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One of the classic playground equipment pieces is the teeter-totter. Up and down, a child rides with a partner. Each of them pushes up into the sky. You could try to sit on it alone, but that would get you nowhere. So a child grabs a friend to ride with them, sometimes soaring high and other times hanging low.

There is one steady spot on the teeter-totter: the fulcrum. This pivot point does not move but remains stationary. This is just like life. Like the teeter-totter, there are high points and low points. Sometimes you soar high in the sky, laughing and enjoying everything around you. Other times there are lows, when the ride is less fun.

But, in all of life there is one thing that remains the same through the highs and the lows: The love of Jesus is our fulcrum, our balance. Whatever is happening in your life, there is a loving God who wants you to know that He is your rock. And take note in this: As you get closer to the fulcrum, the high’s become a little less high and the lows a little less low. When we are live our lives with Jesus as our center point – we balance – experiencing the realization that God knows us, loves us, and has a plan for us.

Even with Jesus as our fulcrum, we will still have both great days and bad days. But, there is a perspective change. How you view the world changes as you come closer and closer to knowing the saving love of Jesus, who is your rock, fortress and deliverer. 2 Samuel 22:2 tells us “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior...” No matter what today may bring, you can stand on the Rock, focused and balanced in Him.

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 8.25. Live for God, on purpose, confident and secure in His daily presence.

Executive Presbytery Approves Church Multiplication Network

On June 3, the Executive Presbytery of the Assemblies of God voted to launch the new Church Multiplication Network, a service organization that will resource, catalyze and facilitate the planting of new churches across America.

The establishment of the Church Multiplication Network will help carry out one of the five core values of the Assemblies of God, “to vigorously plant new churches.”

“The heart of this has been developing for years,” says Steve Pike, director of the Church Multiplication Network.

However, in the past, within the Assemblies of God, Pike believes, “We said church planting was important, but when you really looked at the money that we invested in it and the personnel that we had working to support church planting, there was a disconnect between our values and the amount of money, personnel and attention that we gave to church planting.”

To develop the business plan that was presented to the Executive Presbytery, Pike called on the input of 52 individuals, including church planters, missionaries, pastors of parent churches and church planting experts from outside the Assemblies of God. The team spent months creating an organizational structure and vision that would effectively facilitate widespread church planting.

Functioning directly under the Assemblies of God general superintendent, the Church Multiplication Network will be organized around seven support systems that will be housed in regional offices across the country.

The systems include:

• Discovery – identifying potential church planters

• Developing – helping potential church planters explore the possibility of church planting by connecting them to “hands on” experience

• Assessing – providing processes to help affirm and clarify God’s calling on the life of church planting candidates

• Training – equipping church planters with training opportunities

• Coaching – providing a national coach certification standard and assisting districts with coach training systems that produce coaches to help planters accelerate their personal and church growth

• Funding – facilitating creative and sustainable ways of accessing funds, to accelerate individuals’ abilities to plant churches

• Communications and Marketing – developing strategies that will raise awareness of and support for all aspects of church multiplication

Each of the systems will support and resource the church planting efforts of districts, parent churches and individual church planters.

Pike says that one of the driving forces behind the Church Multiplication Network are statistics that demonstrate that from 1990 to 2006, the number of people in the United States who regularly attend church stayed the same, even though the population increased by 52 million.

“You can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results,” Pike says. “In spite of all the church buildings we see only 17 percent [of the U.S. population] go to church.”

Pike uses an analogy to emphasize the need for new churches. He explains that there are approximately 596,000 bridges in the United States. Each one was engineered for its specific use, but every bridge shares the same purpose.

“That’s exactly what churches are,” he says. “They are all going to reach different people, but they have one purpose: to seek those who are lost.”

One of the primary goals of the Church Multiplication Network is to facilitate the planting of 500 new churches each year.

Although the plans for the Church Multiplication Network are based on thorough research, Pike recognizes that the success of church planting ultimately relies on the Lord.

“We are very dependent on the power of God. There has to be a miraculous element,” he says. “We are cooperating with God in the miracle of reaching millions and millions of Americans with healthy churches.”

Now that the Church Multiplication Network has been approved, the next step is to find leaders for each system. The business plan sets March 2010 as the target date for having each of the systems staffed and deployed.

