Monday, October 25, 2010

Monday, October 25, 2010 WOW-Zine

Remember that old Carpenter's song where part of the lyrics said, "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down." Well, we've got both the Monday and the rain, but here's hoping you're not letting it get you down! God has blessed us with so much, even on drippy days. And have you noticed how the clouds and sun keep playing hide-and-go-seek? I think it's a good reminder of life. You may be in a dreary, dark time right now, but realize that it will pass and the sun will come out again. And when you're in a bright time, savor it, because you know it won't always be like that.

We had a great group of women together for the Life is Short event last Friday. What a relaxing, goofy, joyous time!! We had so much food and so much fun that we said we should have turned it into a pajama party and spent the night! We'll have to do it again in the near future.

Common Grounds does not meet this week, but will next week, Nov. 3rd. We're having a great time as we work our way through Self Talk, Soul Talk.
And there are prizes involved! If you leave a comment on this blog or next week's blog, your name will be entered in the contest for candy. :-)  If you bring a first-time guest with you, both of you will be able to select a little gift. I know some of you will do just about anything for chocolate, so let the games begin!

Have you put our women's breakfast on your calendar yet? It's at 10 AM on Saturday, Nov. 13th. This will be an opportunity to be encouraged as we look ahead to a busy holiday season. More information will be given next week, but make sure to Save the Date!

And now, to our biggest event of the year--our retreat at Lincoln City the first weekend of March. This you definitely don't want to miss! We'll be sharing in a video presentation by Beth Moore, called Loving Well. That's a topic we can all learn from, I'm sure. We'll spend a wonderful weekend together in a beautiful house a couple blocks from the beach. If you haven't checked out the house yet, go to http://www.vrbo.com/ and put in # 309670. The place is unbelievable!!

Registration forms will be available at the next Common Grounds. We have spots for 40 women. They will initially be open to ladies who attend Wapato or Common Grounds. If we still have available spots by mid January, you'll be able to extend an invitation to friends or relatives. The cost is only $80 and must be paid in full to hold your place. Several women have already paid. I will be glad to act as your banker if you want to give me money bit by bit.

So, that's it for this week. I'd love to hear from you via comments.

Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com  971-285-6699

Monday, October 18, 2010

Monday, October 18, 2010 WOW-Zine

It's autumn! Leaves are falling, and so am I. I took a bad spill last Monday, but the skinned arms are healing well. My tush is still a bit sore, but I know that will eventually go away. So I'm good-to-go for the things happening in the life of WOW in the near future.

The nearest future event is on Wednesday at 6:30 at the church. That's when WOW will meet for Common Grounds. Thanks to all of you who have been attending and participating. I find it very energizing to get together with you women during the middle of the week. Yes, it takes some planning, but I think it's worth it! There's always those yummy snacks (how will I ever lose weight?), great conversations both before and after the session, and then a fun time of searching God's Word together as we talk about Self Talk, Soul Talk. Hope to see you there Wednesday.

Then we have a very special event happening on this Friday, October 22nd. It's called Life is Short, aka Eat Dessert First! And that's exactly what we'll do. Women in the Gaston area who want to carpool can meet at the back parking area of the church at 6 PM. We'll leave at 6:10 to head to Forest Grove--Joe's Ice Cream Shop, (corner of Pacific and Main,) to be exact. Bring money for lucious desserts there before we head back to the church for a night of games and more food! Bring along a snack we can enjoy, as well as a favorite game. We'll have tables scattered around the room so we can have serveral different games going at a time. WARNING: You might want to bring along a surgical mask, as I'm sure the laughter will be contagious!

At the last WOW I introduced our lovely accomodations for our spring retreat, which is the first weekend of March at Lincoln City. To take an on-line tour of the house, go to VRBO.com and put in # 309670. This place will blow your mind! I mean, how many of you have stayed in a house that has an elevator? That has a 42-seat, two-level theater? It's incredible, and you'll be able to enjoy it for the low price of $80 for the weekend. Start saving now, as you have to be paid in full to be considered  registered. (Some women have already paid me!) I hope to have the brouchure and registration form out to you soon.

Because we have a fantastic theather in the home, I figured it would be a shame to waste it. So, our guest speaker for the weekend will be Beth Moore!! Yes, the famous one who goes all over the place giving conferences on how to apply God's word to our lives. That's what I like--the practical stuff! We'll soak in her series entitled Loving Well. I'll tell you more about it at a later time.

Save the date of Saturday, November 13th, as we'll have a women's breakfast at the church at 10 AM. More info will follow as the Women's Ministry Team finalizes the details, but I know you don't want to miss this special time.

Don't forget to be memorizing the verse we're supposed to all learn for Wednesday night. It's a great reminder of how to deal with the bad thoughts that so easily enter our minds. Check last week's blog, as I typed it out there.

