This country and it’s founding principles are under assault from religious liberty to the undermining of the nuclear family.

I can’t tell you how appalled I was to hear of the lunch confiscation in North Carolina of a pre-schooler. If this isn’t a big, huge, red warning sign – I don’t know what is.

For those of you who used to watch Seinfeld, you remember the “soup nazi” in several episodes. We laughed at the idea of absurd control of a business owner over his customers. But now there with the federal government over reaching its authority to determine what can and cannot be contained in a home made lunch is no laughing matter. If you haven’t heard about the story you can click here to read more.

Someone once wrote (my paraphrase):

“All that is needed for evil to reign is for good men to do nothing.”

I urge you, as Heaven’ citizens, to contact your local, state and federal representatives what you think about this overreach.

The healthcare issue has now become a threat to religious liberty too! The federal government now seems fit to determine what kind of benefits it can demand regardless of yours or any other person or institutions conscious objections! It’s not that it’s not available from other places or sources, so to demand religious affiliated organizations to provide certain things like drugs that cause abortions is unthinkable and out of bounds.

Please… Now is the time to take a stand against this tyranny! If now is not the time – it never will be!

Also, take a moment to sign the Manhattan Declaration. It’s a document supporting faith, families and freedom.

Over the next several weeks we will simply be seeking the Lord together as a church.

I am convinced that Jesus is the Senior Pastor of this church and I want to make sure we are listening to Him for our direction and seeking Him alone to fill our spiritual needs.

This series will not look the same each week. Quite frankly, I’m not sure what to expect. The only thing I hope for is that WE will SEEK the LORD TOGETHER!

Will you join me as we TURN to OUR GOD to rest, listen and receive streams of living water?

First, I want to commend those of you taking the 10-4-10 Challenge! This will be a great test of God’s faithfulness to you as trust Him to provide for you in ways you never thought possible.

Just today, I was looking for a new wallet because mine is falling apart. I’ve been looking for a particular kind for a while now, but just haven’t found the right one. Anyway, just to show you how God provides as in Malachi 3… I found the wallet, but it didn’t have a price tag. So, when I went to check out I asked how much it was. She went back to look, but she said that she thought it was a part of a wallet that had fallen out of one already purchased. She had just put it back with all the others… so she said to just take it even after I offered to pay for it.

I believe this was in one simple way, God’s provision for me. How cool is that? You too will experience God in very similar ways and in even greater ways.

Please take time this first week to meditate on Malachi 3:10-11

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty.

- Malachi 3:10-11

And, there’s still time to participate if you haven’t already! Just download the commitment card here and bring it into the church office or on Sunday and put it in the offering plate.

When we give our best to God, we often have eyes to see how God really provides for us.

Last Saturday, several couples enjoyed a meal prepared by our youth ministry and had a wonderful evening for comedy, music and practical advice.

If you missed Focus on the Families “Date Night Challenge” you can still participate in taking the challenge… 3 dates in 3 weeks.

Go to focusonthefamily.com/datenight and click the “take the challenge” button to register and get some great ideas for dating your mate.

This Saturday, February 11th at 6pm

In honor of National Marriage Week, Living Hope is hosting a “Date Night Challenge!”

Research shows that dating at least once a month significantly improves relationships. The Date Night Challenge is a two-hour event featuring comedian Jeff Allen, singer/songwriter Michael O’Brien and bestselling authors Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley via webcast. During the event, the Smalleys will explain the power of dating your mate and encourage couples to take the “Date Night Challenge”: go on three dates in three weeks. This is part of a national “date night movement” where the goal is for 5 million dates to take place across the country during the month of February.

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

- Malachi 3:10-11 (NLT)

• Do you believe that what is prophesied in this verse is true?
• Are you giving to the Lord what is his?
• Is He LORD over your wallet?

Beginning February 12… you are encouraged to put God to the test! This requires a bold faith that trusts in God completely. This is a great way to build your faith and see God provide– even exceed your expectations!

If you are NOT currently giving 10% of your income to God’s work through the church you are encouraged to take the challenge and develop a new habit. Download the commitment card and drop the top half in the offering and keep the bottom half as a reminder to yourself.

You can also set-up automatic recurring donations on our website to make sure you don’t forget!

We are so confident that God WILL PROVIDE and even exceed your expectations that we will give you a full refund of the 10 week challenge if you didn’t experience the reality of God’s provision.

