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Two men camping in the forest were enjoying their morning coffee when, all of a sudden, they spotted a very large, hungry grizzly bear running toward them.

One of the men quickly pulled on his running shoes.

“Do you actually think you can outrun that grizzly bear?” his friend asked.

“I don’t need to,” he replied. “All I have to do is outrun you.”

We all have had friends like that, haven’t we? At the first threat of danger or hardship or difficulty, they desert us.

So what makes for true friendship? It has been said that a true friend is one who walks in when others walk out.

Thankfully, there have been people in my life who have stood by me and have been honest friends. But one thing I am confident of, one thing I am sure of, is that I have found a friend in Jesus Christ. He always has been a true friend.

Jesus Christ offers His friendship to us! The question is whether we really want to be friends of God. He cannot merely be our friend without a response on our part.

A friendship, obviously, is made up of two people committing themselves to one another. I can extend friendship to you, but until you return it to me, I cannot legitimately say that we have a friendship.

Jesus demonstrated His willingness to have a friendship with us by what He did for us. In John 15:13 He said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” He showed us how dedicated He was to us when He did just that. What a friend we have in Jesus!

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 8.26. Live for God, on purpose, for He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother!

Out Of Chiapas!

Pastor Steve and our IMPACT youth are back from Chiapas, and things have changed! The lives of those they ministered to while in Mexico have been changed, as many have accepted Christ as their personal Savior! But, that’s not all! The lives of our youth have also been changed for time and eternity as they have been touched by the Lord through their experiences while in Mexico!

This Sunday morning, the IMPACT youth AIM team will share much of the ministry they did on the streets, in the parks, and in the schools in Chiapas, as well as give testimony of their experiences while ministering for the Lord. Be sure to join us this Sunday as our youth and Pastor Steve bring us a great word from the Lord!

What is Sin?

As Christians, a fundamental element of our faith is acknowledging that Christ died for our sin. But, here is a deceptively simple question for you – what is sin? In the New Testament, the word most frequently translated as sin is the Greek word “hamartia.” It is this word that we find in Romans 3:23, which tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Hamartia literally means to “miss the mark.” So, sin is “missing the mark.”

Sin may be “missing the mark,” but if you take just a casual look at church history, some people might think that the mark keeps moving! Depending upon where you grew up, and when you grew up, your idea of what “sin” is may be very different than someone else’s.

And that’s just what brings us to this coming week’s Hot Topics on Hot Summer Wednesday Nights! This coming Wednesday, we want to hear what you think sin is – and perhaps what you think it isn’t! Be sure to join us this Wednesday night, and every Wednesday throughout the summer months!

Dwelling in God’s House

by Alan Smith

I read recently about a lady who had just moved from an apartment to a house in the same small town. One day at the grocery store, she used the last of her personalized checks bearing her old address. The cashier examined the check and asked if all the information on it was correct. The shopper assured her that it was correct, and the cashier started to put the check in the cash drawer. But then she inquired again if everything was accurate.

“Why do you ask?” the shopper responded.

“Because,” she replied, “my husband and I moved to this apartment yesterday, and I don’t remember seeing you at breakfast.”

Busted! This woman could have gone to any other store in the town and told them that was still her address and no one would have suspected a thing. But there was no way to fool this cashier because she lived there herself.

It’s much the same way with our spiritual lives. It’s easy to fool a lot of folks. “How’s your prayer life?” Couldn’t be better! “How’s your walk in Christ?” It’s fine. No problems at all!

But I wonder if there are times when we’ve moved away from God without telling anyone. They don’t know we’ve moved. For all they know, everything’s fine. But we can’t fool God. “Things are great? That’s funny, because I don’t remember seeing you at breakfast.”

One of the most well-known of all scriptures is Psalm 23. You’ve heard it recited hundreds of times, as have I. But I wonder if all these years I’ve misunderstood the very last phrase. You see, I’ve always understood David to take assurance in the knowledge that there is an eternal home waiting for him. But could it be instead that David was making a promise of his commitment to stay close to God?

“I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6b)

Others may think we still dwell there. But has God seen us around lately? May God strengthen us in our resolve to dwell with Him all the days of our lives, so that we may dwell with Him for all eternity.

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

How You Can Be a Peacemaker

Carl and Sam were at odds with each other. They could not even remember the initial cause of friction ... but their hostility had festered through the years. A deeply concerned deacon prayed that God would use him as a peacemaker.

He called on Carl. “What do you think of Sam?” he asked. “He’s the sorriest guy in town!” “But,” countered the deacon, “you have to admit that he’s a hard-working man.” “No one can deny that,” said Carl. “I’ve never known a person who worked harder.”

Next the deacon visited Sam. “Do you know what Carl said about you?” “No, but I can imagine his lies,” he responded angrily. “This may surprise you,” said the deacon, “but he said he’s never known a harder worker.” “He said that?” Sam was stunned. “What do you think of Carl?” asked the deacon. “It is no secret that I have absolutely no use for him.” “But you must admit he’s honest in business,” said the deacon. “There’s no getting around that,” said Sam. “In business he’s a man you can trust.”

Later the deacon met Carl again. “Do you know what Sam said about you? He claims you’re absolutely trustworthy in business, that you are scrupulously honest.” “Well, how ‘bout that,” reacted Carl with a smile.

