My Life as a Supermodel...

I am looking forward to our annual Mother's Day Activity this Saturday, May 1st. The theme has been fun to work with...My Life as a Supermodel. It has also been very challenging because my life and my appearance are so far from what I think of as a supermodel. And while we are not in any way advocating adopting the appearance of a real life supermodel, we are attempting to realize that as moms we are models to our children. I don't know of anyone who could the expense of high fashion, but I do know the Father who paid the ultimate price so that I could be clothed in righteousness. One God can adequately equip me to be the model mom for my kids.

Would you be surprised to know that the Bible says how to clothe ourselves? Lil will be sharing some insights from Colossians on this topic. We'll also have some fun with current fashion trends.

Does anyone know the new "hot" color for this spring? What are your favorite trends? Leave a comment and share your thoughts. I'll announce next week what the "hot" new color!

Weeds and other garden work

I mentioned a few posts ago that I was looking forward to seeing the result of all the bulbs I planted last fall. And, I have to report that I was sorely disappointed! I obviously have some type of pesky varmint who came along and ate most of my bulbs. I'll have to look into it if I want to plant more bulbs in the fall - I definitely don't want to do all that back breaking work for nothing!

Speaking of work, as I look at my perennial garden in the backyard, I am reminded of the maintenance required to keep it looking good. There are the usual weeds that need to be pulled and then there is the bee balm that is trying to take over so I need to pull that (let me know if you want some...I can bring it to church on Sunday.) I can't help but think of spiritual parallels when I think of my garden. First, it requires work. It is easy to see what needs to be done in the garden but not so easy to get my fanny out there and do the work. It is going to take time and I don't always have huge blocks of time and, as you can see it is easier for me to blog about!

In my spiritual life there are weeds that need to be pulled and things that are trying to take over. I often don't see these things, but I believe I don't see them because I don't look or as I say to my children don't "look with my eyes open." I get discouraged often when I invest time in something (like my bulbs) and don't see the results. Then, there are seasons when I am just so busy that only the urgent things get done and in the case of my garden it waits for my attention.

So, what am I trying to say? I'm not really sure except that I know when we take time to weed and cultivate our lives, there will be a beautiful harvest. I encourage you to ask God where to start and to start small. Let me know of your gardening projects (both physical and spriritual) so I can encourage you!

Life Inspiring Faith Enriching

One thing you may not know about women's ministries is that we have the tag line of "Life Inspiring Faith Enriching." As we plan and execute each activity, Bible study and event, I try to keep this thought in mind. Are we inspiring the women of LCC in their unique roles in life? Are we enriching our faith or just adding to our to-do list? Of course what inspires or enriches me is totally different from what inspires or enriches you.

These are great words, but I wondered what they really meant. Inspire means "to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence." We have the most exalting influence indwelling us - the Holy Spirit. Inspiration is at our disposal at any given time.

Enrich means "to supply with abundance of anything desirable or to add greater value or significance to." (Definitions are from www.dictionary.com) Oh, how I desire that with all we do, we add greater value or significance to our faith.

So, this brings me to my question of the week. What inspires or enriches your life? What could we do as a women's ministry to inspire or enrich? I look forward to your comments.

Spring Excitement

I love this time of year...getting outside and seeing new growth in my garden. My favorite flower is the tulip and I planted a bunch this past fall and can't wait to see how they look. I am praying that my spring excitement will also translate into my spiritual life. I desire to see growth there as well. The women's retreat was a wonderful opportunity to shed some spiritual weight and prepare us for that new growth we see in our physical world.

So, I'd love to know what your favorite flower is and what you are currently studying in your spiritual life. I look forward to your responses.

Taking some time off...

I had the opportunity to go to a Catalyst church leaders conference this past Monday. There was a lot of great information that quite frankly, I need time to fully process. There was one thing that really stood out to me...that I should be the best wife and mom that I can be as those are the roles that only I can do. With this in mind, I will not be updating the blog for a few weeks. My husband is having shoulder surgery in a few hours and I need to be a full time nurse and as Thanksgiving arrives, I want to be fully focused on my relationship with God and my family. I trust that you too want to be the best you can be for your family in the roles that are uniquely yours. I also pray that you count your many blessings as we celebrate Thanksgiving. Look for a post the first week in December. We are planning a great Christmas activity for December 5th!

Catching up

This morning it was so great to sit in the newly refinished auditorium at church. I was a bit sleepy as I sank into the comfortable chairs, but something Pastor Steve said really caught my attention. You see, I do want to be a genuine Christian and want to be growing in my faith. But being real and genuine, I have to tell you that this past week I faced a few trials and instead of growing through them, I checked out. I didn't spend time in the Word or in prayer like I know I should do. I wasted time that could have been more productively used and I took naps instead of calling on friends to give me hand. I'm thankful for our pastor who is willing to preach the truth of the Word even when it is convicting.

That brings me to the topic I would have blogged about last week. October is Pastor Appreciation Month or ministry appreciation month. I like to use this forum to thank Pastor Steve, Josh our worship leader, Donald our youth pastor, Sherri our Children's ministry director and all the others who serve faithfully in our church. Even though it's November, it is never a bad time to thank those who minister to you and your family and I encourage you to do so!

I also want to remind ladies of our upcoming activities:
FP4H Bible study Saturday, Nov 7th from 9-11 am at the church office
Celebrate Life Open House this Saturday, Nov 7th from 2-4 pm at the church office
Under Grace and Over Coffee with Jessica Ellison Sunday, Nov 8th from 7-8:30pm at Wegmans.

You can get more detailed information on the church website!

Feedback is always welcomed and wanted...

I often wonder if we are meeting the needs of the ladies at LCC. While I know we can never meet every need, I also know that we can't attempt to meet those needs if we don't know what they are. At LCC we have a great group of ladies who serve on the women's ministry leadership team. We spend a great deal of time thinking about activities and Bible studies and then in planning. This fall we have had quite a few opportunities for women to connect - we have three Bible studies and several activities throughout each month. Recently however, we have also had a decline in attendance at our activities and I always wonder why when this happens. I also realize that no one can attend every activity - life happens in most unexpected ways!

What I would love to know is what activities appeal to you, what are the best days and times to meet and any thoughts you'd like to add.

What I'd also like for everyone to know is how thankful I am for all those ladies who are serving in women's ministries. We have two new Bible study leaders this fall, Michelle Boice and Jessica Ellison. They are both doing an outstanding job! Lisa Downing will be starting another First Place for Health group the end of this month. Jessica recently planned and led our prayer walk which Lisa Downing hosted for us. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate, but God blessed just the same! I appreciate each one who serves the LCC women as well as each of you who attend.

So, thanks and please share with us!