NLC News December 15 2022

December 15th, 2022
by Mark Isaac

THIS WEEKEND:
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16
NLC Staff Christmas Party

THE COMING WEEK:
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18
9:30 a.m. CONNECTING POINT (Dining Room) and Connecting Point for Kids (Rm 101)

COME HUNGRY for special African-American Christmas treats!

10:00 a.m. WORSHIP - NLC Kids & The Crew (Jr/Sr High)

Pastor Mark will be preaching on Christmas in a New Light from Luke 2:1-7 and Matt. 2:13-23

11:00 a.m.

Grab & Go Meals served inside and drive-thru. MENU: Roasted chicken, rice pilaf, salad, roll.
For those eating in, Megan Barnes is providing cake to celebrate Alex's 1st birthday!

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20
NO Men's Bible Study - Restarts Tuesday, January 3, 2023
5:30 p.m. WAITING FOR JESUS - Christmas Event for kids ages 4-12 - Room 101

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21
ALL DAY - Just say "NEW LIFE COMMUNITY" when you order and CARL'S JR will donate 25% of your order back to NLC
6:00 p.m. WORSHIP REHEARSAL - Gym
6:30 p.m. Prayer Gathering - Room 113

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22
ALL DAY - Just say "NEW LIFE COMMUNITY" when you order and CARL'S JR will donate 25% of your order back to NLC
5:30 p.m. CELEBRATE RECOVERY Dinner - Dining Room
6:30 p.m. CELEBRATE RECOVERY Worship / Teaching / Small Groups

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24
4:00 p.m. CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE with NLC Kids Christmas Pageant

Everyone will receive a Christmas "toot" (traditional treat bag with fruit, nuts, and candy).

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25
9:30 a.m. CONNECTING POINT (Dining Room) and Connecting Point for Kids (Rm 101)

Hot cocoa bar

10:00 a.m. NLC FAMILY WORSHIP (Casual worship as families; No separate classes for kids)

link to church calendar

Another family received a fully furnished apartment this week from NLC's Home Resource Center!

Inez Ruiz and Mike Naylor were out last Friday night doing street ministry. Ask them how you can participate!

Over 200 people brought gifts for local kids to the Breakfast with the Grinch last Saturday!

Inez Ruiz lost a cousin this past week. Pray for him and his sister's family in Michigan, for others who continue to grieve (the Sandovals, Carl Wohlgemuth, and Ron Thiessen), and for Mike Naylor who will be hosting a memorial service for his late friend, Harvey, in January.
Pray for a mom at NLC who has had to share some sad news with her young child this week.
Pray for Michelle Perez and her husband Louie. She was hospitalized and undergoing some tests this past week.
Continue praying for JR Southard, Glen & Peggy Zimmerman, Marilyn Chappell, Chris Holmen (hospice), Ron Brown's sister Bonnie, and Grace Castillo and her son Anthony who have been fighting illnesses off and on since August.
Pray for several NLC families traveling this holiday season.
Johnny & Denise Esposito report several people accepting Christ during a Christmas service in Laos this past week!
John & Geri have wrapped up their visits to churches, thanking them for their prayer and support. Now they have another invitation to speak at Palm Village. NLC will host an evening of celebration for their 44 years of missionary work on Sunday, January 15th.
Remember the Anchetas in San Francisco with YWAM, Cecil & Tracy Ramos in Thailand, and Pablo & Maricela Chavez and boys in Peru. Praise God they are safe.
Pray that the many children at Jefferson and throughout the school district will find Jesus among the Christmas gifts NLC and other Dinuba Chamber businesses collected for them. There were enough gifts to bless more families through Open Gate Ministries, as well!
Thank the Lord for our NLC Kids Ministry. Pray that the children who come to the Tuesday evening "Waiting for Jesus" event will come to know and trust Jesus.

Received Last Week (12/11)…....$4,492
Received this year............…….$120,316
Budget to Date: …………......... $121,602
Budget Goal: ………..................$421,553
Needed Weekly: …….....….....……$8,142

I found a cookie in my Bible this week. It was an Oreo with two cookie halves on each side and a cream filling in the middle. It was just sitting there in Psalm 27:14, and I've been eating on it the last few days - "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord."

Did you see the Oreo? Yeah, the two chocolate cookie halves are made of "Wait for the Lord", and the cream filling in the middle is the "be strong and take heart" part. People waited a long time to eat that first cookie half when God's promised Messiah, Jesus, was finally born. And for these 2000 years since Jesus ascended we've been waiting to eat that second half when Jesus finally returns to take us to be with him in heaven. For now, we're stuck in the middle.

If this cookie is anything like life these days, then I think we're living in the cream filling part. It's time for us to be strong and take heart between these times of waiting, and to be filled with courage as we live "in the middle". It's time to grow some spiritual muscle in prayer, Bible study, and worship so we don't become discouraged or distracted in the waiting.

During my visit with Olga Brandt last week we talked about waiting for the Lord's return. She'll be turning 100 years old in March, so she's been waiting for the Lord a lot longer than I have. We agreed that the time of his 2nd coming is closer now than it was the day before. And she's ready. She's strong in her faith, and though her heart can become discouraged about her health and other matters, she daily seeks courage from the Lord in prayer and from others who share words of encouragement with her. That's life in the cream filling.

Are you feeling anxious or discouraged? Distracted by things you know don't truly matter? Then open your Bible and look for a good word from the Lord. You never know...you might find a cookie in there!