More small groups are forming.  A new group begins to meet on Wednesday evening.  The "Pink Ink" will meet beginning this week, at 8:00 p.m. after the "Awakening" which begins at 7:00 p.m. at the church.

At approximately eight o'clock, the Intercessor's Group will  meet, and the "Pink Ink" meeting will also start.  This group is for women only, and the resource book is called "The Lies Women Believe In."  Tessa Charles and Pastor Joannie will lead out.

Additionally, Pastor Hansel started another small group called the "Twenty-Thirty Something" group. It is another "Keys to the Kingdom" interactive group.  They meet Sunday evenings at the Gospel Life office at 7:00 p.m.

Each one of you is encouraged to become a member of a small group. And, if you are interested in starting a group yourself, either to host or lead it, or both, please let the church staff know so we can help get you started.

Remember that small groups are not necessarily bible study groups.  They can be teaching groups, fellowship/support groups, or ministry groups. So if you have an interest to host and/or lead a group that may belong to one of these categories, please let us know.

Do not forget about the Kingdom Life workshops held every other Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. at the Gospel Life office.  The next one is scheduled for this coming Sunday, February 24.

Make forming more small groups become a primary objective in your hearts and minds.  We know how the Holy Spirit works.  Don't be surprised when He calls on you to host or lead a small group. Those who are not presently a part of a small group can begin attending one for starters. God has great plans for you.

Pastor L J Dijamco Jr.

Pastor LJ Dijamco gave us an interesting and different perspective of the loving community.  He started with an account of what his Valentine's Day was like and then he went on to give a short history of what we know today as Valentine's Day. 

He described four different types of love, namely, eros, the type of passionate love with sensual longing and desire; phileo, an affectionate regard of friendship or strong emotional connection; storge, the natural affection between kin or family members; and agape, the unconditional love related to obedience and commitment and not necessarily to feelings or emotion.

Pastor L J used 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to give a "more excellent way" to describe what love is. He explained how agape love is the way God loves us, and is also the way God commanded us to love. He went on to show how loving God helps us to love others and that love binds the virtues of God's chosen people.

MONTHLY FELLOWSHIP/VALENTINE DINNER 

Norma & Richard Bank

A large turnout for the monthly fellowship dinner occured Saturday evening, February 16, at the Minato Japanese Seafood Buffet restaurant in the West Covina Westfield Mall. Fifty Gospel Lifers and friends enjoyed themselves with the sumptuous buffet spread.

A couple of incidental events took place at the same time.  We welcomed Norma Bank back as she just got off the plane from the Philippines on Saturday afternoon, and she and her husband, Richard, joined us at the event, complete with a "Welcome Home" balloon. 

Conrad & Penny Miranda

Unbeknownst to Conrad and Penny Miranda, some folks "conspired" to surprise them by greeting them a "happy 50th wedding anniversary" which happened to be on that exact day. They are thankful to everyone who expressed their best wishes and for Johnny and Nellie Chua who provided a large 50th Anniversary card where a lot of their church friends wrote their felicitations.   

The monthly fund raising dinner is now held on the third Saturday evening of the month which has become a convenient time for most, especially for those who travel from the Los Angeles/Glendale area.  In the past the dinners were held on the third Tuesday evening of each month.

Charis, my sixteen-year-old daughter at the time, was now driving age. She had saved her hard-earned money to match her father's contribution to buy her first car. It was time to begin the hunt. I told her that we needed to pray for God to lead us to that perfect car. She was excited about the possibilities.

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I began combing the newspaper and internet to find the right car. We prayed we would find the right car, even in the gray or silver color and model that she wanted. Finally, after several weeks, she got discouraged and began to tear up, "We will never find a car for this price." I told her the car was out there, but it was not God's time yet. We had to be patient to allow God to provide in His time, not ours. This didn't go over well with a teenager.

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Finally, one day I came upon a car that seemed like it fit our criteria. I called the owner. The parents of the boy who owned it answered the call and gave me more information. I liked the parents right away. They had a nice "spirit" about them. We drove over to the house and there in the front yard was a silver sports car - the model she had been looking for, complete with a fantastic stereo and speaker system. We noticed a small fish symbol on the back bumper, which indicated the owner may have been a Christian. "These people appear to be believers!" I exclaimed to my daughter.

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We met them and talked about price. It was a little higher than our budget. We asked if they could meet our price. They did. My daughter had her new car with a personal imprint from God to show my daughter that He was the source of the new car.