Here we are-- the last WOW-Zine of the year. I hope you've all experienced a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a New Year that is specifically designed by God for YOU! The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Remember that we'll be having our Undecorating Party this Friday at the church at 6 PM. Bring $5 for pizza and sodas and we'll eat as we take all the beautiful decorations down and store them for another year. After all, nothing says Christmas is over like pizza-scented ornaments and wreaths! Starting around 7, or as soon as Christmas is boxed up, we'll have a game night. I think you all know the routine for that--bring a game (that really helps!) and a snack to share. In order for me to know how many pizzas to buy, please drop me a line or text to let me know you're coming for that part of the evening. (My contact info is always listed at the end of the WOW-Zine.)
Our Bible studies DO NOT meet this week, but will resume next week. I'm looking forward to seeing you all then. Just as a heads-up, Nathalie, you're on for treats that Wednesday night, and Cindy, you're signed up for Thursday morning.
Until next week,
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@gmail.com 971-285-6699
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Tuesday, December 16, 2014 WOW-Zine
Thanks to all of you who attended our Christmas party Saturday night! Wasn't it fun? It was great to eat delicious food in such a beautiful setting. Thanks for sharing your "decked halls" with us, Amy! And then all the gift stealing and finagling--wow, what can I say? I'm already looking forward to next year's party!
This is our final week of Bible studies until the first week of January. Helen is providing something to snack on at Common Grounds (tomorrow night at 6:30). The next morning at 9:30 Carol R. is bringing snacks for The Perk. I hope you're able to join us at one of the studies. (They both meet at the church.)
Don't forget about our De-Deck the Sanctuary party on Friday, January 2nd at 6 PM. Bring $5 for pizza and soda and help us put the decorations away for another year. As soon as that is done, we'll have a game night at the church, beginning around 7. Bring a snack to share, along with a game. It's a fun way to start out the New Year together.
Here's a blog post sent to me by a loyal reader. I think most of us can identify!
How to Create Margin in Your Life…During Christmas Season?
Until next time,
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcracft@gmail.com 971-285-6699
This is our final week of Bible studies until the first week of January. Helen is providing something to snack on at Common Grounds (tomorrow night at 6:30). The next morning at 9:30 Carol R. is bringing snacks for The Perk. I hope you're able to join us at one of the studies. (They both meet at the church.)
Don't forget about our De-Deck the Sanctuary party on Friday, January 2nd at 6 PM. Bring $5 for pizza and soda and help us put the decorations away for another year. As soon as that is done, we'll have a game night at the church, beginning around 7. Bring a snack to share, along with a game. It's a fun way to start out the New Year together.
Here's a blog post sent to me by a loyal reader. I think most of us can identify!
How to Create Margin in Your Life…During Christmas Season?
This is such a busy time of year. The chaos has hit and I’m already feeling stressed out and almost wishing Christmas would hurry up and get over. I don’t want to be the kind of person…the one that wishes the time away and regrets it later.
The problem and solution came to me as I pulled into my garage the other night. I could barely fit my car into the sliver of a parking space that was greatly reduced because my husband or maybe my 15 year old son had taken up far too much room with the other car in our garage. I literally only had a 1/2 inch clearance on the driver side with my mirrors folded in and had to take extra caution and time to make sure I did not side swipe my husband’s car. When I walked in the door all visions of “happy” family time went out the window because I had to practically crawl out the car window to get into the house. Why was I so irritated, mad and grumpy??? I had been left with no wiggle room and it left me feeling stressed out which lead to me being highly irritated, mad and really grumpy. All because I had no margin.
What is “margin?” “Margin is the space between our load and our limits. It is the amount allowed beyond that which is needed. It is something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations. Margin is the gap between rest and exhaustion, the space between breathing freely and suffocating.” Richard Swenson, author of Margin.
