The Church Courier, August 2008

8/14/2019 The Church Courier, August 2008

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August 2008 Vol. 9, Issue 8

Learning from a nursery rhyme we

probably never give it a thought but

when you consider seriously the

nursery rhymes taught to children,

one might discover a bit of wisdom.

Recall this old rhyme written by an

Englishman?

There was a crooked man, and he

went a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence against

a crooked stile; He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked

mouse, And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

What is the moral of the rhyme? Is it not that if one starts outcrooked, everything becomes crooked? Life never seems to get

straightened out. The rhyme does not have the crooked man living

happily ever afterward.

That is why the Bible offers great wisdom regarding helping chil-

dren to get started right. It says, 'Train children in the right way,

and when old, they will not stray' (Proverbs 22:6).

Students and Teachers we wish you a successful School Year!

Morning Prayer

May I bask in the light

Of your presence, O God,

As I savor the warmthOf your care.

Fill my heart with your wisdom and love

Through this day,

For its YOUR will I seek!

Thats my prayer!

In this issue:

Guard Your Thoughts.3

Think about it..5

Facts n Figures. . 9

Church @ Work.10


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Page 2 The Church Cour

Most of us wear a watchof some kind to tell us

what time it is, but haveyou ever noticedthat you often don'thave to always look

at your watch or aclock to know the time?

Have you everset your alarm clock at night for a certain timeto wake up the next morning, only to wake upjust a few mo-ments before the alarm sounded?

There is a good reason for this: we have a built-inclock." Its long been suspected, but only recently has itslocation been discovered.Your built-in "clock" is your hypo-thalamus, which is a part of your brain that lies on the under-side, right in the middle of your head. All we know about thisbuilt-in "clock" is what a groupof Harvard Medical School

researchers have learned. This inner "clock" is a cluster ofbrain cells that probably send out regularly spaced impulseslike the ticking of a normal clock. Atleast that is the theory.

But the scientists can't experiment with a human brain likethey dowith animals' brains. Wouldn't it be interesting toknow exactly how this works? It's so true that we "are fear-

fully and wonderfully made!"(Psalm 139:14) What a power-ful Creator we worship! No wonder the wise man Solomonconcluded: "Whoever keeps thecommandments shall feelno evil thing; and a wise man's heart discerns bothtimeandjudgment."(Eccl. 8:5)

Let us give our great God the thanks and praise due Him for

Hismighty works----all around us in our universe and evenwithin us! Yours for taking timeto give Him the praise Hedeserves, Pastor and Sharon Webb


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Vol. 9, Issue 8 Page 3

Guard Your ThoughtsBy Juan Rivera

John 8:1-11, its one of the

great passages in the Gospels.Jesus intercedes for the womancaught in adultery. After heraccusers have left, Jesus tellsher to go, and sin no more.

So what is sin? If asked, mostwould say what has been en-

graved in our heads, sin is thetransgression of thelaw. Did you know

that when you com-mit a sin, it never"just happens"? Sin-ful acts begin as atti-

tudes or temptationsin your mind andemotions. Tempta-tion can lead us tointernal sin and thento external sin. Sohow does temptation

become sin? We can

break down temptation in threeparts:

1. Something that catches myattention;

2. An analysis of what caughtmy attention;

3. An instant desire, like impure thoughts (see Mark 7:21-22). Impure thoughts are notsin; they become sin when we

entertain them. Everybody has

impure thoughts of one type oranother. That's part of thepackage of being alive. So hav-ing an impure thought comeinto your mind is not a sin byitself; choosing to entertain thethought is a sin.

Internal sin goes from a strongdesire to a decisionand finally to planning.External sin is simplyan internal sin that be-comes a deed.

We are all sinnerswhether it is an inter-nal or external sin. Its

very easy to accuse theadulteress woman be-cause her sin was ex-ternal. Many times weact like the Pharisees

and want to accuse those whohave external sins. We cant

see internal sins but we tend toforget that God can. We need to

be guarding our thoughts so thatthey dont turn into internal

sins.

Continue on page 7

.


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Back to School

The Summer is almost

over, so pack your

pencils and calcula-tors, because

school starts August 18. This is

going to be another

successful year.

July 5th was the Youth Lock-In; every one had fun. We

played games & watched movies. You should have been there!

IT WAS AWESOME!!!