So, what are you waiting for? Take the challenge!

Investing & Inviting In ONE Life for ONE Year!

Make a difference in the life of someone else for all eternity!

The first thing he did was to find his brother Simon. He said to him, “We have found the Christ!” Andrew took Simon to Jesus.

- John 1:41-42 (NLV)

Be sure to take time to pray for the person you are going to be investing and inviting over this next year.

Commit to:

• Pursue an ongoing relationship with the person
• Pray for them on a regular basis asking God to open doors
• Engage in spiritual conversations as the Spirit of God leads
• Invite them to experience a spiritual family multiple times (small group, church, Bible study, etc.)

Fill out an “Operation Andrew Card” (get one in the church lobby or download it here) and write the persons name in the blanks. Bring the portion only with their name to the church and put it in the offering or lobby deposit box; you keep the portion with “I will commit to:” and place it in a visible place you will see every day to remind you (like your bathroom mirror).

The Men’s Ministry is hosting a Super Bowl party near Covington at Andrew and Kathleen Chada’s home (17449 SE 300th St, Kent, WA 98042).

Bring a tailgate snack to share and the beverage of your choice. And don’t forget to bring a friend.

Kick-off is at 3:30pm and will go until the game is over.

Got questions? Call Dar at (206) 719-0276.

What a grand celebration service this past Sunday. If you weren’t there, you missed out! We had an extended Sunday service with a great time of worship, encouraging stories and testimonies and had a little business thrown in. Oh, yeah, and Pastor Jess shared with us where our church is and where it needs to go (an online version of the message will be available soon).

If you weren’t there, some folks were elected to some positions and we voted to proceed with the sale of the back five acres to help offset some of the mortgage burden that we have (which passed by ballot).

Below is a list of the current boards and committees (as of Sunday, January 29, 2012):

Ministry Board
Jess Champers – Pastor
Chris Bruhn – Treasurer (2013)
Kathy Cotton (2013)
Dar Chada (2014)
Lora Schepers (2014)
Barbara Warner – Delegate (2013)
Carl Cotton – Reserve Delegate (2013)

Facilities Committee
Brian Smith (2013)
Ron Schepers (2014)
Mark Groenig (2014)
Paul Baeder (2015)
Bob Jones (2015)

Finance Committee
Chris Bruhn – Treasurer (2013)
Dan Touma (2013)
Al Crossgrove (2014)

Nominating Committee
Pat Van Sickle (2013)
Mike Warner (2013)
Bob Jones (2014)
Andrew Chada (2015)

*Numbers in parenthesis indicate when a term is to expire.

Thanks to all who made this special Sunday possible!

The Date Night Challenge is two hours of fun and laughter for couples, featuring comedian Jeff Allen, singer/songwriter Michael O’Brien and bestselling authors Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley. A youth group sponsored event for donations only.

REGISTER HERE > > >

Meet The Speakers:

Dr. Greg & Erin Smalley
Dr. Greg & Erin Smalley deliver insightful teachings for marriages and families. The Smalleys desire to help people grow in the knowledge and skills needed to build healthy marriages where both spouses become conformed to the image of the Lord. Erin also is passionate about helping women in marriage, parenting and everyday issues. Hear about Greg’s strange conversation with his wife.

Jeff Allen
Jeff Allen is the best at what he does — making people laugh as hard as humanly possible. His Happy Wife, Happy Life message of a marriage gone wrong and redeemed has given laughter and encouragement to millions of people. Jeff’s comedy drives home the humor in everyday family life and the joy derived from a healthy marriage. Watch Jeff’s clip on wedding anniversaries.

Michael O’Brien
Michael O’Brien is probably best known for his seven years as lead singer of the Christian band Newsong, but he has been in the music ministry for some 20 years. Through his music, Michael shares how God restored and healed his marriage, and encourages couples that have been contemplating divorce (like he and his wife were at one point). See Michael’s music video, Beautiful You.

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez
The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is the president of The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (also known as the Hispanic Evangelical Association). Rodriguez became an Assemblies of God ordained minister at the age of 23. In September, 2010, he was called to start a multi-ethnic church in Sacramento, CA. Rodriguez and his wife, Eva, have been married for 21 years, have 3 adult children and reside in California. Watch Rev. Rodriguez talk about Date Night Challenge.