This time of year, our “margin” is greatly reduced as we strive for perfection when buying gifts, dressing for holiday parties, decorating Christmas trees, hanging holiday lights, baking cookies….the list is endless! We feel the squeeze from our circumstances, commitments, and pressure from others. We most certainly get tired, exhausted, maxed out and have little to no reserve for unanticipated opportunities that come our way.
So how do we create “margin” in our lives during this time of year? I think it starts by having the right heart attitude so we are ready to say “yes” to the significant things and “no” to the insignificant things.
Jesus offers us insight on this topic in Matthew 6:19-21. This passage of scripture is part of what is known as the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is encouraging and admonishing believers on how to live. This truth has helped me create margin by knowing when to say “yes” and when to say “no.”
“Do not store up for ourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
To “store up treasures in heaven” basically mean our heart attitude it to be rich toward God. This passage is reminding us to say “yes” to the significant things which have eternal value and no to the insignificant which are temporary.
Let’s actively protect our “margin” so we have time say “yes” to the significant and have the courage to say “no” to the insignificant. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18
I’d love to hear your ideas on how to create “margin” this Christmas season! What are some significant and insignificant things that you have struggled with?
The post How to Create Margin in Your Life…During Christmas Season? appeared first onFor the Joy of It.
Until next time,
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcracft@gmail.com 971-285-6699
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Tuesday, December 9, 2014 WOW-ZineIt'
It's time to get your PARTY on!! This Saturday, 6 PM at Amy Rusaw's, is our annual WOW Christmas party. This year's theme is The Polar Express, With a Cup of Christmas Cheer. You've read about it in the WOW-Zine, you've heard it during announcements, and you've seen it in the Wapato Weekly, so you probably know all the details. But just in case ...
~Wear pajamas (slippers too, as it's a shoe-free house. And yes, please wear undergarments beneath your jammies so that we can all have an "uplifting" experience!)
~Bring a breakfast-type item for our potluck brinner (breakfast/dinner)
~Bring a Christmas mug filled with special little items of your choice. Please be sure the mug is gift wrapped.
If you'd like to carpool from Gaston, meet behind the church at 5:30. We'll leave from there at 5:40.
If you love to sample the Christmas baking of others, you can show up at 5 PM for a cookie exchange. Please bring 2-dozen cookies and an extra tray.
You'll receive a Polar Express ticket when you arrive, and it's your job to be sure you get four punches on your ticket during the evening so that your name can be entered in a drawing for a Starbucks gift certificate. You'll receive a punch for wearing pjs, bringing food, bringing a wrapped gift, and getting something from the hot chocolate bar. To get you in the mood for that, take a look at this clip from The Polar Express! (Hopefully you won't have to watch a terrible ad first!)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaD8O2RiVIc
Both Bible studies meet this week and next, and then we'll be off for a few weeks of Christmas break. Melissa signed up for treats for Common Grounds (Wednesday, 6:30 PM) and Kristen S. will bring goodies for The Perk (Thursday, 9:30 AM). I hope a lot of you can join us for whichever study works out best for your schedule. Both studies meet at the church.
Until next time,
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@gmail. com 971-285-6699
~Wear pajamas (slippers too, as it's a shoe-free house. And yes, please wear undergarments beneath your jammies so that we can all have an "uplifting" experience!)
~Bring a breakfast-type item for our potluck brinner (breakfast/dinner)
~Bring a Christmas mug filled with special little items of your choice. Please be sure the mug is gift wrapped.
If you'd like to carpool from Gaston, meet behind the church at 5:30. We'll leave from there at 5:40.
If you love to sample the Christmas baking of others, you can show up at 5 PM for a cookie exchange. Please bring 2-dozen cookies and an extra tray.
