Tuesday, April 22, 2014 WOW-Zine

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter celebrating the resurrection of our Lord. It was great to be able to attend both the Good Friday service and the Sunday service with so many of our church family. We need to remember to celebrate our new life in Christ every day, not just once a year. 

At the end of church I noticed that little Braxton Tuning was making his Wapato debut. What a cutie he is! Don't forget we're providing meals for the Tunings this week, and we still have a few days available for you to sign up at
http://www.takethemameal.com/meals.php?t=HXUI3580&welcome=1. Chrissy's dad is visiting them, so that's why it says there are three adults and three children to provide for.

We're continuing a very practical Bible study entitled Cultivating Contentment. Have you ever tried to go 24-hours without complaining one eensy weensy bit? It's harder than it sounds, yet something we all need to work on. Come join us at Common Grounds on Wednesdays at 6:30 P.M. or at The Perk on Thursdays at 9:30 A.M.  No one has signed up for treats on Wednesday, so let me know if you'd like to bring something, or if we should all diet!! Carol R. is bringing the snack on Thursday morning, and Karen F. is the MIC. Thanks, ladies!

The mini retreat is nearly here--the first weekend of May. So far I just have four ladies who have told me they're coming, though I easily may have missed someone. I have Lori A., Keisha, Christine, and Charlotte. l have room for more, so please let me know if you'd like to attend. I'll be sending special letters out to you attendees later in the week, with the schedule and the information you'll want to know. This will be very relaxed and laid back. There's no way we can do all the extra things that were incorporated in the main retreat, but we'll have fun and get to watch the video of the teaching sessions. Cost is just $10 and can be given to me at any time between now and then. Make checks payable to the church and just write "mini retreat" in the memo section. Remember, non-mobile babies are welcome!

Just a little heads up--our Bible studies will continue throughout most of the summer. We'll probably go through July, then take the month of August as a breather before starting back up by mid-September. 

And now, some encouragement from my favorite blogger:

Finding Hope in Unexpected PlacesHolley, 2014-04-16 14:00 Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4 When I first read the verse above, I wondered if my Bible had a typo. Wasn’t hope supposed to be at the beginning of the list? That’s certainly where I wanted it to be. I didn’t like the idea of going through suffering, perseverance, and character to get to hope. My thoughts reflect our culture today. We view hope as an emotion rather than an outcome of choices we make. We also think hope should be automatic. Then when we don’t find it right away, we despair. But this passage makes it clear that hope is a process. The first step in that process is suffering. Loss is a part of life. We’ll all endure hardship and heartache on this side of heaven. When we suffer, we have two choices: press on or give up. Jim Rohn once said, “We all must suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” If we choose discipline and perseverance, then this pattern gradually becomes part of who we are—our character. Character doesn’t change based on circumstances or who is watching at the moment. As Dwight L. Moody said, “Character is what you are in the dark.” Character also becomes a light in the dark because it eventually results in hope. This kind of hope is not a vague feeling or wish. Instead it’s a deep knowledge that you and God can get through anything together. That’s the heart of hope: choosing to walk with God through the valleys of life and finding that He will never leave you–and that you will never leave Him either. We all wonder how our faith will fare when challenges come our way. If you’re still reading this, my guess is you’re choosing perseverance and character. You’ve faced what you never wanted, and your faith is surviving, perhaps even thriving. Even if you have doubts, fears, and many difficult moments, you’re pressing on and moving forward. And I’m cheering you on with every step…no matter how small or slow. Take heart, friend, you are doing better than you know. Jesus is with you. Your sisters are for you. And hope is on its way. Until next week, Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director sherrieashcraft@gmail.com    971-285-6699