To learn more about the Church Multiplication Network, visit its Web site at http://churchmultiplicationnetwork.ag.org/.

Hot Topics

Starting June 25th, and continuing through the summer months, our mid-week Family Night services will take on a new look and feel! A “light dinner” will be available at 6:00 for a modest $4 per person contribution, followed by a weekly panel discussion and audience participation of a special “Hot Topic” for the week. It promises to be a great time of fun, fellowship, and Christian information and discussion! You won’t want to miss a single week!

Here are this summer’s “Hot Topics”!

June 25 – Reaching the lost
Do we believe that people go to hell if they don’t know Christ? What is our responsibility to the lost? What can we do to effectively reach those around us?

July 2 – What is sin?
Who or what defines sin? What is the difference between a matter of personal conviction and a matter of sinful action?

July 9 – Raising Kids
You aren’t given a manual when you have kids! What is the cause of all the discipline problems we see today, and what should Christian parents do?

July 16 – Is It A Prayer Request, or is it Gossip?
How do you know when a prayer request crosses the line and becomes just gossip? What is our responsibility? How do we keep it from happening?

July 23 – Troubled Teens in Troubling Times
Special Guest – Robyn Sturgeon – Shiloh House of Hope
Teens face pressures from every angle in today’s world. What is the church’s responsibility? How can a Christian teen maintain a Christ-centered walk?

July 30 – The Sovereignty of God
If God is in control, why do we pray? Why do Christians suffer?

August 6 – VBS – no Hot Topics tonight

August 13 – Politics and the Christian
Special Guest – Nicole Theis – Delaware Family Policy Council
In this special election year, perhaps it is more important than ever before for believers to know what the issues are that they will be facing in September and November!

August 20 – Money Matters!
God has promised to supply all our needs – so why do some Christians seem to have more need than supply? What is Christian stewardship all about?

August 27 – My Brother’s Keeper
Are Christians accountable to other believers? If so, what responsibility do we have to others? And, to whom are we accountable?

Join us each week in the WFA Fellowship Hall beginning June 25th

Can I Take His Place?

by Alan Smith

Joe, the Governor’s most trusted assistant, died in his sleep one night. The Governor had depended on Joe for advice on every subject, from pending bills to wardrobe decisions. In addition, Joe had been his closest friend.

So, it was understandable that the Governor didn’t take kindly to the droves of ambitious office seekers who wanted Joe’s job. “They don’t even have the decency to wait until the man is buried,” the Governor muttered.

At the funeral, one eager beaver made his way to the Governor’s side. “Governor,” the man said, “is there a chance that I could take Joe’s place?”

“Certainly,” the governor replied. “But you’d better hurry. I think the undertaker is almost finished.”

I’m sure we can all look around us and find a number of people of whom we have said at one time or another, “I would like to take his/her place.” But I dare say that you have never made that statement of someone who had died, or was about to die. Why would anyone want to trade places with someone like that? It is for that reason that God’s love for us is so difficult to comprehend, for that is exactly what Jesus did for us.

“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6)

May our lives be forever lived in gratitude for the one who “took our place.”

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

What Is Your Purpose In Life?

Josh McDowell tells about an executive “headhunter” who recruits corporate executives for large firms. This headhunter once told McDowell that when he interviews an executive, he likes to disarm him. “I offer him a drink,” said the headhunter, “take off my coat, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, ‘What’s your purpose in life?’ It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question.”

Then he told about interviewing one fellow recently. He had him all disarmed, had his feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then the headhunter leaned over and said, “What’s your purpose in life, Bob?” And the executive said, without blinking an eye, “To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.”

“For the first time in my career,” said the headhunter, “I was speechless.”

No wonder. He had encountered someone who was prepared. He was ready. His purpose, “To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.”

What is your purpose in life?

What is your purpose today?

It’s Not What You See,
It’s What You Feel

The story goes of a young boy flying a kite in the park one windy afternoon. The kite was so small and so high that an elderly man sitting on a bench watching him could not see the kite high in the heavens. After watching him a few minutes, he walked over asking the young boy what he was doing.

“Flying my kite.” he replied.

“Are you sure. I don’t see anything in the sky? Perhaps, the string broke and the kite is gone.”

“Nope.” the boy said. “I still feel a tug.”

