It's been another wet Monday, but at the moment I'm writing this we're having a break in the rain. It sure is a good metaphor for life, isn't it? And goes right along with what we studied in the book of James last week. Life is a mixture of both hard and easy, good and bad, wet and dry. We will face various trials, and we get to choose how to respond to them. Our study in Mercy Triumphs last week was a very challenging one, and you won't want to miss out on what we'll be diving into this week. 

Both our women's Bible studies meet at the church each week. Common Grounds (Wednesday night from 6:30 to 8) and The Perk (Thursday morning from 9:30 to 11.) This week we'll probably cover verses 5-12 of James chapter 1. You may want to read those over before you come, just so you'll be familiar with the content. And don't forget the challenge we've got going on--memorizing the entire book of James. Sounds daunting, doesn't it?! But it's definitely possible. I know one lady who is already working on chapter 3, and I've begun chapter 2. Many others are making good progress. And remember, anything you memorize puts you that much farther ahead than before you started! This week Hollie is bring snacks for Common Grounds, Carol G. signed up for The Perk snacks, and Stephanie is the MIC for Thursday.

By now you've probably seen this graphic around church or on Facebook. Consider this your personal invitation to attend this pertinent event presented by Women's Ministry for our community. Hope Floats ... Rising Above Depression will take an honest look at some of the causes of depression and how to deal with them. It's an issue many of us have faced in the past, or are dealing with now, and there's help available. This FREE seminar will be led by Dr. Kristie Knows-His-Gun, from George Fox, and is on Saturday, October 19th, from 10-3.  Kristie will share with us in the morning, and we'll enjoy a FREE comfort-food lunch before continuing to receive practical help in the afternoon. This event is for women (or teen girls) only, and child care is not provided. All we ask is that you let me know you'll be coming (by Sunday, Oct. 13th) so we can be sure to have enough tables set up and food on hand. Please invite your friends to this practical time we can share together. Go to my Facebook page and share the posting about it too.

I shared a couple of answers to prayer with you last week, but today Stephanie asked me to share a prayer need. She writes: A close friend of my family is in the hospital in a lot of pain and an unexplainable inability to walk.  He has a junior in high school at home and three other adult children.  I am asking for  prayer for hopeful attitudes, healing, answers, comfort and understanding as we wait for the MRI results.

Until next week,

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

Monday, September 23, 2013

Good evening, ladies. Somehow the day has just slipped away from me like an evasive toddler. I had a long list of things I needed to get done, and while I've scratched many of them off my list, it's been a day with lots of unexpected interactions with people. All good things, just time-consuming. So, I've finished dinner and will sit and chat with you for a few minutes, though this will be short.

This week in both Bible studies we will finally get into the actual book of James. I'm so excited by this, as I've had a great time studying for it. What a book of richness it is! And how are you coming on your memorization? I've been amazed by how fun it is to hide this scripture in my heart, where I can pull it out when needed. I loved hearing you women share last week of ways it has already come alive to you! 
So ...
Common Grounds, Wednesday 6:30 PM at the church. (Kristin bringing snacks.)
The Perk, Thursday 9:30 AM at the church (Cassie is the MIC, and Erin brings snacks.)

We have a couple wonderful answers to prayer that people wanted me to share with you. One just happened today. Cricket, who attends The Perk, had shared last week that she'd had to have a biopsy done and they were afraid she had cancer. She called this morning and asked me to let you know that she'd just been told there was no cancer at all. What great news! And she has already been able to apply the first few verses of James to her life.

We've also been praying for two-year-old Leo Oakes, who had open heart surgery last week. He has done a terrific job of healing much faster than the doctors expected and was released on Saturday. Thanks to all of you who are helping provide meals for his family this week.

Is Hope Floats ... Rising Above Depression on your calendar yet? It needs to be written in for Saturday, October 19th, from 10-3 at the church. This will be a free event open to all women. RSVPs need to be in to me by October 13th. I'll soon be asking all of you to post it on your Facebook and other social networking sites. You don't have to suffer from depression in order to benefit from this seminar. Even if you're the sunniest person in the world, there may be people in your life who deal with depression on a seasonal basis (SAD) or throughout the year. Do you know how to help them? We have invites you can get from me and hand out to ladies you know. Help us spread the word!

I promised this would be short, and I try to be a woman of my word. I hope your week has got off to a good start, and that you'll be able to join us at one of the studies this week.

Until next time,

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

Monday, September 16, 2013 WOW-Zine

Good afternoon, ladies. I hope your day is moving right along and that you're getting a lot of things accomplished. Some days everything just seems to fall into place and you breeze through your to-do list, right? Other days ... well, we won't talk about that! 