I think this is enough for you to handle this week. There's a lot going on, isn't there? No reason to get bored around here!!

Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
971-285-6699  sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com

Monday, October 11, 2010

Monday, October 11, 2010

Happy Columbus Day! What are you doing to make this a memorable holiday in the life of your family? I'd really like to know. Perhaps you're baking and decorating cakes to look like the three boats that sailed the ocean blue. Perhaps you're taking a cruise to commemorate the day. Whatever it is, leave a comment about it and you might win a prize at the next Common Grounds! (And it doesn't even have to be the truth!)

We had a wonderful gaggle of twenty-five women at C. G. last week. (There's another prize for anyone who can come up with a new word to describe a "gaggle" of women. I've got to stop writing, or I'll be giving away prizes right and left!) Our next meeting is NEXT Wednesday, the 20th. I think we're all enjoying learning about Self Talk, Soul Talk. It's nice to know we're not alone in this issue, isn't it?

Many people (okay, just one--hi, Adrienne!) have asked me to post a few notes here on the blog, so that if women have to miss a week they're able to know what's going on. We talked about borrowing beliefs from other people (perhaps labels put on you by parents or friends) that don't really fit, but we wear them anyway. We looked up several scriptures on the importance of words. If you'd like to check them out, you'll find them in Prov.16:24 and 25:11. We spent most of our time discussing II Corinthians 10:4,5. It's a wonderful word picture of how we're to handle our thoughts. And though I say I don't give homework, I am in this case. We're all memorizing those two verses.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.  II Cor. 10: 4,5

Don't forget our "Life is Short" night, coming up on Friday, October 22nd. That's when we'll meet at the ice cream shop in Forest Grove at 6:30 for dessert, then come to the church afterward for "healthy?" snacks (potluck style) and games. You won't want to miss out on this!

So, that's it for this week. Make sure to leave some comments and perhaps win some prizes. Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com  971-285-6699

Monday, October 4, 2010

Monday, October 4, 2010 WOW-Zine

If it's Monday, it must be WOW-Zine time. But I'm wondering if anyone is even reading this! Even with the pictures I posted last week, there were no comments left. Hmm ... I may have to start a contest again to get you gals to leave comments.


Common Grounds, our Bible study, will be meeting this Wednesday at the church at 6:30. The new time seems to be working better for most people, and for those of you that it doesn't, I'm sorry. It's just hard to find the perfect time. We had 26 women at our last meeting, when we began the study on Self Talk, Soul Talk. This subject seems to have struck a chord with many women. Feel free to invite friends to join us. Just show up with your Bible and a notebook and expect a great night!

Our next special event is on Friday, October 22nd. I'm calling it our Life is Short evening, as we're starting with dessert at Joe's Ice Cream Shoppe in Forest Grove. That's the "oldies" ice cream place on the corner of Main and Pacific where we went after bowling last year. After filling up on goodies there, we'll head to the church for some sandwiches and snacks during our game night. So there's a lot packed into one evening, and you won't want to miss a fun-filled minute of it.


In last week's WOW-Zine I said we'd be sharing some tidbits of things we learned at the Selah Conference. So here's the goodie for this week: Vicki Norris spoke about The Priority Principle--have I made room in my life for God's priorities? His priorities are to love, obey, go, and share. She challenged us to look for evidence of those things in our lives. To ask, "How am I showing love, obedience, going, and sharing?"


In next week's issue I'll have a great announcement to make concerning our retreat the first weekend of March. Start putting away a few dollars here and there, as it will be on a first paid, first registered basis for filling our slots. You won't believe the place we have this year!!


Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
971-285-6699 sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com



Monday, September 27, 2010

Monday, September 27, 2010

Welcome to a beautiful Monday afternoon. The sun is shining, the bees are buzzing, and it's hard to believe that fall is just around the corner. Enjoy this week to the fullest, as it may be the last of our really nice weather.


This past Saturday ten of us went to George Fox University for the Selah conference. This is a yearly conference for women and there were nearly 900 of us in attendance. It's kind of like a mini Women of Faith. The worship team was fantastic, and the keynote speakers were full of fun, energy, and wisdom. I think we were all challenged to find ways to simplify our lives. The sun was out by the time lunch break came around, so we enjoyed a casual picnic by the clock tower.




In the coming weeks I'm going to share some of the tidbits of wisdom we heard at the conference. So if those of you who attended would please send me things from your notes that really stood out to you, I'll publish those in the future. I'd like the other women to be able to be exposed to what we gleaned. And wasn't it funny that so much of what was said really fits in with our new Common Grounds study concerning self talk?

Speaking of Common Grounds, we had a great time together last week with 26 women present. But you know what? If you weren't able to make it, there's still room for you! Wouldn't it be something if most of the women of the church were learning about the same thing at the same time?

