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Some years ago when the USA was on the Gold Standard there were Silver Dollars in circulation. At the time counterfeit silver dollars were circulated that had an imitation metal coating and not true silver.

Proprietors learned that if they showed up at the bank with a counterfeit silver dollar they were rejected and they were out a dollar. They soon learned to test the silver dollars. They would throw the silver dollar on a side walk. The true silver dollar would give off a special, joyful ring, that only silver could make. An imitation that was silver plated made a dull thud sound.

The counterfeit silver dollar may have had the appearance of a real silver dollar. But it was worthless. It had a silver coating over an inner core of metal that was next to worthless, a fake.

It stands to reason that as a Christian, I must pass the true test just as an authentic silver dollar. Do I have a layer of truth on the outside, while inside I’m a fake? When I am thrown to the ground with day to day adversity, do I make a joyful ring or a thud?

Do I have a silver core that rings for everyone to hear while in church, and then while at work or in the world everyone hears a thud?

My true test is what God hears when I’m alone and in adversity. James 1:2 tells us to “consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors”

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 8.40. Live for God, on purpose, giving praise to God in all of the situations and circumstances in your life.

The Greatest

What team would you say was the greatest football team ever to play in the NFL? Packers of the 70’s? Steelers in the 80’s? 49ers in the 90’s? Patriots in the current decade? What if someone asked you what was the greatest song ever written? Or, the greatest US President? Everyone has their own opinion and their own criteria on determining what the greatest in anything is.

Now, what if you were asked who was the greatest Christian ever? Would you be able to come up with the name of someone? What if I were to ask you if YOU were the greatest Christian? Most of us wouldn’t dare to even think that way. But, as we all know, the early disciples even spent time “discussing” among themselves which of them was the greatest! In Mark 9:33-35, Jesus asked the disciples “What were you arguing about on the road?” Immediately, they all got quiet, because they had been arguing about who was the greatest!

While any discussion about who is the greatest Christian would be worthless, it would do all of us good to ask ourselves how we can be the greatest Christian that we can possibly be. In responding to the disciples’ arguments with each other about who was the greatest, Jesus told them “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” This is confirmed by Christ in Matthew 23:11, where He says “The greatest among you will be your servant.”

So, how can you “be the best you can be” as a Christian? This Sunday morning we will share with you four standards to measure “How To Be The Greatest.” This is a message that each of us needs to hear!

Lead by Listening

by Tom Barnard

There are four strings on a violin. Can you name the notes to which they are tuned? If you said E-A-D-G, you are right! Do you know the one string that any experienced violinist tunes first when tuning the instrument? If you said the note is “A,” you are right again. Technically it is known as 440Hz, or international “concert pitch.” After that one string is tuned, a violinist can tune the other strings by ear. With practice, of course.

The ability to hear is not only important to musicians; it is equally important to those who lead in the corporate world. Leonard Sweet believes that leaders don’t “see a vision; they hear one.” He goes on to say, “Sound becomes sight.” To illustrate his point, Sweet refers to the submarine-one of the underwater weapons used by the United States (and Germany as well) so effectively during both World Wars. Subs have periscopes, but they are usable only near the surface of the water. Submarines have no windows, so those on board can’t “see” out. Instead, they “hear” their way underwater. Acoustic sensors (both passive and active sonar systems) are used to tell those on board where they are and where the enemy is.

Sweet concludes, “The key to leadership is making the inaudible become audible and the invisible become visible.” In other words, the gateway to leadership is the eargate, not just the eyegate. I confess I have never thought about leadership in those terms. I had always thought that if you want to command something or someone, you must be able to see things with your eyes. Effective leaders both see and hear.

My first car was a 1939 Chevy coupe. It didn’t run well, and I didn’t keep it very long. My investment of $25 got me the title and a trip to our home. It had a three-speed transmission that I had to shift manually. How did I know when to shift from one gear to the next? Not by sight, but by sound. And vibrations. And this was before the Beach Boys recorded their classic song, “Good Vibrations.” When they sang, “I’m pickin’ up good vibrations,” they were referring to the feminine gender, not a Chevy transmission. In either case, I suppose, vibrations are helpful in determining speed and direction. Likewise, in leadership roles an effective leader learns to lead by sensing invisible vibrations.

All of creation hums. Sweet calls these the “hymns of life.” Whale watching is a fun experience, but there is an entire science built around “whale listening.” Did you know that some species of whales can detect the bleeps of other whales thousands of miles away? Don’t ask me how scientists know this. They just do.

What does listening have to do with leading? Everything. Ask Moses. He began the book of Genesis with a song-a creation hymn. What legacy did King David leave to the world? It can be found in the hymns (psalms) he wrote. Can music affect behavior? Absolutely. Methodism was born with two books: the Bible and the hymns of Charles Wesley. People “listened” their way into the Kingdom. The Apostle Paul understood this principle: “Consequently faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17 NIV). Faith comes by what? Listening.

