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It's the middle of summer. It's vacation time. So let us help you take a well-deserved break! We've filled this week's firstIMPRESSIONS from top to bottom with fun! So put your feet up and smile awhile. Let's give thanks to God for his gift of laughter; it's a wonderful blessing and a great tool of encouragement!

Medical researchers have shown the power of laughter in improving specific health-related situations. Perhaps one reason it works is that laughter helps us release tension when we find ourselves in stressful, even grave, situations.

The Bible first mentions laughter in Genesis 17:17 and 18:12. Unfortunately, Abraham and Sarah used the gift of laughter in a negative way. They laughed at God and at his promise to give them a son! Abraham fell face down in laughter at this news; he was 99 years old at the time! His wife Sarah was 90! She also laughed when she heard the news, but when the Lord confronted her, she denied it.

Despite their snickering, Sarah bore Abraham's son nine months later. They named him "Isaac"; the name means "laughter." Sarah commented, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me" (Genesis 21:6).

While we can abuse the gift of laughter, God can also use our joy and even our laughter as a witnessing tool, pointing people to his blessings and power. Psalm 126:2 speaks of the laughter and songs of joy that filled the air as God's people returned to their homeland after years in exile. And as the nations around them witnessed the joy of God's people, they proclaimed, "The LORD has done great things for them."

Laughter comes in all styles and shapes, from the true belly laugh (which may include an occasional snort), to mere chuckles, to giggles and cackles, to nervous laughter, to the polite, social laugh. And, I might add, even a silent smile or quiet groan at a good pun!

While you may not laugh right out loud at any of the stories in this issue, I hope that at least one or two of them will bring a smile to your face. And I hope you will share that joy with others. As humorist Josh Billings once said, "Laughter is the sensation of feeling good all over and showing it principally in one place."

Let's serve the Lord and his people by spreading joy, fun, and laughter every day!

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 10.28. Live for God, on purpose, remembering that "the joy of the Lord is your strength!" (Nehemiah 8:10)

Disconnected

Perhaps you can identify with the question asked in Psalm 10:1 – "God, are you avoiding me? Where are you when I need you?" (from The Message translation.) Has it ever seemed to you like God was avoiding you? Have you needed God's touch – really needed his hand – and He seemed nowhere to be found?

As Christians, we know from the Bible that God is an ever-present help in our time of need (Psalm 46:1), and that He will meet all our need according to His riches in Glory (Philippians 4:19). We know that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and be a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

However, there may be times that you have felt completely disconnected from God. It has seemed that He is a million miles away, and completely unreachable.

If we know from God's Word that He is closer than our next breath, then why are there times of doubt as to His very existence in our life?

The question is this – What causes us to seem to disconnect from God's presence, and more importantly, how can we reconnect to Him?

There are indeed some very specific things that take place in our lives that "disconnect" us from God. And, likewise, there are very important things we must do to reconnect to Him!

Be sure to join us this Sunday morning at WFA as we discover how to reconnect with the living God!

Dirty Laundry

A young couple moved into the house next to the church parsonage. A few days later, the pastor's wife called the pastor into the kitchen. She was peering out the window. "Look at our neighbor hanging the wash out on the line. That laundry is still dirty! She must be a newlywed who doesn't know how to wash clothes properly. Maybe she's not using enough laundry soap."

The pastor urged his wife not to say anything, but the next week, sure enough, the neighbor's dirty laundry hung on the line again. And again the following week. Every time the pastor's wife peered out the window, she saw her neighbor's dirty laundry hanging on the clothesline.

Then, one morning as she scurried around getting breakfast, the pastor's wife exclaimed, "Look! She finally got the clothes clean! I wonder who helped her?"

The pastor smiled and said, "Honey, no one helped her. I just got up early this morning and cleaned our windows!"

Call 911

A church deacon sat visiting with one of the shut-in members when the woman seemed to go into cardiac arrest. The deacon rushed to the phone and called 9-1-1, asking that they send an ambulance to the house immediately.

The operator asked, "What's the address, sir?"

The deacon wasn't sure of the exact address, but he knew she lived in the last house on Eucalyptus Lane.

The operator asked, "Can you spell that for me, sir?"

After a long pause, the deacon asked, "Um, how about if I carry her over to Oak Street and you can pick her up there?"

Blonde in Heaven

A blonde died and went to heaven. When she got to the Pearly Gates, she met Saint Peter who said, "Before you get to come into heaven, you have to pass a test."

"OH, NO!" exclaimed the blonde.

But Saint Peter said not to worry, because he would make it an easy test. "Who was God's son?" asked Saint Peter.

The dumb blonde thought for a few minutes and replied, "Andy."

"Andy? That's interesting. What made you say that?" inquired Saint Peter.

Then the blonde started to sing, "Andy walks with me. Andy talks with me. Andy tells me..."

The Counterfeiter

A big-city counterfeiter decided the best place to pass off his phony $18 bills would be in some small "hick town." So, he got into his very expensive new luxury car and off he went.

After driving for a while, he found a tiny town with a single store. He entered the store and handed one of the bogus bills to the man behind the counter. "Can you change this for me, please?" he asked.

The store clerk looked at the $18 bill for a short time, then smiled and said to the man, "Ah reckon so, mister. Ya want two nines or three sixes?"

The Pastor's Dentures

It seems there was this minister who just had all of his remaining teeth pulled and new dentures were being made.

The first Sunday, he only preached 10 minutes.

The second Sunday, he preached only 20 minutes.

But, on the third Sunday, he preached 1 hour 25 minutes.

When asked about this by some of the congregation, he responded this way.

The first Sunday, my gums were so sore it hurt to talk.

The second Sunday, my dentures were hurting a lot.

The third Sunday, I accidentally grabbed my wife's dentures... and I couldn't stop talking!

The Last Impression

God is sitting in heaven when a scientist says to him, "Lord, we don't need you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing. In other words, we can now do what you did in the beginning."

"Oh, is that so? Tell me," replies God.

"Well," says the scientist, "we can take dirt and form it into your likeness and breathe life into it, thus creating man."

"Well, that's interesting. Show me."

So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil.

"Oh no, no, no," interrupts God. "Get your own dirt."

Hot summer days! We are in the midst of a heat wave here in Delaware! But, we can enjoy the comfort of the presence of the Lord each and every day of our life! And – you can enjoy the cool comfort of our beautiful air-conditioned sanctuary here at WFA this Sunday as we gather together to worship God in Spirit and in Truth! Looking forward to seeing you then!