Soon the peacemaking deacon noticed Sam and Carl would cautiously nod in a friendly sort of way. Before long they were shaking hands, talking, even visiting in each other’s homes. Today they are best of friends.

Many people, even church folk, seem to delight in promoting a fight by carrying news of ill-will. Rip this page from a deacon’s peacemaking notebook. It’s a worthy example to follow.

as seen in Norm Lawrence’s “A Dose of Inspiration.”

Piano Concert

Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy quietly got up and eventually explored his way through a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE.”

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage.

In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.” Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was mesmerized.

That’s the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren’t exactly graceful flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our life’s work truly can be beautiful. The next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.” Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are there helping you turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces.

Remember, God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called. And He will always be there to love and guide you on to great things!

Do You Know What You Believe?

A newly released major survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life finds that most U.S. adults do not know or care about the distinctive teachings of their professed faith. They believe overwhelmingly in God (92%) and say they pray at least once a day (58%), but when it comes to specific religions – such as the teachings of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Roman Catholic Church or scores of other denominations – they are all over the map.

Pew’s U.S. Religious Landscape Survey questioned 35,000 Americans between May and August last year – nearly three in 10 of whom profess no religious identity, but sometimes go to church. Most evangelicals, whose denominations teach that Jesus is the sole route to salvation, instead say people who have “led good lives” go to heaven. Only one in three Catholics say their church should preserve its traditional beliefs rather than change with the times or adopt modern practices.

This analysis, based on a questionnaire that never mentions Jesus, portrays a nation of “free-flowing spirituality,” says Pew Forum director Luis Lugo, who finds the declining adherence to dogma “stunning.”

“You no longer have an alignment of affiliation, belief and behavior. Instead, we find complexity and diversity, not only between religious communities, but within them. [And] we find a high level of comfort with this diversity,” says political scientist John Green, a senior fellow with the Pew Forum.

When Green and Lugo factor in Pew’s data, released in February, that 44 percent of adults say they have switched to another religion or to none at all, Lugo says, “You have to wonder: How do you guarantee the integrity of a religious tradition when so many people are coming or going or following ideas that don’t match up?”

“You can’t,” says Rev. Frank Page of Taylors, S.C., the immediate past president of the Southern Baptist Convention. “I’m a pastor in the real world. I see this every day.” Page claims that, “Gospel, once clearly preached in virtually every Protestant church, is rarely heard in the 21st century. The number who teach a clear doctrinal Christianity are a minority today. How would people know it when they never hear about how to be saved?”

“Overall, people say they are religious, but they have no command of theology, doctrine or history, so it’s an empty religiosity,” says political science professor Alan Wolfe, director of the Boise Center for American and Public Life at Boston University.

Some other key findings:

• 78 percent overall say there are “absolute standards of right and wrong,” but only 29 percent rely on their religion to delineate these standards. The majority (52%) turn to “practical experience and common sense,” with nine percent relying on philosophy and reason, and five percent on scientific information.

• 70 percent, including a majority of all major Christian and non-Christian religious groups (except Mormons), agree that “many religions can lead to eternal life.”

• 68 percent say “there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of my religion.”

• 44 percent want to preserve their religion’s traditional beliefs and practices. But most Catholics (67%), Jews (65%), mainline Christians (56%) and Muslims (51%) say their religion should either “adjust to new circumstances” or “adopt modern beliefs and practices.”

Sociologist Michael Lindsay of Rice University points out that, “after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the national memorial service was at Washington’s National Cathedral, conducted by Episcopal clergy. After the 9/11 attack, Oprah Winfrey organized the official memorial at Yankee Stadium and, while clergy participated, she was the master of ceremonies.” He says, “It’s a spiritual salad bar.”

as seen in the June 27, 2008 edition of “The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing”

The Last Impression

A man bought a horse from a preacher. The preacher told the man that this horse had been trained in a very unique way. The only way to make the horse go was to say, “Hallelujah!” The only way to make the horse stop was to say, “Amen!”

The man was pleased with his purchase and immediately got on the animal to try out the preacher’s instructions.

“Hallelujah!” shouted the man. The horse began to trot. “Amen!” shouted the man. The horse stopped immediately. “This is great!” said the man. With a “Hallelujah” he rode off, very proud of his new purchase.

The man traveled for a long time through the mountains. As he headed towards a cliff, he tried to remember the word to make the horse stop.

“Stop,” said the man. “Halt!” he cried. The horse just kept going.

“Oh, no...”

“Bible...Church!...Please! Stop!!” shouted the man. The horse just began to trot faster. He was getting closer and closer to the edge of the cliff.

Finally, in desperation, the man said a prayer: “Please, dear Lord. Please make this horse stop before I go off the end of this mountain. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

The horse came to an abrupt stop just one step from the edge of the cliff.

“HALLELUJAH!” shouted the man.

What a great Sunday this is going to be here at WFA! Get ready for an inspiring time as we hear all about what the Lord did through our youth on their missions trip to Mexico! And, following the service, we will have a great outdoor fellowship following, summertime picnic style, with hotdogs, potato salad, and all the works! Be there!