Our 31:30 Women’s Ministry at The River Church, is getting ready to have a game night for our fall kick off! I’m excited! I’ve missed getting together with women and just hanging out.
There will be games, food, fellowship, and don’t tell anyone, but I think there may even be prizes!!
Hope to see you there!!!
I have been thinking a lot about friends…the ones I have now and the ones that have drifted in and out of my life. I sometimes get so frustrated wondering why some have drifted away, but know that God had a purpose for them in my life and sometimes it’s time to let go. Not that we won’t be friends any longer, just won’t be as close as we once were. It saddens my heart at times.
I came across this poem on the internet and thought I’d share…
Reason, Season, or Lifetime
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which one it is,
you will know what to do for each person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
— Unknown
I am on the 31:30 Women’s Ministry team at The River Church. We just had our retreat called “Freedom in Obedience”.
We had 3 speakers (women from our church) speak on different aspects of obedience. Freedom in Obedience, Daily Obedience, and Blessings of Obedience. All 3 of their talks were wonderful!
On Friday night, we had dinner, then after dinner was Worship time and then our first talk entitled “Freedom in Obedience” we heard about how to hear from God, that we can gain courage and freedom from sin through steps of obedience, and how we will “make it right”. Most of the teaching was from 1 Samuel 3.
After a time of discussion we had a game night. The first thing we did was an ice breaker game…all the ladies stood in a circle and a stuffed animal was thrown from the first person to another then to another. The one thing you had to remember is the person you threw to and the person who threw to you (always the same 2 people). As it went on, they would add more stuffed animals until we had a good 10+ animals flying. I’ll say that there was a lot of laughter!!
Then there were 2 other main games going on, Bingo and Bunco. Of course we had other games, like Apples to Apples, decks of cards, and a variety of other games for the women to play until they were tired.
The next morning, after breakfast, we had more time of worship before going into our next talk called “Daily Obedience”. We learned things that can keep you from being obedient to God, like fear, lack of time spent in prayer and reading God’s Word, and complacency. We learned why we should be obedient, what the result from being obedient was. Our speaker sited many verses out of the bible during her talk. A couple things that stuck out to me was “God is calling me to be obedient today…not 5 years from now”, and “Define yourself by Jesus and who he says you are”…meaning I am a Princess, a Child of the Most High God. Also to “Choose life in all the decisions you make”.
After some discussion and a break, we went into a Panel talk, our 3 speakers were part of the panel and questions were written on cards and placed in a bucket prior to break. We had our MC asking the panel the questions (all anonymous) and they each had a chance to answer the questions our women had. This takes the pressure off of the women having to speak up during a Q/A time on their own to ask the questions.
After a break and lunch, we came back in to our last talk of the weekend called “Blessings of Obedience”. Again our speaker sited many verses throughout the bible. We learned what blessings looked like, the power we have when we obey and so much more.
Overall it was such a great experience. Many of the women I talked to really enjoyed the retreat.
I want to publicly thank all those ladies who helped make this retreat happen, you know who you are!
The weather in my neck of the woods:
COLD!!! Snowy, windy, and a good day to stay in!
Things that make me happy:
Seeing other people smile!!
Book(s) I’m reading:
“The Case for Christmas” by Lee Strobel
What I’m enjoying on TV:
I’ve been watching a lot of Food Network…getting ideas for holiday cooking!
New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
Melted Snowman Sugar Cookies
On the Menu for dinner:
Pizza
On my To Do List:
Baking cookies!!
In the Craft Basket:
Hmmm…can’t say! 
Looking forward to this week:
Preschool Christmas Program on Wednesday
Tips and Tricks:
I use a calendar that lists out my 4 boys’ chores for each day of the week. It’s listed on a weekly calendar, so if I want to change their jobs, I just rip off the current week and change their chores!
My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):
Melted Snowman Sugar Cookies I’m so making these for the Preschool Christmas Program!!
Blog Hopping (A new discovered blog you would like to share with other readers)”:
?
No words needed (favorite picture, yours or others you want to share):
Lesson learned the past few days:
My son will make it as a dad…someday! He did a pretty good job at taking care of that “baby” from school!
