Welcome to spring break, ladies! I hope you're able to spend some quality time with your kids while they are out of school this week. (I know a few of you have a different week for spring break, but most are occurring at this time.) Share with us what kind of activities you're planning on doing as a family. We all need some new good ideas!
Because of so many people being out of town this week, our activities are non-existent, giving you a chance to focus on time with your family. But that doesn't mean you couldn't give me a call and suggest we get together for coffee! I really love the times I get to spend one-on-one with you. And a big welcome to several new women who have asked to be a part of this weekly mailing list. We hope you'll join us at some of our activities.
So here's what's not going on this week: Zumba, Common Grounds, and The Thursday Perk. But once spring break is a thing of the past, wow, will we ever be busy! Next week will see Zumba on Monday and Wednesday at 4:15 at the church. Also next Wednesday we'll resume Common Grounds at the church at 6:30 PM, and the following week will be The Thursday Perk at 9:30 AM. And just a couple of weeks until our SeaSide Escape retreat in Lincoln City on April 13th-15th. There are only five spots remaining, so if you're planning on coming, get your $80 to me immediately. On Wednesday it will open up to friends or relatives who don't attend Wapato. And don't forget about our Feminini-Tea on Saturday, May 5th, at 10 AM for women and girls.
I can hear you wondering what Bad Girl of the Bible we'll be studying next week at Common Grounds. I'm here to give you the answer--Jezebel! Our focus scripture passage is found in I Kings 21, but we'll be looking up scads of other verses too. Come prepared for a time of great discussion and application. (The Thursday Perk will be covering the same material the following week.)
Speaking of our Bible studies, I've had several of you ask me recently about the possibility of having weekly studies for both Common Grounds and The Thursday Perk next year. I'm certainly open to that possibility, though I know some people wouldn't be able to make it each week. But then, some people aren't able to make it every other week as it is. So, give me your feedback. Are you interested in having something offered in the evening and the morning every week? I'd do one lesson each week, just as I do now, teaching the same thing on Wednesday and Thursday. (I don't know yet what I'll be teaching on next year, but will let you know when I do.)
I'm still working on the summer schedule for WOW. I know we'll have Bible studies, get-togethers at homes, as well as some "field trips". Please be sure to give me any great ideas you have about things we can do and places we can go, some of which will include children being able to participate. I don't want the closeness we've developed throughout the school year to wane during the summer. Let's have lots of fun together!
I'm also attempting to find a good date to offer a mini-retreat repeat of SeaSide Escape at my house sometime this spring or summer. The dates I offered in last week's WOW-Zine ended up conflicting with some previously scheduled church activities that I'd forgotten about. I'd love to do this Friday night/all day Saturday mini-retreat with a small group of women, and it would only cost $20 each. Please let me know if that's something you'd be interested in.
Zumba, Common Grounds, The Thursday Perk, SeaSide Escape, the Feminini-Tea, and summer events--I think I've covered about everything! Remember that we just have a few more meetings during the school year, so you won't want to miss any of them.
Common Grounds (6:30 PM) will meet:
April 4, 18
May 2, 16(grand finale)
The Thursday Perk (9:30 AM) will meet:
April 5, 26
May 10, 17 (grand finale)
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you--there are a couple of times when both studies meet back-to-back because of logistics.
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
Monday, March 26, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012 WOW-Zine
Welcome to another day of your life! You may have started it off by grumbling about more snow and a grey day, but it's not too late to change your attitude. Spring is just around the corner (or actually, just around the clock, since it officially starts tomorrow.) You probably have bulbs blooming in your flowerbeds, which is a sure sign warmer weather will eventually reach us. Robins and all the other birds are flirting with each other around the bird feeder here at Ashberry Lane. Love is in the air!
SeaSide Escape retreat update: You ladies are very eager to get away for the weekend of April 13th-15th, as we only have six spots open! Thanks for such a great response. We can hardly wait to spend hours together with you. Remember that once you pay your $80 you can choose which bed you want to sleep in. I'm carrying the "accommodation book" with me nearly everywhere I go, so just check with me.
Several of you have told me you'd love to attend the retreat but can't get away that weekend. Then have I got a deal for you! I would love to do what we did last year and have a mini-retreat here at my house. How does that sound? I would probably do that either the weekend of April 27th and 28th or May 18th and 19th. So if you're unable to make the beach retreat, let me know if you'd like to do one at Ashberry Lane. I can do it with as small of a group as 4 women. The cost would only be $20. We would cover the same material in SeaSide Escape as we will be doing in Lincoln City.
