NLC Connect - August 12, 2026
connect with God's Word
Matthew 28:19
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
What a joy to celebrate those who took this beautiful step of faith through baptism!
Mae celebrates 104 years of life! Happy Birthday, Mae! What an incredible milestone!
Our youth spent their last Sunday night before school starts enjoying a little friendly flight competition!
Our interns represented New Life Community in partnership with Parenting Network at a Back-to-School event right here in Dinuba. We love getting to serve our community together!
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
What a joy to celebrate those who took this beautiful step of faith through baptism!
Mae celebrates 104 years of life! Happy Birthday, Mae! What an incredible milestone!
Our youth spent their last Sunday night before school starts enjoying a little friendly flight competition!
Our interns represented New Life Community in partnership with Parenting Network at a Back-to-School event right here in Dinuba. We love getting to serve our community together!
connect your calendar
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12:
Dinuba, Immanuel & Kings Canyon schools begin
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113
THURSDAY, AUG. 13:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16:
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT - Patio
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 19:
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113
THURSDAY, AUG. 20:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23:
9:30 a.m. - Connecting Point - Patio
5:00 p.m. - Youth Group - Community Room/Gym
Dinuba, Immanuel & Kings Canyon schools begin
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113
THURSDAY, AUG. 13:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16:
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT - Patio
- Come meet and encourage others over coffee and snacks
- New sermon series begins
- "Back to School" Sunday with some ages/grades promoted to new classrooms
- Prayer for MCC school kits going to students around the world
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 19:
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113
THURSDAY, AUG. 20:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23:
9:30 a.m. - Connecting Point - Patio
- Come meet and encourage others over coffee and pastries
5:00 p.m. - Youth Group - Community Room/Gym
Hartland's QR code to register for housing if you want to experience the whole weekend -- Saturday just for the day is free!
Sign up using the QR code or click here, or fill out the form on the Welcome table on Sunday morning. Lunch will be provided for workshop attenders.
connect through giving
Offerings Received last week (8/10): ................... $4,155
Offerings Received this year to date: ...........$328,624
Additional Income received (Ministries, Facility
Rental & Interest) this year to date: …....…... $27,990
Total Income this year to date
(94% of estimated expenses): …….........……. $356,614
Estimated Expenses to Fiscal Year End
(Aug. 31): ……….……......................………..………. $377,729
Needed to meet expenses (estimate): ….....……. $21,115
Offerings Received this year to date: ...........$328,624
Additional Income received (Ministries, Facility
Rental & Interest) this year to date: …....…... $27,990
Total Income this year to date
(94% of estimated expenses): …….........……. $356,614
Estimated Expenses to Fiscal Year End
(Aug. 31): ……….……......................………..………. $377,729
Needed to meet expenses (estimate): ….....……. $21,115
connect to God through prayer
- Pray for Janice Hoy at the death of her father, Dennis Harms, on August 9. Dennis' memorial service will be held at NLC on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 10:00 AM.
- Please pray for Elva Cardona's great-grandson Santiago, who was born July 27 but is still in the hospital with breathing difficulties.
- Continue praying for Evelyn Romero, Norma Froese, Manuel and Karen Madrid (Manuel is recovering from surgery and anticipating another surgery), and Kristel Salazar's nephew Matthew (still has blood clots) and her friend's stepdad Roger, who is at Sierra View on hospice.
- Pray for Tessa Fiscus and her family as she undergoes chemo; for Eugene Enns as he battles an additional type of cancer, and for others dealing with long-term health issues.
- Also remember: Mae Ewert, Marilyn Chappell and other residents in Palm Village Healthcare, Harold Kruger and others in Sierra View, and Mary Salazar.
- Please pray for Joshua Aquino serving on a fire crew during this fire season. Ask God to protect him, give him strength and wisdom as he serves.
- Pray for those who are seeking employment.
- Pray for the undocumented in our community and those facing food insecurity and financial challenges.
- Pray for our missionaries: Pablo & Maricela Chavez (Peru), Cecil & Tracy Ramos (Thailand), Jonathan & Joanna Gutierrez (Portugal), and Johnny & Denise Esposito (Cambodia).
- Pray for peace as violence and war affect so many families and children around the world.
- Pray for events on the calendar and people connecting with God and each other.
Gracefully Broken
This Sunday, I had one of those mom moments that I want to hold onto.
Two of my girls were singing on the worship team and, as their completely unbiased mother, I can confidently say they sounded absolutely amazing. Truly. No notes. I will not be accepting any differing opinions at this time.
But somewhere between being ridiculously proud of them and trying not to be that mom, the words in this worship song really spoke to me.
