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opening Do you think that your life doesn’t mean much? Have you ever thought that your life is insignificant and that God has never given you anything of importance to do? Well, maybe you are doing exactly what God wanted you to do! God wants us to be faithful in whatever tasks He has given us. Any responsibility that God gives us, including the ordinary responsibilities of life, aren’t “ordinary” in His eyes!

Do you remember Joseph, the husband of Jesus‘ mother, Mary? As far as most people were concerned, Joseph was just an ordinary man who never did anything special in life.

He and Mary were poor, and after they settled in Nazareth, Joseph spent the rest of his life as a humble carpenter. (Matthew 13:55) He never preached or did missionary work. He simply raised his family and did his job to the best of his ability.

But how did God see Joseph? Out of all the families in the world, God entrusted His Son to Mary and Joseph.

God knew Joseph would be the perfect earthly father for Jesus (although in reality God was Jesus‘ father, not Joseph).

Because of Mary and Joseph’s faithfulness, “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52)

Thank God for the responsibilities He gives you! Thank Him too for His forgiveness when you fall short. But thank Him most of all for Jesus Christ, and that someday soon you will go to be with Him in Heaven if you have trusted Him as your Lord and Savior.

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 9.48. Live for God, on purpose, thanking Him for choosing you and using you each and everyday.

unusual God Uses the Unusual

As you look back at all you have done and experienced in your life, are there things you wish hadn’t happened? Are there decisions you made in the past, that when you think about them now, you wish you had made a different choice? If you are like most folks, you will admit that your life hasn’t been perfect in every way. I know in my life, there are many things that I wish I could undo.

When we begin to consider all the “less than ideal” choices and decisions we have made, it tends to make us think that God could never use us in His service. Why would God ever want to use someone like us, where there are so many more-qualified people that He could choose.

Such thinking is not only flawed, it is also un-Biblical! In 1 Corinthians 1:27 the Bible tells us that “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.”

You see, God not only can use flawed and foolish people – but He has! In fact, as we enter into this Christmas season, we can see in the Bible just how God has chosen and used many such flawed people to bring about His perfect will in the incarnation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This Sunday at WFA we will begin our series of Christmas-themed messages by considering the truth that “God Uses the Unusual!” Have you ever been foolish or weak? Then, know that you are in good company! For God can and will use you! Don’t miss this encouraging message from God’s Word for your life!

as-long As Long as There’s a Christmas

by Jack Zavada

The first few lights glow brightly,
as you watch the season start.
You know you should be happy,
but don’t feel it in your heart.

Instead you think about a time
when someone laughed with you,
and the love you shared then filled your soul.
But too soon it was through.

So Christmas comes with sadness,
and a yearning deep inside,
a thirst for love and peace and hope
that will not be denied.

Late one night you hear a voice,
so soft, and without blame,
and then, surprised, you realize,
He’s calling you by name.

“I know your hurt and loneliness,
the heartache that you bear.
I listen and I cry with you
through every single prayer.

“I promised in the manger
and fulfilled it from the cross.
I built a home that’s filled with love
for all those who are lost.

“So let me come and heal your heart
and give you rest within.
For my way is kind and gentle
and will bring you joy again.”

His words still echo through the years,
a vow that He made true,
“As long as there’s a Christmas,
I will be in love with you.”

Jack Zavada, a career writer and guest contributor for About.com, is host to a Christian Web site for singles. Never married, Jack feels that the hard-won lessons he has learned may help other Christian singles make sense of their lives. His articles and ebooks offer great hope and encouragement. To contact him or for more information, visit Jack’s Bio Page. http://christianity.about.com/od/singlesresources/p/biojackzavada.htm

falling Falling Asleep

by Alan Smith

I heard recently about a college professor who had the mysterious habit of walking into the lecture hall each morning, removing a tennis ball from his jacket pocket. He would set it on the corner of the podium. After giving the lecture for the day, he would once again pick up the tennis ball, place it into his jacket pocket, and leave the room. No one ever understood why he did this, until one day...

A student fell asleep during the lecture. The professor never missed a word of his lecture while he walked over to the podium, picked up the tennis ball and threw it, hitting the sleeping student squarely on the top of the head.

The next day, the professor walked into the room, reached into his jacket, removed a baseball... No one ever fell asleep in his class the rest of the semester!

I would imagine that many of us have had the experience of falling asleep at a time when we should have stayed awake — perhaps in a classroom or during a sermon. In the scriptures, poor Eutychus will forever be known for only one thing — falling asleep during a sermon and falling out the window!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this Bible story (found in Acts 20:7-12), there was a young man by the name of Eutychus (a side note: ironically, his name means “fortunate”) who attended a worship service where the apostle Paul was speaking. No doubt, Eutychus was tired and perhaps his stomach was full. He found a spot near a window where he could get some fresh air because oil lamps lighted the room and the air would have been a bit stuffy. We’re told that Paul talked on and on until after midnight. Luke tells us that the young man fought sleep and gradually lost the battle. When he nodded off, he fell out of the third-story window. Fortunately, the story has a happy ending as he was raised back to life by Paul.

Those of us who are preachers are inclined to say that the moral of this story is that you should never fall asleep during a sermon (though I suspect others may say that the moral is that preachers shouldn’t preach so long — it can be dangerous!). But of even greater concern than falling asleep in our worship is the fact that we sometimes fall asleep in our walk with Christ. We grow weary, we lose our concentration, our mind drifts off to other things, and the result can be deadly!

The apostle Paul warns us: “Therefore, let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” (I Thess. 5:6).

Is your mind focused on God? Are you listening carefully to Him, submitting to His Spirit? If you’re growing weary, it’s time to wake up!

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

you-are You Are...

You are strong...
when you take your grief and teach it to smile.