A reminder that Zumba now meets only on Monday and Wednesday at 4:15 PM at the church.
The Thursday Perk meets this week at 9:30. We'll be studying the life of Tamar in Genesis chapter 38. This section of scripture generated a lot of discussion when we looked at it last week at Common Grounds. Come prepared for God to speak to your heart.
Our second annual Feminini-Tea is Saturday, May 5th, at 10 AM at the church. Who would love to host a table by decorating it with a tablecloth, dishes, and centerpiece? We had a delightful time together (daughters are invited, and you can borrow some if you don't have any) last year. This year Barb Boswell will be our speaker. The event is free--you just need to bring along some tea-time goodies to share!
Our Bible studies will be through for the year before you know it, but don't worry, we'll have other options for during the summer. One of the things we always do is to plan some fun things to do together, and often your children are invited too. I'd like to do things like a day-trip to the beach, a picnic in a park, etc. Let me know what wonderful ideas you have and I'll try to incorporate them into our summer plans. Bible studies will also be offered during the summer, as we don't want to lose the closeness we've developed with each other throughout the year, nor do we want to take a vacation from growing in God's Word!
The Thursday Perk will meet:
March 22
April 5, 26
May 10, 17 (grand finale)
Common Grounds will meet:
April 4, 18
May 2, 16(grand finale)
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you--there are a couple of times when both studies meet back-to-back because of logistics.
So, I'm outta here for this week! I'll leave you with another good devotional from Holley Gerth's website:
She curls her toes over the edge of the diving board and peers into the water below. Pink bathing suit. Pink goggles. Pink rubber bands holding soggy pigtails in place. She's not exactly the picture of courage but just when it seems she's going to back down...she grins and instead leaps up, up, up and over the edge.
SeaSide Escape retreat update: You ladies are very eager to get away for the weekend of April 13th-15th, as we only have six spots open! Thanks for such a great response. We can hardly wait to spend hours together with you. Remember that once you pay your $80 you can choose which bed you want to sleep in. I'm carrying the "accommodation book" with me nearly everywhere I go, so just check with me.
Several of you have told me you'd love to attend the retreat but can't get away that weekend. Then have I got a deal for you! I would love to do what we did last year and have a mini-retreat here at my house. How does that sound? I would probably do that either the weekend of April 27th and 28th or May 18th and 19th. So if you're unable to make the beach retreat, let me know if you'd like to do one at Ashberry Lane. I can do it with as small of a group as 4 women. The cost would only be $20. We would cover the same material in SeaSide Escape as we will be doing in Lincoln City.
A reminder that Zumba now meets only on Monday and Wednesday at 4:15 PM at the church.
The Thursday Perk meets this week at 9:30. We'll be studying the life of Tamar in Genesis chapter 38. This section of scripture generated a lot of discussion when we looked at it last week at Common Grounds. Come prepared for God to speak to your heart.
Our second annual Feminini-Tea is Saturday, May 5th, at 10 AM at the church. Who would love to host a table by decorating it with a tablecloth, dishes, and centerpiece? We had a delightful time together (daughters are invited, and you can borrow some if you don't have any) last year. This year Barb Boswell will be our speaker. The event is free--you just need to bring along some tea-time goodies to share!
Our Bible studies will be through for the year before you know it, but don't worry, we'll have other options for during the summer. One of the things we always do is to plan some fun things to do together, and often your children are invited too. I'd like to do things like a day-trip to the beach, a picnic in a park, etc. Let me know what wonderful ideas you have and I'll try to incorporate them into our summer plans. Bible studies will also be offered during the summer, as we don't want to lose the closeness we've developed with each other throughout the year, nor do we want to take a vacation from growing in God's Word!
The Thursday Perk will meet:
March 22
April 5, 26
May 10, 17 (grand finale)
Common Grounds will meet:
April 4, 18
May 2, 16(grand finale)
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you--there are a couple of times when both studies meet back-to-back because of logistics.
So, I'm outta here for this week! I'll leave you with another good devotional from Holley Gerth's website:
Heart to Heart with Holley Gerth: 7 Secrets to Overcoming Fear: {2} Find Your Joy |
Posted: 20 Feb 2012 12:16 PM PST
She curls her toes over the edge of the diving board and peers into the water below. Pink bathing suit. Pink goggles. Pink rubber bands holding soggy pigtails in place. She's not exactly the picture of courage but just when it seems she's going to back down...she grins and instead leaps up, up, up and over the edge.JOY is a powerful motivator.
And it always trumps fear.
We know that as kids. But somewhere along the way we forget how much it's true. We start believing life is serious business and getting rid of fear requires intensity and determination.
