Mary Did You Know?

Merry Christmas, Ladies. May the peace and joy of the precious gift of Jesus fill you with HOPE in the upcoming year and always.

Love to you!
Janel

The Manger of My Heart

The Manger of My Heart
This Christmas, Lord, come to the manger of my heart.
Fill me with your presence, from the very start.
As I prepare for the holidays, and gifts to be given,
Remind me of the gift You gave,
when you sent Your Son from Heaven.

The first Christmas gift, the greatest gift ever,
You came as a baby born in a manger.
Wrapped like the gifts I find under my tree,
Waiting to be opened, to reveal Your love to me.

This Christmas, Lord, come to the manger of my heart.
Search me and know the most intimate parts.
Reveal to me if I have ever hung a sign within,
Claiming it off limits, implying "no room at the Inn."

Restore to me the wonder that came with Jesus' birth,
when He left the riches of Heaven
and wrapped Himself in rags of earth.
Emmanuel, God with us, Your presence came that night.
As angels announced, "Into your darkness,
God brings His Light."

"Do not be afraid," they said, to shepherds in the field.
Speak to my heart today, Lord, and help me to yield.
Make me like those shepherd boys, obedient to your call.
Casting distractions and worries aside,
to You I surrender them all.

Surround me with Your presence, Lord,
I long to hear your voice.
Clear my mind of concerns and all the holiday noise.
Slow me down this Christmas, let me not be in a rush.
In the midst of parties and planning,
I want to feel Your hush.

This Christmas, Jesus, come to the manger of my heart.
Invade my soul like Bethlehem, bringing peace to every part.
Dwell within and around me,
as I unwrap Your presence each day.
Keep me close to You, Jesus.
It's in your wonderful Name I pray.

© 2003, Renee Swope ~ www.ReneeSwope.com

Thanks Stef - needed to read that. ;)

Inexpensive Ways to Give Back

Looking for an inexpensive way to give back this year?

$5 will buy 2 pairs of shoes. Shoes for someone that has never worn shoes or doesn't have any shoes now.



Want to help out closer to home?
Go to LOCAL HOPE to find out more.

A Thank You From Aliene

To the radical warrior women of Seeds…

I love you. The scrapbook you gave me has blessed me beyond description. Your words touched my heart and continue to bring tears to my eyes and a smile to my face.

Thank you for taking the time to reflect, remember and record. You are a blessing to me.

Well onward! New battles to face and much more land to conquer. I think I’ll go and read my scrapbook - AGAIN!

Have a wonderful Christmas, and by all means …. Get Radical!

Blessings,

Aliene

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Thank you!

Thank you ladies for such a wonderful brunch yesterday.

To Debbie, Karin, Gwyn, Tina - your gifts of music reach deep down and fill our souls.

To Tina, Kelly, Stefani - your gifts of hospitality and beauty shine and make us feel special.

To Kristi - your leadership is loving, strong and always reminds us of how beautiful we are!

To Aliene - your teaching leads us on journeys with God to learn more about who we are through Him.

To Pauline and Karin - the gift of prayer covers our group with warmth and love.

To Nancy - your gift of dealing with numbers provides much peace for the rest of us. Your sweet spirit is a blessing.

To Julie, Amanda, Theresa, Robin, Mary Ellen, Tatum, Elaine, Su, Kristin - your leadership and love for your women provide safety and love.

Thank you for my gifts - I love them soooo much!

Merry Christmas! See you on January 6.

Childcare Registration Begins!

Hi ladies,

Childcare Registration has begun for the Winter Sessions of Seeds.

Please contact Juley Sexton to complete your registration. Her email is juleys@gethope.net or phone number at 532-0620.


You must register for the upcoming session in order for your child to be in child care. Please do this as soon as possible so that Juley can secure enough workers.

If you have track out schedules, please note that on your registration forms.

Please let Juley or Janel know if you have any questions.
And thank you!

Advent Conspiracy - Watch

I Am Second - edited

I found this website, I Am Second, through another blogger and wanted to share it.

It. Is.Very.Cool.

I can't even begin to explain it because it just speaks for itself. I can tell you that it is videos of all kinds of people, famous and not telling their amazing stories of letting God taking over in their lives.

The photo above shows Brian Welch, former band member of Korn. Not sure who Korn is? Well, yeah their music is a bit hard to say the least, but his story? Wow.

Looking for someone or something more familiar? Well, I am sure you will find it - the site covers anything you may be dealing with from abuse to difficulties in your marriage, or from addiction to just what your purpose is in life.

Here is Josh Hamilton's video.

