This Evening at Seven P.M.

A Special Thanksgiving Service will be held tonight at Gospel Life.  The meeting will take the "Encounter" format, something our younger members and friends, and a few of our more seasoned members, have already been introduced to.

The service promises to take you to a deeper and a more personal worship experience.  Expect to have an experiential encounter with the Holy Spirit.

As you have heard many times in the past, the daily natural Christian life has got to be in the supernatural level.  There is probably nothing more spiritually exhilarating than to know that such is our own experience.

Not Just for the Good Things

What are we thankful for, and why?  Are we grateful because we receive something, gain something, experience a positive event or complete our travel safely?

It seems logical that we are thankful for things like these:  good health, long life, material abundance, lacking for nothing.  But when one item in our otherwise smooth journey goes awry, we become upset, angry, discombobulated.

This is our natural, human reaction.  We have learned otherwise, though, and the transition could be difficult and onerous.  Why?  Because it seems unnatural to still be thankful, to keep a positive spirit, to be upbeat when things aren't going the way we'd like to see them go.

Our Bible tells us to be thankful in all things. It doesn't say just for the good things, but in all things. That is somewhat hard to do, especially when we really, really need for something to go our way or to happen just the way we want it to be.  However, the counsel for us is, in effect, to be content and thankful no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.

How can we be in an attitude of gratitude at all times?  St. Paul admonishes us in Philippians 4: 8, 9 - "....Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you."

That's it!  If we focus our thoughts on things positive, we can remain thankful and praise God through thick and thin.  After all, did He not promise that once we receive Him into our lives He will never let us go?

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

    November 24, Wednesday, 7 to 9 p.m. - Thanksgiving 

          Encounter - at Miracle Hill

    November 27, Saturday, 9 to 11 a.m. - Strategy Session

          at the Fellowship Hall

    November 27, Saturday, 1 p.m. - LA/Glendale area SGFs

          Joint Meeting - CANCELLED

    December 4, Saturday, - Pack Breakfast and Lunch Bags

          for the homeless - volunteers needed (Contact

          Nancy Alano)

    December 5, Sunday, 5 p.m. - Serve supper to the homeless

          at St. Christopher's Catholic Church in West Covina-

          volunteers needed (Contact Nancy Alano)

    December 17, Friday - Youth Christmas Event -

          Time and Place to be announced

    December 19, Sunday, 10 a.m. - Church Christmas Program

    December 27 -29, Monday to Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. -

          Arts Camp