On my Prayer list/things on my mind:
A few friends of friends who are sick/had surgery
Devotionals, scripture reading, key verses:
10 Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:10
(still trying to memorize this)
From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
The weather in my neck of the woods:
Unseasonably warm and cloudy with a high reaching close to 70 degrees!!
Things that make me happy:
Having my hubby home on vacation!
Book(s) I’m reading:
Still reading “Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis…Ones I have that I want to read are: “So What’s the Difference?” by Fritz Ridenour and “The Help, a novel” by Kathryn Stockett…both were recommended by people from my church to read!
What I’m enjoying on TV:
How I Met Your Mother…at least until hubby wants to watch Monday Night Football
New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
Truffles…I want to make some soon!
On the Menu for dinner:
Pizza
On my To Do List:
In the Craft Basket:
Nothing right now, but I’m feeling the “itch” to create again! 
It’s been so long!!
Looking forward to this week:
Having Thanksgiving with my family and then having a couple days with just me and my hubby (shopping) while the boys stay with grandma! Then more Thanksgiving!!
Tips and Tricks:
I use a 3 ring binder divided into 8 categories that I will (still working on putting it together) put photos and directions to different crafts. That way I will have a place in which to draw ideas from!
My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):
Nothing that stands out too much…I read a lot of blogs
Blog Hopping (A new discovered blog you would like to share with other readers)”:
No words needed (favorite picture, yours or others you want to share):
Lesson learned the past few days:
The ladies that work at the Preschool are a RIOT!!!
On my Prayer list (things on my mind):
Traveling safety for all my friends that will be out and about
Devotionals, scripture reading, key verses:
22 Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.
Psalm 55:22
From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Grieving is a lot different this time around. I’ve been through the grieving process for a grandparent and uncles, and although it’s tough for them, grieving for your dad is far worse.
If you were to ask me how I’m doing (which most people right now who see me do), I’ll tell you “I’m ok”…what I really mean is please don’t ask me anymore. I’m tired of people saying “I’m sorry” “How are you doing?”, etc. I know that’s what most people say, and I am guilty of that myself for those who have lost someone…there’s not really anything you can say that I haven’t heard.
My emotions are on the surface, I haven’t really had the time to grieve properly, I don’t know how or when the tears will come, but I’m afraid that when they do come, they may not stop for quite some time. That’s not to say I haven’t cried, I have…many different times, but I know there’s going to come a time when the tears are really going to flow and the pain will be bad. I’m not prepared for it, but I know that it’s not something that I want to happen in a public setting (i.e. church).
Sunday, I sang on the Praise team. I was so glad to be back into the routine of being on the schedule, however, I found myself avoiding people. I’m not doing it to be mean, I’m doing it because I’m just not wanting to talk. I’ve turned off my chat function on Facebook because I don’t want to chat with people. It’s not that I don’t care about what’ going on in your life, I do care, but at this moment, I need to deal with what’s going on with me…on my schedule, and right now I need to do it slowly.
Please don’t get offended if I ignore you when we pass, I’m doing it because there are certain people that I will lose all control around and I’m just not ready to do that yet. There will come a time when I won’t avoid people. If you must, just hug me, don’t say you are sorry…I already know that…I know you care, I can see it on your face. For now, just be my friend. Just sit with me, listen to me, let me lead the conversation about my dad…let me go as “deep” as I want into my grief in this moment. Just pray for me…don’t pity me.
Add to all this, Kevin’s grandmother being diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer and not doing well. We are walking down the road of pain management again and Hospice coming in. My husband’s cousin just lost his wife (in her early 40s) to a heart attack this past summer. My cousin (dad’s brother’s son) is dealing with his grandmother dieing of cancer and Hospice being called in. They aren’t expecting her to live long either. Although I don’t know her much, I know my cousin is going through a lot (losing an Uncle and now a grandmother dieing). I’m just not sure how much more one person can take!
I’m somewhere between numb and feeling everything. My emotions are all over the place. I can cry at the drop of a hat, and usually it’s something as stupid as dropping a hat that will trigger the tears. As my mom has said, “It’s not the big things, it’s the little things.” She’s right…it’s not the overall picture of my dad dieing, I’m happy for him. He’s no longer in pain, he’s healthy, he’s with Jesus. It’s the little things, it’s not being able to open a jar, tripping over the same toys I do all the time, the dirty table, the dirty dishes, the never ending pile of laundry. You know, those little annoyances you deal with on a daily basis. Every once in a while, they trigger those tears because something doesn’t go the way I had expected.
