NLC Connect December 6 2023

December 6th, 2023
by Mark Isaac

connect with God's Word

connect your calendar

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6
6:30 p.m. - NO Worship Team Rehearsal
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Gathering - Room 113

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7
5:30 p.m. - Celebrate Recovery - Lesson "YES!" - Small Groups - Cafe

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9
9:00 a.m. - Noon - DSUD Toy Emporium - Gym (For DUSD selected families only)
Please contact the church office if you are available to volunteer at this toy giveaway.

There's still time to bring unwrapped gifts to church this week.
Please bring them to the office by Friday morning.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10
8:30 a.m. - GROWTH CLASSES

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

Pastor Mark is preaching the first of three Christmas messages on FEAR NOT! This week will be about the angel's visits to Zechariah and Mary.
Jordan & Tristan Ringhofer will be leading the worship team.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 11
6:00 p.m. - CR Worship Team Rehearsal - Gym

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12
6:00 a.m. - Men's Bible Study on Advent - Dining Room
NO Healing Rooms of Dinuba this week.
6:30 p.m. - Griefshare - NLC Community Room

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13
6:30 p.m. - Worship Team Rehearsal - Gym
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Gathering - Room 113

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14
5:30 p.m. - Celebrate Recovery - TESTIMONY - Small Groups - Cafe

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15
12-2p.m. or 4-6 p.m. - Dinuba Minister's Fellowship ONE Event fundraiser - Living Word Fellowship parking lot. Get your tickets by scanning the QR code below or from Pastor Mark.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16
10:00 a.m. - Danny Jones' Memorial Service - Salser & Dillard Chapel, 127 E Caldwell, Visalia

connect with Christmas celebrations!

connect through giving

Received Last Week (12/3): …..........$4,121
Received this year to date: ......……..$106,734
Received for Deacon Care Fund: .......... $160
Budget to Date: …………….......…...... $107,784
Budget Goal: …………...…...….............$400,342
Needed Weekly: …………….……..........…$7,727

connect with God in Prayer

The memorial service for Danny Jones is Saturday, Dec. 16th, 10 a.m. at Salser & Dillard on 127 E Caldwell in Visalia. Pray for Rosie Moreno and his other caregivers.
Mike & Nori Naylor lost her aunt Kathy this week. Praise the Lord for his grace in her passing, and for her strong faith. Pray as plans will be made for her service.
Robert & Genevieve Mendoza lost his aunt recently. Pray as they manage her affairs and her upcoming memorial service.
Pray for the Barajas and Quinonez families who lost loved ones in the accident near Reedley this week, for their family members who are still fighting for their lives, and for former Kennedy Elementary principal Mr. Benham and his family as they deal with the weight of this tragic accident and the charges against him.
Continue praying for people who have experienced recent losses: Manuel & Karen Madrid, Janet Southard, the Reimche and Heinrichs families.
Continue praying for health and strength for Jessica Aquino, Mary Salazar, Cynthia Avendano, Nori Naylor, and others fighting seasonal illness. Al Suderman is recovering at Palm Village from a fall last week.
Remember those who are fighting cancer or awaiting diagnosis or treatment: Mike Naylor, Kristel Salazar, Eugene Enns, Carolina Coralles, Glen Zimmerman, Lanisha Washington, Alyza Dover's grandma, Lori, and Kristel Salazar's coworker, Ricardo.
Pray for new jobs and housing for those seeking employment and a fresh start.
Pray for an end to violence in Israel and Gaza and the region, as well as in Ukraine.
Former NLC missionary Melvin & Gudrun Warkentin send their Christmas greetings from Paraguay. Click here to link to their personal newsletter.
Pray for children at Jefferson and Monson/Sultana who are attending Good News Clubs. Pray they understand the Gospel and give their lives to Jesus and grow in him.
Congratulations to Joe & Carolyn Ehoff on the birth of a grandson, Harvey Theodore Ehoff!

Your Personal Person of the Year

I read this week that Time magazine named singer-songwriter Taylor Swift as Person of the Year for 2023. At age 33, her name is known throughout the world for her music and concerts, her recent movie, and her relationship to Travis Kelce of the SF 49ers. Taylor has more than half a billion followers on social media, putting her in the Top 5 globally. Her followers are known as "Swifties".

At age 33, Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave to forgive the sins of humanity and reconcile us to God, assuring us of eternal life with him. His followers are known as "Christians". Jesus was once featured on the cover of Time magazine (June 1971), though has been pulled from the running each year for Person of the Year as well as from Person of the (20th) Century in 1999. That went to Albert Einstein.

Silly, isn't it, the idea that Jesus would need to be honored on the cover of a magazine? Still it got me thinking about how we honor Jesus and those who have encouraged our faith in Jesus over the years. What if you were to honor someone by sending them a card this December/January and telling them they're your "Personal Person of the Year"? Some of our spouses would be worthy recipients. We would do well to let them know the ways they have encouraged us. It would be special, though, to pick someone else, as well, who has especially blessed you this year. It might be your doctor, a consistent friend, someone whose story inspired you this year, or someone who helped you take an important step forward or forgave you.

And what about honoring Jesus? Someone told me recently that they spoke to a coworker who frequently and throughout the day habitually calls out the name of "Jesus Christ". They do it when they're stressed, apparently. It was difficult, this person told me, but they spoke to their coworker about their love for Jesus and how it felt to regularly hear his name used in that way. The coworker immediately recognized how dishonoring and disrespectful it was and agreed to find other ways to vent. That's honoring Jesus. So was speaking to the coworker in the love of Jesus. Let someone know this season that Jesus is your "Person of Eternity", why he qualifies, and that he loves them just as much as he loves you.