Josh "Chinoh" Aquino arrived home from deployment with the Air Force in Qatar on Tuesday morning, praise the Lord! He's been gone for over 5 months, though he's done his best to stay connected with his family and his NLC family by video calls and texts.
SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU HOME, JOSH!

As the pastor of Dinuba's only Celebrate Recovery church I have begun my own Step Study. That's the core of the ministry of Celebrate Recovery, the weekly meeting of men (or women) to work through the 8 Principles and 12 Steps of CR based on the Beatitudes. Nine-month Step Studies are offered through our church's CR ministry, but I have joined one especially for pastors. We meet weekly on ZOOM since we're gathering from coast to coast and places in between.

This week one of the pastors asked if he could share a devotional from Ambrose of Milan, the man who was pastor to St. Augustine about 1700 years ago. You'd think this was written today! It sounds so much like the words of peace and gratitude we hear weekly at NLC's CR on Thursday nights. Take them to heart as an appropriate response to our memory verse--that God has given us a free gift of eternal life through Jesus.

The law of God has been useful to me, because through its ministry I have begun to confess what I used to deny; I have begun to realize how I have sinned, and I no longer conceal my unrighteousness. I have begun to condemn my own unrighteousness in the presence of the Lord – and behold, You have forgiven the ungodliness of my heart!

But this is also a blessing to me, that it isn’t by the works of the law that we are justified. This means I don’t have any grounds on which I can glory in my own works; in fact, I have no grounds at all on which I can boast. Therefore, I will glory in Christ!

• I will glory, not because I am righteous, but because I am redeemed.
• I will glory, not because I am free from sins, but because my sins are forgiven me.
• I will glory, not because I have done anything good, nor because someone else has done any good to me, 
• but in this I will glory: Christ is an Advocate for me with the Father, and Christ’s blood has been shed for me! My guilt, which brought Christ to me, has become the price of my redemption, since for my sake Christ tasted death. So, guilt has proved more of a blessing than innocence! 

Innocence made me proud; guilt has made me submit (humble). Those that boast, let them boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:31)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Gathering, Room 113

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19
5:30 p.m. - Celebrate Recovery meal and ministry. TESTIMONY. Small Groups. Solid Rock Cafe.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21
Next Gen Young Adult Breakfast - NLC

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22
8:30 a.m. - GROWTH CLASSES (note change of rooms)
NEW STUDY! Salt & Light Class: The Book of Judges, Rooms 114-115
WOMEN: Life's Healing Choices, Room 111
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT (Dining Room)
10:00 a.m. - WORSHIP - NLC CREW - NLC KIDS - NURSERY
Jonathan & Joanna Gutierrez, Multiply Missionaries from Portugal
11:30 a.m. - Meet & Greet lunch with Gutierrez' - RSVP to church office (591-1176)

3-5 p.m. - Church family viewing for Galina Titar (Lyubov Heinrich's mother) 
Whitehurst, Sullivan, Burns & Blair Funeral Chapel, 836 E Nees Ave, Fresno, CA 93720

4:00 p.m. - Young Adults serving at Harvest Festival at Templo de Oracion in Traver
4:00 p.m. - Women's Ministries "AMAZING SELFIE RACE" - Meet at NLC Dining Room

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24
6:00 a.m. - NEW STUDY! Men's Bible Study on Malachi, Dining Room
6:30 p.m. - Healing Rooms of Dinuba - West porch of Worship Center building
6:30 p.m. - GRIEFSHARE New 13 session group, NLC Community Room

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Gathering - Room 113

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26
5:30 p.m. - Celebrate Recovery
6:00 p.m. - Open Gate Ministries 49th Anniversary Dinner - Living Word Fellowship

Received Last Week (10/15): …........$3,955
Received this year to date: ………..$43,573
Budget to Date: ………………........... $53,892
Budget Goal: ……….......……...….....$400,342
Needed Weekly: ………….........…….…$7,928