The song was Gracefully Broken, and in my mind plays a loop of my daughters singing the bridge:
“All to Jesus now, holding nothing back.”
I watched them singing those words, and I had this thought:
They don't really know what they're saying yet.
And I don't mean that in a bad way. They believe what they're singing. They love Jesus.
But they haven't lived enough life yet to fully understand what holding nothing back can actually mean. They haven't had enough of those moments where following Jesus means trusting Him even when the outcome isn't what they wanted.
Someday, those words will mean something different.
There is so much goodness to reflect on in this song. It opens with this picture of bringing everything we have before God and placing our hearts on the altar again.
I've been thinking about that image.
An altar isn't where we put the things we don't care about.
We put something on the altar because it matters.
And maybe that's what surrender really is.
I think sometimes we come to Jesus hoping we've finally found the thing that's going to make everything work.
I see versions of this all the time in both areas of my work—in the church and in restorative justice.
We're always looking for the magic bullet.
If I get baptized, the negative influences will go away.
If I go to church this Sunday, I'll have a good week.
If I pray enough, God will fix this.
If I raise my kids to know Jesus, they'll always follow Him.
And honestly, I see the same thinking in restorative work:
If we start doing circles, our classroom will finally be peaceful.
If we teach kids the right tools, they won't fight anymore.
If we implement the right program, everything will change.
I wish transformation worked that way.
But it doesn't.
You can do the right thing and still receive a terrible diagnosis.
You can raise your children to know Jesus and watch them make choices you never expected.
You can dedicate your life to serving God and still get hurt in unimaginable ways.
You can forgive someone and still have a relationship that isn't restored.
You can teach every restorative tool you know and still have two kids arguing on the playground tomorrow.
Following Jesus doesn't give us control over what happens next.
And maybe that's exactly why surrender matters.
Surrender isn't a transaction where I give Jesus my life and He gives me the outcome I wanted.
Surrender is saying:
Even if I don't know the outcome, I'm still Yours.
It's putting my heart on the altar without first asking God what He's going to do with it.
And that's harder.
Because when I think about what is actually on my heart, it's not abstract.
It's my family.
My children.
My calling.
My work.
My relationships.
My future.
My reputation.
The things I've prayed for.
The things I'm grieving.
The things I desperately want to turn out a certain way.
Those are the things I would much rather hold tightly than place on an altar.
As I watched my daughters singing on Sunday, I realized something else:
They're on the altar too.
Maybe that's one of the hardest surrenders for me as their mom.
I can teach them about Jesus. I can pray for them. I can bring them to church. I can model faith for them. I can cheer obnoxiously loud inside my head while they sing on the worship team.
But I cannot write their stories.
I cannot guarantee that they will never hurt.
I cannot make every decision for them.
I cannot control what their relationship with Jesus will look like twenty years from now.
I have to entrust them to Him.
Again and again.
Jesus says in Luke 9:23:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
I've been thinking about that word:
Daily.
Because surrender isn't something I did once when I decided to follow Jesus.
It isn't something that happened once when I was baptized.
Yesterday's surrender doesn't automatically take care of today's fears.
Every day brings something new that I want to pick back up from the altar.
And sometimes it's not even something new.
Sometimes it's something I surrendered yesterday that somehow ended up back in my hands today.
So I put it back.
My family.
My children.
My work.
My plans.
My expectations.
My need to know how everything is going to turn out.
Maybe that's part of what it means to be gracefully broken.
Not that God delights in breaking us, but that we allow Him to break our grip on the illusion that if we just do everything right, we can control the outcome.
We can't.
But we can trust the One who holds it.
Watching my girls sing this Sunday, I realized that someday the words they're singing will mean something completely different.
Someday surrender won't just be a beautiful song on a Sunday morning.
It will be a decision.
And as their mom, there's a part of me that wishes I could keep them from ever having to discover how difficult that decision can be.
But I can't.
What I can do is show them what I've learned to do when life doesn't turn out the way I thought it would:
Go back to the altar.
Not because following Jesus guarantees the outcome we want.
Not because surrender means everything will suddenly get easier.
But because surrender was never about controlling the outcome.
It was about trusting Jesus with it.
Maybe that's the invitation for me this week.
And maybe it's the invitation for you too.
What have you picked back up from the altar?
What are you trying desperately to control?
What would it look like to put it back into His hands?
And then tomorrow, when you realize you've picked it up again?
Put it back.
Again.
And again.
All to Jesus.
Holding nothing back.
My plans.
My future.
My family.
My heart.
All of it.
--Jessica Aquino
Two of my girls were singing on the worship team and, as their completely unbiased mother, I can confidently say they sounded absolutely amazing. Truly. No notes. I will not be accepting any differing opinions at this time.
