NLC Connect - March 11, 2026
connect with God's Word
We love gathering for Sunday service at NLC. So grateful that we have space for all ages and stages to learn about Jesus!
Our Sunday night youth class took some time to pray in preparation for the Youth Worship night.
LIFT enjoyed fellowship and Bible study on Tuesday morning. What a great space for community and growing closer to Jesus!
Our Sunday night youth class took some time to pray in preparation for the Youth Worship night.
LIFT enjoyed fellowship and Bible study on Tuesday morning. What a great space for community and growing closer to Jesus!
connect your calendar
WEDNESDAY, MAR. 11:
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113
THURSDAY, MAR. 12:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center
SATURDAY, MAR. 14:
6:00 p.m. - Youth Worship Night, sponsored by Youth For Christ - Worship Center (event starts at 5:15 with tacos on the patio!)
SUNDAY, MARCH 15:
8:30 a.m. - Salt & Light Class - Room 114/115
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT - Patio
10:00 a.m. - WORSHIP/NLC KIDS/NURSERY
6:30 p.m. - GriefShare Support Group - Room 114/115
TUESDAY, MAR. 17:
6:00 a.m. - Men's Bible Study - Dining Room
6:30 p.m. - Healing Room Prayer Ministry - Library
WEDNESDAY, MAR. 18:
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113
THURSDAY, MAR. 19:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center
SUNDAY, MARCH 22:
8:30 a.m. - Salt & Light Class - Room 114/115
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT
11:30 a.m. - New Members' Class - Community Room
5:00 p.m. - Youth Group - Room 207/Gym
6:30 p.m. - GriefShare Support Group - Room 114/115
TUESDAY, MAR. 24:
6:00 a.m. - Men's Bible Study - Dining Room
9:00 a.m. - LIFT Women's Bible Study - Room 114/115
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113
THURSDAY, MAR. 12:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center
SATURDAY, MAR. 14:
6:00 p.m. - Youth Worship Night, sponsored by Youth For Christ - Worship Center (event starts at 5:15 with tacos on the patio!)
SUNDAY, MARCH 15:
8:30 a.m. - Salt & Light Class - Room 114/115
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT - Patio
10:00 a.m. - WORSHIP/NLC KIDS/NURSERY
- Guest speaker Archie Copeland
6:30 p.m. - GriefShare Support Group - Room 114/115
TUESDAY, MAR. 17:
6:00 a.m. - Men's Bible Study - Dining Room
6:30 p.m. - Healing Room Prayer Ministry - Library
WEDNESDAY, MAR. 18:
6:30 p.m. - Prayer Group - Room 113
THURSDAY, MAR. 19:
6:00 p.m. - CELEBRATE RECOVERY small groups - Education Center
SUNDAY, MARCH 22:
8:30 a.m. - Salt & Light Class - Room 114/115
9:30 a.m. - CONNECTING POINT
- Come meet and encourage others over coffee and snacks - Patio
- Check out a basket and fill it with candy, eggs, or basket filler items, and pray for the kids before returning it by Sunday, March 29.
11:30 a.m. - New Members' Class - Community Room
5:00 p.m. - Youth Group - Room 207/Gym
6:30 p.m. - GriefShare Support Group - Room 114/115
TUESDAY, MAR. 24:
6:00 a.m. - Men's Bible Study - Dining Room
9:00 a.m. - LIFT Women's Bible Study - Room 114/115
Sermon series for March as we prepare for the Good News of Easter!
connect through giving
Offerings Received last week (3/8): …........ $5,268
Offerings Received this year to date: .…. $194,855
Budget to date: ………………….............…...….. $217,870
Needed weekly to meet budget: ……..…….. $8,990
Total income as of 2/28 (all budget sources): .. $202,389
Total expenses as of 2/28 (budgeted): ……......… $189,326
Offerings Received this year to date: .…. $194,855
Budget to date: ………………….............…...….. $217,870
Needed weekly to meet budget: ……..…….. $8,990
Total income as of 2/28 (all budget sources): .. $202,389
Total expenses as of 2/28 (budgeted): ……......… $189,326
connect to God through prayer
- Pray for Norma Froese as she recovers at home and does physical therapy, and others who have been ill or are caring for loved ones. Pray for Karen Madrid as she recovers from surgery, and for Manuel Madrid as he cares for her and waits for a surgery date.
- Pray for those dealing with long-term health issues and cancer treatments.
- Also remember: John Regier, Mae Ewert, 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.
- 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 (Peru), Cecil & Tracy Ramos (Thailand), Jonathan & Joanna Gutierrez (Portugal), and Johnny & Denise Esposito (Cambodia).
- Pray for peace as violence and war affect so many families and children around the world.
- Please pray as we seek a Worship Ministries Leader. If you know someone who may be a good fit, please direct them to the "Job Openings" page on our website.
Hard Seasons
There are seasons in life that feel heavy.
