Monday, November 8, 2010 WOW-Zine

Welcome to the "happenin' place to be" on a Monday afternoon. I know I'm a bit later than usual in posting this week's blog, but I have a good excuse. Really, I do! I went and got my hair cut this afternoon, and now I can't keep from looking at myself in the mirror! My hair is still long, but it's layered and kinda flirty and sassy. Just what I wanted.

It's always nice when things turn out the way we want, but that often doesn't happen, does it? Whether it's how your kids behave, how your date-night plans work out, or even something as simple as finding the right ingredients for a new recipe, we're sometimes disappointed. How thankful I am for a God who never disappoints! He doesn't always do what I was expecting, but in the long run I have never been disappointed. Instead, I've been able to look back and see that His idea was so much better than anything I could have planned.

I hope you will be able to join the festivities this Saturday, 10 AM at the church, when we celebrate Oh, Taste and See! This is a WOW-sponsored event, which always means friends, food, and fun! If you haven't yet responded to your evite, please do so right away so we know how to plan. There's also the very real possibility that I somehow unintentionally skipped over your name and didn't send you one. If that's the case, it doesn't mean we don't want you to come. Instead, it means I was in charge! Please email me if you didn't get the invite. A couple Red Cross-trained sixth graders will be available in the nurseries to care for your children if you're unable to leave them home. (Or at the supermarket, park, etc.) These girls are earning money for the Mexico mission trip, so those who use their service are asked to pay them. We will also have a basket available for donations from the rest of us. WOW is providing ham and cinnamon rolls--please bring a breakfast food to fill in the gaps. We'll be done by noon.

Our next Common Grounds will be next week, Wednesday the 17th. What a great time we've been having! Around twenty-five women gather for these times of socializing, sharing, and study. There's always room for more. We begin at 6:30 and are done promptly at 8. Last week we talked a lot about wisdom, as it should be the source of what we speak to ourselves in Self Talk, Soul Talk. Instead of a verse to memorize for next week, we are reminding ourselves of three very important ways to deal with our thoughts.
1. Refuse things that are inaccurate.
2. Replace them with what is good.
3. Repeat the process for as long as it takes to bring our thoughts under control.

If you have one of the beautiful bookmarks that Amy made with a list of all our activities for the year, you'll need to make note of a change. Instead of having our WOW Christmas party and cookie exchange on Friday, Dec. 3rd, it will become a part of Common Grounds on Wednesday, Dec. 15th. Be planning ahead for what delicious holiday treat you'd like to share with the rest of us. If you're not interested in a cookie exchange, come anyway, as there's lots of other things we'll be doing.

As always, I'm including a reminder about our spring retreat, Loving Well, which is the first weekend of March. You've heard me talk about it a lot, and several have already paid their $80. I think this is the highlight of the year for lots of us, at least as far as church activities go. You've never had fun until you've had it with this group of women! You've never felt the freedom to share and be yourself as you will with this group of women! You've never stayed in such a gorgeous house for a retreat. Beth Moore's video series will speak to the heart of each of us, I believe. If you need to make payments toward the $80, you can give them to me. You won't earn any interest, but neither will you spend the money!

So, don't forget this Saturday morning, don't forget next Wednesday evening, and don't forget God loves you!

Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com   971-285-6699