HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY, LADIES! This is a special day to remember those who have served and given their lives in military service, as well as ordinary friends and loved ones that have passed on before us. Do any of you have a remembrance of someone special that you'd like to share with us this week? I'd love to hear about some of the much-missed people you're thinking about today. What made them memorable to you?
If it seems like it's been a while since you've heard from me, that's because it has! I was gone last week down to Shady Cove in southern Oregon. It's in the hills above Medford. This was the fourth year in a row that I've gone with my parents down there to meet up with their best friends, who are from Paradise, California. (What a neat name, huh?) I had a relaxing several days spent visiting, playing cards, and eating, while the two men went out fishing every day. I love being able to spend such quality time with my folks. And this weekend I've had grandkids with me all the time, so it's been a great week of blending generations.
If you didn't attend either one of the Loving Well retreats this spring, please don't skip this paragraph! You may think this doesn't pertain to you, but it does! Those who were at the retreats received a journal/study book along with their tote. This summer the Women of Wapato (WOW) will be working our way through this book. "But I wasn't there and I don't have a book, so I can skip this paragraph after all!" you are saying to yourself. Sorry, but you're wrong! Even those who do not have a copy of the little booklet will have access to some of the main questions we'll be addressing. There are six days-worth of questions to contemplate each week, so it's time to start by the first part of the month if you plan on joining me at the first lesson June 9th. Don't put it off. (I'm preaching to myself here.)
There are only four weeks of lessons, and in order to make it as convenient as possible for you, two different classes of the same lesson will be offered. This is what the schedule looks like:
Thursday mornings at 10
Lesson 1--June 9
Lesson 2--June 23
Lesson 3--July 7
Lesson 4--July 21
Wednesday evenings at 6:30
Lesson 1--June 15
Lesson 2--June 29
Lesson 3--July 13
Lesson 4--July 27
All classes will be held at Wapato Valley Church and will meet every other week. (Every other week on Thursday mornings, and every other week on Wednesday evenings.) These will be BYOB events, (aka Bring Your Own Beverage). Also, no childcare will be available, as one or the other of these times should work for you to leave your delightful children home with your muscular husband. (See last week's adjectives!) (I seem to have an affinity for parentheses this week, don't I?!)
So if you're able to make it to a Thursday morning session, but are out of town two weeks later when we meet for the next session, you'll be able to make it up by coming to a Wednesday evening meeting instead. In other words, you can switch around and attend which ever Lesson #1 etc, works best for you. If you know which day you think will usually work for you, please let me know. It will be fun to see how this works for us. (In case you haven't noticed, I like trying new things! Maybe next week I'll try a new thing by writing without using any parentheses, but I don't think I'm capable of that!)
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
Monday, May 30, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011 WOW-Zine
What a busy few days we've had! Our final Common Grounds was last Wednesday, and unless you were there, you would not believe the massive amount of tasty food we got to enjoy. I have never known so many good cooks in one place! We finished our study of Self Talk, Soul Talk with the reminder that this life is not all about us. Rather, our focus should be on Christ and how He wants us interacting and caring about others. Great thoughts to take us through the summer.
On Friday and Saturday we had the first-ever mini-retreat at Ashberry Lane. Nine of us met to participate in the Beth Moore Loving Well DVD series that we'd used as the backbone of our WOW retreat in March. These women responded the same way the rest of you did--being challenged by Beth's teaching and practical applications. The weekend finished with a WOW Movie Night and more great snacks. (Burp!)
Now that the many of the women in our church have gone through the Loving Well series, it's time to do our follow-up, using the journals that were included with your tote bag. So that's what the game plan is for this summer. The journals have six days-worth of questions to answer each week. Those of you who know me are aware I never have homework that I assign during my Bible studies, but this is an unusual situation. There are only four weeks of lessons, so it shouldn't overwhelm your whole summer, right? In order to make it as convenient as possible for you, two different classes of the same lesson will be offered.
Thursday mornings at 10
Lesson 1--June 9
Lesson 2--June 23
Lesson 3--July 7
Lesson 4--July 21
Wednesday evenings at 6:30
Lesson 1--June 15
Lesson 2--June 29
Lesson 3--July 13
Lesson 4--July 27
All classes will meet at Wapato Valley Church. These will be BYOB events, (aka Bring Your Own Beverage). Also, no childcare will be available, as one or the other of these times should work for you to leave your adorable children home with your hunky husband.
Other events this summer will be an Ice Cream Social for couples on June 18th, a Hot Tub Party at Ashberry Lane July 1st, and a Swim Party at Karen's on August 18th. So as you can see, there's a lot of fun times ahead of us this summer. Put them on your calendar now.
I will be out of town from Sunday through Thursday next week, so don't hold your breath for a WOW-Zine next week, as you will keel over dead if you do so! I'll still be available by phone, so feel free to call me if you need to.
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
On Friday and Saturday we had the first-ever mini-retreat at Ashberry Lane. Nine of us met to participate in the Beth Moore Loving Well DVD series that we'd used as the backbone of our WOW retreat in March. These women responded the same way the rest of you did--being challenged by Beth's teaching and practical applications. The weekend finished with a WOW Movie Night and more great snacks. (Burp!)
