Monday, August 26, 2013 WOW-Zine

What's up with the fall weather? Maybe it will help get both you and your children in the mood for school starting back up next week. It's time to wring the last bits of summer out of the month! A lot of us did that last Tuesday at our Rockin' Rockaway Beach Party. We had twelve women and a myriad of children show up for the afternoon. What fun! When the wind started to pick up and blow sand in our face, it was a sign from above that it was time to leave. Until then, it was very relaxing to sit around and visit with people that maybe we don't ordinarily get to spend time with. We'll repeat a beach party next summer, I'm sure.

Since we're still on hiatus from our usual activities, I don't have a whole lot to share with you this week. Our Bible studies will resume the second week of school--Common Grounds at 6:30 PM Wednesdays (beginning Sept.11th), and The Perk at 9:30 AM Thursdays (resuming Sept. 12th.)  And now it's finally time to officially announce what we'll be studying this year! It's another Beth Moore study, and is called James: Mercy Triumphs. I've heard wonderful reports from other churches who have used this study, and you know I'm all about making our faith active and life-changing, which the book of James deals with. Even if you've read James in the past, you know you'll be in for a treat when we go through it together. I really hope you can plan your schedules so that you're able to attend one of these studies.

We'd like to provide a couple more meals for Darci and her family after her surgery this Thursday. Dinners are covered except for Sunday and Monday evening. If you could bless the Stevens family with a simple meal, just go to http://www.takethemameal.com/meals.php?t=ZBMJ0453 to sign up. Thanks!

Are you getting excited about Women of Faith coming to Portland on October 4th and 5th? If you've gone before, you know what a good time we have. If you've never been able to attend, make this be the year that you do! I've got tickets we purchased at a discount, and there are still seven left at a price of $81. Please let me know if you'd like one. A check can be made out to Wapato Valley Church and given to me to hold your spot. It might sound like it's quite a way out in the future, but you're all old enough to realize that the time will pass very quickly. So contact me soon!

The Women's Ministry Team will be meeting tonight to plan the activities and events for our upcoming year, so please pray for us. And if you have any ideas of something you'd like to see us do, shoot me an e-mail right away.

Until next week,

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

Monday, August 19, 2013 WOW-Zine

What a great turnout we're going to have for our Rockin' Rockaway Beach Party tomorrow! I've heard back from lots of you that you and your kiddos will be showing up sometime around 11 Tuesday at the main beach at Rockaway. (Where the little train station is.) Helen, Amy, Christina, Christine, Lori, Kathy, Chrissy, Debbie, Stephanie, Keisha,Nicole, and myself would be more than happy to have more of you join us! If you need to get there a little late, that's perfectly fine.

Remember to bring your own water, picnic, snacks, sunscreen, towels, etc. with you. And most of you probably already know about how useful a container of baby powder is to brush the sand off just before getting in the car for the return trip. This is an open-ended event, meaning you can stay as long as you want. And you may easily want to polish off the afternoon with a stop for ice cream at the Tillamook Cheese Factory on the way home. This will be a great way for us to close out our summer activities and start to think about a fresh start in the fall.

Yesterday was the annual Sizzle, and I'd like to thank all of you who provided cookies for the Cookie Walk, as well as those who spent time "womaning" the booth. I think doing cookies instead of cupcakes was a smart move on our behalf--much easier to manage in the hot sun and less mess on the kids after they ate one! 

I love that many of you are actually reading the WOW-Zine each week and responding to different needs we have. Last week I brought to your attention that I had openings for two women to serve on the Women's Ministry Team for this coming year. That very day I had two women respond, saying they wanted to get more involved. So I'm very happy to announce that Nathalie and Stephanie are now officially part of the team that seeks to serve all of us as we plan and carry out different activities for women. The other women coming back to serve another year are Susan, Kathy, Karen, Amy, Darci, Nicole, Janet, and myself.

Speaking of Darci, she's scheduled to have another (and hopefully final) surgery next week. She'll let me know the exact day, and then we'd love to help their family out by providing meals for the first four or five days afterward. Be watching for a Take Them a Meal email coming to a computer near you!

Coming near us in less than two months is this year's Women of Faith at the Portland Rose Garden the first weekend of October. Tickets are still available through the church for $81, plus the cost of splitting a motel room four ways on Friday night. And just look at the line up--Patsy Clairmont, Lisa Harper, Kari Jobe, Mercy Me, Anita Renfroe, Lysa TerKeurst, and Ann Voskamp. 

PORTLAND, OR

OCT 4, 2013 TO OCT 5, 2013

The Women of Faith Believe God Can Do Anything tour is THE life-changing, live Christian event for today’s woman, where chart-topping music artists and world-class authors and Bible teachers create an unforgettable, day-and-a-half experience for women from all walks of life. You’ll hear stories that strengthen, practical Bible teachings that can transform your everyday living, and experience authentic praise and worship with music that moves you closer to God, opening your heart to know what it means to truly Believe God Can Do Anything.

God can do anything! —Luke 1:37 NCV

New for 2013: Women of Faith will incorporate selected stories from “THE BIBLE” miniseries (seen on the History Channel) into the Believe God Can Do Anything tour. Powerful performances, exotic locales and dazzling visual effects will showcase God’s Word in a new way at each event.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it?! The session is on Friday night and all day Saturday, ending around 4:30. We always go out to dinner at a restaurant on our way home to squeeze the last minutes of bonding out of our time together. Let me know if you can attend.

