June's Newsletter

Note: phone numbers & last names are removed. For further info email the contact emails in the sidebar or grab at PN for phone numbers.

Ladies,

Attached is the PWOC directory – updated 8 June. This is the last update I plan to mail out until the fall.

Farewell to Laura
13 June, This Friday night will be our last chance to visit with Laura before she graduates and goes back “home”. We’ll miss you, Laura.

Welcome Back to Betsy. We can’t wait to hear about your Alaskan cruise.


PROJECT NIGHT
Our next project night is 13 June, THIS Friday. Any project can be the right one. You may choose to read, visit, work on photos, make lesson plans, quilt….one brave soul even made aprons. You bring your supplies and a munchie to share. We will supply a dinner entrée. Doors of the Fellowship Hall open at 1700 and will close by mid-night. Come for the whole night or just an hour or two. RSVP for a dinner count by 10 June to De’Etta .

FREDERICKSBURG
PWOC goes on the road 21 June. We will leave the chapel parking lot at 0800 for this day trip and return that evening. The purpose of our trip is to have fun and explore more Texan history and habitat. Transportation is on us; lunch is dutch treat. RSVP by 16 June to Debbie Harding.

LOOKING FOR CONTRIBUTORS
We are in the process of compiling a keepsake to be given to PWOC members as they say farewell. We’d love to have your favorite recipes. Care to share? Email or give them to De’Etta or Vera. Our August project night will be devoted to compiling these keepsakes.

THANKS TO THE HOSTESS’ WITH THE MOSTEST!
Thanks to Vera and Debbie for hosting our recent tea. We appreciate you ladies. Everything was lovely.

Thanks also for my lovely mesquite crosses….they are beautiful and I’ll think of this group whenever I look at them. Totally unexpected! Y’all rock!

I think that’s all the “news” for June. Don’t forget to save and/or print the attached directory (alphabetized by first name). Let’s use it to keep in touch over the summer. Following is a devotional for the month.

Choosing Joy,
De’Etta
~*~*~*~
Dare to be a Deborah in a Little Debbie World.....Judges 4,5
Choosing Joy (De's family blog) http://not2many.blogspot.com
Jamin's Writing http://scribe-jamin.blogspot.com/

For more newsletters - click here.

Peace in the Boundaries

“Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your sons within you. He makes peace in your borders; He satisfies you with the finest of wheat.” Psalm 147:12-14

A couple of years ago a-not-yet-but-soon-to-be- friend shared these verses at a Mom’s Night Out. They went straight to my heart. As is often the case, they marinated and grew. I’ve been meaning to share some thoughts, but never have quite pulled it off. As I’ve been asked to share a weekend devotional, this is a good time to attempt to gather my thoughts.

Praise! God desires my esteem. He desires me to exalt Him; in all times, in all circumstances. In the midst of praising *I* find that I am soothed and calmed. My perspective changes, though often the circumstances, the boundaries remain the same.

What? Bars, gates and boundaries? To a personality like mine these sound like prison terms. However, I’ve come to see that God doesn’t mean them that way. Gates and boundaries serve for my protection, they map out my sphere of influence (my territory), and they give direction and a perimeter to my service in the King’s vineyard.

We all respond differently to boundaries. My oldest daughter will see a line in the sand (a boundary or rule) and will stay miles away to be sure she doesn’t cross it. Her mother, on the other hand, is naturally a “get-as-close-as-you-can-to-the-line” thrill seeker”. (Yes, I’ve been burned enough times to begin maturing in this area.)

I’ve thought so often of these verses in the last few years. As I studied, I realized that gates were also place of meeting in Bible times. Hmmm….hospitality, fellowship, ministry are found within my boundaries, at the gate. It isn’t a prison! ::snort::

These verses can be applied so many ways. I simply ask the Holy Spirit to speak the words to your heart where they may bring encouragement, peace and satisfaction.

God has called me HERE, to W TX. He’s called me to homeschool. He’s called me to be a stay-at-home Mom during this season in my life. Until quite recently He called me to severely limit all outside speaking, activities etc. These were my boundaries. I knew they were my boundaries. I was staying inside of them. I knew they were for my protection. Sometimes it is easy though to STAY in the boundaries, to DO what we know we should do, but with an attitude that robs us of the joy we could experience.

As I made a practice of praising Him FOR the bars, gates and boundaries He has established for me, I’ve experienced a soothing calm. I’ve begun to find not only protection but PEACE and SATISFACTION within my boundaries. My prayer for all of us this week is that we begin to walk in new security, satisfaction and peace within our boundaries.

Word Studies Follow: (I love that Hebrew greeting and plan to start utilizing it)

Praise – Strong’s 7623 Sabah – The primary meaning is to sooth or calm (as in a storm). Also means praise, exalt, holding something in higher esteem. In its fullest definition the word speaks to the soothing effect that praise has on one’s psyche.

Gates – Strong’s 8179 – Saar – gate, entrance, can stand for a city or town, there was often a meeting area near the gate

Peace – Strong’s 7965 – Salom (shalom) – peace or tranquility, common Hebrew greeting – “how is your peace?”, present with the wise – absent with the wicked, often pictured as coming from God

Border – Strong’s 1366 (funny breath/accent marks then) Bul – border, boundary, territory, barrier, wall…points out the limits or boundaries of territories. It depicts the limits God sets for various aspects of His creation (Ps 104:9) but also man-made boundary markers set by people (Deut 19:14; Prov 22:28) that were to be respected.