We got off to a great start last week with our new Bible study series--Beth Moore's Mercy Triumphs. Those of you who were at either study, how are you doing on your memory work? I must confess I kind of forgot about it until last night, so hopefully you've started memorizing James Chapter 1 before I did. (For those of you who weren't there, we are challenging ourselves to memorize the entire book of James over the next several months. I know some of you blew coffee out through your nose when you read that, as that's a big chunk of Scripture to chew on. That's why it's called a challenge!!)

This week we'll finish our background study about the man who wrote the book. Common Grounds will take on James on Wednesday at 6:30 PM and The Perk will do the same on Thursday at 9:30 AM. (For The Perk, the mom who signed up to be the Mother In Charge for this week won't be able to make it, so do I have another volunteer? Raise your hand high so I can see it. Or better yet, send me a text or email to let me know.) 

Our Starlight Movie Night last Saturday was a wonderful happening! Thanks to Nicole Paz for heading it up and running the equipment, for Rita hosting it on her beautiful lawn, and for Janet helping with the details. I think this is going to become one of our annual events!

Guess what? The last of my Women of Faith tickets was snapped up today, so if you still want to go and didn't get a ticket from me, you'll have to go to their website and buy one on your own. We do still have two extra sleeping spots at our motel, so you can always join us for that. I'll be sending out more info to you ticket-holders within the next week or so. 

Hope Floats ... Rising Above Depression will be presented on Saturday, October 19th at the church from 10-3. This is the first of what we hope to be many seminars dealing with issues and challenges women faith. Many of us have fought our own battles with this problem. Some of you may never have had to deal with it personally, but know someone who does. What do you say to them? How can you help?  Dr. Kristie, a trained Christian psychologist from George Fox University, will be with us that day to give us some practical insights. She'll talk about the various kinds of depression, some of the causes, and possible solutions. This event is completely free not only to you, but to your friends and our community. The only thing we ask is that you let me know you're coming so that we're sure to have enough food on hand for lunch. (Yes, there is such a thing as a free lunch!) So put this on your October calendar and invite others to come along with you. This is geared for women, so please leave your husband home. 

Let me leave you with this thought from Philippians 3:1-"-Rejoice in the Lord! It is a safeguard for you." There are a lot of things around us vying for our attention. It's easy to let our guard down and veer from the path God has called us to walk. Let's all make sure to rejoice in the Lord, as somehow, through that very choice and act, His protection overcomes us.

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

Monday, September 16, 2013 WOW-Zine

Good afternoon, ladies. I hope your day is moving right along and that you're getting a lot of things accomplished. Some days everything just seems to fall into place and you breeze through your to-do list, right? Other days ... well, we won't talk about that! 

We got off to a great start last week with our new Bible study series--Beth Moore's Mercy Triumphs. Those of you who were at either study, how are you doing on your memory work? I must confess I kind of forgot about it until last night, so hopefully you've started memorizing James Chapter 1 before I did. (For those of you who weren't there, we are challenging ourselves to memorize the entire book of James over the next several months. I know some of you blew coffee out through your nose when you read that, as that's a big chunk of Scripture to chew on. That's why it's called a challenge!!)

This week we'll finish our background study about the man who wrote the book. Common Grounds will take on James on Wednesday at 6:30 PM and The Perk will do the same on Thursday at 9:30 AM. (For The Perk, the mom who signed up to be the Mother In Charge for this week won't be able to make it, so do I have another volunteer? Raise your hand high so I can see it. Or better yet, send me a text or email to let me know.) 

Our Starlight Movie Night last Saturday was a wonderful happening! Thanks to Nicole Paz for heading it up and running the equipment, for Rita hosting it on her beautiful lawn, and for Janet helping with the details. I think this is going to become one of our annual events!

Guess what? The last of my Women of Faith tickets was snapped up today, so if you still want to go and didn't get a ticket from me, you'll have to go to their website and buy one on your own. We do still have two extra sleeping spots at our motel, so you can always join us for that. I'll be sending out more info to you ticket-holders within the next week or so. 

Hope Floats ... Rising Above Depression will be presented on Saturday, October 19th at the church from 10-3. This is the first of what we hope to be many seminars dealing with issues and challenges women faith. Many of us have fought our own battles with this problem. Some of you may never have had to deal with it personally, but know someone who does. What do you say to them? How can you help?  Dr. Kristie, a trained Christian psychologist from George Fox University, will be with us that day to give us some practical insights. She'll talk about the various kinds of depression, some of the causes, and possible solutions. This event is completely free not only to you, but to your friends and our community. The only thing we ask is that you let me know you're coming so that we're sure to have enough food on hand for lunch. (Yes, there is such a thing as a free lunch!) So put this on your October calendar and invite others to come along with you. This is geared for women, so please leave your husband home. 