Not the everyday kind of hard—the kind that comes with busy schedules, long days, or unexpected inconveniences. I’m talking about the deeper kind of hard. The kind that settles into your heart. The kind that makes you question, wrestle, and sometimes simply sit in silence because you don’t have the words.
Lately, I’ve been walking through a hard season.
And when you’re in those moments, it’s easy to wonder where God is in the middle of it all. You pray. You reflect. You search for meaning. Sometimes you feel peace, and other times you simply feel tired.
But something about this time of year has been grounding me.
As we move toward Easter, we spend more time thinking about Jesus’ journey to the cross. It’s easy to rush past that part of the story because we know how it ends. We know that resurrection is coming. We know that the tomb will be empty.
But before resurrection came suffering.
Before hope broke through, there was heartbreak.
Before the empty tomb, there was the cross.
Jesus Himself walked through a season of deep anguish. In the garden of Gethsemane, He prayed with such intensity that Scripture tells us He was in great distress. He knew what was ahead of Him. He knew the suffering He would face.
And yet He walked forward.
Not because it was easy, but because God was working through it.
One verse that has been sitting with me lately is Romans 8:28:
“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
It doesn’t say all things are good.
It doesn’t say we will always see the good while we’re in the middle of it.
But it does promise that in all things, God is still at work.
Lately I’ve also found myself reflecting on the song “Yet Not I, But Through Christ in Me.” There’s something about that simple reminder that has been grounding me in this season—that whatever strength I have, whatever hope rises again, whatever courage helps me take the next step… it isn’t coming from my own striving.
If you’re walking through something heavy, here is the hope I’m holding onto:
I don’t have enough on my own.
But Christ in me is enough.
Not my strength — but His.
Not my endurance — but His.
Not my light — but His light shining in the darkness.
As we move toward Easter, I’m reminded that the cross was not the end of the story. What looked like defeat was actually the place where God was doing His deepest work. And in the same way, the hard seasons we walk through are not wasted. Even when we can’t yet see how, God is still working—shaping, restoring, and redeeming in ways we may only understand later.
So when the road feels long, I’m learning to hold onto this quiet truth:
I don’t have to carry it all.
Christ carries me.
And step by step, day by day, I keep moving forward—trusting that the same Savior who walked through suffering, through the cross, and into resurrection is the same Savior walking with me now.
Yet not I — but Christ in me.
And one day, when the journey is complete, I know the story will end the same way it began—with Jesus faithful every step of the way.
Not the everyday kind of hard—the kind that comes with busy schedules, long days, or unexpected inconveniences. I’m talking about the deeper kind of hard. The kind that settles into your heart. The kind that makes you question, wrestle, and sometimes simply sit in silence because you don’t have the words.
Lately, I’ve been walking through a hard season.
And when you’re in those moments, it’s easy to wonder where God is in the middle of it all. You pray. You reflect. You search for meaning. Sometimes you feel peace, and other times you simply feel tired.
But something about this time of year has been grounding me.
As we move toward Easter, we spend more time thinking about Jesus’ journey to the cross. It’s easy to rush past that part of the story because we know how it ends. We know that resurrection is coming. We know that the tomb will be empty.
But before resurrection came suffering.
Before hope broke through, there was heartbreak.
Before the empty tomb, there was the cross.
Jesus Himself walked through a season of deep anguish. In the garden of Gethsemane, He prayed with such intensity that Scripture tells us He was in great distress. He knew what was ahead of Him. He knew the suffering He would face.
And yet He walked forward.
Not because it was easy, but because God was working through it.
One verse that has been sitting with me lately is Romans 8:28:
“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
It doesn’t say all things are good.
It doesn’t say we will always see the good while we’re in the middle of it.
But it does promise that in all things, God is still at work.
Lately I’ve also found myself reflecting on the song “Yet Not I, But Through Christ in Me.” There’s something about that simple reminder that has been grounding me in this season—that whatever strength I have, whatever hope rises again, whatever courage helps me take the next step… it isn’t coming from my own striving.
If you’re walking through something heavy, here is the hope I’m holding onto:
I don’t have enough on my own.
But Christ in me is enough.
Not my strength — but His.
Not my endurance — but His.
Not my light — but His light shining in the darkness.
As we move toward Easter, I’m reminded that the cross was not the end of the story. What looked like defeat was actually the place where God was doing His deepest work. And in the same way, the hard seasons we walk through are not wasted. Even when we can’t yet see how, God is still working—shaping, restoring, and redeeming in ways we may only understand later.
So when the road feels long, I’m learning to hold onto this quiet truth:
I don’t have to carry it all.
Christ carries me.
And step by step, day by day, I keep moving forward—trusting that the same Savior who walked through suffering, through the cross, and into resurrection is the same Savior walking with me now.
Yet not I — but Christ in me.
And one day, when the journey is complete, I know the story will end the same way it began—with Jesus faithful every step of the way.
Recent
Archive
2026
2025
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
2024
January
February
March
April
June
July
August
No Comments