Not always.
Sometimes it's as simple as rediscovering our joy, embracing our passion, taking the hand of the Good-Gift-Giver and daring to follow him over the edge.
What do you really love?
What makes you feel joy in a way that nothing else does?
Where do you feel God's presence more than anywhere else (because where he is, joy is too)?
When fear tells you to turn back--to stop following that dream, taking that step, making that difference--run toward joy.
Because, here's the secret, fear has a fear of joy.
And it won't dare to follow you when you jump heart first over that edge.
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
Monday, March 12, 2012
Monday, March12, 2012 WOW-Zine
For those of you who pay attention to such things, yes, I'm later than usual with getting this out today. But that's because I was at an elders retreat in Netarts all weekend and just got home late this morning. So now it's time to turn my attention to you sweet ladies.
Common Grounds is this Wednesday at 6:30 PM at the church. Maybe you think you can't come because you've never attended before. Wrong! We love to have new ladies join us at any time.We're going through the Bad Girls of the Bible, and this week we'll be taking a look at Tamar, as found in Genesis 38. Join us for a time of goodies and visiting, as well as opening God's word and finding how to apply this story to our lives.
Zumba will only be meeting today this week. The Wednesday class is cancelled for this week. Because the schedule doesn't seem to be working well for women on Tuesday and Thursday, those classes will no longer meet. If you think of a better time, let me know and we'll see what we can work out. During the summer we'll be able to start meeting in the mornings again, which seemed to work better for more people.
The SeaSide Escape retreat registration is open and going strong. The next tier of registration begins this Wednesday as we open it up to women who attend either Common Grounds or The Thursday Perk. Bring your checkbooks with you on Wednesday to pay your $80. Or you can mail the checks to me (made out to Wapato Valley Church) at:
Sherrie Ashcraft
Box 665
Gaston, OR 97119
The dates are Friday night through Sunday morning, April 13th through 15th, in Lincoln City. This is always the highlight of our yearly activities, and we want you to be a part of it!
Do you have it on your calendar yet? I'm talking about our second annual Feminini-Tea on Saturday, May 5th, beginning at 10 AM. We had a fantastic time last year, and this year we're even bringing in an outside speaker--Barb Boswell. I'll tell you more about her as the time gets closer. This is a free event for moms and daughters, aunts and nieces, etc. Once again, we're looking for women to volunteer to decorate and host a table. The church was filled with absolutely gorgeous tables last year. It was so much fun to see the different table settings. So please let me know if you'd be willing to help with that again (or for the first time) this year. We'll all bring tea-type snacks, and you can dress up. It will be a great way to kick off your May.
My brain seems to be working in slow motion today after such a busy weekend, so this is all I can think of. I'm including an article that may be of encouragement, especially to those of you who still have kiddlywinks at home. I wasn't able to find the author's name--it seems she's just known as The Gypsy Mama.
It occurs to me how much I miss on the days when I’m frustrated.
On the days when I hurry them through brushing teeth and climbing bunk bed ladders and demands for just one more sip of water. On evenings when I rush and mutter and long for the solace of bed and laptop and online. On mornings when I rush to find lost shoes, chug down honey nut Cheerios and pack lunches and stuffed bears.
How much does the rush cost me?
We want to be on time, yes. But on time and frayed around the edges, on time and in tears, on time and relieved to be parting ways is no one’s win-win.
The rush is all mine. I can choose to shelter them from it or not.
The clock is all mine. I can choose to dictate from it or not.
The rhythm is all mine. I can choose to dance to it or not.
Because the melody of any day ebbs and flows around a mother’s mood.
And if I can set my mood by the desire to send them off at peace and full of the knowing that they mattered then they will have a gift to unwrap the rest of the day.
Knowing that they mattered to their mother more than her to-dos.
And yes, I hear you saying that there are things we can’t actually be late for. And to-dos must be done sometime or lives will unravel. I agree, I do.
But I am learning to tell the difference between the rush of the doing vs. the gifting of the doing.
I am learning to spot the wonder in the ordinary. Because if it is all a gift to me from the Father who gives good things, why don’t I re-gift it to my kids before we rush out the door?
Time and again I have to reel my fast, wagging, frustrated tongue in and slow down the crazy that’s about to spill out of me. And because we do still need to be on time these are the things I’m trying out in order to get us there with tempers and kind words in tact:
This doesn’t make breakfast any more nutritious than a bowl of cereal or a bagel and cream cheese most mornings. But it does make us all feel filled up in the ways that matter most. Some mornings we still snap and no one brushes their teeth and car doors are slammed. But other mornings – more mornings these days – there is time factored in for slow. Time factored in for connecting before parting.
