We aren't meeting tonight 12/28! We will resume the first Friday in January. Have a blessed New Years!
"Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges ; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"(Philippians 2:3-11 NLT)
Christmas lights and caroling tonight!
Meet at church in the Jr. High room at 7pm before we head out to sing Christmas carols in the South Torrance community. Oh, and see the pretty lights. We will practice our songs and dramas before we head out. We will be carpooling from church. Dress warm, it's a chilly night tonight! See you in a few hours.
The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party !!
The Christmas party was jam packed with people, presents, and some crazy cozy sweaters! The love was definitely going around Friday evening. We started off with prayer and yummy food. Sang fun Christmas carols (hint hint: this Friday!), warmed up by the fire, and just really enjoyed each other's company.
One highlight of the evening was the soul train, featuring people showing off the awesomest, craziest, and merriest Christmas sweaters down the line.
Another highlight was when our friend Tita, returned home after four months in Patmos, Florida! It was a joyful moment for all of us to see her back safe and sound. Then Leo gave a little insight into the meaning of Christmas. Because the Lord loved us first and sought to rekindle his relationship with mankind, God demonstrated his love by the birth of Jesus Christ. Powerful !
Afterwards, we played an interesting game exchanging gifts, mixing them up left and right as Pastor D MC'd the whole event. Towards the end, we closed in worship singing praises to our risen Lord Jesus Christ!
Hallelujah!! Special thanks for Mike S. letting us celebrate at his home; it was truly a wonderful night!
Hallelujah!! Special thanks for Mike S. letting us celebrate at his home; it was truly a wonderful night!
Discipleship groups dinner: Lazy Dog Cafe
To celebrate ending a fantastic semester of "raising the bar" in Christ and studying 1 Thessalonians in our dudes and daughter's of the King small groups - we had a fancy dinner. It was uncommonly chilly out for California, but we made the best of it! Guys and gals gathered at Lazy Dog Cafe for a time of hanging out and reflecting on the Lord's goodness.
Xu, Pastor D and the leadership team all shared encouraging verses and words to the group. It was a blessed time.
 |
| Barry and Pastor D in deep conversation and thought. |
 |
| Jackie with her fruity and flavorful drink. |
 |
| Xu and Pastor D! The Lord has blessed our young adult ministry with these two who pour out love and friendship upon us all. |
 |
| Lasagna. Oh so pretty! |
 |
| mmmmmmm! "Not your mom's meatloaf" and Potpie |
Xu, Pastor D and the leadership team all shared encouraging verses and words to the group. It was a blessed time.
 |
| The Bridge leadership team |
Camp Pendleton
Sunday night we piled in the 15 passenger van + a few extra cars and headed south to Camp Pendleton where we had the honor and privilege of serving at our local Marine base. Our church has a Marine ministry, where they take home made cookies monthly, and pray for the young men who are training there. Our college group was invited to participate in their chapel service and perform a drama and a Christmas carol.
We ended up having a mix up with some directions on how to get to the exact location on base, and a few of our cars arrived more than 30 minutes late. This initial error, seemed on the surface to delay our performance, but the Lord worked the situation for HIS good. (Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20) Even though we missed our 7pm time slot, the base leaders were willing to accommodate our group and have us perform at the end. We saw God's hand upon us as we were granted this flexibility. We also had to cut down our performance to only one drama and one song (as opposed to two of each). But, it was so awesome as we sang Joy to the World and 'song battled' the Marines when we sang the line "And Heaven and nature sing." Safe to say the Marines out sang us! Another cool note: the delay caused our group to remain outside of the church service the entire message, instead of sitting inside with the soldiers. This minimized the distraction for those in service, so they could focus on hearing God's Word! How cool is that?
The drama "Set Me Free" was a powerful display of evil vs. good. And the Enemy vs. God. We shook hands of the Marines as they exited and said, "God bless you" and "Thank you for serving" as we humbly said our goodbyes. It was a very humbling and blessed evening!
We ended up having a mix up with some directions on how to get to the exact location on base, and a few of our cars arrived more than 30 minutes late. This initial error, seemed on the surface to delay our performance, but the Lord worked the situation for HIS good. (Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20) Even though we missed our 7pm time slot, the base leaders were willing to accommodate our group and have us perform at the end. We saw God's hand upon us as we were granted this flexibility. We also had to cut down our performance to only one drama and one song (as opposed to two of each). But, it was so awesome as we sang Joy to the World and 'song battled' the Marines when we sang the line "And Heaven and nature sing." Safe to say the Marines out sang us! Another cool note: the delay caused our group to remain outside of the church service the entire message, instead of sitting inside with the soldiers. This minimized the distraction for those in service, so they could focus on hearing God's Word! How cool is that?
The drama "Set Me Free" was a powerful display of evil vs. good. And the Enemy vs. God. We shook hands of the Marines as they exited and said, "God bless you" and "Thank you for serving" as we humbly said our goodbyes. It was a very humbling and blessed evening!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)