It had been 3 years since we had a Valentine Dinner. We were so excited to have 16 couples join us for a wonderful dinner from Belle Rose restaurant followed later by Apple crisp made by Angela and Connie. The program included a fun couple's game by Kathi, a duet by Angela and Kelly singing "Valentine" by Martina McBride and a challenging short message for couples. It was a great evening,one we hope to repeat every year from now on. This was made possible by many servant hearts in our church. Thank you to all of you!! To see many beautiful pictures of the couples in attendance please click here.

We cannot say this has been an easy start to a new year. There is great joy and anticipation of what the Lord is going to do this year through our church and in our lives. We are also anticipating how God is going to use our new building and new location. If you would like to see more pictures of the construction please take a look at the photos posted by Akemi here.

But this last week brought great sadness as well, since we lost two of our church members. We know they are home with the Lord and that brings great peace. Emmanuel, Florinda's husband, passed away rather suddenly on Monday although he was on dialysis for some time. We made sure Florinda was able to go home to the Philippines for his funeral. Then on Wednesday morning we got a call that Pastor Noriko and Naomi's father, Fukuji Kawasaki also went to be with the Lord. His funeral was held Sunday morning. Remember they lost their mother at the end of October. Please keep praying for these families and for the church family here as well. Please remember to keep Mihoko Takii in your prayers as she too has been fighting for her life. She has pneumonia. Her heart stopped last Monday while the doctor was with her so he was able to resuscitate her. We hear that she is beginning to respond a little to her father. Your prayers for all these things is greatly appreciated.

Psalm 55:22 " Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved."

Christian MySpace Graphics

WHEN CHRIST COMES - - -
by Max Lucado

You are in your car driving home. Thoughts wander to
the game you want to see or meal you want to eat, when
suddenly a sound unlike any you've ever heard fills the air.
The sound is high above you.
A trumpet?
A choir?
A choir of trumpets?
You don't know, but you want to know.

So you pull over, get out of your car, and look up. As
you do, you see you aren't the only curious one. The
roadside has become a parking lot. Car doors are open,
and people are staring at the sky. Shoppers are racing
out of the grocery store.
The Little League baseball game across the street has
come to a halt. Players and parents are searching the
clouds. And what they see, and what you see, has never
before been seen.

As if the sky were a curtain, the drapes of the
atmosphere part. A brilliant light spills onto the
earth. There are no shadows. None. From whence came
the light begins to tumble a river of color spiking
crystals of every hue ever seen and a million more
never seen. Riding on the flow is an endless fleet of
angels. They pass through the curtains one myriad at a
time, until they occupy every square inch of the sky.

North.
South.
East.
West.
Thousands of silvery wings rise and fall in unison,
and over the sound of the trumpets, you can hear the
cherubim and seraphim chanting, Holy, holy, holy.
The final flank of angels is followed by twenty-four
silver-bearded elders and a multitude of souls who
join the angels in worship.

Presently the movement stops and the trumpets are
silent, leaving only the triumphant triplet: Holy,
holy, holy. Between each word is a pause. With each
word, a profound reverence. You hear your voice join
in the chorus. You don't know why you say the words,
but you know you must.

Suddenly, the heavens are quiet. All is quiet.
The angels turn, you turn, the entire world turns and
there He is.

Jesus.

Through waves of light you see the silhouetted figure
of Christ the King.
He is atop a great stallion, and the stallion is atop
a billowing cloud.
He opens his mouth, and you are surrounded by his
declaration:
I am the Alpha and the Omega.

The angels bow their heads.
The elders remove their crowns.
And before you is a Figure so consuming that you know,
instantly you know:
Nothing else matters.
Forget stock markets and school reports.
Sales meetings and football games.
Nothing is newsworthy..
All that mattered, matters no more....
for Christ has come. . .

Jesus had no  servants, yet they called Him Master. Feel honored to  serve such a Leader who loves us.

The Five Finger Prayer

Luke 11:5-12 and Luke 18:1-5

Our responsibility is to ask. Be assured, God listens.

As you love to hear from your loved ones, God loves to hear from us.

Prayer - an ongoing dialogue with God.

Thumb - Pray for those nearest you such as your spouse, children, siblings, family, friends and co-workers.

Pointing Finger - Pray for those who instruct, heal and minister such as teachers, health care professionals, pastors and church workers.

Middle/Highest Finger - Pray for leaders in business, police and fire departments, military personnel, and local, state and federal government including the judiciary.

Fourth/Weakest Finger - Pray for those sick and in need, locally, nationally and internationally including the persecuted church and those who have suffered natural and man-made disasters.

Fifth/Smallest Finger - Pray for your needs.

Thank you Lord for another blessed time of reaching out. Thank you too to all of you that made this event a great success. Thanks to the worship team for the great performance, lifting up Jesus and your efforts in practice. Thanks to all the others on setup and cleanup and those that helped in the kitchen and making goodies. The Lord was honored and lives were touched. There was evident fruit in some of the young people that came. One young man received Jesus the following evening when he attended Mini Church, another was interested in coming again. another young lady wanted to attend church on Sunday as a result. We hadn't seen her in a long time and who knows what else happened that we don't know yet. Keep praying and thanks again.