Let me leave you with this thought from Philippians 3:1-"-Rejoice in the Lord! It is a safeguard for you." There are a lot of things around us vying for our attention. It's easy to let our guard down and veer from the path God has called us to walk. Let's all make sure to rejoice in the Lord, as somehow, through that very choice and act, His protection overcomes us.

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

Monday, September 9, 2013 WOW-Zine

Good morning, ladies! Today's WOW-Zine is filled with lots of information, so let's just jump right in!

BIBLE STUDIES RESUME THIS WEEK!
Yes, after taking a break for the past six weeks, we're ready to gather together on a weekly basis to spend time in God's Word and in getting to know each other better. Our first topic for this year is going through the book of James via a Beth Moore study called Mercy Triumphs. And who of us doesn't need a little more mercy in our lives?
So, Common Grounds will meet every Wednesday evening from 6:30 to around 8. Can anyone bring snacks for this week? I'll have a sign-up sheet with me for following weeks, but it would be nice to have something tasty this week. Let me know if you'd like to provide it.

The Perk meets every Thursday morning from 9:30 to 11. We have childcare provided (you have the opportunity to contribute a dollar or two) by a MIC (Mother In Charge) as well as a youth helper. Ladies take turns helping in that capacity. This week Amy has stepped forward to do that, and Karen is bringing a yummy snack.

The Starlight Movie Night is this Saturday at 7 PM at Rita's house (48883 Patton Valley Road, Gaston.) Just head out toward Cherry Grove. You'll pass a dairy and then a nursery, which are both on the left. Rita's will be on the right, just past that. Look for balloons to mark her road! Bring warm clothing, your own seating (blanket, air mattress, or lawn chair) and a snack to share. Popcorn and hot cocoa will be provided. This event is just for women and will be a good time to just sit back and relax. We'll start the movie around 7:30, so that will give you time to visit before hand.

Women of Faith tickets are going quickly--I only have two left. (You can always purchase them on your own, but you wouldn't be seated with us and you'd have to pay a little more.) So if you plan on joining us at the Rose Garden the first weekend of October, you'd better get me your check right away. We will be staying in a motel that Friday night, and while I only have ten WOF tickets, I do have beds for twelve, which I would love to fill up, as that helps keep the cost down. The tickets from me are $81.

Have you ever been bothered by depression? Or have you wondered how to help a family member or friend who deals with it? We have a special event coming up on Saturday, October 19th, to help with that. Hope Floats ... Rising Above Depression is being offered as a resource to our women as well as to other women in our community. This free event will go from 10 AM to 3 PM that Saturday, with a guest speaker to share with us some of the types of depression, different causes, and ways to rise above it. We've got a wonderful team of women, each whom has dealt with this problem in one form or another, who is putting this together for you. We'll share more details as they fall into place, but I wanted to let you know about this now so you can save the date. We'd like to have a general idea of how many people to plan for, so please let me know if you're able to come.

If you've been at Wapato the past week or two, you know that Pastor Pete is doing a series on Work. The blog I read from our internet friend, Holley Gerth, spoke on that very subject today. I've included it here for you to contemplate.

How Your Work Can Make Your Life Better I know what it’s like to work in ways that drain you down to your bones. Ways that make you feel weary when you put your head on the pillow at night and fill your mind with restless thoughts. Ways that pull you away from the people you love most and make you think your worth is based on your performance. And I know what it’s like to work in ways that fill you up down to your soul. Ways that make you feel energized and alive even when it means getting up early and putting in a long day. Ways that make you feel more connected to God, those around you, and the core of who you are. All kinds of work are not created equal. Because one kind is man-made and the other is God-given God created the first human and placed him in Eden to “work it and take care of it.” But the fall happened. Afterward King Solomon described work in this world as, “toil and anxious striving.”  Then Jesus came. The changes he brought to our hearts are meant to the work of our hands. That means we can rediscover what work was originally intended to be. Work and taking care {Eden} are about being faithful with what God has entrusted to us and doing so with love. Toil and anxious striving {our own strength} are about trying to advance ourselves and being most concerned about what happens to us. Work and taking care mean ultimately trusting God for the results. Toil and anxious striving mean living like we must make everything happen ourselves. Work and taking care mean what we do is about relationships — with God, each other, ourselves, and whatever our hands touch in our work. Toil and anxious striving mean what we do is about using those around us and what’s in front of us for our own purposes. Work and taking care have an end and lead to rest. Toil and anxious striving leaving us feeling as if it’s never enough. Your work is not supposed to wear you out. Yes, you will get tired and sometimes frustrated. You will have battles to fight. You will sometimes need to do things you don’t want to do at all. But work is not supposed to feel like a hole in your heart that is draining away who you are one drop at a time. If it feels that way, something is wrong. Because God created work as a gift meant to fill us up and bring us satisfaction. And by work I don’t just mean a job–I mean whatever you do from day to day. I sat down this morning with a journal and made a list with two columns: What’s Working Well and What I’ve Learned From {I first wrote What’s Not Working Well for the second column but changed it because all experiences can teach us something}. I filled that page up and picked two things I wanted to do more of {just two not twelve}. I do this from time to time because I know my heart has a tendency to drift. You may be a focused, faithful worker. I’m more likely to be “toil and anxious striver.” And if I don’t intentionally choose not to live that way, I’ll go right back to old habits. I’ve learned I can do the very same task in two very different ways. Because it’s not about what you do, it’s about how and why you do it. I’ve got a feeling it’s gonna take a lifetime to really figure this out. I’m still working on it. Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director sherrieashcraft@gmail.com     971-285-6699