You'll receive a Polar Express ticket when you arrive, and it's your job to be sure you get four punches on your ticket during the evening so that your name can be entered in a drawing for a Starbucks gift certificate. You'll receive a punch for wearing pjs, bringing food, bringing a wrapped gift, and getting something from the hot chocolate bar. To get you in the mood for that, take a look at this clip from The Polar Express! (Hopefully you won't have to watch a terrible ad first!)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaD8O2RiVIc
Both Bible studies meet this week and next, and then we'll be off for a few weeks of Christmas break. Melissa signed up for treats for Common Grounds (Wednesday, 6:30 PM) and Kristen S. will bring goodies for The Perk (Thursday, 9:30 AM). I hope a lot of you can join us for whichever study works out best for your schedule. Both studies meet at the church.
Until next time,
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@gmail. com 971-285-6699
Monday, December 1, 2014
Monday, December 1, 2014 WOW-Zine
Happy December to all of you! Hard to believe we're entering the last month of the year. You think time passes quickly now--just wait until you're my age!!
Our Thanksgiving break is over and both Bible studies will resume this week. We probably have about six more lessons in this series of God Is Just Not Fair, so it's not too late to join us. Alyssa will be providing snacks for Common Grounds on Wednesday at 6:30 PM, and Thursday at 9:30 AM Stephanie will bring some goodies to go with our coffee and tea. Both studies will meet the first three weeks of December, with the last times being on the 17th and 18th, respectively.
Hopefully many of you are planning on attending the WOW Christmas party on Saturday, December 13th at 6 PM. We'll be meeting at Amy Rusaw's for a really fun evening. Since our theme is The Polar Express with a Cup of Christmas Cheer, please wear winter pajamas and bring a breakfast food for our potluck "brinner." For our gift exchange (i.e. gift stealing) bring a wrapped Chrismas Mug filled with whatever little goodies you can fit inside. Just use your imagination and very little money! If you'd like to carpool, meet behind the church at 5:30 that evening, and we'll leave by 5:40.
If you'd like to participate in a cookie exchange that evening, show up at Amy's an hour ahead of the party (5 PM) and bring 2-dozen cookies and an extra tray on which to take them home. Your cookies will be put aside during the party so no one will assume they're dessert!
A huge thanks to all the ladies who showed up Saturday morning to help decorate the sanctuary! It looks beautiful and festive for the Christmas season. (And Janet's cinnamon rolls made the job easy to do!) I know it seems a long way off, but we'll have our annual Undecorate Party on Friday, January 2nd. We start the evening off with pizza and tucking the decorations away for another year, followed by a game night.
Until next week,
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@gmail.com 971-285-6699
Our Thanksgiving break is over and both Bible studies will resume this week. We probably have about six more lessons in this series of God Is Just Not Fair, so it's not too late to join us. Alyssa will be providing snacks for Common Grounds on Wednesday at 6:30 PM, and Thursday at 9:30 AM Stephanie will bring some goodies to go with our coffee and tea. Both studies will meet the first three weeks of December, with the last times being on the 17th and 18th, respectively.
Hopefully many of you are planning on attending the WOW Christmas party on Saturday, December 13th at 6 PM. We'll be meeting at Amy Rusaw's for a really fun evening. Since our theme is The Polar Express with a Cup of Christmas Cheer, please wear winter pajamas and bring a breakfast food for our potluck "brinner." For our gift exchange (i.e. gift stealing) bring a wrapped Chrismas Mug filled with whatever little goodies you can fit inside. Just use your imagination and very little money! If you'd like to carpool, meet behind the church at 5:30 that evening, and we'll leave by 5:40.
If you'd like to participate in a cookie exchange that evening, show up at Amy's an hour ahead of the party (5 PM) and bring 2-dozen cookies and an extra tray on which to take them home. Your cookies will be put aside during the party so no one will assume they're dessert!
A huge thanks to all the ladies who showed up Saturday morning to help decorate the sanctuary! It looks beautiful and festive for the Christmas season. (And Janet's cinnamon rolls made the job easy to do!) I know it seems a long way off, but we'll have our annual Undecorate Party on Friday, January 2nd. We start the evening off with pizza and tucking the decorations away for another year, followed by a game night.
Until next week,
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@gmail.com 971-285-6699
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