But somewhere between being ridiculously proud of them and trying not to be that mom, the words in this worship song really spoke to me.
The song was Gracefully Broken, and in my mind plays a loop of my daughters singing the bridge:
“All to Jesus now, holding nothing back.”
I watched them singing those words, and I had this thought:
They don't really know what they're saying yet.
And I don't mean that in a bad way. They believe what they're singing. They love Jesus.
But they haven't lived enough life yet to fully understand what holding nothing back can actually mean. They haven't had enough of those moments where following Jesus means trusting Him even when the outcome isn't what they wanted.
Someday, those words will mean something different.
There is so much goodness to reflect on in this song. It opens with this picture of bringing everything we have before God and placing our hearts on the altar again.
I've been thinking about that image.
An altar isn't where we put the things we don't care about.
We put something on the altar because it matters.
And maybe that's what surrender really is.
I think sometimes we come to Jesus hoping we've finally found the thing that's going to make everything work.
I see versions of this all the time in both areas of my work—in the church and in restorative justice.
We're always looking for the magic bullet.
If I get baptized, the negative influences will go away.
If I go to church this Sunday, I'll have a good week.
If I pray enough, God will fix this.
If I raise my kids to know Jesus, they'll always follow Him.
And honestly, I see the same thinking in restorative work:
If we start doing circles, our classroom will finally be peaceful.
If we teach kids the right tools, they won't fight anymore.
If we implement the right program, everything will change.
I wish transformation worked that way.
But it doesn't.
You can do the right thing and still receive a terrible diagnosis.
You can raise your children to know Jesus and watch them make choices you never expected.
You can dedicate your life to serving God and still get hurt in unimaginable ways.
You can forgive someone and still have a relationship that isn't restored.
You can teach every restorative tool you know and still have two kids arguing on the playground tomorrow.
Following Jesus doesn't give us control over what happens next.
And maybe that's exactly why surrender matters.
Surrender isn't a transaction where I give Jesus my life and He gives me the outcome I wanted.
Surrender is saying:
Even if I don't know the outcome, I'm still Yours.
It's putting my heart on the altar without first asking God what He's going to do with it.
And that's harder.
Because when I think about what is actually on my heart, it's not abstract.
It's my family.
My children.
My calling.
My work.
My relationships.
My future.
My reputation.
The things I've prayed for.
The things I'm grieving.
The things I desperately want to turn out a certain way.
Those are the things I would much rather hold tightly than place on an altar.
As I watched my daughters singing on Sunday, I realized something else:
They're on the altar too.
Maybe that's one of the hardest surrenders for me as their mom.
I can teach them about Jesus. I can pray for them. I can bring them to church. I can model faith for them. I can cheer obnoxiously loud inside my head while they sing on the worship team.
But I cannot write their stories.
I cannot guarantee that they will never hurt.
I cannot make every decision for them.
I cannot control what their relationship with Jesus will look like twenty years from now.
I have to entrust them to Him.
Again and again.
Jesus says in Luke 9:23:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
I've been thinking about that word:
Daily.
Because surrender isn't something I did once when I decided to follow Jesus.
It isn't something that happened once when I was baptized.
Yesterday's surrender doesn't automatically take care of today's fears.
Every day brings something new that I want to pick back up from the altar.
And sometimes it's not even something new.
Sometimes it's something I surrendered yesterday that somehow ended up back in my hands today.
So I put it back.
My family.
My children.
My work.
My plans.
My expectations.
My need to know how everything is going to turn out.
Maybe that's part of what it means to be gracefully broken.
Not that God delights in breaking us, but that we allow Him to break our grip on the illusion that if we just do everything right, we can control the outcome.
We can't.
But we can trust the One who holds it.
Watching my girls sing this Sunday, I realized that someday the words they're singing will mean something completely different.
Someday surrender won't just be a beautiful song on a Sunday morning.
It will be a decision.
And as their mom, there's a part of me that wishes I could keep them from ever having to discover how difficult that decision can be.
But I can't.
What I can do is show them what I've learned to do when life doesn't turn out the way I thought it would:
Go back to the altar.
Not because following Jesus guarantees the outcome we want.
Not because surrender means everything will suddenly get easier.
But because surrender was never about controlling the outcome.
It was about trusting Jesus with it.
Maybe that's the invitation for me this week.
And maybe it's the invitation for you too.
What have you picked back up from the altar?
What are you trying desperately to control?
What would it look like to put it back into His hands?
And then tomorrow, when you realize you've picked it up again?
Put it back.
Again.
And again.
All to Jesus.
Holding nothing back.
My plans.
My future.
My family.
My heart.
All of it.
--Jessica Aquino
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