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 out
crooked, 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

In this issue:
Guard Your Thoughts.3
Think about it…………..5
Facts ‘n Figures …… . . 9
Church @ Work……….10
Of your presence, O God,
As I savor the warmth
Of your care.
Fill my heart with your wisdom and love
Through this day,
For it’s YOUR will I seek!
That’s my prayer!
 Most of us wear a watch
of some kind to tell us
what time it is, but have
you ever noticed
that you often don't
have to always look
at your watch or a
clock to know the time?

Have you ever set your alarm clock at night for a certain time
to wake up the next morning, only to wake up just a few mo-
ments before the alarm sounded?

There is a good reason for this: we have a built-in

“clock." Its long been suspected, but only recently has its
location 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 this
built-in "clock" is what a group of Harvard Medical School
researchers have learned. This inner "clock" is a cluster of
brain cells that probably send out regularly spaced impulses
like the ticking of a normal clock. At least that is the theory.

But the scientists can't experiment with a human brain like

they do with animals' brains. Wouldn't it be interesting to
know 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 Solomon
concluded: "Whoever keeps the commandments shall feel
no evil thing; and a wise man's heart discerns both time
and judgment."(Eccl. 8:5)

Let us give our great God the thanks and praise due Him for
His mighty works----all around us in our universe and even
within us! Yours for taking time to give Him the praise He
deserves, Pastor and Sharon Webb

Page 2 The Church Courier

 Guard Your Thoughts
By Juan Rivera
John 8:1-11, it’s one of the
great passages in the Gospels.
Jesus intercedes for the woman
caught in adultery. After her
accusers have left, Jesus tells
her to “go, and sin no more.”
So what is sin? If asked, most
would say what has been en-
graved in our heads, “sin is the
transgression of the
law.” Did you know
that when you com-
mit a sin, it never
"just happens"? Sin-
ful acts begin as atti-
tudes or temptations
in your mind and
emotions. Tempta-
tion can lead us to
internal sin and then
to external sin. So
how does temptation
become sin? We can
break down temptation in three
parts:
1. Something that catches my
attention;
2. An analysis of what caught
my attention;
3. An instant desire, like im-
pure thoughts (see Mark 7:21-
22). Impure thoughts are not
sin; they become sin when we
Vol. 9, Issue 8
entertain them. Everybody has
impure thoughts of one type or
another. That's part of the
package of being alive. So hav-
ing an impure thought come
into your mind is not a sin by
itself; choosing to entertain the
thought is a sin.
Internal sin goes from a strong
desire to a decision
and finally to planning.
External sin is simply
an internal sin that be-
comes a deed.
We are all sinners
whether it is an inter-
nal or external sin. It’s
very easy to accuse the
adulteress woman be-
cause her sin was ex-
ternal. Many times we
act like the Pharisees
and want to accuse those who
have external sins. We can’t
see internal sins but we tend to
forget that God can. We need to
be guarding our thoughts so that
they don’t turn into internal
sins.
Continue on page 7
.
Page 3
 Back to School

The Summer is almost

over, so pack your
pencils and calcula-
tors, because
By David Hecht 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 years

old. 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. He’s in the Pathfinders, Club-Book, Club-
Squires, and Chess Club. He also is a volunteer in our
Community Services. When Frankie gets older he wants
to 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).
Page 4 The Church Courier
 PIXIE PIN-UPS
DO YOU KNOW ME?

If you think you know this church member,

submit your guess to us, either by phone or
email.

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 or
color and will be promptly returned. For more
information please contact us.
His favorite hymnal is
“Crown Him with many
July baby was: Stan Getlinger
crowns.”
(Clue: This little boy keeps going, going
and going...

Our winners were: Marjorie Boyd, Arline Learman,

and Pastor Webb

Think about it…

 By learning you will

teach; by teaching you will
learn.

 If God is your copilot,

swap seats.

 Help me today, Father,

to submit my agenda to
your perfect planning.

 Life is a mirror; If you

frown at it, it frowns back;
if you smile, it returns the
greeting.

Vol. 9, Issue 8 Page 5

 GO WITH THE 80/20 ODDS
By Gary D. Grimes

Life expectancy is greatly increased

by wearing seatbelts when you’re in
a vehicle. I’m a great believer in
going with the odds. So I try to
remember to buckle up every time.
The one time I can remember not
buckling 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 friend
who will not wear a seatbelt for fear of going under water
in an auto and drowning because he won’t be able to get
his seatbelt unlocked. He refuses to go with the odds. My
friend 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 were
about 80 to 20 that Adventist youth, who stayed in our
schools, stay with Christ and with our church. Four to
one! That’s 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) must
keep our kids in kindergarten, elementary school, acad-
emy, college and graduate school. Parents need to lead the
way in the education finances of their children, but church
members need to make substantial contributions to this
worthy project. Our goal: every Adventist youth in Ad-
ventist schools. Remember it is a “church school” not a
“parent’s school.”

