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opening Where do you go when things are just impossible? There is no superman to help you. But, there is the Sovereign Lord to save you! If you’re facing a situation or a need that’s going to require “powers far beyond those of mortal man,” you have this awesome God to turn to.

There’s a thrilling picture of going to God for your “mission impossible” from the Word of God in Daniel 2. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, where Daniel has been taken as a captive and elevated to being a royal advisor, has had a very troubling prophetic dream. He calls in all of his astrologers and advisors, and asks them to not only figure out what his dream meant, but what his dream was or die.

He doesn’t want any magician scamming him with some made-up interpretation. If a man can tell him the dream, then he can trust his interpretation of the dream. Of course, no one can tell him what he dreamed. Then Daniel, God’s man at court, is called in as the king’s last resort. Even for Daniel, it’s “mission impossible.”

What Daniel did is a pattern for us when we’re facing our “mission impossible.” Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said, “Praise be to the name of God forever and ever; wisdom and power are His.”

What follows is a powerful prayer of extravagant praise. When Daniel reveals the mystery to the king, he says, “No wise man can explain the mystery, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” There’s the plan for your “mission impossible.”

First, gather prayer partners to intercede for you and for this situation. The battle will be pre-won in prayer!

Second, gaze at the power of your God rather than the impossibilities of the situation.

Third, get all the resources only God has. Daniel said, “You have given me wisdom and power, You have made known to us the dream of the king.” God has resources that no one on earth could ever give you.

Then, give God all the glory for the breakthrough in this plan for winning in your “mission impossible.”

People may express amazement or admiration for you. You let them know that it all belongs to the mighty Lord you serve. You don’t have the answers. He does. He chooses to send the particular answer to you. And the particular solution you need right now.

Are you kind of like Daniel, facing something that’s far beyond what earth could do? Do a Daniel! “This is a job for the God of heaven... the Lord who is my God!”

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 10.16. Live for God, on purpose, as He makes possible your “mission impossible!”

nail The Nail

As the story goes, they built a new church building and people came from far and wide to see it. They admired its beauty! Up on the roof, a little nail heard the people praising everything about the lovely structure-except the nail! No one even knew he was there, and he became angry and jealous.

“If I am that insignificant, nobody will miss me if I quit!” So the nail then released its hold, slid down the roof, and fell in the mud.

That night it rained and rained. Soon, the shingle that had no nail blew away, and the roof began to leak. The water streaked the walls and the beautiful murals. The plaster began to fall, the carpet was stained, and the pulpit Bible was ruined by water. All this because a little nail decided to quit!

But what of the nail? While holding the shingle, it was obscure but it was also useful. Buried in the mud it was just as obscure, but now it was useless and would soon by eaten up by rust!

The moral of the story: Every member is important to the church! You may, like the nail, feel obscure at times, but just like the nail, your absence is felt. When you are not present for worship, in some way the body of Christ hurts. We are ALL a part of the Lord’s ministry.

1 Corinthians 12:20-22; 25-27 – As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable... But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

because Because I’m a Christian

by Alan Smith

Because I’m a guy, I must hold the television remote control in my hand while I watch TV. If the thing has been misplaced, I’ll miss a whole show looking for it, though one time I was able to survive by holding a calculator.

Because I’m a guy, when I lock my keys in the car I will fiddle with a wire clothes hanger and ignore your suggestions that we call a road service until long after hypothermia has set in. Oh, and when the car isn’t running very well, I will pop the hood and stare at the engine as if I know what I’m looking at. If another guy shows up, one of us will say to the other, “I used to be able to fix these things, but now with all these computers and everything, I wouldn’t know where to start.”

Because I’m a guy, when I catch a cold I need someone to bring me soup and take care of me while I lie in bed and moan. You never get as sick as I do, so for you this isn’t an issue.

Because I’m a guy, I can be relied upon to purchase basic groceries at the store, like milk, or bread. I cannot be expected to find exotic items like “Cumin” or “Tofu.” For all I know these are the same thing.

Because I’m a guy, when one of our appliances stops working I will insist on taking it apart, despite evidence that this will just cost me twice as much once the repair person gets here and has to put it back together.

Because I’m a guy, I don’t think we’re all that lost, and no, I don’t think we should stop and ask someone. Why would you listen to a complete stranger — how in the world could HE know where we’re going?

Because I’m a guy, whatever you got your mother for Mother’s Day is ok, I don’t need to see it. Did you remember to pick up something for my mom, too?

Because I’m a guy, you don’t have to ask me if I liked the movie. Chances are, if you’re crying at the end of it, I didn’t.

Because I’m a guy, I think what you’re wearing is fine. I thought what you were wearing five minutes ago was fine, too. Either pair of shoes is fine. With the belt or without it looks fine. Your hair is fine. You look fine. Can we just go now?

