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Once upon a time a loaf of bread fell from a bakery truck and as it hit the ground a crumb broke loose. Three sparrows all eyed the crumb and swooped down to grab it, but began fighting over it.

Eventually one of the sparrows succeeded in scooping up the crumb in its beak and flew away with it – hotly pursued by the other two sparrows. A frenzied aerial fracas took place until the crumb was completely consumed.

The only thing these sparrows saw was the crumb. None noticed the loaf still on the ground.

How often we consume our energies squabbling over trivialities, while the true riches of life go unnoticed and escape us.

And how often we concentrate our energies on non-essential issues, while the needs of the hurting are neglected and the lost go to hell!

Colossians 3:1 tells us to set our hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God... not on earthly things.

May God give you the wisdom to see and the good sense to major on the majors and not get carried away majoring on the minors.

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 9.19. Live for God, on purpose, focusing on the eternal rather than the temporal!

WFA Welcomes
Gary and Jan Beesley

International musicians and evangelists Gary and Jan Beesley will present a special Mother’s Day concert at WFA this Sunday morning, May 10th. The Beesleys have been described as “timely blends of eloquence.” Their deep sensitivity in music raises the bar of excellence as they usher the listener into the presence of God, bringing truth and power to strengthen and receive from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Individuals are today experiencing varied challenges and pressures as never before. Both Gary and Jan target needs and answers with incredible accuracy fresh from the Word of God. Graced with a true oneness as husband and wife, they are personal ministers to those deep places only reached by the anointing.

Having visited nearly 40 countries, Gary Beesley is well seasoned as an international evangelist, preacher, teacher and soloist. Over 60,000 people listened intently to his message in Hyderabad, India and Khartoum, Sudan. Born in Canada, he has ministered in local, national and international concerts, crusades, camp meetings, conferences, and television programs.

His recently released CD, entitled “Longing and Waiting,” provides clear evidence of the tremendous anointing upon his music. Included in his ministry experience, Gary has been pastor of churches in both Canada and the United States and is ordained with the Peninsular Florida District of the General Council of the Assemblies of God. In 1995, he was designated by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as their Canadian representative and was seminar speaker at the North American Congress on Itinerant Evangelism.

Musically gifted and called into ministry at a young age, Jan Beesley exudes the beauty of her Savior and Lord and has a sensitive ear as she ministers today in any circumstance. She is prepared and powerful in her delivery of the Word.

An accomplished pianist, Jan has been co-pastor alongside Gary in churches in Canada and the United States. She has the heart needed to minister fully to women touched by many issues. Fulfilling a deep desire, she stepped into full leadership of women’s ministries in 1999, encouraging and equipping women of different ages and diverse backgrounds to become powerful women of God.

This is a ministry you will not soon forget! Be sure to invite your friends and loved ones to this Mother’s Day special worship experience!

What Did You Do Today?

Is anybody happier because you passed this way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to them today?

The day is almost over, and its toiling time is through:
Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?

Can you say tonight in parting with the day that’s slipping fast,
That you helped a single person of the many that you passed?

Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said?
Does the one whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?

Did you waste the day or use it? Was it well or sorely spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness, or a scar of discontent?

As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that you can say:
You have earned one more tomorrow by what you did today?

Duck or Eagle?

Harvey Mackay was waiting in line for a taxi at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie and freshly pressed black slacks, Wally the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back door. Harvey noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside — spotlessly clean.

As Wally slid behind the wheel, he said, “Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.”

Jokingly, Harvey said, “No, I’d prefer a soft drink.”

Wally smiled and said, “No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.”

Almost stuttering, Harvey said, “I’ll take a Diet Coke.”

Handing Harvey his drink, Wally said, “If you’d like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.”

As the taxi pulled away from the curb, Wally handed Harvey a laminated card and said, “These are the stations I get and the music they play if you’d like to listen to the radio.” As if that weren’t enough, Wally told Harvey the air conditioning was on and asked if the temperature was comfortable.