PATHFINDERS

Registration and club meeting begins Aug. 19 @ 6:30 PM

Do you know this Youth?

This is Frankie Biedinger, he is 13 yearsold. His hobbies are playing videogames,

Chess, Golf, and reading books. He likes

to play Laser Tag. He is in a lot of dif-

ferent clubs. Hes in the Pathfinders, Club-Book, Club-

Squires, and Chess Club. He also is a volunteer in our

Community Services. When Frankie gets older he wantsto be in the Air Force. He lives in Port Richey with his

Dad and Mom (Steve and Susan Biedinger) and his three

sisters (Sarah, Gabby & Korinna).

By David Hecht


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PIXIE PIN-UPSDO YOU KNOW ME?

If you think you know this church member,

submit your guess to us, either by phone oremail.

First 3 correct responses will receive a prize!

You can submit your baby pix by email or di-rectly to us. Photos can be black and white orcolor and will be promptly returned. For more

information please contact us.

July baby was: Stan Getlinger

(Clue: This little boy keeps going, goingand going...

Our winners were: Marjorie Boyd, Arline Learman,

and Pastor Webb

Think about it By learning you willteach; by teaching you willlearn.

If God is your copilot,swap seats.

Help me today, Father,to submit my agenda toyour perfect planning.

Life is a mirror; If youfrown at it, it frowns back;if you smile, it returns thegreeting.

His favorite hymnal isCrown Him with many

crowns.


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GO WITH THE 80/20 ODDS

By Gary D. Grimes

Life expectancy is greatly increasedby wearing seatbelts when youre in

a vehicle. Im a great believer in

going with the odds. So I try toremember to buckle up every time.

The one time I can remember notbuckling up I was involved in an accident. Lucky for me,I was rear ended so my head went back into the seat rest

instead of forward into the windshield. I have a friendwho will not wear a seatbelt for fear of going under water

in an auto and drowning because he wont be able to get

his seatbelt unlocked. He refuses to go with the odds. Myfriend even lives in Idaho which is high desert country

with hardly any water.

Now for what I really want to talk with you about: Chris-tian education. The last time I checked the odds wereabout 80 to 20 that Adventist youth, who stayed in ourschools, stay with Christ and with our church. Four toone! Thats pretty good odds! Weighed in the balances of

eternity I would certainly go with the 80/20 odds. No mat-ter what the cost we (parents and church members) mustkeep our kids in kindergarten, elementary school, acad-emy, college and graduate school. Parents need to lead theway in the education finances of their children, but churchmembers need to make substantial contributions to thisworthy project. Our goal: every Adventist youth in Ad-

ventist schools. Remember it is a church school not aparents school.


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We are looking for members that

want to share their testimonials,

members that want to write

uplifting articles,

members that want to participate

in the Pixie Pin-Ups submittingtheir pictures.

See our contact information on the last page!

Cont. from page 3

By Juan Rivera

Heres what the Bible also tellsus about sin. Those who live

according to the sinful naturehave their minds set on whatthat nature desires; but thosewho live in accordance with theSpirit have their minds set onwha t the Sp i r i t de -sires (Romans 8:5). If

we claim to be withoutsin, we deceive our-selves and the truth isnot in us. If we con-fess our sins, he isfaithful and just

and will forgive usour sins and purify us from allunrighteousness. If we claimwe have not sinned, we makehim out to be a liar and his wordhas no place in our lives. Mydear children, I write this to youso that you will not sin. But if

anybody does sin, we have onewho speaks to the Father in ourdefenseJesus Christ, theRighteous One (1 John 1:8-2:1).

Jesus says go, and sin no

more. Notice he doesnt say,

Thats all right. Dont worry

about it. No. He chal-

lenges us to faithful obe-dience to God. Hes

saying, You have

sinned, but you can dobetter. I know you can.

He offers us a 2ndchance. This is the heartof the Good News ofJesus Christ- grace, hope

and help for sinners like you andme. Praise God!

Above all else, guard your

heart, for it is the wellspring of

life (Proverbs 4:23).


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C o n g r a t u l a -

t i o n s t oKorinna Bied-

inger for win-

ning the Adventurer of

the Year. Congratulations

also to Justin Rivera and

Marcus Gagye that won

the 2nd Place. Keep upthe good work!