Because I’m a guy and this is, after all, the 21st century, I will share equally in the housework. You do the laundry, the cooking, the cleaning, and the dishes. I’ll do the rest.

It does seem that a lot of behavior on the part of men can be explained with the simple phrase “it’s because I’m a guy — that says it all”.

Likewise, a lot of the behavior we as Christians exhibit in the workplace, at home, or at school, should be explainable by the phrase, “it’s because I’m a child of God”. That says it all — that’s why I do what I do and say what I say.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)

When people wonder about our actions, they should be able to look at our lives and say, “Oh yes, he acts that way because he’s a Christian.” Whether they appreciate it or not, may they see that Christ truly does make a difference in the way we live.

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

Be Authentic

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.” – James 1:22-25

To make a difference in your world you’ve got to be real. There is nothing worse than a holier-than-thou Christian who never shares his hurts and sorrows. I don’t know about you, but I can’t relate to perfection. Authentic people make a difference in the world.

I heard recently of a minister in the Midwest who was going for a walk with a soap salesman in the community who was a real skeptic toward Christianity. They were having quite an active debate while walking through the park. The businessman was getting in some good jabs at the inconsistency of Christians.

As they were walking through the park the soap salesman questioned the minister, “How can you say that Christianity works when even within the inner-city park you see derelicts of every kind, drugs, and prostitutes? Then you have the problems of the family, war, and disease, not to mention the negative problems of the world. How can you say that Christianity works? Just look around – it’s not working.” They walked in silence for a few moments, and then the minister turned to him and said, “You’re a soap salesman, right?” “Yes, of course,” was the reply. “Is it good soap?” “It’s the best soap on the market!” was the comment of the salesman. The minister turned and pointed to a small child playing in the park who was covered with dirt and grime, and said, “This boy is dirty and filthy from the mud in the park; doesn’t your soap help him?” The salesman said, “Well, you’ve got to apply the soap.” The minister’s response was, “So it is with the Christian faith. You must apply the Christian faith in order for it to work.”

will The Will of God...

The will of God will never take you...
Where the grace of God cannot keep you,
Where the arms of God cannot support you,
Where the hands of God cannot mold you.
Where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you...
Where the spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the riches of God cannot supply you,
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the army of God cannot protect you,

The will of God will never take you...
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercy of God cannot sustain you,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.

The will of God will never take you...
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.

praying Praying for Others

A hospital chaplain visited a delightful old lady in the hospital. As he approached her bed he noticed that with the index finger of one hand she was touching, one by one, the fingers of the other, with her eyes closed. When the chaplain spoke to her she opened her eyes and said, “Ah, minister, I was just saying my prayers — the prayers my grandmother taught me many years ago.”

The chaplain looked puzzled, so she went on to explain, “I hold my hand like this, my thumb towards me. That reminds me to pray for those nearest to me. Then, there is my pointing finger, so I pray for those who point the way to others — teachers, leaders, parents. The next finger is the biggest so I pray for those in high places. After that comes the weakest finger – look it won’t stand up by itself, so I pray for the sick and the lonely and the afraid. And this little one – well, last of all I pray for myself.

unchurched

Most of Unchurched Consider Themselves Christian

A new study, released this week by The Barna Group, shows that millions of Americans do not attend church, and that a large majority of those who stay home on Sunday consider themselves to be Christian. The research, which was based on phone interviews with 4,020 adults between August of 2009 and February of 2010, revealed that:

In the past six months, 28 percent of the adult population has not attended any church service or activity. When children are included, this translates to more than 100 million people.
In the United States, 83 percent of all adults identify themselves as “Christian.”
Of those who have not attended church for at least six months, 61 percent label themselves “Christian.”
Two-thirds (68%) of the Christians who do not attend church hold a biblical view of God, but only one-third (35%) agree that the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches.

Past studies of those who do not attend church have revealed that one of the main reasons for not attending is the painful experiences endured within the local church context. A previous Barna study shows that 37 percent of unchurched Americans said they avoid church because of negative past experiences in the church or with church people. For the complete report, visit The Barna Group here.

last The Last Impression

A tourist is traveling with a guide through one of the thickest jungles in Latin America, when he comes across an ancient Mayan temple. The tourist is entranced by the temple and asks the guide for details. The guide states that archaeologists are carrying out excavations and are still finding great treasures. The tourist then queries how old the temple is.

“This temple is 2,503 years old,” replies the guide.

Impressed at this accurate dating, he asks how he knew this precise figure.

“Easy,” replies the guide. “The archaeologists said the temple was 2,500 years old, and that was three years ago.”

God is doing great things here at WFA! It’s exciting to be in His presence on Sunday, worshipping the Lord, singing praises to Him, being challenged by His Word, and being encouraged by all the people! Don’t miss this week’s opportunity to enter into His presence with joy and His courts with praise!

There may be other Sundays to worship together – but THIS Sunday will only be here this one time! Don’t miss it!