Hear ye, hear ye! Just a reminder that Common Grounds will be meeting at Ashberry Lane (my house) this Wednesday at 6:30 PM. Put a sticky note on your steering wheel, a note in your electronic device, or, if you're planning on getting a tattoo this week, get it inked on the palm of your hand to remind yourself not to go to the church this Wednesday night. Guys will be working there that day to install a new sound system for the church, and we don't want to get in their way. The Perk will meet at the church at 9:30 Thursday morning just as usual.
Okay, you Common Grounds women, you all banded together last week and unofficially declared it to be Low Attendance Week for your Bible study. The seven of us who didn't get the memo had a great time together, but we certainly did miss the rest of you! So this week, it's time to turn that around and see if you can beat the attendance of The Perk. (Remember to come to my house to do this. It won't count if you show up at church!) We need a little healthy competition between the two groups, and so far The Perk is winning. We have between 13-16 ladies that attend that. Plus since we also provide childcare for that, the place is crawling with babies! (Pun intended.)
This week, both groups will be continuing our study of Jesus, the One and Only, taking up at Luke 2:39 through the end of the chapter. There's a very slight possibility we may also get into chapter 3, though it's highly unlikely. I would much rather give us the opportunity to have rich times of discussion and application of the Scripture, than to rush through it just to say we did.
WOW Movie Night is this Friday, October 19th, 7 PM, at Ashberry Lane Theater. We'll be watching a wonderful movie called October Baby. This drama tells the story of
college freshman Hannah ,stunned
and angered by the truth of her birth, who sets out
on a spring break road trip with her best friend Jason and a band of
misfits to discover who she is, where she came from, and where she will
go from here. I've heard a lot of great reports from people who have seen this movie, and our own Amy Rusaw previewed it for us and gave it two thumbs and two big toes up! So bring some snacks, a blankie if you'd like, and come relax and cry together Friday night. (This is for high school juniors and above.)
Well, as much as I enjoy sitting around visiting with each of you, I think it's time to start chopping down that list of mine. So let me leave you with a thought from Hydrated Living, the blog of Donna Pyle. (She's the lady that wrote the Bible study we did this summer on spiritual armor.)
It happened on Sunday night at Small Group.
Reality 101.
I didn't plan on sharing this particular struggle even though it's been weighing on my heart and mind for over a year. But out of the blue, out it came. Right out of my heart. Right out into the open.
I'm struggling relationally with a person who's very dear to me.
The endless drama swirling in her life never seems to end. Some of it is self-induced, some not. Her difficulties are spilling over and affecting my life and frankly, I had just about had it. I have enough drama in my life, thank you very much. Even though I act loving and kind toward her, my heart has slowly retreated.
I know that's not pretty, but it's real. And it's self-centered. And ugly to the core.
I want so much for my heart to join my hands and be right there helping her as much as I can for as long as I can. So after whining about dealing with all the drama, I asked that precious group of friends for wisdom.
How do you stop your heart from retreating when I'm guarding it out of self-preservation?
One lady in particular shared her struggles about a similar situation she had experienced. She spoke with love, grace, and kindness, yet her difficulty had been 100 times worse. Literally. But she relied on God to mend that relationship and move forward in a positive manner in full peace. It gave me a lot to ponder and pray about.
On Tuesday, God showed me in no uncertain terms that I needed a serious a reality check, a heart check, and an attitude adjustment. Big time.
Ouch.
I had to sit down for a minute and let the tears flow. And confess my self-centeredness. And face my icky heart junk in the mirror: judgmentalism, a critical spirit, a holier-than-thou attitude. It was appalling. I can only imagine how appalling it was to God.
The reality? I was viewing her situation through the lens of how it was affecting me. I willfully chose to ignore how her struggles deeply affect her. Many aspects of her difficulties lay beyond her control, yet I've been unjustly holding her accountable for the whole thing.
That's not loving. Or fair. I mean, what if Jesus viewed and treated me that way? Instead, He commanded:
Cast in that light, her situation doesn't affect me nearly as much as I thought. Truthfully, she's doing the best she possibly can. And I could be doing a whole lot more to lessen her burden. So why am I whining instead of reaching out?
God has a way of pointing out our icky so we come face to face with His grace. And I'm so thankful. We need hard reality checks, because living in this harsh world is hard enough without adding to the ugliness.
I'm still feeling tenderized today, but as long as God is the one doing it, I'm resting in the best care ever.
.
Well, as much as I enjoy sitting around visiting with each of you, I think it's time to start chopping down that list of mine. So let me leave you with a thought from Hydrated Living, the blog of Donna Pyle. (She's the lady that wrote the Bible study we did this summer on spiritual armor.)
Hydrated Living
|
Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:04 PM PDT
It happened on Sunday night at Small Group.
Reality 101.
I didn't plan on sharing this particular struggle even though it's been weighing on my heart and mind for over a year. But out of the blue, out it came. Right out of my heart. Right out into the open.
I'm struggling relationally with a person who's very dear to me.
The endless drama swirling in her life never seems to end. Some of it is self-induced, some not. Her difficulties are spilling over and affecting my life and frankly, I had just about had it. I have enough drama in my life, thank you very much. Even though I act loving and kind toward her, my heart has slowly retreated.
I know that's not pretty, but it's real. And it's self-centered. And ugly to the core.
I want so much for my heart to join my hands and be right there helping her as much as I can for as long as I can. So after whining about dealing with all the drama, I asked that precious group of friends for wisdom.
How do you stop your heart from retreating when I'm guarding it out of self-preservation?
One lady in particular shared her struggles about a similar situation she had experienced. She spoke with love, grace, and kindness, yet her difficulty had been 100 times worse. Literally. But she relied on God to mend that relationship and move forward in a positive manner in full peace. It gave me a lot to ponder and pray about.
On Tuesday, God showed me in no uncertain terms that I needed a serious a reality check, a heart check, and an attitude adjustment. Big time.
Ouch.
I had to sit down for a minute and let the tears flow. And confess my self-centeredness. And face my icky heart junk in the mirror: judgmentalism, a critical spirit, a holier-than-thou attitude. It was appalling. I can only imagine how appalling it was to God.
The reality? I was viewing her situation through the lens of how it was affecting me. I willfully chose to ignore how her struggles deeply affect her. Many aspects of her difficulties lay beyond her control, yet I've been unjustly holding her accountable for the whole thing.
That's not loving. Or fair. I mean, what if Jesus viewed and treated me that way? Instead, He commanded:
"Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.
Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." Colossians 3:13
Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." Colossians 3:13
Cast in that light, her situation doesn't affect me nearly as much as I thought. Truthfully, she's doing the best she possibly can. And I could be doing a whole lot more to lessen her burden. So why am I whining instead of reaching out?
God has a way of pointing out our icky so we come face to face with His grace. And I'm so thankful. We need hard reality checks, because living in this harsh world is hard enough without adding to the ugliness.
I'm still feeling tenderized today, but as long as God is the one doing it, I'm resting in the best care ever.
Is it hard for you to face your heart ick? How do you respond when God points it out?
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
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