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NEWSLETTER MONDAY EDITION
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September 12, 2011
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SPIRITUAL WARFARE
 Greetings!
Our daily experience as followers of Christ is often challenged by spiritual entities that exist to deceive humanity, and whose primary mission is to thwart God's purposes on earth, preventing non-believers from placing their faith in Christ and keeping Christians from becoming effective disciples of Jesus.
Our answer to such challenges is the VICTORY that Jesus already won for us on the cross where He died for us even before we were born! Let us never succumb to thinking that the enemy has ANY power over us, because he DOES NOT. Let's always claim Christ's victory as ours.
The Church Staff
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 THIS MONTH'S SERIES
Spiritual Warfare
Pastor Hansel Orzame preached on the "Weapons of Our Warfare" yesterday during the Good News Hour.
Pastor Hansel
This is in keeping with the month's topic, "Spiritual Warfare." He will be expounding more on this subject for the next two Sundays.
Pastor Hansel demonstrated some weapons used in personal combat including the "kris," a two-edged sword from the Philippines, and a technique to overcome a challenger to the ground, all these to illustrate what we might do in spiritual warfare.
In yesterday's sermon, Pastor Hansel emphasized our weapons being those of Worship, God's Word, and Fasting and Prayer among others. |
 WEEK OF PRAISE AND PRAYER
There was a group that came to church every evening of this past Week of Praise and Prayer during the Breakthrough Week at Miracle Hill.
Each evening started with a season of singing and praise. The specific breakthrough topic for the evening was presented by Pastor John and then discussed in the breakout groups of four or five in a group.
This was followed by prayers among the members of each group, for each other in relation to the particular breakthrough being sought, and for others and Gospel Life as a church as well.
The "Breakthrough" subjects from Monday to Saturday were: Faith, Relational, Healing, Financial, Ministry, and Global Missions. On Thursday night we were reminded that "Ministry" meant "service" and so as part of this, those present participated in the "feet washing" ordinance of humility which Christ exemplified when He washed the feet of His disciples.
Yesterday afternoon, soon after the church service, and as part of our Day of Fasting and Prayer, those who attended concentrated on the "Miracle Hill Breakthrough" relative to our church's mortgage note becoming due in May, 2012. Pastor John challenged us to ask big things from the Lord because He promised us that He will not prompt us to ask something of Him that He does not intend to give us. Breakout groups of four or five spent some time again in discussion and then in prayer.
The blessings that came from these meetings were countless. We could only wish that everyone could have come!
You will recall that September is designated as our month of Prayer and Fasting. You can continue to choose certain dates to set aside for this purpose, and fasting does not need to be fasting from food. It can be fasting from some other activity or trait, such as from watching TV or using the internet, e-mail, facebook, twitter, etc., or from being short-tempered, angry, negative or any other attribute. |
 WALNUT FAMILY FESTIVAL
We gathered several names more who will join us at the Walnut Family Festival parade. We need some more to sign-up for the event.
Saturday, October 8 is the date. Gospel Life will set up a booth similar to the image on the left at the non-profit area to present our church to the community and to hold a Blood Pressure and Diabetic testing clinic. Our youth will also have a booth at the game area of the festival in Suzanne Park.
We will ask our medical and health personnel to help out in the clinic. A few other nurses from one of the hospitals have indicated their desire to help.
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MONTHLY FUND RAISER
Our September monthly fund raising dinner has been moved a week earlier to Tuesday, September 20. This will serve as a "Despedida Party" or send off for Pastors John and Jessie and for Paul and Dollie Sy who are going to the Philippines for a missionary trip.
So many of you have signed up so far and we hope a whole lot more will join. The proceeds from this month's fund raiser will go to GOGL (Global Outreach of Gospel Life). All previous and future proceeds go to our Worship Ministry (sound system upgrade).
We will finalize the venue for this dinner soon so we need all reservations in before Sunday if possible.. It will be either at the Capital Restaurant or at the World Buffet, depending on the total number signed up. The cost is $20 per person. Fifty per cent go to our fund.
Please call Johnny Chua at (909) 228-2162 to make your reservations. |
 DEVIANT GENERATION
The Youth Department is sponsoring a Deviant Generation Bowling tourney. Round 1 is on Sunday, September 18 at 5:00 p.m. Price is $18.50 + tax for 3 games. This price includes the bowling shoes.
Please contact Pastor L J Dijamco (626)833-7314 for more specifics.
LOL (Living Out Loud) meets as usual this Friday at 7:00 p.m. |
REMEMBERING 9-11
We spent a few moments during the Good News Hour yesterday to remember the people and their families who died or were injured during the terrorist attacks on America on September 11, 2001.
Pastor John gave tribute and showed us sobering statistics of the casualties of that day.
Aaron Alcaraz sang the National Anthem at the beginning, and later he also sang the songs "America the Beautiful" and "God Bless America," all a capella. |
DEVOTIONAL
Turning Tragedy into Triumph
"So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you" (2 Cor 4:12).
On 9/11/01, New York City firefighter Stephen Siller had just completed his shift when he heard on his truck's scanner that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. Siller quickly turned his truck around and attempted to drive back to Manhattan via the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel but found the entrance blocked by abandoned vehicles. Desperate to join his elite Squad One brothers, Siller donned 75 pounds of fire gear and ran a mile-and-a-half through the tunnel, before an emergency vehicle picked him up and dropped him off at Tower Two.
Siller had been orphaned at the age of 10 and raised by his much older brothers and sisters. Siller died that day trying to save others. He left behind a wife and five children.
His story proved so inspirational that it became a legend in the newsrooms and firehouses of New York City. His six siblings - who in many ways viewed Siller as a son, as well as a brother - found themselves grappling with a dilemma: should they allow the tragic circumstances of their brother's death to paralyze and embitter them or use it as a catalyst to help others and preserve his memory?
The Siller family chose the latter.
Once they made that decision, and armed with no extraordinary wealth or political clout, the siblings combined forces to convince New York officials to close down the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel the last Sunday morning of each September and stage the "Tunnel to Towers Run" to commemorate their brother's heroic last run.
Each year since 9/11 tens of thousands of runners have retraced the steps of a hero. As part of the event 343 New York City firefighters, each representing a fallen comrade and holding an American flag, stand throughout the length of the tunnel. They are joined by firefighters from across the United States, each holding a poster-size picture of a firefighter who perished on 9/11.
The Siller family has raised more than $1 million and donated the money to charities that benefit families of those affected by the 9/11 attacks.
This is a tribute to one heartbroken family who opted to channel its energy into triumph out of tragedy.
(From TGIF Today God Is First, Volume 2, by Os Hillman) |
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http://gospellifecommunity.org
gospellifecommunity@gmail.com MAILING ADDRESS: 436 Crestwood Lane Walnut, CA 91789 
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MEDITATION
"Dear God, thank You for Your mercies every day. It is so easy for us humans to harbor anger and resentment against others. I am so glad that You are not that way. "Thank You for helping us to remember who we are and to see ourselves as You see us. Thank You for keeping our focus on You and for changing our own faults, attitudes, and issues to be within Your will. "I thank you for those who are burdened with feelings of anger, distrust, jealousy, unfair treatment - things that will eat at their souls - because You are the One who releases those burden and frees them from it. I praise You and thank You, oh glorious One, in the name of Jesus whose blood covers all our sin, past, present and future. Amen. "
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