Tuesday, April 29, 2014 WOW-Zine

Good sunny morning, friends. This is going to be a short WOW-Zine, as I want to finish preparing the Bible study for this week, and then get outside in this glorious weather! Yesterday my car did it's first automatic-turn-into-a-nursery for the season, and I've got plants to get into the ground. I love this time of year!

This is your last chance to let me know if you plan on attending the mini retreat at my house this Friday evening and Saturday. We're going to have a great time together, I'm sure.

In case some of you missed the first announcement, the Feminini-Tea, which was scheduled for May, has been cancelled. There were too many other things going on. We'll kick things off in the fall with a special time together.

Both of our Bible studies meet this week as usual. Neva signed up to bring treats for Common Grounds, which meets at 6:30 Wednesday night. Those of you who attend The Perk on Thursday morning at 9:30 will need to be sure to eat breakfast at home, because no one signed up to bring snacks! Karen will be the MIC this week.

In view of the wonderful weather forcasted for this week, let me leave you with these thoughts from Holley Gerth:

What Season is Your Heart in Today?Holley, 2014-04-24 14:00 Spring is just coming fully to the trees behind my house. Branches are becoming homes. I watch squirrels and birds build nests with mouths full of leaves and perhaps hearts full of dreams. We all welcome spring with open arms–it’s a time of hope and joy after a long, dark winter. A reprieve before the stretched-out, hot summer. If we could, many of us would choose spring outside all year long.  But that’s not how the seasons work. The trees need time to let go in the fall. They need time to be quiet and grow deeper roots in winter. They need the intense sunshine of summer. All are part of the rhythm that keeps them living and growing. I tend to always want it to be spring inside too. I love the dreaming and the doing, the wildflower adventures. I resist the stillness and the in-between seasons. But lately God is whispering to me that it can’t always be spring. All of the seasons have their place and purpose. All have gifts to offer. All are necessary. Especially when I find myself in winter, I wonder if I’m as valuable to God. What am I giving? What am I producing? I try to manufacture an early spring out of to-do-lists and projects and going-here-and-there. But God doesn’t ask that of me. He sees what I can’t in winter–the growth going on beneath the surface. The silence. The preparing. The drawing in of what my heart needs so that when spring comes I will be able to grow, to give, to bear fruit again. What season are you in today?  If you’re in fall…let go. If you’re in winter…rest. If you’re in spring…grow. If you’re in summer…take care of yourself so you don’t burn out. “For everything there is a season. Eccl. 3:1″ The seasons of our hearts may change but this always stays the same:God loves us. He knows our circumstances. He understands our needs. He’s with us and caring for us…every day of our lives. And spring will come again. Until next week, Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director sherrieashcraft@gmail.com    971-285-6699