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Greetings!
"I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way-with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge-" 1 Corinthians 1:4-5 NIV
What a fitting verse to keep in mind not only during this Thanksgiving holiday but daily as well. When we sit back and think about it, there is so much to be thankful for as we contemplate on family, friends, co-workers and people we do business with, even those that irritate us sometimes.
There are also a lot of things, circumstances, events and happenings that we can be thankful for, but perhaps there are a lot more things we are not even aware of that we can be grateful for!
"Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 106;1 NLT
The Church Staff |
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THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE |  There is a Thanksgiving Eve Service at Gospel Life Community tonight at 7:00 p.m.
It will be an "expanded" version of the usual Wednesday evening "Awakening" weekly meeting. Everyone present will have the opportunity to go up to the microphone, if they choose to, to express themselves in thanksgiving or to give testimony about something else.
There will be Praise and Worship as well. It's time for revival and rejuvenation to recognize God's provision for each one of us. |
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DINNER DATE ON TUESDAY | |
Our monthly Fellowship Dinner will be held next Tuesday, November 27, 6:30 p.m. at the Capital Seafood Restaurant, located at 1015 Nogales St. #132, in Rowland Heights. 
This is at the Gale Avenue cross street, at its northwest corner. Most of you have been there in the past. Invite your family members, friends and members of your small group fellowship who do not usually attend services at Gospel Life.
Please make your reservations with Johnny Chua (909-228-2162). He and his wife Nelly are kind enough to make these arrangements with the restaurants we go to every month. |
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SATURDAY EVENING WORSHIP |  The Core Group chose to have Saturday evening convocations beginning December 29. There will be a shorter version of Praise and Worship, and the Good News Hour will essentially stay the same. The meeting starts at 5:00 p.m.
Praise and Worship on Wednesday evenings will become a more prominent part of the "Awakening", most likely similar to "the River" that we have on Sundays at 10 a.m.
Our Small Group Fellowships need to become beehives of activity in terms of learning, nurture and support for each other. And we encourage more of you to either host or sponsor additional small groups in your homes, offices or even in coffee shops near you.
Let's keep this in mind so we can plan our activities in advance and continue to enlarge our territory, just as Jabez prayed in bible times. |
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ST. CHRISTOPHER CHURCH |  That's the venue of the "feeding the homeless" program that Gospel Life Community participates in.
Next month, on December 2, our turn to volunteer for this event comes. Nancy Alano, Lelit Luciano and Maria Avena are spearheading this ministry but they need a lot of volunteers to get the food ready, to bring them to St. Christopher's, to serve food and to help clean up. The church is at 629 S. Glendora Avenue in West Covina.
Donations for this project are solicited and gratefully acknowledged. Please contribute to this worthy cause. |
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CHURCH GREETERS' SCHEDULE | |
November 25 - Linda & Danny Santos
December 2 - Vonnie & Tito Cabrera
December 9 - Penny & Conrad Miranda
December 16 - Eunice Alinsod
December 23 - Lelit & Tony Luciano
December 29 - Ruby & Ding Dijamco
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MARKETPLACE MINISTRY | |
Our Plans and
God's Plans
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
Have you ever heard of someone who spent years of preparation for one vocation only to end up doing something completely different? Perhaps this could be said of you. Quite often we have in our minds what we believe we want to do only to have a course correction. Often the course correction comes through a major crisis that forces us into an area that we would never have considered.
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Such was the case for Samuel Morse. Born in 1791, Morse grew up desiring to be an artist, and he eventually became very talented and internationally known. However, it was difficult to make a living as an artist in America during that time. A series of crises further complicated his vocational desire when his wife died; then his mother and father also died soon after. He went to Europe to paint and reflect on his life. On his return trip aboard a ship, he was captivated by discussions at dinner about new experiments in electromagnetism.
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During that important occasion, Morse made the following comment, "If the presence of electricity can be made visible in any part of the circuit, I see no reason why intelligence may not be transmitted by electricity." In the face of many difficulties and disappointments, he determinedly perfected a new invention, and, in 1837, applied for a patent that became what we know today as the telegraph. He also created Morse code. It was only later, after many more setbacks and disappointments, that his projects received funding.
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Samuel Morse later commented, "The only gleam of hope, and I cannot underrate it, is from confidence in God. When I look upward it calms any apprehension for the future, and I seem to hear a voice saying: 'If I clothe the lilies of the field, shall I not also clothe you?' Here is my strong confidence, and I will wait patiently for the direction of Providence." Morse went on to create several other inventions and can be recognized today as the father of faxes, modems, e-mail, the internet and other electronic communication. ["Glimpses," Issue #99 (Worcester, Pennsylvania: Christian History Institute, 1998).]
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God's plans may not always seem to follow our natural inclination. Perhaps God has you taking a path that may not lead to His ultimate destination for you.
"Trust in the Lord, lean not on your own understanding, acknowledge Him in all you do, and He shall direct your path." (see Prov. 3:5-6).
(Today God is First. Copyright by Os Hillman.) |
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FAITHFULNESS
Our thanks ascend to our Father in Heaven, not because we are faithful but because He is faithful to all His promises!
We thank Him because we are a part of the body of Christ and because of that we have an exciting opportunity to be a part of His work around the globe, and in our instance, particularly in the Philippines.
One thing we can ask of God is for Him to reveal to us how best we can give Him glory even with the meager resources that we have. We say "meager?" But what about the time and talents that He has given us?
Let's be faithful to the trust God has given parents for their children. Parents become role models for their children, be it for better or worse. It is their choice as to what kind of influence they are to them.
Pastor Hansel mentioned in one of his recent sermons that even the most introverted person influences about 100,000 other persons in his or her lifetime. Can you imagine the possibilities that puts you in?
The Holy Spirit is the power that is inside each believer. Why don't we allow this power to move us, and others, to spread God's love around us? After all, it is the same power that allowed Jesus to be raised from the dead!
God is faithful! He blesses us in many ways than we know about, and with His creativity and wisdom He uses our work to make a lasting and transforming impact within the circles where we move.
Do we ever think about how God's word transforms our lives? It will and it does, but only as we continue to read His word. How would it change us if we don't even open the pages of the Bible to get the "meat" out of it?
Let's thank the Lord for His faithfulness to us. We are so blessed and many times we don't even know it! | | -oO0Oo- |
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