News & Views March 11

MARCH MEMORY VERSES
Psalm 23:1-4
“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths,  bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”

MARCH 14th WORSHIP  -10 A.M. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
ONLINE - watch live from anywhere at 10 a.m. or whenever you can
IN-PERSON - Family Center Gym
Chairs are now set-up, so you no longer need to bring your own.
Pastor Mark, preaching  -  Josh Aquino, music
"Pray and Go"
Read ahead: Colossians 4:2-6

Praise God for the rain and snow that's fallen this week! And what a show it arrived with: a wall cloud, wind, thunder and lightning, and hail!

Several of us were gathered in the Dining Hall for Wednesday prayer when a bright flash of lightning caught our eyes followed by a huge clap of thunder. And then the door flew open! It was Manuela arriving for prayer, her coat drenched with rain and her eyes wide from the storm. We got up to welcome her in and were glad to be in a warm, safe place together.

Storms and prayer go together, you know. In Matthew 5 when Jesus was instructing his disciples to love not only their friends, he said, "Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike."

As the rain fell across the valley and in the mountains, so God's love for us comes whether or not we deserve it. Christ died for us all, even when we were sinners and enemies of God. And so God invites us to join him in spreading out our prayers not only for those we love but for those we feel are difficult, different, or even enemies.

Why is it that we think we're getting in this life what we deserve, and that others should expect nothing more than what they deserve? When we lived in Kansas everyone had rain gauges. We would compare how much rain we got with each other! There were always differences. Some got more rain while others only a trace. Some had hail while others were spared. Trees blew down in some yards but not in others. If we let it go far enough we might have even allowed ourselves to wonder if maybe we had done something to deserve less rain than the next person, or if we had been spared the worst of it because we were especially blessed.

But God is not like that, to strike one with lightning while giving the other rainbows. His grace is poured out to us all the same, through his only Son Jesus who died once for us all on a cross. We don't have to think of ourselves because he has and daily does. 

May God awaken us to the opportunities before us to do the same toward others. May we not compare our "rain gauges" of blessings but instead humbly praise our gracious God to everyone we meet.

As we closed our time in prayer and bundled up to brave the remaining rainclouds and head home, there was a special joy we shared. We were all the same before the powerful storm, but more importantly we were all the same before the eyes of God. "Goodnight, brother," we said, and "Goodnight, sister." Though we headed off in different directions--some through bigger puddles than others--we all shared a common grace. 

Click photo below for link to Christian Leader article.

OPPORUNITIES TO GROW IN YOUR FAITH and TO SERVE OTHERS:
SUNDAYS
Early / 9:00 a.m.
ADULT Life Lesson Classes (see chart)
10:00 a.m.
Worship in the gym  -  NLC KIDS on the Patio  -  Live Stream
11:00 a.m.
ACE Overcomers (see chart)
ADULT Life Lesson Classes (see chart)
5:30 p.m.
Young Adult Life Group, Bruce & Laurel Smith's backyard
TUESDAYS
MEN'S Bible Study, 6 a.m., Dining Hall
WOMEN'S L.I.F.T. Bible Study, every other week, Room 114-115, Mar. 9th, 10 a.m.
WEDNESDAYS
Prayer Team, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Dining Hall
FAITH & FINANCES, 7:00 p.m. Zoom, Ron & Norma Froese facilitating
THURSDAYS
LIFE SKILLS, 7:00 p.m. Zoom, Cece Olea teaching

Received Last Week (3/7/21): ............. $10,420.15
Specified Giving:  Benevolence ..............  $195.00
Received this year to date:................ $246,975.92
Budget Goal: ....................................... $521,591.00
Budget to Date: .................................. $265,716.17
Needed Weekly to Meet Budget: ...... $10,562.12

COVID-19 precautions: For your safety and others, please maintain 6' of distance
and wear a face covering on campus.
Thank you.

NLC has installed ionization generators for air sanitization in the gym.

Questions? Call 559-591-1176 or office@newlifedinuba.org