We don’t have big prayers or profound Bible readings – but we have the heart of the thing. The rhythm of secure kids and restrained parents. There is give and take. An episode of Mighty Machines
if breakfast is eaten. Time with the hamster if teeth have first been brushed. A half hour of swashbuckling in the yard if they’re dressed in full ready-to-leave-from-the-yard-when-mom-calls clothes.
If I want our kids’ morning routine to work I have to work the hardest at keeping it together. Myself first. My tongue, my temper and my temptation to dish out blame for being late.
So I take a deep breath when I’m lying there listening to Zoe start to wake up, before I can will myself out of bed. I take a deep breath and picture the hand of the carpenter who lived over 2,000 years ago – rough and strong and tender – ready to lead me into the dance. There will be crazy and whining and bed head. There will be the same red cereal bowl and yellow spoon Micah’s used a hundred mornings before.
There will be trails of socks and cries that someone is out of undies. There will be missing library books and someone who insists on wearing his camouflage pants again. There will be a raggedy toy bear and a baby that trails around behind every body, unpacking everything.
But on the very best mornings, oh yes on the best mornings, there will also be dancing
at our house.
Common Grounds is this Wednesday at 6:30 PM at the church. Maybe you think you can't come because you've never attended before. Wrong! We love to have new ladies join us at any time.We're going through the Bad Girls of the Bible, and this week we'll be taking a look at Tamar, as found in Genesis 38. Join us for a time of goodies and visiting, as well as opening God's word and finding how to apply this story to our lives.
Zumba will only be meeting today this week. The Wednesday class is cancelled for this week. Because the schedule doesn't seem to be working well for women on Tuesday and Thursday, those classes will no longer meet. If you think of a better time, let me know and we'll see what we can work out. During the summer we'll be able to start meeting in the mornings again, which seemed to work better for more people.
The SeaSide Escape retreat registration is open and going strong. The next tier of registration begins this Wednesday as we open it up to women who attend either Common Grounds or The Thursday Perk. Bring your checkbooks with you on Wednesday to pay your $80. Or you can mail the checks to me (made out to Wapato Valley Church) at:
Sherrie Ashcraft
Box 665
Gaston, OR 97119
The dates are Friday night through Sunday morning, April 13th through 15th, in Lincoln City. This is always the highlight of our yearly activities, and we want you to be a part of it!
Do you have it on your calendar yet? I'm talking about our second annual Feminini-Tea on Saturday, May 5th, beginning at 10 AM. We had a fantastic time last year, and this year we're even bringing in an outside speaker--Barb Boswell. I'll tell you more about her as the time gets closer. This is a free event for moms and daughters, aunts and nieces, etc. Once again, we're looking for women to volunteer to decorate and host a table. The church was filled with absolutely gorgeous tables last year. It was so much fun to see the different table settings. So please let me know if you'd be willing to help with that again (or for the first time) this year. We'll all bring tea-type snacks, and you can dress up. It will be a great way to kick off your May.
My brain seems to be working in slow motion today after such a busy weekend, so this is all I can think of. I'm including an article that may be of encouragement, especially to those of you who still have kiddlywinks at home. I wasn't able to find the author's name--it seems she's just known as The Gypsy Mama.
On surviving the crush of the morning rush
On the days when I hurry them through brushing teeth and climbing bunk bed ladders and demands for just one more sip of water. On evenings when I rush and mutter and long for the solace of bed and laptop and online. On mornings when I rush to find lost shoes, chug down honey nut Cheerios and pack lunches and stuffed bears.
How much does the rush cost me?
We want to be on time, yes. But on time and frayed around the edges, on time and in tears, on time and relieved to be parting ways is no one’s win-win.
The rush is all mine. I can choose to shelter them from it or not.
The clock is all mine. I can choose to dictate from it or not.
The rhythm is all mine. I can choose to dance to it or not.
Because the melody of any day ebbs and flows around a mother’s mood.
And if I can set my mood by the desire to send them off at peace and full of the knowing that they mattered then they will have a gift to unwrap the rest of the day.
Knowing that they mattered to their mother more than her to-dos.
And yes, I hear you saying that there are things we can’t actually be late for. And to-dos must be done sometime or lives will unravel. I agree, I do.
But I am learning to tell the difference between the rush of the doing vs. the gifting of the doing.
I am learning to spot the wonder in the ordinary. Because if it is all a gift to me from the Father who gives good things, why don’t I re-gift it to my kids before we rush out the door?
