His service, and encourage others to do the same. **Thank God for sending His Son, Jesus. This week, Christians remember the entry of Christ into Jerusalem. They called him Lord then, but a week later, they crucified him. **Pray for Easter outreaches. **Praise God for the impact of the "Jesus" video. Estimates are that over half the world's population has now seen it. (If you haven't seen it, go to: http://www.jesusfilm.org/view/realvideo/) **The funeral for Bill, Rose T's stepfather, is tomorrow Thursday afternoon 2pm (AEST). Pray for the family. **Pray for Kristine M and her husband, Dennis,who have been through very difficult times, and need a lot of encouragement. She writes: "There has to be some human who does care!" **Pat C's husband, Bill, is still not out of the woods. **Debbie D's mother is battling pneumonia. **Violet F is down to the last few weeks of pregnancy. Trish C, Lynn D and Gina L have still a few months to go. **GET PAID TO SURF THE NET & ALSO SUPPORT THE ORPHANAGE!** Don't forget to consider AllAdvantage.com, an Internet company that literally pays you to surf the Web. They are paying members in US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and the US territories, too -- more countries coming soon. AllAdvantage is totally legit. It's also completely FREE and they are very serious about maintaining your privacy: there is no survey to fill out! If you sign up, please use our member ID(LCD613) when you are asked if you were referred by someone OR you can just CLICK ON this link to get started: http://www.alladvantage.com/go.asp?refid=LCD613 . By joining and signing up through our member ID number (LCD613)YOU will be paid to surf the web AND also help us to support the Orphanage in Blimbingsari(Indonesia) every time you log on and activate the viewbar! It's that simple! And of course, the more who sign up through our link, the more we will raise to help the kids! For more info & pics of the orphanage kids you will be helping,just follow this link to our web site: http://www.webpastor.com/miss&supp.htm . HAHAHACORNER YOU KNOW YOU ARE GETTING OLDER WHEN..... 1. You and your teeth don't sleep together. 2. You try to straighten out the wrinkles in your socks and discover you aren't wearing any. 3. At the breakfast table you hear snap, crackle, pop, and you're not eating cereal. 4. Your back goes out, but you stay home. 5. When you wake up looking like your driver's license picture. 6. It takes two tries to get up from the couch. 7. When your idea of a night out is sitting on the patio. 8. When happy hour is a nap. 9. When you're on vacation and your energy runs out before your money does. 10. When you say something to your kids that your mother said to you and you always hated it. 11. When all you want for your birthday is to not be reminded of your age. 12. When you step off a curb and look down one more time to make sure the street is still there. 13. Your idea of weight lifting is standing up. 14. It takes longer to rest than it did to get tired. 15. Your memory is shorter and your complaining lasts longer. 16. Your address book has mostly names that start with Dr. 17. You sit in a rocking chair and can't get it going. 18. The pharmacist has become your new best friend. 19. Getting "lucky" means you found your car in the parking lot. 20. The twinkle in your eye is merely a reflection from the sun on your bifocals. 21. It takes twice as long to look half as good. 22. Everything hurts, and what doesn't hurt doesn't work. 23. You look for your glasses for half an hour and they were on your head the whole time. 24. You sink your teeth into a steak and they stay there. 25. You give up all your bad habits and still don't feel good. 26. You have more patience, but it's actually that you just don't care anymore. 27. You finally get your head together and your body starts falling apart. 28. You wonder how you could be over the hill when you don't remember ever being on top of it. --submitted by Rose T. **At the Dentist Ten year old Little Johnny and his mother were waiting in a dentist's office, talking about treatments for the boy's painful tooth, when the dentist entered the room. The dentist asked, "Well, Son, which one's the troublemaker?" Without hesitation, Little Johnny replied, "My brother!" **YOU KNOW YOU LIVE IN SYDNEY WHEN.....(bear with us, overseas friends; we rarely have jokes made against us! hehehe...) *You make over $100,000 and still can't afford a house. *You never bother looking at the train schedule because you know the drivers have never seen it. *You have a very strong opinion where your coffee beans are grown and can taste the difference between Sumatra and Ethiopian. *A really great parking space can move you to tears. *You haven't been to Darling Harbour since the first month you moved to Sydney and you couldn't figure out how to drive to Sydney Tower if your life depended on it. *A woman walks on bus with live poultry. You don't notice. *You order organic fruit and vegies online, but eat out every night anyway. *You spent more money on your coffee machine than on your washing machine. *You spend $200+ for your room in an apartment with stunning harbour/beach views and European appliances; and then spend a total of 40 hours each week there (37 of which you are sleeping). *You contemplate calling a cab from your home to where you managed to park the car the night before. *You spend 30 minutes in a traffic jam next to a car with more power to its speakers than its wheels. *You know everyone's e-mail and mobile number but not their last name or home address. *You can roll sushi, make pasta and keep your red curry paste recipe under lock and key... but couldn't roast a chicken to save your life. *Your cab driver was a micro-surgeon before he moved to Australia. --submitted by Joanne B. **A man was wandering around a fairground and he happened to see a psychic's tent. Thinking it would be good for a laugh, he went inside and sat down. "Ah..." said the woman as she gazed into her crystal ball. "I see you are the father of two children." "That's what you think," said the man scornfully. "I'm the father of THREE children." The woman grinned and said, "That's what *you* think. --submitted by Pat C ============================================================= About those psychics... Have you ever wondered why they need to advertise in the newspapers? Shouldn't they know already who needs them?!! Hmmmmmmm????!!! Well, that's all until next week! --Rocco and Sue. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++