Recently, I was back in my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, serving as a presenter at the Assemblies of God Church Multiplication Network’s Boot Camp for the Penn-Del District. While there, a number of us decided to attend a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game one evening. The Pirates were playing the Mets that night, and I was looking forward to joining together with all the other “‘burghers” to root my Bucs on to victory!

Imagine my surprise when, once seated, I realized that I not only was I surrounded by Mets fans, but seemingly the vast majority of all in attendance that evening were wearing Mets jerseys and rooting for that dreaded New York team! I was amazed! In Pittsburgh, nonetheless! Going into the game, I assumed that the Pirates‘ chances of victory against the Mets weren’t too good, but with home-field advantage, it could happen! But – there was seemingly no home field advantage to be found!

Then it struck me. We all-too-often feel like this world we live in is our home, and we are surprised to discover that our lives as Christ-followers is mocked and ridiculed, and our message is rejected. But, we need to recognize that this world is not our home, for our citizenship lies in heaven (Philippians 3:20). We are called to go into this foreign world, and proclaim the good news of Jesus to all! (Mark 16:15).

Don’t expect to have any “home-field advantage!” But, do depend on the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit to lead you, guide you, and give you the words to say at just the right time! (Matthew 10:19)

By the way – the Pirates won that night, beating the Mets! And – you will have victory too! Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight! (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 9.25. Live for God, on purpose, walking in His power in this strange and foreign land.

WFA SuperKIDS Ready to Take Off to Cosmic City!

Fasten your seat belts and prepare to take off as Pastor Trish and the SuperKIDS Network launches this year’s VBS! The theme this year is “Cosmic City” and all our children will be exploring the awesome wonder of God throughout next week!

Want to go to outer space for a short trip? Well you can this Sunday, as we have a special sneak preview of Cosmic City! The WFA Sanctuary has been once again totally transformed, this year to launch everyone to higher heights than ever before! You won’t want to miss this exciting and dynamic outreach ministry and discipleship opportunity!

Have you registered your kids yet? You can avoid the long lines and sign your kids up online at our web site – www.WFA.org – just click on the link to pre-register! If you miss the on-line registration deadline, you can register in person on Monday morning at WFA.

VBS takes place Monday through Friday from 9:30 am to 12 noon. Everyone is welcome to the preview this Sunday morning, as well as the dynamic closing service on Friday evening, June 26th! Don’t miss it!

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Blessing God

Donald Grey Barnhouse once shared this story -

A young man came up to me at the end of a sermon and shook my hand, "I can understand ‘God bless me', but how can I ‘Bless God'?" What does it mean when we sing, ‘Bless the Lord, O My Soul?'"

I asked him, "Do you have any children?"

"Yes," he replied, "I have a boy who is six and a girl who is five."

I asked, "At Christmas time, do they ever give you a present?"

"Sure," he replied.

"Where do they get the money," I asked.

"Well, I give it to them," he chuckled.

"That's exactly it," I said, "You pay for the Christmas presents our children give you. You're so glad when they're talking about it with their mother. They're whispering secrets. They're excited that they are going to surprise daddy. Then on Christmas morning, they come and say, ‘Daddy, here is a blessing for you.‘ It ultimately came from you, but it was a blessing because it came back with their love."

When we sing, "Bless the Lord, O My Soul", we are praising Him with the blessings He puts in our lives.

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In God We Trust and the New One Dollar Coins

I received an e-mail earlier today telling me to not accept the new US one dollar coin as change because it has “In God we trust” omitted from it.

Though I understand the emotion and argument of not accepting them, I disagree with that approach because the coins will still exist. Such coinage is not worthy of continued circulation here in America!

So, I have a better plan. Join me in ridding the US of these atheistically coy coins by accepting them as change and then mailing them directly to:

Pastor Timothy Satryan, 201 Hawthorne Drive, Wilmington, DE 19802

And please, don’t keep this plan a secret. There are hundreds of millions of these little demonic discs that need to be rounded up and sent packing.

I promise that once received, each dollar will be converted from its godless form through a God-honoring process and used in such a manner to bring glory to God for such purposes as (in this order) reducing the size of my mortgage, providing for repairs and renovations to my home, replacing older vehicles with newer ones, and acquisition of goods that will help provide for this pastor’s ministry. Additionally I will be sure to convert a good portion of those unholy units of commercial coinage into the budget needs of WFA!

Don’t think – act now! I’m standing by.

Oh yeah, one more thing. For the skinny on this whole "In God We Trust dollar thing" check this link out: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/dollarcoin.asp

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Getting Beyond Fear

by Dr. Terry Ellis

“There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear” – 1 John 4:18

America is beset with an apocalyptic mindset. We have more fears today than I have ever imagined. Without question, we have some good reason to feel this way. The fall of the twin towers at the hands of a mindless evil still stuns us. Terrorism is with us to stay. A financial collapse. We have real reasons to be afraid.

TV programming has picked up on and amplified the hysteria. I’m a big Discovery Channel and History Channel guy. The line-up feeds on fear. "Destroyed in Seconds" and "Shockwave" show live destruction. "Storm Chasers" and "Wrath of God" show natural disasters. "Monster Quest" is about giant spiders, snakes, hogzilla and sasquatch. UFO Hunters! Now there's a real fear!

So much fear. So much anxiety. That’s the problem. We are anxious people. Without question anxiety does not mesh with faith. Anxiety requires a tremendous emotional investment. The tension it causes can take years off our lives (who can add one cubit?). It can also silence our gratitude.

