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firstIMPRESSIONS
Are you really ready to ’take the flak’ that comes with success? That question ‘weeds out’ those who only want romance or a family, from those who’re willing to live sacrificially for others. Often we just want something because it looks good in somebody else’s life. But what blesses one person can bury another, because they can’t cope with the pressures that go along with it. If you’re always weeping over rejection or worrying about who accepts you – then you’re not ready for certain blessings! Jesus said, “offences will come” (Luke 17:1). When He rose to prominence, the folks He’d grown up with resented Him and said, “Is not this the carpenter’s Son?” (Matthew 13:55) Look out! Success doesn’t just mean more options; it also means more opposition. Jesus said, “A man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” (Matthew 10:36) Stop asking God to change the minds of your critics. It’s not they that must change, it’s you. Instead of praying, “Lord, change others,” begin to pray, “Lord, change me until it doesn’t hurt any more.” The truth is that, it’s having to deal with people and pressure that gives you the maturity to handle certain blessings. So ask yourself today, “Am I ready for what I’m asking for? Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 6.17. Live for God, on purpose, growing in Him through all of life’s journey. |
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 Receiving firstIMPRESSIONS
Now in its sixth year, firstIMPRESSIONS circulates to well over 5,000 people each and every Friday. In fact, firstIMPRESSIONS has never missed a single week’s issue! However, we have recently discovered that some folks have not received firstIMPRESSIONS on time, or sometime haven’t received it at all. I would like to ask each reader to do a few things that can help to make sure that you receive each week’s issue: 1. Confirm your subscription. Near the bottom of each and every issue, you will find a line of links from my distributor, Topica. One link is labeled “Confirm”. If you can click that link, your issues will be sent to you with a special code that tells your internet service provider that firstIMPRESSIONS is something that you want to receive. You only need to do this one time. 2. Check your address book. Be sure to add these two email addresses to your address book – TSatryan@WFA.org and firstIMPRESSIONS@WFA.org. Many anti-spam programs check your address book, and if the sending address is there, it allows the email. If it’s not there, it will delete the email. This is especially important for all AOL users! 3. Check your anti-spam software settings. If you use anti-spam software, be sure that you set it to allow firstIMPRESSIONS! Make sure it will allow “html” email to be received, too. 4. Check your bulk mail folder. Users of many web based email services should be sure to check that firstIMPRESSIONS hasn’t been filtered into a bulk mail folder. This is especially important for all Hotmail/MSN mail, Yahoo mail, and gmail users. Also, AOL has a bulk mail folder that is notorious for grabbing firstIMPRESSIONS. If you find firstIMPRESSIONS in a bulk mail folder, click on it, and tell your program that it isn’t bulk email. If your internet provider is either Verizon or Juno, they have a bad habit of completely deleting much of YOUR email – including firstIMPRESSIONS – before it ever reaches your inbox. If verizon.net or juno.com is a part of your email address, then you should contact them and ask them to stop filtering your email, and specifically to allow firstIMPRESSIONS to be delivered. While I surely applaud all efforts to stop “spam” email, I believe it is a mistake when internet service providers become over-aggressive and block email from coming to you. Every Friday we send out firstIMPRESSIONS. A few hours after it is sent, I check for a list of any “bounces” that have been recorded. I then gather together the addresses of every “bounce” and manually re-send them out. On average, that is between two and three hundred emails that I re-send every week. You can always tell if I have manually sent out your issue by looking for the blue “Topica” link line near the bottom. If it is missing, then I have manually sent it out, most likely because your internet service provider “bounced” the regular sending, believing it is unwanted spam. We have created a helpful FAQ sheet to assist you in receiving each week’s firstIMPRESSIONS. To read it, just click here – http://www.wfa.org/newsletter/why_not_recv.html. Thank you for your help! We pray that firstIMPRESSIONS is a blessing to you each week! (top)  Stay Focused!
On July 4, 1952, Florence Chadwick waded into the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island. Her goal? Swim to the California coast. The fog was so thick she could barely see the boats accompanying her. After fifteen hours she gave up, despite her trainer telling her she was close to the coastline. But all she could see was fog, and she quit — only a half-mile from her goal. Later she said, “I’m not excusing myself, but if I could have seen the land, I might have made it.” Two months later, on a day with no fog, she did. Keeping our “eye on the ball,” as they say in baseball, is the only way to accomplish our goal. When we let our eyes waver to the right or to the left (Proverbs 4:27), we run the risk of losing our focus. If your goal is to become more like Jesus (Romans 8:29), keeping your eyes on Him is the secret. The fog of this world is that which is most likely to obscure our vision of Jesus. We start looking at the creation instead of the Creator (Romans 1:25) and suddenly lose sight of the One who is our goal in life. If you feel like quitting... feel like you have lost your way... feel lost – refocus! Get back in the Word daily and watch the fog disappear. A goal you can’t see is a goal you’ll never reach. from Dr. David Jeremiah’s “Turning Point Daily Devotional” of January 21, 2006. www.turningpointonline.org (top)  Who are You?