Someday, I will have a “normal” life…but my new “normal” will be different than what it was before.
I know I haven’ t been the best at blogging lately, but have wanted to get on here the past few days to let you all know what has been going on.
As you may (or may not) know, my dad had been on a “Road to a Kidney” for some time now. He started on Dialysis 3 times a week this past summer after his open heart surgery. He fought as much as he could, however, I come today with a very heavy heart.
My beloved father passed away early Sunday morning. He had said he was “tired” and just couldn’t fight any more. As hard as it is, I know my father is no longer in pain and is spending is days with our Heavenly Father.
I never had any doubt about my father’s faith, but if I did, those doubts, they would have long since been gone. We found a book that my dad had been writing in called “A Father’s Legacy”. In it, we found out what an awesome relationship with God he had. It was amazing…brought tears to our eyes to see how passionate he was about what it means to be a Christian and how he felt about his family. What a great Legacy to leave behind!
I have decided to be sure to work on my “Reflections from a Mother’s Heart” book that I have received. No one knows how short life is…that was made all to clear for me this past summer when my cousin’s wife (41) passed away of a heart attack and again with my dad who seemed fine just a few short days ago.
I have been so blessed with having that “Peace that Passes all understanding” that God gives (Philippians 4:7). My heart is overwhelmed with the love and comfort from family and friends…some who lived close and those who live very far away. The prayers were felt from the time I sent out a plea to pray on Wednesday (11/4/09), through dad’s death (11/8/09), through the funeral (11/10/09), and even today. We have the Memorial service this Saturday. We are calling it a “Celebration of Pat’s Life”…how appropriate! We do need to celebrate all that my dad has done in his life and where he is now, standing on the streets of gold with Jesus…although, I’m sure he’s probably fishing.
My thoughts are now getting all jumbled up in my head, so I’m going to stop for now. Thank you to those who were praying for our family, we greatly appreciate it!
What an awesome time!
The River Church hosted a Woman’s Retreat this past weekend (Friday evening – Saturday afternoon). It was a great time of fellowship.
My car load arrived later than I was supposed to, but still early. We hustled through the set up and registration then headed off to dinner. I was in charge of the media…I was so grateful to have other women there who had done this type of thing before!
W was so happy to get to know the women of our church. We spent time in the evening on Friday just talking. A couple of the women I already knew fairly well, and a couple that I didn’t know well at all. I have never laughed so hard…that’s what it’s all about. Making friends and bonding with other women!
On Saturday, before lunch, there was a question and answer time. At breakfast we were all given index cards to write a question on…the question could be about ANYTHING you wanted. I was so excited when the question of “When is the next retreat?” came up! How exciting that the women had so much fun that they were ready to start thinking about the next retreat!!
For those of you who didn’t attend, I strongly encourage you to try and attend the next retreat. It was SO MUCH FUN!!
Change is inevitable…change is hard.
To grow, you have to change.
The transition from one place to another is very straining on everyone involved. Friendships are strained.
A true friend walks in when the world walks out
But when God is in the midst of change, you know something powerful will come out of all the changes.
During this midst of change, I’m on my knees asking for God to guide me, direct me, protect me.
Have you ever thought about those people that shaped your life?
A couple days ago, I found the man that pastored the church I grew up in. After talking with him, I realized how much this man has helped shaped my life in the way that it is now. He was there during the impressionable part of my life…those teenage years. He made Catechism class fun. One joke he told that stood out (and I have no idea why) was…
Why is there a fence around the graveyard?
People are dying to get in!
That quirky sense of humor made the class fun. Youth Group trips were always so much fun…even if I did sit in the lodge while everyone else went skiing. The top of that list would have to be the time we went to Church Camp as a youth group to work. We painted each other the cabins and played in the mud…it was one of the messiest best times of my life!
God has a way of using people to help shape the lives of others.
Who has shaped your life? I want to know!
Subscribe by Email