Some fears are real. Most fears are not. All fears are covered by Jesus‘ invitation: “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). Interestingly, only John, of all the gospel writers, records these words from Jesus. Also John had more to say about fear than any other letter writer in the NT. Like most every problem we face, John found the solution to fear in God’s love. If we trust in God’s love, then fear dissipates. “Perfect love casts out fear.”

The fears that threaten you as you read this devotional will be silenced only by a growing trust in a loving God. You must cling to the conviction that God’s providence is more powerful than the object of your fear. Delve more deeply into God’s perfect love for you. He will still the fears that assault you. He will give you the peace you need.

Dr. Terry Ellis is the pastor of Spring Hill Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabam

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A Forever Home

by Max Lucado

For the last twenty years, I’ve wanted a dog. A big dog. But there were always problems. The apartment was too small. The budget was too tight. The girls were too young. But most of all, Denalyn was unenthusiastic. Her logic? She’d already married one slobbering, shedding beast, why put up with a second? So we compromised and got a small dog.

I like Salty, but small dogs aren’t really dogs. They don’t bark; they yelp. They don’t eat; they nibble. They don’t lick you; they sniff you. I like Salty, but I wanted a real dog. A man’s-best-friend type of dog. A fat-pawed, big-eating, slurp-you-on-the-face type of dog you could saddle or wrestle or both.

I was alone in my passion until Sara was born. She loves dogs. And the two of us were able to sway the household vote. Denalyn gave in, and Sara and I began the search. We discovered a woman in South Carolina who breeds golden retrievers in a Christian environment. From birth the dogs are surrounded by inspirational music and prayers. (No, I don’t know if they tithe with dog biscuits.) When the trainer told me that she had read my books, I got on board. A woman with such good taste is bound to be a good breeder, right?

So we ordered a pup. We mailed the check, selected the name Molly, and cleared a corner for her dog pillow. The dog hadn’t even been born, and she was named, claimed, and given a place in the house.

Can’t the same be said about you? Long before your first whimper, your Master claimed you, named you, and hung a reserved sign on your room. You and Molly have more in common than odor and eating habits. (Just teasing.)

You’re both being groomed for a trip. We prefer the terms maturation and sanctification to weaning and training, but it’s all the same. You’re being prepared for your Master’s house. You don’t know the departure date or flight number, but you can bet your puppy chow that you’ll be seeing your Owner someday. Isn’t this the concluding promise of David?

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

Where will you live forever? In the house of the Lord. If his house is your “forever house,” what does that make this earthly house? You got it! Short-term housing. This is not our home. “Our homeland is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20).

We, like Molly, are being prepared for another house.

Don’t quench, but rather, stir this longing for heaven.

God’s home is a forever home. “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”

excerpted from “Traveling Light,” Thomas Nelson Publishers, by Max Lucado. As seen in Max Ludaco’s UpWords email devotional.

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Don't be a Cheetah

by Jim Liebelt

“...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” – Hebrews 12:1

A PBS webpage noted the following about the cheetah:

“Running as fast as 70 miles per hour over short distances, the cheetah is the fastest mammal on Earth. Swiftly rushing to make its kill, the cheetah uses its great speed to run down prey after stalking it closely. Yet in spite of its quickness, some victims get away. A fast starter, the cheetah lacks stamina and tires quickly, able only to maintain top speed for a few hundred yards.”

“...a fast starter, the cheetah lacks stamina and tires quickly...” The description sounds like some Christ-followers I’ve known, myself included. If following Christ was like a highway, I believe the shoulders of that highway would be littered with people who had started out well, but quickly broke down along the journey. In my own early days of ministry involvement, I think I was cheetah-like; a fast starter with lots of energy. I thought that charisma and drive alone would be enough to overcome the Enemy. Like many others, I learned that these things only carry you so far before the gas tanks of ministry and personal spiritual growth run dry.

The journey of the Christ-follower has been compared to a marathon rather than a sprint—and I believe that the same comparison applies to all who serve in ministry – from the new ministry volunteer to the professional clergy. In the long run, stamina, perseverance and faithfulness produce more effective ministry than high-energy ministry that can’t be maintained for long. So, remember when it comes to serving Christ, don’t be a cheetah!

How does one keep the gas tank full to be effective on the long journey of the Christian life? The perseverance needed only comes through daily commitment, obedience and communion with Christ. He is the source of our strength and our only hope to provide the power needed to serve Him with effectiveness day in and day out.

as seen in “Today’s HomeWord,” a daily devotional with Jim Burns. Visit them online at www.homeword.com

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The Last Impression

A Jewish rabbi and a Catholic priest met at the town's annual 4th of July picnic. Old friends, they began their usual banter.

"This baked ham is really delicious," the priest teased the rabbi. "You really ought to try it. I know it's against your religion, but I can't understand why such a wonderful food should be forbidden! You don't know what you're missing. You just haven't lived until you've tried Mrs. Frobisher's prized Virginia Baked Ham. Tell me, Rabbi, when are you going to break down and try it?"

The rabbi looked at the priest with a big grin, and said, "At your wedding."

We are going to have a phenomenal time in the Lord together this Sunday and throughout the week ahead as our annual VBS takes place. There will be hundreds of folks at WFA every day, and the place will be hopping as kids are praising and playing, learning and studying, and having a great time in the Lord. Pray for Pastor Trish and her entire team of dedicated workers who have taken off of work, and will be giving themselves to this dynamic ministry!