That is the way it is with me. Those mornings when I wake up questioning my salvation, I feel a Heavenly tug in my heart assuring me God’s Spirit has removed all condemnation and made me to sit in Heavenly places.

As long as I feel that Heavenly tug, He assures me I am His and He is mine.

How Do You Eat An Oreo Cookie?

Psychologists have discovered that the manner in which people eat Oreo cookies provides great insight into their personalities. Choose which method best describes your favorite method of eating Oreo’s:

1. The whole thing all at once.

2. One bite at a time

3. Slow and methodical nibbles examining the results of each bite afterwards.

4. In little feverish nibbles.

5. Dunked in some liquid (milk, coffee...).

6. Twisted apart, the inside, then the cookie.

7. Twisted apart, the inside, and toss the cookie.

8. Just the cookie, not the inside.

9. I just like to lick them, not eat them.

10. I don’t have a favorite way because I don’t like Oreo.

Your Personality:

1. The whole thing...
This means you consume life with abandon, you are fun to be with, exciting, carefree with some hint of recklessness. You are totally irresponsible. No one should trust you with their children.

2. One bite at a time...
You are lucky to be one of the 5.4 billion other people who eat their Oreo’s this very same way. Just like them, you lack imagination, but that’s ok, not to worry, you’re normal.

3. Slow and Methodical...
You follow the rules. You’re very tidy and orderly. You’re very meticulous in every detail with everything you do to the point of being anal retentive and irritating to others. Stay out of the fast lane if you’re only going to go the speed limit.

4. Feverish Nibbles...
Your boss likes you because you get your work done quickly. You always have a million things to do and never enough time to do them. Mental break downs and suicides run in your family. Valium and Ritalin would do you good.

5. Dunked...
Everyone likes you because you are always up beat. You like to sugar coat unpleasant experiences and rationalize bad situations into good ones. You are in total denial about the shambles you call a life. You have a propensity towards narcotic addiction.

6. Twisted apart, eat the inside, and then the cookie...
You have a highly curious nature. You take pleasure in breaking things apart to find out how they work, though not always able to put the back together, so you destroy all the evidence of your activities. You deny your involvement when things go wrong. You are a compulsive liar and exhibit deviant, if not criminal, behavior.

7. Twisted apart, eat the inside, and then toss the cookie...
You are good at business and take risk that pay off. You take what you want and throw the rest away. You are greedy, selfish, mean, and lack feelings for others. You should be ashamed of yourself. But that’s ok, you don’t care, you got yours.

8. Just the cookie, not the inside...
You enjoy pain.

9. I just like to lick them, not eat them...
Stay away from small furry animals and seek professional medical help immediately.

10. I don’t have a favorite way, I don’t like Oreo cookies...
You probably come from a rich family, and like to wear nice things, and go to upscale restaurants. You are particular and fussy about the things you buy, own, and wear. Things have to be just right. You like to be pampered. You are a prima donna. There’s just no pleasing you.

from the Funny Bone. To subscribe go to http://www.funnybone.com/subscribe/

The Last Impression

Jacob age 85, and Rebecca age 79 are all excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding and on the way home they pass a drugstore. Jacob suggests that they go in.

He addresses the man behind the counter: “Are you the owner?”

The pharmacist answers: “Yes.”

Jacob: “Do you sell heart medication?”

Pharmacist: “Of course we do.”

Jacob: “How about medicine for circulation?”

Pharmacist: “All kinds.”

Jacob: “Medicine for rheumatism?”

Pharmacist: “Definitely.”

Jacob: “Medicine for memory?”

Pharmacist: “Yes, a large variety.”

Jacob: “What about vitamins and sleeping pills?”

Pharmacist: “Absolutely.”

Jacob: “What about sugar diabetes. We both got bad cases.”

Pharmacist: “Oh, but of course. You name it with that condition and we have the works.”

Jacob: “You have loose bladder and gas pills?”

Pharmacist: “Yes, there are lots of those with plenty of generics.”

Jacob: “Perfect! We’d like to register here for our wedding gifts.”

Pastor Steve Miller and our IMPACT Youth are ministering in Chiapas, Mexico this week and next week. Last night, Pastor Steve sent me a text message to let me know that after just the first few days of ministry there, they already had over a hundred first time commitments to Christ! This Sunday morning, we will have a live Skype video-phone call with the team, and hear first-hand what the Lord is doing there! Don’t miss it!