For more devotionals click here!

©2008 D.R.G.

2008/09 PROJECTED CALENDAR

May 2008
31 May – Spring Tea

June 08
13 Jun – Project Night
21 Jun – Day Trip: Fredericksburg

July 08
11 Jul – Project Night ?
11 – 12 – Leadership Weekend: Ft. Leavenworth

August 08 – First day of school 25th
No activities this month. Enjoy the end of your summer.

September 08 – 14 weeks of Bible Study
2 Sept – (Tues) Fall Kick Off – receive study materials
9 Sept – Bible Study
12 Sept – Project Night
16 Sept – Bible Study
23 Sept – Bible Study
30 Sept – Bible Study

October 08 – New budget begins
7 Oct – Bible Study
10 Oct – Project Night
14 Oct – Bible Study
21 Oct – Bible Study
28 Oct – Bible Study
Women’s Day Out – Saturday in Oct?

November 08 – fall break 24th – 28th
4 Nov – Bible Study
7 Nov - Project Night
11 Nov – Bible Study
13 – 16 Nov – Fall Focus
18 Nov – Bible Study
22 Nov - Chapel Cleaning - PWOC provides breakfast!

December 08 – Christmas Break 22nd – 2 Jan
2 Dec – Bible Study
6 Dec – Christmas Tea ?
9 Dec – Bible Study
12 Dec – Project Night
16 Dec – Bible Study

January 09 – School Starts 5 Jan – 17 weeks of Bible Study
6 Jan – Winter Kick Off (receive study books)
9 Jan – Project Night
13 Jan – Bible Study
20 Jan – Bible Study
27 Jan – Bible Study

February 09
3 Feb – Bible Study
13 Feb – Project Night
10 Feb – Bible Study
17 Feb – Bible Study
24 Feb – Bible Study

March 09 – Spring Break 16 – 20th
3 Mar – Bible Study
10 Mar – Bible Study
13 Mar – Project Night
24 Mar – Bible Study
31 Mar – Bible Study
Women’s Event March or April

April 09 –
7 Apr – Bible Study
10 Apr – Project Night
14 Apr – Bible Study
21 Apr – Bible Study
28 Apr Bible Study
Women’s Event March or April
Traveling Training April or May

May 09 – Last day school 29th, Graduations 23rd, 30th
5 May - Bible Study
8 May – Project Night
12 May – Bible Study
Spring Tea – Saturday

*This calendar is proposed. We’ve taken into account SAISD calendars, as well as base and city events of which we are aware. This calendar will be proposed to the PAC at the annual PAC planning meeting and dates will be changed as needed to consolidate the chapel calendar. Locations will be added as facility requests are approved.

POC will be added as board members create their "pwoc email addresses".

Newsletters

This page will link all newsletters. Newsletters will be uploaded with last names and phone numbers removed. If you need to contact please use the email address in the sidebar or grab a Protestant News at chapel for numbers.

July 2008

Devotionals

This page will link all devotionals posted on the site. If you would like to write a devotional for the blog contact De'Etta at gafbpwocpres@yahoo.com

Peace in our Boundaries

Approval & Servanthood

God's Will

Boast in Christ

Be STILL and KNOW that He is GOD

Whine or Shine!

One Another Verses

PAST EVENTS

This page will have links to past events along with slideshows and/or photos that you can capture. Simple right click on the image, click save as, and then save it to your photo file on your computer. All titles below will eventually have clickable links.

Christmas Tea 2005
Water Lily Trip
Christmas Tea 2006
Body Building 101
Ladies Day Out - Miss Hatties
Christmas Tea 2007
Traveling Training 2008
Jill's Farewell
Shannon's Farewell
Preparing for the Bridegroom - Spring Tea 2008
Road Trip - Fredericksburg 21 June 2008
Farewell Gift Assembly - 25 July 2008
Clearing a Space at Jesus' Feet - 2 Sept 2008

Project Nights (photos from various nights)

PROVERBS: Study Helps

Here are some helps as we study Sue Edward's, "Proverbs: Ancient Wisdom for a Post- Modern World".

Do your own study first! Remember, that you will find commentaries that differ widely in their accuracy. You will only be able to evaluate context if you've done your own work before starting the search for outisde sources.

Side bar links - don't forget to check the study links in the side bar. The "Amazing Inductive Study Link" will give you commentaries, sermons, dictionaries, concordances, downloads....I've found it to be one of my favorite online sources.

Blue Letter Bible has some of the same features as the site above. Its an easy to use concordance.

This link will take you to the church where Sue Edwards ministers. There are teachings by Sue and a variety of authors that go along with our study. If you would like to hear the lectures you can play them from your computer or download them to an ipod. I had to do a search for "Sue Edwards" to find an index.

One Another Verses - Compiled for Lesson 5.

NT Work Verses - Compiled for Lesson 6

Tips for Table Talk on Luke 10:25 - 37 - Compiled for Lesson 8