NLC Connect - Jan. 7, 2026
connect with God's Word
Thank you, Sunday Service team, for helping to create an atmosphere of excitement and worship as we kick off the new year!
connect your calendar
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 7:
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113
THURSDAY, JAN. 8:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center
SUNDAY, JANUARY 11:
8:30 a.m. - Salt & Light Class (new series begins) - Room 114/115
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT
5:00 p.m. - Youth Group - Room 207
TUESDAY, JAN. 13:
6:00 a.m. - Men's Bible Study - Dining Room
9:00 a.m. - LIFT Women's Bible Study (new series begins) - Room 114/115
6:30 p.m. - Healing Room Prayer Ministry - Library
THURSDAY, JAN. 15
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center
SUNDAY, JANUARY 18:
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT - Dining Room
10:00 a.m. - WORSHIP/NLC KIDS/NURSERY
5:00 p.m. - Youth Group - Room 207
MONDAY, JAN. 19: Office closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
TUESDAY, JAN. 20:
6:00 a.m. - Men's Bible Study - Dining Room
6:30 p.m. - Healing Room Prayer Ministry - Library
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113
THURSDAY, JAN. 8:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center
SUNDAY, JANUARY 11:
8:30 a.m. - Salt & Light Class (new series begins) - Room 114/115
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT
- Come meet and encourage others over coffee and snacks - Dining Room
5:00 p.m. - Youth Group - Room 207
TUESDAY, JAN. 13:
6:00 a.m. - Men's Bible Study - Dining Room
9:00 a.m. - LIFT Women's Bible Study (new series begins) - Room 114/115
6:30 p.m. - Healing Room Prayer Ministry - Library
THURSDAY, JAN. 15
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center
SUNDAY, JANUARY 18:
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT - Dining Room
10:00 a.m. - WORSHIP/NLC KIDS/NURSERY
5:00 p.m. - Youth Group - Room 207
MONDAY, JAN. 19: Office closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
TUESDAY, JAN. 20:
6:00 a.m. - Men's Bible Study - Dining Room
6:30 p.m. - Healing Room Prayer Ministry - Library
Sermon series for January! If you missed a message, click on the link on the home page to watch it (or watch again!).
Are you interested in leading a GriefShare support group? Please contact Martha Sawatzky (559-859-1235) for more information.
connect through giving
Offerings Received last week (1/4/26): ..... $21.463
Offerings Received this year to date: .…. $152,402
Budget to date: ………………..........…..…...….. $145,247
Needed weekly to meet budget: ……..…….. $7,859
Offerings Received this year to date: .…. $152,402
Budget to date: ………………..........…..…...….. $145,247
Needed weekly to meet budget: ……..…….. $7,859
connect to God through prayer
- Pray for Eilene Moreno (mother of Aneesa, Amourah and Ali) who is recovering from surgery. Pray for Manuel and Karen Madrid as she recovers from heart surgery and he is waiting for a cancer surgery date. Kristel Salazar requests prayer for her friend Shelby, who has a high-risk pregnancy.
- Pray for those dealing with long-term health issues and cancer treatments.
- Also remember: Marilyn Chappell and other residents in Palm Village Healthcare, Harold Kruger and others in Sierra View, and Mary Salazar.
- Pray for those who have lost loved ones, including Elaine Isaak, whose mother Bonny passed away Dec. 26. Pray for Martha Sawatzky as she plans the next GriefShare support group.
- Pray for those who are seeking employment.
- Pray for the undocumented in our community and those facing food insecurity and financial challenges.
- Pray for our missionaries: Pablo & Maricela Chavez (planning return to Peru soon; housing needed for oldest son Isaac as he finishes senior year in Reedley), Cecil & Tracy Ramos in Thailand, Jonathan & Joanna Gutierrez in Portugal, and Johnny & Denise Esposito in Cambodia.
- Pray for peace as violence and war affect so many families and children in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, in the Middle East, and in parts of Africa.
Connect to a Renewed Heart
Every New Year comes with its own set of traditions.
Some people make resolutions.
Some eat specific foods for luck or prosperity.
Some start new planners, set new goals, or choose a word for the year.
This year, our family did something simple but surprisingly meaningful — we deep-cleaned our house. Every drawer. Every closet. Every corner. There is something that feels deeply right in your soul when you walk into a clean, uncluttered space. It brings a sense of peace, clarity, and fresh beginning. But if you’ve lived in a house with kids, work schedules, and the normal busyness of life, you know that feeling doesn’t last forever. Dishes pile up again. Laundry multiplies. Shoes reappear in the hallway. Life is beautifully full — and naturally messy. And the same is true of our hearts. Scripture reminds us:
Just like our homes, our hearts collect things over time — worry, bitterness, exhaustion, distraction, unconfessed sin, unhealed hurt. None of this means we are failing; it means we are human. We are living, loving, working, parenting, serving, and surviving.
But the New Year offers us a holy invitation: not just to organize our schedules or improve our habits — but to invite God to gently clean our hearts.
Not with shame.
Not with pressure.
But with grace.
A clean heart doesn’t mean a perfect life. It means a heart that is open, honest, and regularly brought before God. It means noticing what has accumulated and choosing to release what no longer belongs. So here is a simple New Year challenge: Before you rush into new goals, new plans, or new expectations — pause and pray. “God, what needs to be cleared out in me?” “Where do You want to bring freedom, healing, or renewal?” “What am I carrying that You never asked me to hold?”
The beauty of the gospel is that God does the deep cleaning we cannot do ourselves. He doesn’t just tidy the surface — He renews us from the inside out. As we step into this new year, may we be people who don’t just start fresh on the outside, but allow God to start something fresh within us. A clean home feels good. A renewed heart changes everything.
--Jessica Aquino
Some people make resolutions.
Some eat specific foods for luck or prosperity.
Some start new planners, set new goals, or choose a word for the year.
This year, our family did something simple but surprisingly meaningful — we deep-cleaned our house. Every drawer. Every closet. Every corner. There is something that feels deeply right in your soul when you walk into a clean, uncluttered space. It brings a sense of peace, clarity, and fresh beginning. But if you’ve lived in a house with kids, work schedules, and the normal busyness of life, you know that feeling doesn’t last forever. Dishes pile up again. Laundry multiplies. Shoes reappear in the hallway. Life is beautifully full — and naturally messy. And the same is true of our hearts. Scripture reminds us:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” — Psalm 51:10 (ESV)
Just like our homes, our hearts collect things over time — worry, bitterness, exhaustion, distraction, unconfessed sin, unhealed hurt. None of this means we are failing; it means we are human. We are living, loving, working, parenting, serving, and surviving.
But the New Year offers us a holy invitation: not just to organize our schedules or improve our habits — but to invite God to gently clean our hearts.
Not with shame.
Not with pressure.
But with grace.
A clean heart doesn’t mean a perfect life. It means a heart that is open, honest, and regularly brought before God. It means noticing what has accumulated and choosing to release what no longer belongs. So here is a simple New Year challenge: Before you rush into new goals, new plans, or new expectations — pause and pray. “God, what needs to be cleared out in me?” “Where do You want to bring freedom, healing, or renewal?” “What am I carrying that You never asked me to hold?”
The beauty of the gospel is that God does the deep cleaning we cannot do ourselves. He doesn’t just tidy the surface — He renews us from the inside out. As we step into this new year, may we be people who don’t just start fresh on the outside, but allow God to start something fresh within us. A clean home feels good. A renewed heart changes everything.
--Jessica Aquino
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1 Comment
I really appreciate your new year devotion. It is good and well worded. Thank you!