Now that the many of the women in our church have gone through the Loving Well series, it's time to do our follow-up, using the journals that were included with your tote bag. So that's what the game plan is for this summer. The journals have six days-worth of questions to answer each week. Those of you who know me are aware I never have homework that I assign during my Bible studies, but this is an unusual situation. There are only four weeks of lessons, so it shouldn't overwhelm your whole summer, right? In order to make it as convenient as possible for you, two different classes of the same lesson will be offered.
Thursday mornings at 10
Lesson 1--June 9
Lesson 2--June 23
Lesson 3--July 7
Lesson 4--July 21
Wednesday evenings at 6:30
Lesson 1--June 15
Lesson 2--June 29
Lesson 3--July 13
Lesson 4--July 27
All classes will meet at Wapato Valley Church. These will be BYOB events, (aka Bring Your Own Beverage). Also, no childcare will be available, as one or the other of these times should work for you to leave your adorable children home with your hunky husband.
Other events this summer will be an Ice Cream Social for couples on June 18th, a Hot Tub Party at Ashberry Lane July 1st, and a Swim Party at Karen's on August 18th. So as you can see, there's a lot of fun times ahead of us this summer. Put them on your calendar now.
I will be out of town from Sunday through Thursday next week, so don't hold your breath for a WOW-Zine next week, as you will keel over dead if you do so! I'll still be available by phone, so feel free to call me if you need to.
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
Monday, May 9, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011 WOW-Zine
As Women of Wapato, we've got a lot going on this week, so let's get right to it!
This Wednesday we will gather for our final Common Grounds of the year. We are women who like to find excuses to celebrate, so we'll start off with a potluck at 6 PM. Bring a favorite dish to share with all of us. Maybe it's something you're famous for. Or something that no one else in your family likes to eat, so this would be your chance to make it for you to enjoy! Another possibility would be to try out a brand-new recipe. That way, if it's really horrible tasting, so many people will have taken a spoonful of it that there won't be a lot left over for you to have to choke down for the rest of the week! We'll follow the potluck with the final lesson in our study of Self Talk, Soul Talk. And I'd love it if you'd come prepared to share something that has meant a lot to you, or really spoken to your heart, from this study.
Friday evening and most of Saturday morning and afternoon the Loving Well mini-retreat will be held at my house. (Ashberry Lane) I do still have space for two more women to attend, so if you're interested, or have any questions, please give me a call at 971-285-6699. I'd love to have you join us.
This Saturday night, May 14th, WOW's Movie Night is happening at Ashberry Lane. (I might as well have a whole weekend of hosting stuff, right?) I gave the wrong movie title when I announced it at church yesterday. We'll watch Martian Child, starring John Cusak. Now, I know the title may not be all that appealing, but I remember watching this a couple years ago and loving it! Here's the scoop:
In this film based on a David Gerrold novel, John Cusack stars as a recently widowed science-fiction writer who adopts a 6-year-old boy to quell his loneliness. The catch? The kid (Bobby Coleman) claims to be from Mars. The fledgling father doesn't pay much attention to the boy's story at first. But an odd series of events prompts him to wonder whether his son could be telling the truth. Amanda Peet and Joan Cusack co-star.
This movie is: Quirky, Sentimental, Feel-good
2007 PG 106 minutes
We'll meet for snacks (please bring some with you!) at 7 PM at Ashberry Lane, and start the movie at 7:30. It won't be a late evening, I promise. :-)
The Women's Ministry Team met last week and planned events for the summer. We've got some fun times ahead of us, ladies! I'll be announcing what they are this week at Common Grounds, and then have it in printed form in next week's WOW-Zine.
Remember to leave a comment in order to be entered in the drawing at Common Grounds. (Must be present to win.) This week, just because I feel like it, I'm going to give away three prizes, so your chances have just increased! See you Wednesday at 6.
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
This Wednesday we will gather for our final Common Grounds of the year. We are women who like to find excuses to celebrate, so we'll start off with a potluck at 6 PM. Bring a favorite dish to share with all of us. Maybe it's something you're famous for. Or something that no one else in your family likes to eat, so this would be your chance to make it for you to enjoy! Another possibility would be to try out a brand-new recipe. That way, if it's really horrible tasting, so many people will have taken a spoonful of it that there won't be a lot left over for you to have to choke down for the rest of the week! We'll follow the potluck with the final lesson in our study of Self Talk, Soul Talk. And I'd love it if you'd come prepared to share something that has meant a lot to you, or really spoken to your heart, from this study.
Friday evening and most of Saturday morning and afternoon the Loving Well mini-retreat will be held at my house. (Ashberry Lane) I do still have space for two more women to attend, so if you're interested, or have any questions, please give me a call at 971-285-6699. I'd love to have you join us.