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, Sept. 29th, at 6:30 PM. We'll be looking at renewing our throught closet.

Selah Sharing: From Vicki Norris, one of the keynote speakers, I learned that it is possible to go from overwhelmed to order. We need to let our lives be aligned with God's order for things. The truth about order is it's about the process and not the final look. When we're living out of order we feel out of control, or like we're just hanging in there. We feel stuck, limited, and hopeless. This would be a great topic for discussion, so please feel free to leave comments and respond back and forth to each other.

Well, I think that's it for this week. Ladies, please know that I am here for you. If you have a prayer concern please give me a call or send me an email to let me know. And I'm always available to get together for coffee!!

Have a great week!

Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director  971-285-6699
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com

Monday, September 20, 2010

Monday, September 20, 2010

My deepest apologies (I wonder how deep that is?) for not getting this post up earlier in the day. But it's Monday--what can I say? I've been in charge of the three grandkids since Thursday night. Last night it took one of them an extra long time to fall asleep as he was in pain. We all overslept this morning, but Josh didn't feel well enough to go to school. So my day has turned out differently from what I planned.


I'm sure that's never happened to any of you, right?! Days like this simply remind us that we are not in control of our lives, even though we may have a schedule all planned out. I hope you're learning, as I am, not to let chaotic days throw you, but to entrust them to the Lord's schedule. I glad He know's what He's doing!

This Wednesday at 6:30 is the beginning of our Common Grounds study entitled Self Talk, Soul Talk. Scroll down to last week's blog to get more info about the subject matter. There is no cost for this study, nor is there any homework. I believe in a guilt-free environment for Bible study. Now, if the Holy Spirit wants to provide a little conviction, that's one thing. But no guilt.
Just bring your Bible and a notebook, along with an open heart.

This is your last call to be able to attend Selah, this Saturday, September 25th, for the low price of $32, including lunch. I've sold the ten tickets I bought, but can order more through Thursday morning. So, if you'd like to go but haven't purchased tickets, give me a call and I can place an order for you. (971-285-6699). You can pay me by check at Common Grounds. Please make checks out to WVC.

Is anyone interested in attending the Women of Faith conference in Portland on October 8 & 9th? I haven't ordered the $89 tickets for that event, as first I need to know who wants them. Please let me know just as soon as possible, as I'll buy one just for myself if need be! :-(

We had a lot of interest shown for WOW providing classes to learn how to knit, crochet, and quilt. If any of you are well-versed enough to be able to teach any of those classes, please let me know.

By the way, there is now a WOW group on Facebook. Several of you have already signed up for it. Please let your friends know about it. Hope to see many of you on Wednesday night at 6:30.

Blessings,
Sherrie

Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director  971-285-6699
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com



Monday, September 13, 2010

Monday, September 13, 2010 WOW-ZINE

Welcome to another Monday. The kids are all back in school and hopefully you'll have time during the week to sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and see what's ahead for WOW.


We had a wonderful time at our WOW kickoff potluck last Wednesday. New faces showed up (no, no one got a face lift--you know what I mean!) as well as some of us older wrinkled ones. The food was bountiful as well as delicious. Maybe we should have potlucks more often! Scroll down to the bottom of this entry to see pictures from the evening.

Next Wednesday, September 22nd at 6:30-8 at the church will be our first actual study for Common Grounds this year. I'm really excited about the book I'll be teaching from--Self Talk, Soul Talk. If you've ever found yourself talking to yourself, this study is for you. Not because of the simple fact that you talk to yourself, but because of what you're saying. Usually, we're not telling ourselves the truth. The words we say shape the way we think about ourselves. They influence our emotions, thoughts, and decisions. In this study we'll discover how God has made a way for us to make sure the words we say to ourselves are the words He would say to us!

Saturday, September 25th is the Selah conference at George Fox University in Newberg. The theme this year is It's Time to Simplify. You simply must make the time to come to this event! I only have five tickets left ($32, which includes lunch) but can get more for the same low price if we run out. Please let me know as soon as possible if you can go. We can arrange carpools. The sessions go from 9-4:15. Those of us who attended last year had a great time. You won't want to miss this.

All day Friday and Saturday, October 8 & 9, is the Women of Faith conference in Portland. Let's get a group together and invade the place! If you've never been, it's an absolutely fantastic time. If you've been before, you'll still have an absolutely fantastic time. Blocks of seats are still available, but I'll need to order the tickets soon. If we get a group of ten or more tickets, they're only $89. I say "only" with tongue in cheek, as I know that's a lot of money. I can only tell you that it's well worth it!  It will of course cost extra if we're able to get a couple of motel rooms for Friday night. So, again, please let me know as soon as you can if you're able to go.

And now, for those promised photos!



Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699