News & Views August 12

AUGUST MEMORY VERSE
"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him."
Nahum 1:7


AUGUST 15th WORSHIP
Adult "Welcome" Class - 8:45 A.M. - Rooms 114-115
Connecting Point - 9:30 A.M. - Dining Room
Worship  - 10:00 A.M. -  Family Center Gym and Online
Mark Isaac preaching on "An Acts Attitude: Don't Hold Back"
Read ahead: Acts 4:32-5:11
NLC Kids  - 10:00 A.M. - Rooms 101,103
Adults "ACE Overcomers" Class - 11:00 - Youth Room (in Gym)
NEW!  Just the Bible - 11:15 a.m. - Rooms 114-115

Looking to share what you're reading in the Bible with others?
Looking for encouragement from other people's Bible reading?
Not sure where to start reading the Bible?
Got questions about the Bible?

Then "Just the Bible" Life Lesson group is the perfect place to come
Sundays after church, 11:15-noon, Rooms 114-115
Pastor Mark will be hosting.

Bring your Bible/eBible and any notes or questions you have.

Tuesday:
6-7 a.m. Men's Bible Study group - Tony Dungy's "Uncommon Character" - Dining Room
8-11 a.m. Fruit Prep Day - getting the peaches ready for MCC pie-baking - Kitchen
10:11-:30 a.m. L.I.F.T Women's Bible Study - Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness/Self-control - Rooms 114-115
Wednesday:
6:30 p.m. NLC Kids' "Wacky Wednesdays" - Rooms 101, 103
6:30 p.m. NLC Prayer Gathering - all are welcome - Dining Room
6:30 p.m. Griefshare - Youth Room in gym
7:00 p.m. Faith & Finances
Thursday:
4:30-6:00 p.m. Dinuba Community Task Force - all are welcome - Dining Room
7:00 p.m Life Skills Class 

Today I have the opportunity to talk with the Bible and Christian Ministry faculty at Tabor College about how that program shaped me and my ministry. It's been a good experience to look back nearly 40 years to the decision I made in college to add a co-major in Biblical & Religious Studies to my pre-Med degree. It has shaped me in numerous ways. But the first thing that came to mind was this: the Bible was key to growing my new life in Christ.

Anyone who begins a new life in Christ, having accepted him as their Savior, will begin to grow. That's because Jesus is alive and working through his Holy Spirit in our lives. We need to yield to him each day--many times each day!--and we need to learn more about him and what he wants to accomplish in us. That's where the Bible comes in. The Bible is key to growing our knowledge of God and his plans because it is God's Word to us. He hasn't hidden himself or his plans from us, but has revealed these things through Jesus who is the living Word of God. The Bible is this very Word of God written for us--his revelation to us.

I first learned the value of the Bible from my parents who read it to me as a child. The teachers in my church kids' program did the same at church. Adults at church put a lot of effort into a Wednesday evening program to help me and a lot of other kids to memorize Bible verses and learn what they meant for us. We had fun, for sure, but the goal was for us to treasure the Bible as a life-long source of nourishment for our young lives of faith. For me, a Christian college was the next step in that same process of reading, studying, and applying the Bible to my life and so I might also do the same for others. It was all that time in the Bible that grew my confidence in God's leading and my decision to be a pastor.

I'm so pleased to see the Bible front-and-center at New Life Community. It is the primary source of my Sunday sermons. It's what focuses the attention of men and women in regular Bible study and Life groups, and forms the core of our NLC Kids' curriculum. It is what grounds our outward focused ministries like Faith & Finances, Life Skills, and Griefshare. And the first thing I'm doing in preparation for the launch of a new Celebrate Recovery ministry at NLC in the coming months is to read the Celebrate Recovery Bible, a Bible version that includes the stories of transformed lives alongside the Bible text.

I read and study the Bible daily. On one hand, I kind of have to! It's my job. But I learned long ago that without my own time in the Word, listening to the voice of God and meditating on the truth of his words to me, I will dry up and become unfruitful. The Bible is key to growing our new life in Christ because it's how we abide in Him. Jesus said in John 15, "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

Because the Bible is key to growing our new life in Christ, I am hosting a new time for sharing what we're reading in the Bible with each other. I'm calling it "JUST THE BIBLE," and aim to keep it to that. I want those of us who participate to share with each other the things we're learning from God's Word, to recite portions of the Bible we're memorizing, and to work at understanding the things we're reading. If you aren't already reading your Bible regularly, this might be a good place to come and start alongside others. I invite you to participate.

Received Last Week (8/8):.  ...............$5,232
Received this year to date:...........$416,343
Expenses to Fiscal Year End (Aug. 31):……………...………..$459,312
   (includes anticipated expenses for August)
Offerings Needed to Cover Expenses by Aug. 31:…......…$42,969

 Note from the Trustees
NLC Trustees thank those who have made donations to purchase the necessary equipment to enable us to launch and operate our web streaming service. Our priority is now to cover all our expenses through August. However, if you feel so led, we still need to raise another $25,000 for creating our new Welcome Office space located directly off the church patio that will be visible and accessible to those who come onto our campus. We invite you to be a part of that effort.
For more information please contact Chuck Boldwyn

There are currently no health mandates in effect for NLC related to COVID-19.
However, as cases are rising in the United States and in Fresno and Tulare counties it may be prudent to wear a mask when indoors in public settings, to wash hands frequently, and to consult your physician about receiving a vaccination if you haven't already received one.  
As some churches are saying, "We want to spread the Gospel, not the virus."