Monday, September 2, 2013 WOW-Zine

Happy Labor Day, ladies! Though I think the real Labor Day is tomorrow when you try to get back on schedule with getting the kids out of bed, out the door, and to school on time. Good luck with that--ha ha! I'm giving you a week to get used to your new schedule before Women's Ministry activities start back up.

So that means, Bible Studies start NEXT week!! I hope you've missed them as much as I have the past weeks. It's time to make it a habit to get together each week with some ladies who will become some of your best friends, if they're not already. If you've never attended in the past, now is your chance to get in on the very beginning of the study, though people can certainly come in at any time during the year. But there's just something special about being being in from the get-go. This year we will work our way through the very practical book of James using a Beth Moore study called Mercy Triumphs. You won't want to miss it!

For those of you who may be new to the women's Bible studies, let me explain how it works. I teach the same lesson twice each week, so if it doesn't work for your schedule on one day, hopefully it will for the other. Wednesday nights our study is called Common Grounds, and we meet from 6:30 to a little after 8. The first 15 minutes are spent getting our snacks and visiting, and then we have prayer requests and get into the study itself. If your work hours don't allow you to make it there until 7, you'd still be just fine. And sometimes women bring along their dinner to eat there. On Thursday mornings, from 9:30 to 11, The Perk meets. The main difference is that childcare is provided. Both studies meet at the church.

I mentioned that we have snacks at the beginning of each session. Usually I have a sign-up sheet available, but we haven't met yet so don't have anyone who has volunteered for next week. If you're interested in helping out, I'll take the first lady that offers to bring something for Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Send me a message letting me know. We also need a MIC (Mother in Charge) for childcare next Thursday, the 12th.

This coming Saturday, September 7th, there will be a garage sale in the Tire Man parking lot, headed up by Nathalie. There are different ways people need assistance during their lives and Nathalie's good friend, Gonzala, needs to earn a little extra income right now. If you have items that you'd like to donate to this fund raiser, call Nathalie at 503-705-4448 for more information. Or come by the parking lot after 9 AM and find a treasure!

How would you like to relax by watching a movie under the stars? Sounds good, doesn't it? Well, Saturday, September 14th, is your chance to do just that. We are having a Starlight Movie Night at Rita's ( 48883 SW Patton Valley Road, Gaston) beginning at 7 PM. Who knows how cool it will be in the evening by then, so plan to bring your air mattress if you'd like to lie down to watch, or a lawn chair for sitting, along with a warm blankie to keep comfortable. Popcorn and hot cocoa will be provided. This event is just for women. I'll provide directions in the WOW-Zine next week.

Women of Faith will be rocking the Rose Garden the weekend of October 4th and 5th. I have five tickets still available at a discounted price of $81 each. Picnic lunches are available for an additional cost of $12, but I'll let each of you decide if you want to order them (must be done by September 26th) or not. I'm thinking it might be worth it to not have to fight the crowds to walk to a nearby restaurant. I'll send the information in a couple of weeks to those of you who have bought tickets, so you can order the boxed lunch if you'd like. I've reserved 3 rooms at the same motel we stayed in last year (Quality Inn and Suites Portland Airport), which will cost you somewhere between $20 to $30 for the night, depending on how many people we have.(We will have room for two extra women to stay with us.) Don't wait until the last moment--buy your tickets now!

Your Women's Ministry Team met last week, and do we ever have a lot of neat things planned for this year! There should be something for everyone, from things like the big Women of Faith conference, to sewing classes, to a special seminar on dealing with depression, to bowling, to game nights, to our spring retreat, etc. Be sure to read the WOW-Zine every week to get all the details, as you won't want to miss what's happening!

Until next week,

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