Tuesday, March 4, 2014 WOW=Zine

Good morning to each of you! I know we're experiencing a lot of rain these days, but haven't you noticed the bulbs popping up and blooming, and the trees budding? Spring is on the way!And so is Daylight Savings Time. Don't forget to set your clock ahead one hour before you go to bed on Saturday night. That also means you need to be proactive and get the kids to bed a little earlier than usual that night, or deal with the consequences the next morning! The hardest part is making yourself go to bed at a decent time. I wonder if setting the clocks ahead an hour first thing Saturday morning would help with the transition?

It's hard to believe, but all our retreat spots have already been taken! Gone are the days when you could wait until a day or two before retreat to decide to go. Your Women's Ministry Team is so excited about what the Lord is planning for us the weekend of April 11th-13th. I will be sending out information in the coming weeks to those of you who are attending. Be watching for that in the next week or two. If you're really wanting to attend but didn't sign up in time, I can put you on a waiting list. That way, if someone gets sick at the last minute, or wins an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris for that particular weekend, I can put you in their spot!

We will be video taping each session with our speaker, Laurie Sheffield, for use at the mini-retreat at my house on Friday and Saturday, May 2nd and 3rd. So those of you who attend that will still get in on the same great teaching, just in a smaller venue. The cost will be $10, and I'll give you more details about it in upcoming weeks. But you can start letting me know now if you would like to come. Since babies are not able to be accommodated at our retreat house in Lincoln City, the mini-retreat is a place you can bring young nursing babies and participate. Babies who are walking need to be cared for at home, but babes in arms are certainly welcome at the mini-retreat. 

Our Bible study in the Book of James is rapidly coming to a close. I'll soon let you know what we'll be tackling next, but we will finish James this week and next. I lead two studies each week, though it's the same material presented at each. Just pick the day that works best for your schedule! Common Grounds meets Wednesday night at 6:30. This week Janet is providing something for us to snack on. Then on Thursday morning at 9:30 The Perk meets, with child care provided. This week Anastasia signed up to bring treats, and Stephanie will be our MIC (Mother In Charge) for child care, along with the able help of Linnaea. 

It's time to knock 'em dead at our annual WOW Bowling Party on Saturday, March 15th. We'll meet at The Four Seasons Bowling Alley in Hillsboro at 10:30 AM. (If you'd like to car pool from the Gaston area, please meet behind the church at 10.) Bring money for your shoes and a couple games, as well as for lunch together in their restaurant afterward. And as for any of our events, feel free to invite your friends.

Being in a bowling alley doesn't generate a lot of peace and quiet, does it? But sometimes we need that calmness in our lives. How can we find it? Here's some insight from blogger Holley Gerth:

When You Need Peace and QuietHolley, 2014-02-25 13:00 Maybe you’ve had a conversation like this one: “I’m tired,” I confessed to friends over lunch one day.  What’s going on?” they asked. I shrugged my shoulders and sighed, “I don’t really know.” They hugged me and promised to pray I’d be filled up again. That night I pulled out my art journal, plugged headphones into my ears and grabbed a sharpie. I wanted to think through my life and especially my work. I began to put “Writer” at the top of the page because that’s my title. But as I leaned toward the paper I felt a bit of hesitation and I silently asked God, “What do you want me to write in that spot?” And it seemed I heard one word in response: Worshipper.  And suddenly I knew why I was so exhausted. I’d switched from being a worshipper to a worker. This isn’t the first time it’s happened. Throughout my life when I feel pressure mounting and expectations building I tend do have one response: try harder. It’s a heart reflex I’ve had since high school. Be more. Do more. Go more. I carry on like that until I get worn out and a bit rebellious. Yes, I should have caught on a bit quicker to that pattern by now. But I’m a bit of a slow learner in this area it seems. Maybe you have one of those areas in your life too? Thankfully we serve a God of grace. A God who chases us down right in the middle of all our wild and weary-making running. A God who speaks life and peace and rest into us. A God who wants our hearts more than our hands.  I spelled out the letters slowly “w-o-r-s-h-i-p-p-e-r.” I crossed out these letters “w-o-r-k-e-r.” And I thought of this verse: “One handful of peace and quiet is better than two handfuls of toil and of trying to catch the wind” {Eccl. 4:6}. Toil is work without joy. Work that drains your life instead of filling it. And trying to catch the wind is meaningless striving. The endless doing, clicking and trying harder just to feel more in control. I’d been living both. And God was asking me, “Can you be satisfied with one handful?”Because here’s how we’re meant to live, friends: with one handful holding tight to what God has given us–love, joy, peace, grace, goodness. And the other hand empty and open for whatever else he would have us receive. Two handfuls means we’re clenching our fists through life. We’re gritting out teeth. We’re hanging on with all our might. Two handfuls means we’re tired. Thankfully, God generously offers us what all tired people need–rest.Even if the world around us keeps unavoidably spinning–the toddlers keep throwing cheerios, the projects keep coming, the calendar keeps filling–we can wrap our fingers around peace in a way that truly does pass understanding. And we can let go of all we’ve grasped that was never meant for us. You can be saved by returning to me. You can have rest. You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me. — God, {Is. 30:15} I filled the page with words and prayers. Then I laid my pen down. And when I laid my head down on the pillow that night too, I felt different. Not so weary and afraid. Quieter inside. More like a worshipper and less like a worker. I hope to end each day a little more like that for the rest of my life because I’m learning it’s the best, most beautiful way to live. And it’s oursfree. We can all reach out and take hold of the peace that has been promised us today. And we can let go of all our striving so we can receive what’s infinitely better: God’s unconditional love and grace.  Until next week, Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director sherrieashcraft@gmail.com    971-285-6699