firstIMPRESSIONS - Vol. 6.27 - Friday, July 7, 2006
Rev. Timothy G. Satryan
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firstIMPRESSIONS
Control Your Emotions – Often emotions cloud our view of reality. It is usually not as desperate as we feel that it is. Emotions should not be ignored, but handled and channeled in a constructive direction. “Losing your temper causes a lot of trouble, but staying calm settles arguments.” Proverbs 15:18 Discover What Went Wrong – Did you do something which contributed to the problem? Were you at fault? Was there something that you could have done differently? Was it a lack of planning? Ask yourself. Ask others. Ask God. It is amazing what can be learned when we listen! Find out what went wrong. “Without good advice everything goes wrong – it takes careful planning for things to go right.” Proverbs 15:22 Make Necessary Changes – Rather than spending time fixing the blame, concentrate on fixing the problem. “If you keep being stubborn after many warnings, you will suddenly discover you have gone too far.” Proverbs 29:1 Learn The Lessons – More than likely you are going to face a situation similar to this in the future. What will you do differently? If you take the same actions, do not expect different results! “Everyone with good sense wants to learn.” Proverbs 18:15 Get On With Life – What is past is past. Remember the phrase, “There is no use crying over spilt milk.” Once you have analyzed the situation, made the changes, and learned the lessons, then get back in the game! No one ever scores while sitting on the bench! “Forgetting what is behind, I struggle for what is ahead.” Philippians 3:13 Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 6.27. Live for God, on purpose, moving forward each day toward the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus. |
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How do you handle life’s little
crises? What do you do when the project you have been working on falls
through? You are laid off, or perhaps you get sick on the day of the big
celebration? How do you respond when you are in the middle of the fast
lane of life and you hit the proverbial speed bump? Here are five steps to
a successful recovery:
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 Avoiding Bad Decisions
Life is all about choices. Each moment of every day, we come face to face with decision after decision. Although some decisions seem large and some may seem small, every decision makes a difference in some way for us and those around us. The choices you make not only affect you, but affect far more people than you could possibly imagine. Some decisions affect generations of people to come. Some affect everyone in the area around you. Some deeply affect our family. Your choices are critically important. Understanding how important our choices are should underscore for us the need to make good decisions – and, obviously, avoiding bad decisions. For most people, we have little difficulty making a decision when good choices are presented to us. The problem, rather, is when we don’t make a concerted effort to avoid bad decisions. In Acts 27, Paul was being transported by ship to Rome. Those that were in charge of this sailing vessel made bad decisions, which caused the ship to wreck, and their plans to be drastically altered. There are specific things that can contribute to making bad decisions, and the centurion in charge of the ship Paul was aboard, demonstrates five key factors that led to these bad decisions. This Sunday morning, we will look at this passage, and learn how to avoid making bad decisions. Don’t miss this practical and life-changing message! (top)  Seven
Laws for Limitless Living
by Fred Jones, JD., Evangelist Law Number One: Law Number Two: Law Number Three: Law Number Four: Law Number Five: Law Number Six: Law Number Seven: (top)  Saints in Circulation
by Chuck Swindoll During the reign of Oliver Cromwell, the British government began to run low on silver for coins. Lord Cromwell sent his men to the local cathedral to see if they could find any precious metal there. After investigating they reported: “The only silver we can find is in the statues of the saints standing in the corners.” To which the radical soldier and statesman of England replied: “Good! We’ll melt down the saints and put them in circulation!” That brief but direct order states the essence of the practical goal of authentic Christianity. Not rows of silver saints crammed into the corners of cathedrals, but melted saints circulating through the mainstream of humanity. Where life transpires in the raw. On campuses where students carve through the varnish of shallow answers. In the shop where employees test the mettle of everyday Christianity. At home with a house full of kids, where RandR means run and wrestle. In the concrete battlegrounds of sales competition, seasonal conventions, and sexual temptations, where hard-core assaults are made on internal character. On the hospital bed, where reality never takes a nap. In the office, where diligence and honesty are forever on the scaffold. On the team where patience and self-control are checked out. The cost factor of being a saint occurs on Monday and Tuesday and throughout the week. That’s when we’re “melted down and put in circulation.” “Sunday religion” may seem sufficient, but it isn’t. And pity the person who counts on it to get him through. Sure, you can opt for an easier path. You can keep your own record and come out smelling like a rose: Dressed up and drove to church. Check Got a seat and sat quietly. Check Gave money... listened to the sermon. Check Closed my Bible, prayed, looked pious. Check Shook hands, walked out. Check Still a saint? A silver one, in fact. Icily regular, cool and casual, consistently present... and safely out of circulation... until the Lord calls for an investigation of the local cathedral. Those who successfully wage war with silent heroism under relentless secular pressure – ah, they are the saints who know what it means to be melted. as seen in the Dallas Theological Seminary “Daily Devotional” for May 30, 2006 (top)  Opportunities
to Do Good
There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It’s never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they’ll never speak to him again as long as he lives. The boy believes his heart is going to stop, he puts his head down and prays this prayer, “Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I’m dead meat.” He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered. As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy’s lap. The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, “Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!” Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else – Susie. She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. “You’ve done enough, you klutz!” Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Susie whispers back, “I wet my pants once too.” May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good (top)  Expanding Your
Circle of Friends