True leaders are people whose hearts and ears are tuned to God and to others-and to the conditions surrounding them. It is not a stretch to say with Sweet, “Leaders hear life.” Ernest Shackleton was one of the greatest leaders of men in the 20th Century. An Antarctic explorer for most of his adult life (he died of a heart condition at age 47 in 1922), Shackleton recruited some men to accompany him based not only on their ability as sailors but also for their musical ability. On October 25, 1915, when free-floating ice floes threatened to destroy his ship, Endurance, Shackleton ordered his men to abandon the disabled ship. They evacuated to three lifeboats, taking with them only bare necessities. Among the “necessities” was the banjo owned by the ship’s meteorologist. Shackleton said, “It’s vital medicine, and we shall need it.” And they did. Subsequently, after months of frigid cold and long nights, all of his sailors were rescued-safe.

So, when things turn frigid where you are, and the ship is listing 30 degrees to the port side, remember the banjo. You might need it to survive the winter. And get out some of Wesley’s hymns. Even if you can’t sing very well, you can listen. All great leaders do.

You have just read “Tuesday Morning” for September 30, 2008. To subscribe to this free publication, send your name and email address to Dr. Tom Barnard at barnard22@cox.net. Back copies may be read and downloaded at www.snu.edu, and www.emfsprayerandpraise.com. (Quotes by Leonard Sweet may be found in his book, Summoned to Lead, Zondervan, 2004, Chapter 2)

One Day at a Time

“Do not worry about tomorrow.” – Matthew 6:34 NIV

Max Lucado says, “Worry is to joy what a vacuum cleaner is to dirt; you might as well attach your heart to a happiness-sucker and flip the switch.” Jesus said, “Don’t get worked up about... tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” When it looks like things are falling apart, Paul reminds us, “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28 NIV). When it seems like the world’s gone mad, don’t forget God “existed before anything else... and He holds all creation together” (Colossians 1:17 NLT). When worry whispers, “God doesn’t know what you need,” remember God promised to “meet all your needs” (Philippians 4:19 NIV).

Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” You won’t get the wisdom or resources to handle tomorrow’s problems till you need them. When we “go confidently to the throne... [we’ll] find kindness, which will help us at the right time” (Hebrews 4:16 GWT).

Over a century ago Charles Spurgeon said: “Enough for today is all we can enjoy. We cannot eat, drink, or wear more than today’s supply of food and clothing. The surplus gives us the care of storing it and the anxiety that someone might steal it. One staff aids a traveler; a bunch of staves is a heavy burden. Enough is as good as a feast, and more than gluttony can enjoy. Enough is all we should expect; a craving for more is ungratefulness. When our Father doesn’t give you more, be content with your daily allowance.”

My Father is On Deck

In the days of the sailing vessels, a captain from Liverpool commanded a ship sailing to New York. On one voyage, his family went with him. During the night, when everyone was asleep, a storm arose and struck the vessel, throwing her over on her side. Everything inside the ship tumbled and crashed. The passengers awoke in great fear and in imminent peril. Everyone on board was alarmed. Many of the passengers sprang from their berths and began to dress so that they might be ready for the worst.

The captain’s eight-year-old daughter was on board, and awoke with the other passengers. “What is the matter?” the frightened child pleaded.

They told her that a storm had struck the ship.

“Is my father on deck?” she asked.

“Yes, your father is on deck.”

The little girl dropped back on her pillow and, without a fear in the world, in just a few moments was again sleeping soundly in spite of the wind and the waves – because her father was on deck.

Never forget that our Father is on deck. Whatever the storm of life or the storms of this world may bring, God is in charge. Our Father is on deck.

Seven Problems of the Church

1. The Unbended Knee

2. The Unread Book

3. The Unattended Church

4. The Unpaid Tithe

5. The Unrealized Cross of Christ

6. The Uncompassionate Heart

7. The Unconcern for Lost Souls

Arrest Mistake

A man is being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly the light turns yellow just in front of him. He does the right thing and stops at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman hits the roof, and the horn, screaming in frustration as she misses her chance to get through the intersection with him. As she is still in mid-rant, she hears a tap on her window and looks up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer orders her to exit her car with her hands up. He takes her to the police station where she is searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approaches the cell and opens the door. She is escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer is waiting with her personal effects. He says, “I’m very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him.” “I noticed the “Choose Life” license plate holder, the “What Would Jesus Do” bumper sticker, the “Follow Me to Sunday School” bumper sticker, and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk.”

“Naturally I assumed you had stolen the car.”

The Last Impression

A little girl asked her mother, “How did the human race begin?”

The mother answered, “God made Adam and Eve and they had children and all mankind was made.”

Two days later, the girl asked her father the same question, “How did the human race begin?”

The father answered, “Many years ago, there were monkeys from which the human race evolved.”

The confused girl returned to her mother and said, “Mom, how is it possible that you told me the human race was created by God and Dad said it developed from monkeys?”

The mother answered, “Well, dear, it’s very simple. I told you about my side of the family and your father told you about his.”

Bring your whole family with you this Sunday to worship together here at WFA! This week we will be sharing communion together, as well as having a special water baptism service! It’s going to be a great time as we rejoice together and celebrate new life in Christ!