firstIMPRESSIONS
from Senior Pastor Timothy Satryan

In 1818, a boy named Louis was sitting in his father’s workshop in France. His father was a harness maker and Louis loved to sit and watch his father work.

One day, he said, “Father, I want to be a harness maker like you one day.” To which the father replied, “Why not start now?” He took a piece of leather, drew a design on it, and instructed his son to use the hole puncher and hammer to follow the pattern. The man set him off to work with a warning to be careful.

Young Louis was excited to begin his new job, but when he hit the hole puncher, it flew out of his hand and pierced his eye. He immediately lost his sight in it as a result. Later, sight in his other eye failed, and Louis became totally blind.

Several years later, Louis was sitting in a garden when a friend handed him a pine cone. Louis ran his fingers over the cone, and suddenly an idea came to him. This idea eventually led to the creation of an alphabet of raised dots on paper so that others who were blind could feel and interpret what was written. As a result of his accident, Louis Braille opened up a new world for the blind!

To some, this type of tragedy would have been the thing that would have sent them into depression and isolation. But as believers, we know that all things happen for a reason – God’s divine purpose and plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

God has mapped out every day and detail of our existence. When tragedy strikes, don’t be alarmed. Thank God for His promises of hope and a future, even when tragedy strikes. Know that God is in control. The Bible tells us that “God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.” (Psalm 47:8) We know, according to Romans 8:28, that all things work together for His glory and your good!

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 7.30. Live for God, on purpose, no matter what your outward circumstances appear to be!

In times of war, as armies fight each other, there is always the danger of being captured by the enemy. From my generation, those who were POWs in Vietnam relate the horror stories of what took place in the prison camps. The enemy would do many things, mentally and physically, to wear you down. No soldier ever wanted to be taken captive by the enemy.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we too are in a war. Unfortunately, many soldiers of Christ have unwittingly become affected by the enemy. Although there are no “POW Camps” as in physical war, the enemy will try to capture the Christian through means of confusion, discouragement, doubt and fear.

How does this happen? The apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 2:8 to “see to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” You see, when our minds become more focused on this world and its traditions, rather than the truth of God’s Word, then the enemy is easily able to capture us.

How do we combat this? We need to reinforce our belief and understanding of our position in the Lord! Be sure to join us this Sunday morning here at WFA as we look at Colossians 2:8-15 and see exactly “Who We Are in Christ!”

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A story is told of a man taking a trip on an old wooden sailing ship. He was out of the deck one day and saw one of the crew-members climbing the ropes, going up to the crow’s nest. When he was about half way up, the ship pitched to one side and he was thrown overboard. When he hit the water, he began to scream for help, and flail his arms wildly, as he struggled to survive. The traveler watched as a sailor walked over to the rail of the ship, and calmly observed the man in the water. After a short while the man in the water tired, and began to sink.

Immediately the sailor standing by the rail jumped overboard, and rescued the drowning victim. After both men were safely on board, the traveler went over to the rescuer and asked, “why did you wait so long to jump in the water and rescue this man?”

He calmly replied, “I have found that as long as a man is struggling in the water, there is a greater chance that he will get us both killed if I jump in too quickly, and try to save him.” I have learned that it is better to let them struggle awhile, and when they come to the end of their own strength, I can then jump in and rescue them.

My friend, are you like the drowning man in the story? Have you fallen from your place of comfort and safety, and you are now struggling just to survive? Have you cried out to God to come and rescue you immediately? It is possible the Lord is waiting until you have come to the end of yourself, and stop struggling in a vain attempt to save yourself, through any means. When you finally admit you can’t save yourself, God will jump into the water and save you!

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by Mike DeVries

Early on in the Scriptures, God makes an astounding statement to the patriarch Abraham. He tells him, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3). With these words, God lays upon Abraham a blessing... but also a responsibility.

You see, unfortunately we’ve been trained to see the word “blessing” and automatically think of it as being directed toward our personal being. God “blesses"; we receive the “blessing.”

Yet if we look more closely at what God says to Abraham, it quickly becomes apparent. “Blessings” are always something to be given away. We have not been blessed in order to enjoy them for ourselves, as if we were hoarding the last piece of birthday cake long after the party is over. No, in fact we have been blessed in order to be a blessing.

Take a quick look at Genesis 12:2-3 once again. Notice that only once does God tell Abraham that He will bless him, while three times God tells Abraham that others will be blessed through him. God does not bless us in order for us to feel good about ourselves, or merely because He wants us to enjoy His blessings for ourselves. This misses the point completely. God blesses us so that we in turn can bless others.

In other words, to live generously is to fully live in tune with the heart of God. Receive, so that you can give. Live generously, because this is the way God lives.

Psalm 37:25-26 says “I was young, but now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.”

