From: R & S Scarcella & Family [inbox@webpastor.com] Sent: Wednesday, 31 January 2001 1:21 PM To: hitsters@webpastor.com Subject: WEBPASTOR Weekly Hits! 2001 Vol.1 No. 5 =================================================== YOUR WEBPASTOR 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) HITS! ARCHIVES: Go to... http://www.webpastor.com/hits/index.htm WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?: Go to... http://www.christianity.net.au HELP BLIMBINGSARI ORPHANAGE?: Go to... http://www.webpastor.com/miss&supp.htm LIKE YOUR OWN FREE EMAIL ADDRESS & MORE? Go to... http://www.webpastor.com/free-mail.htm *************************************************** Dear Friends, From the sublime to the ridiculous, this week, the east coast of Australia is under water! Our children were not able to get to school today because the roads around us were flooded. Can you imagine that after last week's heat! READING FROM THE WORD OF GOD If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:26-27 (NIV) There is an Italian proverb which translates: "An ocean separates what is said from what is done". Once again, the stars are getting up at their annual awards and thanking God, yet by the words of their songs and the record of their lives one often wonders about their commitment! How about ours? What's the use of saying we belong to God, if what we do contradicts what we say? Have we kept ourselves unpolluted by the world (in other words, have we immersed ourselves in the Word of God, which teaches us how to live) and have we transferred our beliefs into action? That, says James, is true religion. Let's stop and take an honest look at ourselves. TESTIMONY "I have always thought of myself as a Christian, but never really understood its true meaning. I just got back from a ten-day mission trip to Honduras. There it was brought to my attention that I had not been fooling anyone about my "Christian ways." My youth director brought to my attention that I had been putting many things ahead of God. I thought about that and came to the conclusion that he was right. On my last night in Honduras I re-dedicated my life to God. It is going to take a while to get to where I need to be in my relationship with Him, but I am growing more everyday." Jenna. THOUGHT FOR TODAY Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live. --Jackie Windspear PRAYER POINTS ***Here is a praise point: Roger, for whom many of you have prayed, has written the following note personally: "I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in August last year which I was informed was inoperable because of the very high PSA level of 58. This subsequently rose to 64 and I was quite frankly becoming rather scared by it all. (Note: 0 is ideal, 3 is acceptable and would require careful watching but no actual treatment). I was put on a course of hormone injections which had some not so nice side effects and I was beginning to despair. My wonderful friend in America, Patti, said she would pray for me and indeed would inform you of my situation and I would be in your prayers also. I can now say that this very morning I received a phone call from my doctor, who informed me that my PSA was lowering at a dramatic rate and was now down to a figure of 7.9. This is absolutely wonderful news to me, the tumor is shrinking. From 64 to 7.9 in only 3 months. I am beginning to believe that the power of prayer is precisely that- very powerful. May I thank you and all your friends from the bottom of my heart for your prayers and well wishes, and may they continue long enough to see this tumor shrink away totally, or at least to that very magical figure of 3." -Ed. It's that great news! Please keep those prayers going! This such a vital part of netministry! ***Thank God that He has sent his Holy Spirit to transform us, that when we ourselves are weak, He is strong. ***Pray this week for the people of the Indian state of Gujerat, where upwards of 100 000 people have died in an earthquake and many many more are injured. Pray for those who might be still alive beneath the rubble, that they may be freed as soon as possible. Keep the aid workers in your prayers, and pray that the comforting love of Jesus reaches the suffering. ***Keep the persecuted in your prayers, especially in Indonesia. Pray for peace and stability and also for the continued safety of our brothers and sisters on the island of Bali. ***Praise God for Amelia D's continued health. Lynn and Mark and little Astrid still need your prayers as well. HAHAHA CORNER ***Three old men are at the doctor for a memory test. The doctor says to the first old man, "What is three times three?" "274" was his reply. The doctor worriedly says to the second man, "It's your turn. What is three times three?" "Tuesday" replies the second man. The doctor sadly says to the third man, "Okay, your turn. What's three times three"? "Nine" says the third man. "That's great!" exclaims the doctor. "How did you get that"? "Hey, Doc, it's pretty simple," says the third man. "I just subtracted 274 from Tuesday." --Rosco C. ***The President had grown increasingly anxious over rumors of an impending air strike from the neighboring country. "John," he ordered his aide-de-camp, "I want you to climb that mountain and report any signs of foreign military activity." "Yes, sir," replied John. He trudged up the mountain, and as soon as he crossed the ridge he saw a squadron of planes heading their way. "There are many planes coming, Sir," he promptly radioed back. "Friends or enemies?" the President demanded urgently. John again lifted his binoculars to the sky. "They're flying very closely together, Sir," he replied. "I think they must be friends." --Anon ***A dietitian was once addressing a large audience in Chicago. "The material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago. Red meat is awful. Soft drinks errode your stomach lining. Chinese food is loaded with MSG. Vegetables can be disastrous, and none of us realizes the long term harm caused by the germs in our drinking water. But there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all and we all have, or will, eat it. Can anyone here tell me what food it is that causes the most grief and suffering for years after eating it?" A 75 year old man in the front row stood up and said, "Wedding cake." --submitted by Pat C ***Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark... One: Don't miss the boat. Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat. Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark. Four: Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. Five: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. Six: Build your future on high ground. Seven: For safety's sake, travel in pairs. Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs in time. Nine: When you're stressed, float a while. Ten: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting. ---submitted by Jennie Graham *** Real friends are those who,when you feel you've made a fool of yourself, don't feel you've done a permanent job. *A conincidence is when God performs a miracle and decides to remain anonymous. *Sometimes the majority only means that all the fools are on the same side. *Lead your life so you won't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip. *Did it ever occur to you that nothing occurs to God? *Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself. *There are two things I've learned: There is a God. And, I'm not Him. *Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. Your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace. "When it comes time to die ... make sure all you've got to do is die." --submitted by Phil M ================================================ Sue: Rocco, Rocco, I'm sinking! What a world! Rocco: (aside) Don't worry folks! She really can talk underwater! Hahaha! C ya all next week. Rocco and Sue. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++