You are... 1. A child of God (Romans 8:16) (top)  Drifting
by Tony Evans The story is told of a boy who was floating his boat on a pond when the boat drifted away. A man came by, saw the boat drifting out on the pond, and began throwing stones on the far side of the boat. The boy asked, “What are you doing?” But then something very interesting happened. As the stones hit the water beyond the boat, they created ripples which pushed the boat back toward the boy. Even though the stones disturbed the smooth water, they achieved the desired result. That’s how it is with God sometimes. When we drift away from Him, He throws the disturbing stones out beyond us in order to push us back to the shore of His love. (top)  Attitude
Here’s why your attitude makes such a difference: 1. Your attitude determines your outcome. Successful people embrace this truth, whether it’s a doctor going into surgery, a pastor preparing a sermon, or a business person launching a new venture. Confidence increases your chance of success every time. When you approach a task, especially one you don’t relish, fix your mind on the facts, not your feelings. That’ll put your attitude on the right track. 2. Your attitude toward others determines their attitude toward you. Smile at people and they’ll probably smile back. Act hard-nosed and they’re likely to snap at you. If you want to enjoy people as you go through your day, treat them well. This is not rocket science, but it’s easily forgotten – and it’s scriptural! 3. Your attitude gives you the winning edge. When world heavyweight champion Joe Louis got knocked down by Tony “Two Ton” Galento in Yankee Stadium, he immediately jumped back to his feet and went after his opponent. When his trainer protested saying, “Why didn’t you stay down for nine?” Louis said, “What! And give him a chance to rest?” Louis went out in the fourth round and won the fight. Possessing a great attitude always gives you the winning edge. 4. Your attitude, not your achievements, brings happiness. Samuel Johnson, 18th Century poet, stated, “He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition, will waste his life in fruitless efforts, and multiply the grief which he purposes to remove.” (top)  Opting Out
Dear Pastor: There are 566 members in our church, but 100 are frail and elderly. That leaves 466 to do all the work. However, 80 are young people away at college. That leaves 386 to do all the work. However, 150 of them are tired businessmen, so that leaves 236 to do all the work. 150 are housewives with children. That leaves 86 to do all the work. There are also 46 members who have other important interests. Which leaves 40 to do all the work, but 15 live too far away to come regularly. So that leaves 25 to do all the work. And 23 of them say they’ve done their part. So, Pastor, that leaves YOU and ME and, frankly, I’m exhausted. Good luck to you. Sincerely, A. Parishioner (top)  God Does
When you feel unlovable, unworthy, and unclean, When you think that you are unforgivable When you think that all is hidden, And when you have reached the bottom, And when you think that no one can love, (top)  The Last Impression...
An elderly couple was having difficulty remembering things, so they decided to go to their doctor to get checked out to make sure nothing was wrong with them. They explained to the doctor the problems they were having with their memory. After checking the couple out, the doctor told them that they were physically okay but that they might want to start writing things down and make notes to help them remember things. The couple thanked the doctor and left. Later that night while watching TV, the old man got up from his chair and his wife asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “To the kitchen.” She asked, “Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?” He answered, “Sure.” Remembering their doctor’s advice, she asked him, “Don’t you think you should write it down so you can remember it?” He thought a moment, and then said, “No, I can remember that.” Then she said, “Well I also would like some strawberries on top. You had better write that down cause I know you’ll forget that.” He said, “I can remember that-you want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries.” She replied, “Well I also would like whipped cream on top. I know you will forget that so you better write it down.” With irritation in his voice, he says, “I don’t need to write that down-I can remember that.” He then fumed into the kitchen. After about twenty minutes he returned from the kitchen and handed her a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at the plate for a moment and says, “I knew you were going to mess it up! You forgot my toast.” Last Sunday was a difficult one here at WFA. Early in the morning, my former associate Pastor Alex Giunta’s wife, Penny, passed from this life into her eternal reward. As the morning light dawned, there were fifteen inches of snow blanketing the area, forcing all church services to be cancelled. Word of both of these situations was quickly spread via telephone calls to everyone associated with WFA. Today, Friday February 17th, we will celebrate Penny Giunta’s life with a Homegoing Memorial Celebration. As we do so, the snow rapidly melts, as the temperatures have quickly soared into the sixties. Seasons change. Our earthly lives come and go. But, our Lord Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! This Sunday we will gather together to worship the One who is eternally worthy of all praise, honor and glory! |
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Yours for HIM, |
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Being blessed can be hard work, because everything God gives you requires maintenance and maturity. Think about that for a moment. God gave Adam a garden, but he had to tend it. Jesus said before you set your goals, count the cost (Luke 14:28-30).