You are brave...
when you overcome your fear and help others to do the same.

You are happy...
when you see a flower and are thankful for the blessing.

You are loving...
when your own pain does not blind you to the pain of others.

You are wise...
when you know the limits of your wisdom.

You are true...
when you admit there are times you fool yourself.

You are alive...
when tomorrow’s hope means more to you than yesterday’s mistake.

You are growing...
when you know what you are but not what you will become.

You are free...
when you are in control of yourself and do not wish to control others.

You are honorable...
when you find your honor is to honor others.

You are generous...
when you can take as sweetly as you can give.

You are humble...
when you do not know how humble you are.

You are thoughtful.. .
when you see me just as I am and treat me just as you are.

You are merciful...
when you forgive in others the faults you condemn in yourself.

You are beautiful...
when you don’t need a mirror to tell you.

You are rich...
when you never need more than what you have.

You are you...
when you are at peace with who you are not.

nobody Nobody Remembered

“There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.” – Ecclesiastes 9:14-15

Disaster was averted and lives were spared.
...”But nobody remembered that poor man.”

Wise words of counsel were given and heeded and lives were blessed innumerably.
...”But nobody remembered that poor man.”

Could sadder words be spoken? I think not.
...”But nobody remembered that poor man.”

This time of year, we naturally think of giving more so than we do in any other season. But the best thing you can give this season – or any season – isn’t for sale. It comes freely, but it only comes deliberately – and because you can’t touch it, it can never wear out. It’s called “appreciation.”

This season, as you give, give your heart. As you share presents of possessions, also share presents of your heart to encourage the spirit of others – tell them of your appreciation for them.

Remember that poor man – and all the people like him. All the people God has sent your way and steered you away from destruction, time and again, all your life. Bless them today by remembering them. Those you know well and those whose names you know not. Give those you know what they need – your appreciation. Give those who have blessed you and you never knew it, what they need – your kindness, and so, your appreciation.

Your appreciation of the lives of others may very well be the very best gift you can ever give. So give it often. For it costs you little and those who receive it will be wealthy indeed.

“How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?” – 1 Thessalonians 3:9

time Time for Love this Christmas

An ethics professor at Princeton Seminary asked for volunteers for an extra assignment. Fifteen students showed up. He divided the group of fifteen into three groups of five each. He instructed the first group of five to proceed immediately across the campus to a certain spot; if they didn’t get there in fifteen minutes their grade would be affected. A minute or two later he instructed the second group to proceed across the campus to the same spot; but they were given forty-five minutes to get there. After they left he instructed the last group to go across the campus to that spot too; but they were given three hours for the trip.

Now, unknown to any of these students, the teacher had arranged with three students from the Drama Department to meet them along the way, acting as people in great need: the first one they met covered his head with his hands and moaned out loud as though in great pain; the second, a little bit further along the way, was on some steps lying face down as if unconscious; the third, on the very steps of the destination, acted out an epileptic seizure.

You know what the ethics professor discovered? Not one of the first group stopped, two of the second group stopped, and all five of the third group stopped. What the experiment tells us is that when we are too busy, with tight schedules and impossible deadlines, there is no time for love.

last The Last Impression

It’s the day after Thanksgiving. I’m sure you didn’t eat everything that was prepared yesterday. Not quite sure what to do with all the leftovers? Here are some “creative ideas” on how to use your Thanksgiving dinner leftovers!

• Seal them in concrete and call it a time capsule.

• Send it to the Smithsonian with instructions to open in 2096.

• Mix some Elmer’s glue into the mashed potatoes and use as spackle.

• Flatten stuffing with rolling pin and bake until hard. Sell to local lumber store as press/compound board.

• Stick broccoli and celery sticks in potting soil and display as rare and exotic bonsai.

• Liquefy leftovers according to colors. Sell as organic finger-paints.

• Mix whatever doesn’t sell and repackage as vitamin-rich energy juice.

• Form mashed potatoes into replicas of ancient urns and vases. Use sweet potatoes for a dash of color and to create authentic aging marks.

• Whittle turkey ribs into reusable toothpicks.

• Refrigerate and save for when your least favorite relative comes for dinner. Serve a dazzling dinner, and afterwards offer to make a doggie bag for her/him. Stuff the thanksgiving leftovers in the doggie bag instead.

• Pile them all on one large platter and sculpt into likenesses of famous performers.

• Use as practice ammunition for that all-important Christmas food-fight at your brother’s house.

• Freeze in little bags and save for Halloween next year. Hand them out as prizes for “least-tasteful costume” and “oldest trick-or-treater.”

• Feed the turkey to your least-favorite neighbor’s dog. Sell gas masks to the neighbors at inflated prices.

• Blend all leftovers thoroughly, pour into a plastic garbage bag. Put in a bus station locker. Call FBI with a tip on Jimmy Hoffa’s resting place.

• Estimate dollar value of leftovers and send to IRS as “payment-in-kind” like the fishermen do.

• Put leftovers in boxes and wrap with festive holiday paper. Leave on the sidewalk for slow-witted, unsuspecting criminals.

• Seal into foil bags and label them “Gourmet K-Rations.” Sell to the U.S. Army.

• Place into cylindrical containers and sell to the Army as biological weapons.

• Mix with water to make a broth. Serve as “Potluck Surprise” at local church dinner.

• Stitch turkey skins together, stuff with sweet potatoes, sell as organically-created hackysacks.

It’s hard to believe that there are only four Sundays until Christmas. This Sunday is the beginning of the traditional Advent season. We are all ready at WFA for Christmas, as our newly remodeled Sanctuary is now newly decorated for Christmas. And, I will begin my series of Christmas season messages this Sunday, too. Looking forward to this 2009 Christmas season of worship with everyone at WFA!