Tuesday, December 10, 2013 WOW-Zine

It's your week to SHINE, ladies!

WHAT: WOW's SPARKLY SWEET & SAVORY PARTY
WHEN: Saturday, 6 PM
WHERE: Amy's, 7755 SW Bracken Dr., Cornelius
BRING: A sweet or savory dish to share for dinner, PLUS a wrapped sweet or savory item for our gift exchange.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
~ Wear something sparkly
~ Bring slippers or carry your sparkly shoes to change into once      
you're inside, so we don't track mud in.
~ If you'd like to carpool, meet behind the church at 5:30 PM. We'll leave from there at 5:40, so don't be late!

Our Women's Bible Studies meet this week and next, and then we're off until January 8th and 9th. So don't miss out on our last two times together this year! We'll be looking at James 3:3-12 this week. I'll see you at Common Grounds Wednesday night at 6:30 (Rita is providing snacks) and at The Perk Thursday morning at 9:30. (Carol R. is bringing snacks, and Keisha is our MIC.) Both groups meet at the church.

On Friday, January 3, 2014, we'll be taking down the church Christmas decorations for another year. This is not an activity for only the Women's Ministry Team, but something we'd like you to help with. We'll meet at 6 PM for pizza and soda as we un-decorate, and follow it up with a Game Night! If you can't make it there until 7 for games, that's perfectly fine. We just thought it would be great fun to start the year off having fun together! Please let me know if you're coming for pizza and soda so I can get enough. Cost is $5. (Women and teen girls only.)

April may sound like a long way off, but it will arrive sooner than you expect! It's not too early to start planning ahead for our annual Women's Retreat at "our" house in Lincoln City. That happens the weekend of April 11th through 13th. Cost will remain at only $80 once again. Just a reminder that this is a child-free event, meaning that even nursing babies are not able to come. We know that many of you nursing mothers miss the retreat, so I'll be doing something special in May for those not able to come to retreat. 

As you continue in the busyness of this time of year, here's a great thought for you from our friend, Holley Gerth:

Grace for Your Unmerry MomentsHolley, 2013-12-09 13:00 photo by steve p200 Confession: Sometimes I have a bad attitude at the holidays{please tell me I’m not the only one}. I want peace on earth but then I wind up feeling tempted to run over people with my shopping cart when they’re rude. I want to spread cheer but then I get PMS and just want to spread chocolate on every surface I can find. I want to shine brightly like the lights on a Christmas tree but then I get too busy and just want to say “lights out” so I can get some sleep. I used to feel guilty about this quite a bit. What kind of person was I if I got all grumpy at the most wonderful time of year? And besides that, it’s the birthday of Jesus. Surely I must be a heathen and not know it. Dang. But then I realized this: Even if the holidays are here I’m still human. And there’s not some super-spirituality switch I can flip on like the lights on the Griswold’s house at Christmas. No, ma’am. Struggling at the holidays is just proof that what Christmas is all about is true: I need a Savior. And the same grace that covers me the rest of the year is there for me in my unmerry moments, too. Does this mean I just do and say whatever I want? Nope. But it does mean that when I mess up and fall short of the expectations of myself and others, it’s okay. It’s not a time for guilt and condemnation. It’s a time for celebration because the moments when I fall are when the message of Christmas means most of all. Crazy? Yep. But so is sending the Son of God to be born in a manger. The whole gospel is full of surprises and upside-down thinking. That’s the wonder of it all. So if you’ve been threatening to give yourself a lump of coal for Christmas because you just can’t seem to get it together, take it a bit easier on yourself today. Remember that you’re loved, accepted and that God doesn’t want perfection from you. Instead he wants to give you whatever it is you need–perhaps a bit more patience, some laughter and a lot of extra grace. And you can share all of those good gifts with your friends, family and even the person you thought about running over with your shopping cart, too. Until next week, Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director sherrieashcraft@gmail.com   971-285-6699