In next week's WOW-Zine I'll announce what we'll be studying in our Bible studies this year (Common Grounds and The Perk.) I think you're going to love it!

Until next week, 

Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director

sherrieashcraft@gmail.com   971-285-6699

Monday, August 12, 2013 WOW-Zine

Good morning, ladies! You didn't hear from me last week as I was out of town for a couple of days and figured you wouldn't really miss me. But I can't get away with that for two weeks in a row, so here I am! Women's Ministry is basically on break until September, but we do have something going on next week.

Our Rockin' Rockaway Beach Party is next Tuesday, a week from tomorrow. (August 20th.) Pack up your kiddos, a picnic lunch, plenty to drink, sunscreen, towels and beach blanket, etc. (You know the drill.) Feel free to invite your friends to join us. We'll meet at 11-ish at the main beach in Rockaway, where the little train station is. You might want to bring along some money and hit the Tillamook Cheese Factory on the way home. 

I'm still looking for a few good women to fill two openings on our Women's Ministry Team for this coming year. If you're interested in serving in this capacity, contact me for more information.

The Sizzle--Wapato's gift to our community--is this Sunday. Worship service will be at Brown Park beginning at 9:30. If you signed up to bring cookies for the Cookie Walk booth, please bring them with you Sunday morning. I'll be sending a letter out to those who volunteered to work at the booth, which will let you know what time slot I need you to fill. Thanks for all your help!

So, are there things you had planned to accomplish this summer, but haven't got around to yet? John and I still need to clean the lower garage and do a few other home projects. But somehow, those jobs are easy to put off. You know what we're being hit with--procrastination! My little granddaughter, Lili, recently had a birthday, and my mom was late in getting a card to her. So Mom chose a belated birthday one for this 7-year-old with a large vocabulary and great reading skills, that said something like, " Welcome to the land of procrastination, where I am queen!" I think we all take turns being queen of that land! I came across a good blog on the subject last week, that had some good ideas on how to deal with this problem. Maybe you'll find it helpful too. That is, if you ever get around to reading it!

6 Tips to Outsmart Procrastination

Rachel Olsen


"God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but he has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination." ~ Saint Augustine


Are you frustrated with how often you put things off? Tired of paying the price of procrastination? Here's six tips to help you outsmart your tendency to procrastinate, and master the art of beginning now.

1. Realize your resistance is normal. Everyone struggles with procrastination to some degree. It's not just you!
   
   Our brains naturally value certainty and comfort -- and naturally resist tasks that feel scary, boring, or have uncertain outcomes. If we can't feel competent, have fun, feel appreciated, or be sure we'll succeed; we often don't want to do it. This is why we put off tasks we need to do, and even tasks that we long to do.
   
   If resistance is normal -- other people feel it, yet get stuff done -- you too can get past your resistance and get started on that goal.
2. Make getting started feel simple. The trick is to make the task not look so big and not feel so dreadful. You want to begin the task without triggering your brain's usual resistance.
   
   Try to pinpoint if your resistance is an issue of uncertainty or of discomfort, and brainstorm ways around that. For example, do you put off folding laundry because you find it tediously boring? Watch a favorite show, listen to a book on tape, or talk on the phone while you fold. Or allow yourself to fold for only two minutes at a time before doing something else.
3. Break procrastination-sensitive tasks down into smaller steps. Again, the trick is to make the task not look so big and not feel so dreadful. You want to circumvent your brain's usual trepidation.
   
   Break the task down into short, small steps. Choose just one to do today. Set a timer if you like, and only work on it for a few minutes at a time. Soon you'll have the forward momentum of progress working for you.
   
   The more resistance you feel towards the task, the smaller you need to break it down. And the less time you need to require of yourself in one day or "work session."
4. Eat your frog first. Mark Twain once said, "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day." Your live frog is your most dreaded task.
   
   Take one of the steps on your small-steps list and do it first, before working on other things. Make a habit of making progress on your most procrastination-prone task the very first thing you do -- it will fuel you for the rest of your day.
5. Invite someone into the process. You can lean on others to help you complete your procrastination-sensitive tasks.
   
   Can you make this task easier by soliciting help from someone that's good at it? Can you invite someone whose company you enjoy to be with you while you do the task? Can you hire a coach to motivate you and offer some accountability until the task is complete? The answer to these questions is often "yes."
   
   If you hang out on social media when procrastinating, post that you are going to go work on this task for ten minutes and report back with your progress. The feeling that someone is watching can boost productivity.
6. Pray. God has called you to your work and He cares about its outcome -- invite Him into the process. Ask Him to give you focus, courage, stamina, wisdom -- whatever you need to complete the job. Don't forget to thank Him when you're feeling great that the task is done.

So what are you struggling to do? Plan the spring retreat? Do a budget? Call and recruit volunteers? Remind yourself mental resistance is normal. Then ask yourself: "How can I make this feel simple?" "How can I break the task I keep putting off into small, palatable pieces?" And, "How can I solicit help from God and others?"

As Zechariah 4:10 says, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin" (NLT).

With that being said, I think I'll go eat a frog!!

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