Page 6 The Church Courier

Cont. from page 3
By Juan Rivera
Here’s what the Bible also tells
us about sin. “Those who live
according to the sinful nature
have their minds set on what
that nature desires; but those
who live in accordance with the
Spirit have their minds set on
what the Spirit de-
sires” (Romans 8:5). “If
we claim to be without
sin, we deceive our-
selves and the truth is
not in us. If we con-
fess our sins, he is
faithful and just
and will forgive us
our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness. If we claim
we have not sinned, we make
him out to be a liar and his word
has no place in our lives. My
dear children, I write this to you
so that you will not sin. But if
anybody does sin, we have one
who speaks to the Father in our
defense—Jesus Christ, the
Righteous One” (1 John 1:8-
2:1).
Jesus says “go, and sin no
more”. Notice he doesn’t say,
“That’s all right. Don’t worry
about it.” No. He chal-
lenges us to faithful obe-
dience to God. He’s
saying, “You have
sinned, but you can do
better. I know you can.”
He offers us a 2nd
chance. This is the heart
of the Good News of
Jesus Christ- grace, hope
and help for sinners like you and
me. Praise God!
“Above all else, guard your
heart, for it is the wellspring of
life” (Proverbs 4:23).

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 submitting
their pictures.
See our contact information on the last page!

Vol. 9, Issue 8 Page 7

 Congratula-
tions to
Korinna Bied-
inger for win-
ning the Adventurer of
the Year. Congratulations
also to Justin Rivera and
Marcus Gagye that won
the 2nd Place. Keep up
the good work!

Remember that Adven-

turer Club registration
and starting day is Tues-
day, August 19th, at 6:00
PM.

It’s a Boy!

Congratulations to
Sharon 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!

Page 8 The Church Courier

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

ces a
ach produ Orange juice helps the body
Your stom mucus every absorb iron more easily.
of
new layer it
s otherwise
two week .
est itself
would dig
Every
stamp, y time you lick a
ou’re con
We throw away 500 mil- 1/10 of suming
lion plastic bottles and 8 a calorie
.
billion plastic bags each

WHAT TO DO IN DO-OR-DIE EMERGENCIES?

(Reader’s 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 colorful

gear or a big X out of rocks or dig a shallow trench. If you need water it’s
usually better to drink from a stream with suspect water than to go with-
out. If you’re stranded in your car, stay there: you’re more visible to rescu-
ers, and the car provides shelter.

IMPALEMENT: If you have something stuck in any body part, including

your eye, don’t remove the object. Try to trim the object breaking off the
part that’s protruding from your body, but don’t pull it out.

BEAR ATTACK: If you surprise a bear, don’t run away. That invites an
attack. 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 your
arms, 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!

Vol. 9, Issue 8 Page 9

 New monthly Study &
Prayer Group

Need ideas on what to cook today?
What you need is
Favorite
Vegetarian Recipes
The best collection of recipes of
the 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 this
healthy and unique gift!
While supplies last
New group forming, for non-members,
at our Church.
We will be discussing Bible principles for
today’s 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 more
information.
Spread the good news in your
neighborhood!

We are happy to announce that a new season for

the NPR Sanctuary Choir is about to start:

When: Saturday, August 23rd

Time: 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 smile
at, and enjoy the rest of the people in the congre-
gation.
 The pastor is nearly always looking the other
way. 
 You’re in a wonderful spot to see new mem-
bers.
 You don’t 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:
You’re a talented leader, and we need you!

Page 10 The Church Courier

God Eyes…

The 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…” The
singer 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 world
the same way God does and stay calm? Are we strong enough to
see 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 be
great if every single Christian out there and here in this church
asked God for eyes to see, and the strengths and abilities to do
something about it. Alex Ortiz

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 Ortiz Omayra Rivera
727-365-2892 727-372-0052

nprcourier07@gmail.com

NPR Seventh-day Adventist Church

6424 Trouble Creek Road
New Port Richey, FL 34653
727-848-4567
Visit us on the web: www.nprsda.org/newsletter
Vol. 9, Issue 8 Page 11
 New Port Richey
Seventh–day Adventist Church
6424 Trouble Creek Road
New Port Richey, FL 34653