This Saturday night, May 14th, WOW's Movie Night is happening at Ashberry Lane. (I might as well have a whole weekend of hosting stuff, right?) I gave the wrong movie title when I announced it at church yesterday. We'll watch Martian Child, starring John Cusak. Now, I know the title may not be all that appealing, but I remember watching this a couple years ago and loving it! Here's the scoop:
In this film based on a David Gerrold novel, John Cusack stars as a recently widowed science-fiction writer who adopts a 6-year-old boy to quell his loneliness. The catch? The kid (Bobby Coleman) claims to be from Mars. The fledgling father doesn't pay much attention to the boy's story at first. But an odd series of events prompts him to wonder whether his son could be telling the truth. Amanda Peet and Joan Cusack co-star.
This movie is: Quirky, Sentimental, Feel-good
2007 PG 106 minutes
We'll meet for snacks (please bring some with you!) at 7 PM at Ashberry Lane, and start the movie at 7:30. It won't be a late evening, I promise. :-)
The Women's Ministry Team met last week and planned events for the summer. We've got some fun times ahead of us, ladies! I'll be announcing what they are this week at Common Grounds, and then have it in printed form in next week's WOW-Zine.
Remember to leave a comment in order to be entered in the drawing at Common Grounds. (Must be present to win.) This week, just because I feel like it, I'm going to give away three prizes, so your chances have just increased! See you Wednesday at 6.
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
Monday, May 2, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011 WOW-Zine
I'm back from Camp Tapawingo (which is outside Falls City, which is outside Dallas) where I spoke at the women's retreat for Grace Community Church this weekend. What a joy it was to get to share about being Daughters of the King. The sixty-plus women, (and I'm talking number of bodies, not number of years!) were very warm and receptive. And a lot of fun! During freetime on Saturday afternoon, quite a few of them took advantage of the Giant Swing at camp. They locked themselves into harnesses and were lifted 80 feet into the air. Then they pulled their pin and went sailing back and forth through the woods and over a valley. The screams were amazing!! I opted out of that, but did do my first-ever Zumba class. Talk about fun!! Whoa, I didn't know Christian women could move like that!!
This was the first time I've spoken at a retreat without knowing anyone there. I thought back to how shy I used to be. Years ago I would never have thought I could do something like this. But I see how the Lord has grown me, and my confidence in Him, to be able to go outside my comfort zone and share with strangers. Which brings me to the question of the week: how has God changed you? What are you able to do now that you never dreamed you'd be able to do?
We don't have Common Grounds this week, but will be meeting for our last one next week, Wednesday, May 11th at 6 PM. Please note that this is earlier than our usual time, as we'll start off with a wonderful potluck dinner. Those of you who have attended our potlucks know you have a lot of delicious food to look forward to. Our ladies really know how to cook! (Perhaps we should work those calories off with Zumba afterwards!) Seriously, we'll eat and have our final lesson on Self Talk, Soul Talk. It will be a fun evening. And if anyone really wanted to, I'll bet Anita would bring her Zumba DVD that we could do after the lesson. :-)
Even though Common Grounds will not meet throughout the summer, we will have some activities going on so we can keep in touch during that time. I'll tell you about those on the 11th.
The mini-retreat is coming up soon--the weekend of May 13th. There are still a couple openings, so let me know if you'd like to come. I'll be contacting those of you who have expressed interest. The Beth Moore DVD on Loving Well is definitely worth your time, and some of our summer activities will be built around it.
So, enjoy this first week of May. Hopefully the weather will get spring-like again and we'll be able to spend a lot of time soaking up some sunshine. In the meanwhile, do what you can to soak up some Sonshine!
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
This was the first time I've spoken at a retreat without knowing anyone there. I thought back to how shy I used to be. Years ago I would never have thought I could do something like this. But I see how the Lord has grown me, and my confidence in Him, to be able to go outside my comfort zone and share with strangers. Which brings me to the question of the week: how has God changed you? What are you able to do now that you never dreamed you'd be able to do?
We don't have Common Grounds this week, but will be meeting for our last one next week, Wednesday, May 11th at 6 PM. Please note that this is earlier than our usual time, as we'll start off with a wonderful potluck dinner. Those of you who have attended our potlucks know you have a lot of delicious food to look forward to. Our ladies really know how to cook! (Perhaps we should work those calories off with Zumba afterwards!) Seriously, we'll eat and have our final lesson on Self Talk, Soul Talk. It will be a fun evening. And if anyone really wanted to, I'll bet Anita would bring her Zumba DVD that we could do after the lesson. :-)
Even though Common Grounds will not meet throughout the summer, we will have some activities going on so we can keep in touch during that time. I'll tell you about those on the 11th.
The mini-retreat is coming up soon--the weekend of May 13th. There are still a couple openings, so let me know if you'd like to come. I'll be contacting those of you who have expressed interest. The Beth Moore DVD on Loving Well is definitely worth your time, and some of our summer activities will be built around it.
So, enjoy this first week of May. Hopefully the weather will get spring-like again and we'll be able to spend a lot of time soaking up some sunshine. In the meanwhile, do what you can to soak up some Sonshine!
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
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