The driver then advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. Wally also let Harvey know that he’d be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.

“Tell me, Wally,” the amazed passenger asked, “have you always served customers like this?”

Wally smiled and looked in the rear view mirror. “No, not always. In fact, it’s only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru Wayne Dyer on the radio saying that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, ‘Stop complaining. Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don’t be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.”

“So I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers unfriendly and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.”

“I take it that has paid off for you,” Harvey said.

“It sure has,” Wally replied. “My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year, I’ll probably quadruple it.”

Wally the cab driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like a duck and to start soaring like an eagle.

as seen in Rocky Henriques’ “The Timothy Report” of April 27, 2009. Taken from Harvey Mackay, author of “Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.” (www.harveymackay.com)

The Wrong Funeral

by Cristina Subke

God doesn’t make mistakes. He puts us where we are to be.

They say there are no mistakes, for everything there is a purpose. Makes you think. Enjoy! We’ll never know where our paths will take us! This is really beautiful... God is not sleeping.

Consumed by my loss, I didn’t notice the hardness of the pew where I sat. I was at the funeral of my dearest friend-my mother. She finally had lost her long battle with cancer. The hurt was so intense; I found it hard to breathe at times. Always supportive, Mother clapped loudest at my school plays, held box of tissues while listening to my first heartbreak, comforted me at my father’s death, encouraged me in college, and prayed for me my entire life.

When mother’s illness was diagnosed, my sister had a new baby and my brother had recently married his childhood sweetheart, so it fell on me, the 27-year-old middle child without entanglements, to take care of her. I counted it an honor. “What now, Lord?” I asked sitting in church.

My life stretched out before me as an empty abyss. My brother sat stoically with his face toward the cross while clutching his wife’s hand. My sister sat slumped against he husband’s shoulder, his arms around her as she cradled their child. All so deeply grieving, no one noticed I sat alone.

My place had been with our mother, preparing her meals, helping her walk, taking her to the doctor, seeing to her medication, reading the Bible together. Now she was with the Lord. My work was finished, and I was alone. I heard a door open and slam shut at the back of the church. Quick footsteps hurried along the carpeted floor.

An exasperated young man looked around briefly and then sat next to me. He folded his hands and placed the map on his lap. His eyes were brimming with tears. He began to sniffle. ‘I’m late,’ he explained, though no explanation was necessary.

After several eulogies, he leaned over and commented, “Why do they keep calling Mary by the name of’ Margaret?”

“Because that was her name, Margaret. Never Mary, no ever one called her ‘Mary,’” I whispered. I wondered why this person couldn’t have sat on the other side of the church. He interrupted my grieving with his tears and fidgeting. Who was this stranger anyway?

“No, that isn’t correct,” he insisted, as several people glanced over at us whispering, “Her name is Mary, Mary Peters.”

“That isn’t who this is.”

“Isn’t this the Lutheran church?”

“No, the Lutheran church is across the street.”

“Oh.”

“I believe you’re at the wrong funeral, Sir.”

The solemness of the occasion mixed with the realization of the man’s mistake bubbled up inside me and came out as laughter. I cupped my hands over my face, hoping it would be interpreted as sobs.

The creaking pew gave me away. Sharp looks from other mourners only made the situation seem more hilarious.

I peeked at the bewildered, misguided man seated beside me. He was laughing, too, as he glanced around, deciding it was too late for an uneventful exit. I imagined Mother laughing.

At the final ‘Amen,’ we darted out a door and into the parking lot. “I do believe we’ll be the talk of the town,” he smiled. He said his name was Rick and since he had missed his aunt’s funeral, asked me out for a cup of coffee.

That afternoon began a lifelong journey for me with this man who attended the wrong funeral, but was in the right place. A year after our meeting, we were married at a country church where he was the assistant pastor. This time we both arrived at the same church, right on time.