Time and again I have to reel my fast, wagging, frustrated tongue in and slow down the crazy that’s about to spill out of me. And because we do still need to be on time these are the things I’m trying out in order to get us there with tempers and kind words in tact:
We don’t have big prayers or profound Bible readings – but we have the heart of the thing. The rhythm of secure kids and restrained parents. There is give and take. An episode of Mighty Machines
if breakfast is eaten. Time with the hamster if teeth have first been brushed. A half hour of swashbuckling in the yard if they’re dressed in full ready-to-leave-from-the-yard-when-mom-calls clothes.If I want our kids’ morning routine to work I have to work the hardest at keeping it together. Myself first. My tongue, my temper and my temptation to dish out blame for being late.
So I take a deep breath when I’m lying there listening to Zoe start to wake up, before I can will myself out of bed. I take a deep breath and picture the hand of the carpenter who lived over 2,000 years ago – rough and strong and tender – ready to lead me into the dance. There will be crazy and whining and bed head. There will be the same red cereal bowl and yellow spoon Micah’s used a hundred mornings before.
There will be trails of socks and cries that someone is out of undies. There will be missing library books and someone who insists on wearing his camouflage pants again. There will be a raggedy toy bear and a baby that trails around behind every body, unpacking everything.
But on the very best mornings, oh yes on the best mornings, there will also be dancing
at our house.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012 WOW-Zine
It's a fresh week, ladies, filled with God-only-knows-what. And I mean that in a very reverent way. God alone knows what is ahead of each of us. I'll be sharing some opportunities for things you can be involved in this week and in the near future, but we have no guarantee that our plans will actually be fulfilled. You may take a look at your family calendar and see that it's crammed to the brim with many activities and responsibilities, but again, none of us know how the week will turn out.
It reminds me of the verses in the book of James that say (in The Message): And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, "Today--at the latest, tomorrow--we're off to such and such a city for the year. We're going to start a business and make a lot of money." You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, "If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that."
So, if the Master wills it, we've got our SeaSide Escape women's retreat in Lincoln City the weekend of April 13th-15th. Do you realize that's just next month?! When we first started talking about it, it was six months away. Now it's just six weeks! Registration is open for those who regularly attend Wapato Valley Church. The cost is $80. Quite a few of you have paid me already, but don't worry, there's still plenty of room for you. Please make checks out to WVC, but hand them to me. If you don't have the registration form, that's okay. We have a new twist to registration this year, that just happened yesterday. Our own Amy Rusaw put together a booklet that has pictures of each of the rooms. When you register, you then have the option to choose your bed! Many of you were at the house last year and know what it's like. For those who have already registered, you can give me a call, or arrange to meet and select your sleeping arrangements. So the sooner you sign up, the sooner you're able to make your selection. We hope you appreciate this new convenience.
This week we have The Thursday Perk at 9:30 AM at the church. We'll be sharing a precious morning of study as we look at The Bleeding Woman in Mark 5:25-34. Last Wednesday at Common Grounds we had an especially good time as we looked at Jesus' response to a hurting, outcast woman. You won't want to miss it this Thursday.
Our free exercise classes continue, with Zumba on Monday and Wednesday at 4:15 PM. On Tuesday and Thursday at 5 PM we offer an exercise potpourri. No, I'm afraid it doesn't mean we smell good while we exercise, as we still work up a sweat, but you never know for sure what exercise DVD we'll be using. It could be Zumba, something from The Core, or some other exercise program. Would you do me a favor and call or text me if you're coming on Tuesday or Thursday? My contact info is at the end of this WOW-Zine.
We had a good time Friday night at the WOW Movie Night, even though attendance was low due to that big Christian concert in Portland that night. But we enjoyed good popcorn and other snacks as we watched The Young Victoria. And yes, I did wear my jammies and tiara!
This month's schedule for our Bible studies:
Common Grounds--only on the 14th. (Spring break hits when we would next meet.)
The Thursday Perk--the 8th and 22nd.
DON'T FORGET:
--The Art of Marriage conference--March 16th and 17th at Wapato Valley Church
--WOW's second annual FEMININI-TEA--Saturday, May 5th at the church
At the most UNEXPECTED times,
Through the most UNLIKELY sources,
By the most UNUSUAL means,
To bless us in the most DELIGHTFUL ways.
Through the most UNLIKELY sources,
By the most UNUSUAL means,
To bless us in the most DELIGHTFUL ways.
“Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You…
(By Roy Lessin)
Remember the truth of those words as you walk through this week!
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
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