by Rubel Shelly, PhD. More and more of us appear to have fewer and fewer people in our lives whom we would consider friends. And lest the word friend be left too ambiguous, let a friend be defined as someone with whom you have confided matters that are truly important to you within the past six months. In the June issue of the American Sociological Review, researchers cite evidence that Americans have a third fewer close friends than just a couple of decades ago. More disturbing still, the data seem to indicate that the number of us who have nobody to count as a close personal friend has more than doubled. The findings hold for both males and females. They are consistent for people of all races, ages, and educational levels. Even within families, the degree of intimacy has diminished considerably. All this information can’t be good news, for it translates into people who feel lonelier and more isolated than ever. Emotionally healthy people form meaningful ties with other human beings. They don’t just exchange information but share personal things. They talk about likes and dislikes, their joys and fears. They extend themselves to help others and know how to accept assistance when they get in over their heads. When they have important decisions to make, they get insight and support from their friends. Everybody needs a handful of people with whom to connect in these intimate ways. Nobody is smart enough, strong enough, or competent enough to negotiate something as complicated as this human adventure called life alone. John Donne protested the idea that men and women could function in splendid isolation from one another. “No man is an island, entire of itself,” he wrote. I know. You’re busy! So is everybody else – including the people who are healthy enough to have emotional ties. You don’t have time for the obligations in your life already? I understand that excuse too. But the issue here is priorities. Which is more important? Playing computer games or having a friend? Getting a bigger house or loving (and being loved by) the people in the house you have now? Making extra cash or having a real life? The same research shows not only that people have fewer friends these days but that more and more of us are feeling the need for them. With the circle drawn so tiny, people are feeling lonely. Everybody needs people to count on. If you are one of those people in need of friends, the best advice I can give you is this: Don’t go looking to find friends but to be one to somebody else. Would you care to guess what dividend is returned on such an investment? Rubel Shelly is a Preaching Minister at the Woodmont Hills Church of Christ. This article is from the June 26, 2006 issue of “The FAX of Life,” his weekly message, found at http://www.rubelshelly.com. (top)  Just Give Me
Jesus
by Dr. Bill Bright “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) The title of Anne Graham Lotz’s recent book, “Just Give Me Jesus,” is a sermon in itself. He is everything. He is all we need. He is sufficient. “He is the one who made us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and He gave himself to purchase our freedom” (1 Corinthians 1:30) “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see — kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together. Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, so he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross” (Colossians 1:15-20) If we could just spend more time focusing on Him and not all the distractions of the world, even sometimes the distractions of religion, our lives and the world could be radically changed. There is no one like Him. He is God, made flesh, crucified and resurrected, and now sitting at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. An anonymous author made this striking comparison: “Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40, and Jesus for only 3. Yet the influence of Christ’s 3-year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men who were among the greatest philosophers of all antiquity. ” “Jesus painted no pictures; yet some of the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him. “Jesus wrote no poetry; but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world’s greatest poets were inspired by Him. “Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach and Mendelssohn, (also Wesley, F. Crosby and Gaither, etc.) reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies, and oratorios they composed in His praise. “Every sphere of human greatness has been enriched by this humble Carpenter of Nazareth. His unique contribution to the race of men is the salvation of the soul! Philosophy could not accomplish that. Nor art. Nor literature. Nor music. Only Jesus Christ can break the enslaving chains of sin and Satan. He alone can speak peace to the human heart, strengthen the weak, and give life to those who are spiritually dead.” I cannot speak for you, but as for me, “just give me Jesus.” Copyright © 2003, Bill Bright. All rights reserved. However, readers may copy and distribute this message as desired, without restrictions in number, as long as the content is not altered. Forwarding this e-mail to friends is encouraged. For many evangelistic and spiritual growth materials, visit the Campus Crusade for Christ Web site at www.crosswalkmail.com/qimprza_bzkigv.html (top)  Weak Enough to
be Helped?
by Rick Ezell In the highlands of Scotland sheep often wander off into the rocks and get into places that they can’t get out of. The grass on these mountains tastes very sweet, and the sheep like it. They will jump down ten or twelve feet to a ledge with a patch of grass, and then they can’t jump back up again. The shepherd hears them bleating in distress. The shepherd may leave them there for days, until they have eaten all the grass and are so faint that they cannot stand. Only then will the shepherd put a rope around the sheep and pull them up out of the jaws of death. Why doesn’t the shepherd attempt a rescue when the sheep first get into the predicament? The sheep are so foolish and so focused on eating that they would dash away from the shepherd, go over the precipice and destroy themselves. Such is the case with us. Sometimes we need to experience a little bit of death before we can enjoy the abundance of life. The Lord will rescue us the moment we have given up trying, realizing that we can’t liberate ourselves, and cry to him for help. as seen in Rick Ezell’s “One Minute Uplift” email newsletter, excerpted from “From Defining Moments,” © 2001 Rick Ezell (top)  The Last
Impression...
Three ministers are talking over lunch and before long find themselves discussing how much of the weekly offering is appropriate to keep and how much to give to the Lord. The first minister says, “I just draw a line on the floor, put one foot on both sides, and throw the money into the air. Whatever lands on the right side of the line is God’s and whatever lands on the left is mine.” The second minister notes that he uses a similar method, but “I use a small coffee table when I throw the money in the air and whatever lands on the table goes to the Lord and whatever lands on the floor is mine.” They both contemplate each other’s answer and finally turn to the third minister who isn’t saying anything. “Well, how do you do it?” one finally asks. “Well, I do as you both do and throw the money into the air, but I figure whatever the Lord wants, He’ll grab, and I keep whatever hits the floor.” Rest assured, that’s certainly not how we handle the offerings here at WFA! We will, of course, receive our regular tithes and offerings this week, as a part of our worship of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we are in the middle of the summer now, be certain that worshiping together on the Lord’s Day is a priority for you and your family throughout the year! See you Sunday here at WFA! |
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Yours for HIM, |
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