In my time of sorrow, God gave me laughter. In place of loneliness, God gave me love. This past June, we celebrated our twenty-second wedding anniversary. Whenever anyone asks us how we met, Rick tells them, “Her mother and my Aunt Mary introduced us, and it’s truly a match made in heaven.”

Yes, I do Love God. He is my source of existence and Savior. He keeps me functioning each and everyday. Without Him, I would be nothing. Without him, I am nothing, but with Him I can do all things, through Christ that strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

as seen in Keith Overturf’s “Christian Challenge and Blessing” email devotional, with thanks to Cristina Subke. http://www.christianchallengeandblessing.com

An Old Farmer’s Advice

• Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

• Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

• A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

• Words that soak into your ears are whispered... not yelled.

• Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.

• Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

• Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

• It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.

• You cannot unsay a cruel word.

• Every path has a few puddles.

• When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

• The best sermons are lived, not preached.

• Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.

• Don’t judge folks by their relatives.

• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

• Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

• Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t botherin’ you none.

• If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.

• Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

• The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with watches you from the mirror every mornin’.

• Always drink upstream from the herd.

• Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

• Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.

• If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.

You Might Have Swine Flu If...

• You always pig out at food bars.
• You got a traffic ticket for being a road hog.
• You only go to work to bring home the bacon.
• You call your bathtub the wallowing hole.
• Looney Tunes offers you a movie contract.
• You are worried about whether pork is the real white meat.
• People think you are snooty.
• You have a jar for bacon drippings on your dresser.
• You keep your valuables in a lard bucket.
• Your breath smells like bacon frying.
• You sizzle when you suntan at the beach.
• You are married to a male chauvinist pig.
• You sleep like a pig in a blanket.
• The butcher asked to take your pulse.
• Your favorite movie is Babe.
• Your favorite book is Olivia the Pig.
• Barbeque restaurants make you nervous.
• Your mother’s name is Miss Piggy.
• You keep the baby in a pigpen.
• Your vehicle of choice is a Harley Hog.
• You like to ride piggy-back.
• You are developing a sizable pot-belly.
• You believe in a high-fat diet.
• Your hair is braided into pig tails.
• Your favorite pass time is mud wrestling.
• Your favorite sports team is the Razorbacks.
• You refer to your kids as the three little pigs.
• Jimmy Dean wants to adopt you.
• You are exercising to get rid of your ham hocks.
• You speak perfect Pig Latin.
• Your fur coat has a curly tail.
• You snort when you laugh.
• You buy your groceries at Piggly-Wiggly.
• You wear a ring in your nose.
• You are living too high on the hog.
• Your kids are named Portia and Porky.
• Your kitchen looks like a pig sty.
• You actually went shopping for pig in a poke.
• You call your shoe rack the family tree.
• You eat mash for breakfast instead of cereal.
• You love mud pack facials.
• You have gravy stains on the front of your clothes.
• You refer to leftovers as pig slop.
• You keep your money in a piggy bank.
• Your dream is to live in hog heaven.
• Your house is mortgaged with Frosty Morn.
• You think of vacations as, “When pigs fly”.
• You’ve gone hog-wild on MySpace.
• Your favorite quotation is “That’s all folks!”

The Last Impression

A kindergarten teacher gave her class a “show and tell” assignment. Each student was instructed to bring in an object to share with the class that represented their religion. The first student got up in front of the class and said, “My name is Benjamin and I am Jewish and this is a Star of David.”

The second student got up in front of the class and said, “My name is Mary. I’m a Catholic and this is a Rosary.”

The third student got in up front of the class and said, “My name is Tommy. I am Methodist, and this is a casserole.”

Don’t forget your mom this Sunday! Here at WFA we will be presenting a special gift for to every mother in attendance. And the anointed ministry of Gary and Jan Beesley will especially bless everyone, including Mom! Hope to see you this Lord’s Day here at WFA!