Monday, January 2, 2012

Happy New Year, Ladies! Are you as ready as I am to get back into the routine? It's always fun to have days off of work, or the kids home on vacation, and have a chance to relax and not be under the demands of the clock and calendar as much as usual, isn't it? But after a week or two don't you long for a more normal rhythm to your life? I know I do, and I don't even have kids at home. (Though you'd never know it by the amount of grandkids who have passed through my door these past couple of weeks.) 


I want to let you know about a good organizational tool I found via Ann Voskamp, the writer of One Thousand Gifts. This lady is an author, a mother of a passel of kids whom she home schools, and she writes a daily blog. If anyone needs to be organized, it's her! She has a free download you can print out for each day and keep track of everything you need to do. Check it out at http://www.aholyexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/dayplanner.pdf

Ann says, "If it matters, you make the time.

If it doesn’t, you make excuses.

Standing in an imperfect place is just the perfect place to begin, and everyday offers the hope of Day 1. His mercies are new every morning and this is a gift.

And then, at the end of the day, be done with the day because you’ve done what you could do. The accomplishment of a day isn’t so much about accomplishing goals but abiding in God, and this is the thing that needs remembering. True, the day may have stumbled and fallen, but in Christ we are the saved.

Tomorrow, it will descend like a fresh dew, a fresh snow, and it will come again —  Fresh grace all over again."

Are you feeling a bit sluggish this week? Have the party foods and family dinners caught up with you? It's time to get that vitality back into your life again, and one of the great ways to do that is through exercise. Therefore, ZUMBA RETURNS THIS WEEK! The Monday/ Wednesday group will continue meeting at 4:15, but there is a time change for the Tuesday/Thursday group. We're going to see how 5 PM works for us. We've had it later in the evening so that working women would have the chance to join us, but no one has! So we're changing it to the 5PM hour and will see how that works. That way you can put a casserole in the oven before you come to work out, and it will be ready for you to eat with your family as soon as you get home at 6. You won't have to leave the house after dinner to come exercise. 

Also resuming this week is Common Grounds at 6:30 Wednesday at the church. Our study of Bad Girls of the Bible continues with the story of Potiphar's Wife. Read Genesis chapter 39 to refresh your memory of the choices this woman made and how it affected the lives of others. The Thursday Perk will meet next week and take a look at the same passage. 

Hey, do you ever feel like you'd just like to knock some things over? If so, (and even if not) join us for a WOW Bowling Party on Saturday, January 21st. Plans will be finalized this week, so be looking for more details next week, but meanwhile put this date on your calendar. We're going to try to do it in the morning, followed by lunch, so you won't have to take the whole day away from your family. This will be an opportunity to "strike" up some new friendships, work on your "spare" tire, and maybe have a "turkey" sandwich! You are welcome to bring daughters twelve years of age and older with you.

Remember what's special about the weekend of April 13-15th? If you said it's my birthday, you'd be wrong. If you said it's the days you'll win the lottery, you're probably wrong. But, if you said, "It's the time of the awesome WOW retreat!" you would be right on!! Those of us on the Women's Ministry Team are planning a special time for all of us. Our theme is A SeaSide Escape, which is perfect since we go to Lincoln City. It looks like we'll be able to hold the cost down to $80 per woman again this year, which is a really good deal. Start putting your money aside now, as your spot isn't reserved until you pay in full. Registration opens March 1st  We have a strict limit of 40 women, and no one will be staying in a motel this year. Registration will be open the first two weeks to those women who regularly attend Wapato Valley Church. March 15th registration will expand to include those of you who come to Common Grounds or The Thursday Perk but attend church elsewhere. The last week of March we will open it up to anyone else. Don't worry if you're in the second group of registrants, as we're sure we'll have room for everyone that wants to go. We just need an orderly plan to make it fair. 

I hope some of you will leave comments on this newly-formatted blog so that I'll know I'm not talking to myself! I pray you all have a wonderful year walking with the Lord. Let me leave you with a New Year benediction written by Roy Lessin, the co-founder of Day Spring. His prayer is:

May the coming year be one of increased riches of grace—hearing His voice more clearly, knowing His heart more deeply, resting in His love more fully, trusting His care more completely, walking His pathway more peacefully, knowing His presence more intimately, blessed by His goodness more abundantly.

And in all things, may you know the shalom peace of God—encouraging you to move forward, empowering you to boldly take each step, greeting you as you turn a new corner, calming your heartbeat as you walk through dark valleys, softening each footstep as you climb rugged mountains, and increasing your courage as you follow your Shepherd wherever He leads.

You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy. Psalm 65:11-12 NLT

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