Remember that Adven-

turer Club registration

and starting day is Tues-

day, August 19th, at 6:00

PM.

Its a Boy!

Congratulations toSharon and Joe Vital

and big sister Joy for the

arrival of the new member

of the family. Zachary

Brian was born June 25th

at 8:25 AM. He weighted

8 pounds, 11 ounces and a

height of 21 inches.

God bless you!


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In this section you will see interesting factsand figures. Got some? Send it to us.

Yourstomachprodu

cesa

newlayerofmucuse

very

twoweeksotherwise

it

woulddigestit

self.

Everytimeyoulickastamp,youreconsuming1/10ofacalorie.

Orange juice helps the body

absorb iron more easily.

We throw away 500 mil-lion plastic bottles and 8billion plastic bags each

WHAT TO DO IN DO-OR-DIE EMERGENCIES?(Readers Digest)

These are some good ideas and strategies to keep you alive in case of emer-

gency.

LOST IN THE WILDERNESS: Stay visible, make a signal with colorfulgear or a big X out of rocks or dig a shallow trench. If you need water itsusually better to drink from a stream with suspect water than to go with-out. If youre stranded in your car, stay there: youre more visible to rescu-

ers, and the car provides shelter.

IMPALEMENT: If you have something stuck in any body part, includingyour eye, dont remove the object. Try to trim the object breaking off the

part thats protruding from your body, but dont pull it out.

BEAR ATTACK: If you surprise a bear, dont run away. That invites anattack. It is better to stand up and back away slowly, without looking the

bear in the eyes. Try to make yourself look as large as possible: raise yourarms, stick out your chest. If its going to attack, lie face down, with your

hands clasped behind your neck. Play dead.

Now, enjoy the rest of you summer and survive!


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Page 10 The Church Couri

Need ideas on what to cook today?

What you need isFavorite

Vegetarian Recipes

The best collection of recipes ofthe NPR SDA Church Members.

Order your copy for just $8.00 @the church office or go to:

www.nprsda.org /recipes

Surprise someone today with thishealthy and unique gift!

While supplies last

New monthly Study &

Prayer Group

New group forming, for non-members,

at our Church.We will be discussing Bible principles fortodays world and final events of Bible

prophecy.

Starting Thursday, August 7th,from 7:00 - 8:30 PM

Do you know somebody that might be in-terested? please contact Juanita & Gary

Grimes or Omayra & Juan Rivera for moreinformation.

Spread the good news in yourneighborhood!

We are happy to announce that a new season forthe NPR Sanctuary Choir is about to start:

When: Saturday, August 23rdTime: 5:00 PM

If you are interested please join us!

Advantages of joining the Choir:

You have excellent seats and are assured a

reserved seat for Christmas and Easter. From your advantageous seat, you can smileat, and enjoy the rest of the people in the congre-gation. The pastor is nearly always looking the otherway.

Youre in a wonderful spot to see new mem-

bers.

You dont have to worry about what to wear.(we have a special robe for you)

The cost for all these benefits? Just one eve-ning a week. Oh, yes, one more reason to join the choir:Youre a talented leader, and we need you!


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This newsletter is published monthly by the NPR SDA Church. If you

have any comments to make about the newsletter, wish to make a

donation, or wish to submit an article, please send it to the church

or to us.

Contact Us

Alexander Ortiz727-365-2892

Omayra Rivera727-372-0052

[email protected]

NPR Seventh-day Adventist Church6424 Trouble Creek Road

New Port Richey, FL 34653727-848-4567

Visit us on the web: www.nprsda.org/newsletter


God EyesThe other day, while driving to my job, I heard a song in which

the singer asked God: give me you eyes so I can see Thesinger wants to be able to see life the way God sees life, he

wants to be able to see this world the same way God does.I started to think: Are we ready for that? Can we see this worldthe same way God does and stay calm? Are we strong enough tosee the pain, misery, and the hurting hearts? Are we spiritually

mature enough to look at someone's eyes and see his/her needs,desires, sadness, happiness, or thoughts?I know what the singer means is for God to let him help some-way, to be able to be moved when others are hurt, scare, or with-out hope. This is something that we all want or need. It will begreat if every single Christian out there and here in this church

asked God for eyes to see, and the strengths and abilities to dosomething about it. Alex Ortiz


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The Church Courier, August 2008