Apparently, living generously has a far greater impact than we might ever know. When we choose to live generously – giving, loving, blessing, encouraging, lending and mending that which is broken – we leave a legacy for the next generation. When we model generosity, we instill in the next generation that generosity is a value to be embraced. As we are a blessing to others, our children see this value and will more readily embrace it as their own. We ensure that the cycle of blessing continues.

In a society that far too often is absorbed in self – self-advancement, self-promotion, even self-blessing – what kind of legacy are we leaving for the next generation? Is it one that is saturated in self, or is it one that sees the blessing of others as central to the message of God?

You have been blessed. Now it’s your turn.

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by Alan Smith

A little old Jewish lady is flying out of New York City on her way to Miami Beach. She looks at the businessman sitting next to her and asks him, “Excuse me sir, but are you Jewish?”

The man responds politely, “No, ma'am, I’m not Jewish.”

After a little while she again queries him. “You’re really Jewish, aren’t you?”

Again he responds, “No, ma'am, I am not Jewish.”

Barely 10 minutes later, the little old lady asks him once more, “Are you sure you’re not Jewish?”

To which, in exasperation and in a final effort to shut her up, he replies, “OK. Yes, ma'am, I am Jewish.”

“Funny,” she says, looking puzzled. “You don’t look Jewish!”

Makes me wonder. If anyone approached me and asked me, “Are you a Christian?” and I answered, “Yes", would they be inclined to say, “Funny, you don’t look like a Christian”?

I’m not talking about looking like the world’s stereotype of a Christian — a sour-looking guy with a scowl on his face, not enjoying life at all. I merely wonder if my Christianity is something that can be seen by the people who see me every day. I know what I believe, but is that belief translating into action? Can anyone tell?

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

Do you look like a Christian?

This article by Alan Smith, Senior Pastor of the Helen Street Church of Christ in Fayetteville, North Carolina. You can visit his site at http://www.TFTD-online.com

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1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won’t fit into your time schedule or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don’t lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you to do and let go of the anxiety. If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don’t use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.,

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut.) This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the kid in you every day.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough exercise.

18. Eat right.

19. Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write thoughts and inspirations down.

22. Everyday, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don’t wait until it’s time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good “Thank you, Jesus!”

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but yourself, not at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33. Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you’re grateful for that you’ve never been grateful for before.

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Our church was saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our most valued members – Someone Else.

Someone’s passing creates a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Else has been with us for many years and for every one of those years, Someone did far more than a normal person’s share of the work. Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend, one name was on everyone’s list, “Let Someone Else do it.”

Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results; “Someone Else can work with that group.”

It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the most liberal givers in our church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed Someone Else would make up the difference. Someone Else was a wonderful person; sometimes appearing superhuman. Were the truth known, everybody expected too much of Someone Else.

Now Someone Else is gone! We wonder what we are going to do. Someone Else left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to follow it? Who is going to do the things Someone Else did?

When you are asked to help this year, remember – we can’t depend on Someone Else anymore.

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• When an agnostic dies, does he go to the “great perhaps”?

• Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

• Do you think Houdini ever locked his keys in his car?

• Can atheists get insurance for acts of God?

• If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?

• Isn’t it strange that the same people who laugh at fortune tellers take economists seriously?

• If practice makes perfect, and nobody’s perfect, why practice?

• Why is there always one in every crowd?

• If all the world is a stage, where does the audience sit?

• Is it possible to have deja vu and amnesia at the same time?

• How do you know when it’s time to tune your bagpipes?

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A new pastor decided to visit the children’s Sunday school. The teacher introduced him and said, “Pastor, this morning we’re studying Joshua.”

“That’s wonderful,” said the new pastor, “Let’s see what you’re learning. Who tore down the walls of Jericho?”

Little Johnny shyly raised hand and offered, “Pastor, I didn’t do it.”

Taken aback the pastor asked, “Come on, now, who tore down the walls of Jericho?”

The teacher, interrupting, said, “Pastor, little Johnny’s a good boy. If he says he didn’t do it, I believe he didn’t do it.”

Flustered, the pastor went to the Sunday school director and related the story to him. The director, looking worried, explained, “Well, sir, we’ve had some problems with Johnny before. Let me talk to him and see what we can do.”

Really bothered now by the answers of the teacher and the director, the new pastor approached the deacons and related the whole story, including the responses of the teacher and the director. A white-haired gentleman thoughtfully stroked his chin and said, “Well, Pastor, I move we just take the money from the general fund to pay for the walls and leave it at that.”

I recently heard that without God our week consists of “Mournday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Fightday, Shatterday and Sinday.” One sure way to combat that is to begin your week worshiping the Lord together! Join us here at WFA this Sunday, and allow Him to be with you every day!