***edit***
While the creators have remained on the down-low it seems that this site has been the collaborative effort of "no less than a dozen really, really talented, Jesus loving,
passionate people, says Trey Hill.

I just want to point you to a couple sites of those involved in making this happen. Led by two -time Emmy nominated directors, Sam Ditore and Scott Mayo of Ditore Mayo Entertainment

From their site...

Meaningful stories need to be told. And told well. That’s what we do.

Trey Hill: Photographer, Writer, Editor

Straight from his bio...

I often linger on details most people miss. It’s a habit that comes from my belief that beauty lives deep inside un-special things. You may have to look a little longer and a little harder to see it, but in the short space between my shutter’s opening and closing something profound happens.

A redemptive blink is made available for savoring.

As a photographer, I’m trying to prodigally pursue the beauty hidden inside of ordinary things.

Okay, so go now. Go, go. I promise you won't be disappointed.
iamsecond.com

I Am Second,
Janel

December

Hi ladies,
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Ours was quiet but oh, so nice. We have a lot to be thankful for.

So, we meet this coming Tuesday and will be continuing our journey with Joshua in chapter 8.

We will meet December 9 and finishing up with Chapter 9
and then on December 16 for our Christmas Brunch.

We do need help with decorating for the brunch. And we will be asking two things of you: Bring an item of food or drink to share with everyone. Bring something from your heart to share with everyone: something you learned during this study, some way you grew because of Joshua - anything on your heart.

We break until the rest of December and will meet again beginning on January 6.

Check out the sidebar of the blog - Renee Swope of P31 Ministries is on the cover of Christian Women Online this month.

Okay, see you tomorrow!

Our Hope

Yes, Lord, let your constant love surround us,

for OUR HOPES ARE IN YOU ALONE.

Psalm 33:22

NO Study Nov 4 and Nov 11

Hi ladies,

Just a reminder that there is no study tomorrow, November 4 and next Tuesday November 11.

We will see you back on NOVEMBER 18.

Fall Blessings to you!

Janel

Swap Success

Here are some photos from the Hope Swap this past weekend. 1252 people graced the doors of our church and were able to take home literally tons of donated clothing and toys. FOR FREE!

I love being a part of this outreach. I think Julianne just does an amazing job in pulling it all together. Her heart is so sincere for this cause. It is so awesome that the folks in our church and community are able to drop off things they don't need anymore and then come and pick up what they do need.

I was also very impressed with the amount of help that she had this year. Thank you to everyone that came out to collect, sort and serve at the swap!

Start saving your clothes and toys for the next one and stay tuned here for details!

I Will Not Be Moved

Writer? Service? Blogger?

Are you a writer?

Do you have a blog that you think other women in Seeds would enjoy?

Are you experiencing transformation through this Joshua study that you are just excited to share with all of us?

Great! Let me know. I can post your devotion, story, blog right here.


What about a special cause or organization you support?

I will be putting together another link just for service opportunities. Let me know what you feel passionate about, so I can include it.

disclaimer: Unfortunately, I cannot post any business related blogs at this time.

Bible Study Tools

While you are spending time in study, you will most likely come across a passage or a word that you need more information about. You just may want to take a particular passage and really find out the history, how it connects to other passages in the bible and find out how this applies to your own life.

The following websites are extremely useful tools for finding bible passages in different translations. You can also use them for commentaries, as a concordance and/or a bible dictionary.

You can go as deep as you want in your study with these two sites without having to purchase different translations and expensive concordance/dictionaries.

www.BibleGateway.com
www.blueletterBible.org

At the bottom of this blog are two boxes that easily link you to these two sites.

Do you know of another site or helpful tool you would like to share with the rest of the group? Please leave a comment or email me!

Winter Study Information - Updated 12/26/08

We are excited to begin our Winter session with Seeds and would love to have you join us!

Our next study will begin on Januray 6.

• You must be registered.
• Please click here for directions on how to register.
• Your children must be registered two weeks prior to the start of our study.
• That means the deadline is NOW - ASAP for your children to be registered.
• Email Juley Sexton to get them registered juleys@gethope.net
  
  
• We will meet from 9:30 - 11:30 am. We meet in the chapel first for large group time and then we split up into smaller groups. We will begin promptly at 9:30 am. You can check your children in beginning at 9:15 am.

• We will have social time from 9:15 - 9:30 am. Come to just have coffee and connect with other women. Need to talk? Need to connect? Here is another opportunity.

• If you are not returning to the winter session please let your group leader know. You will need to register your children AGAIN for the winter session if you are returning.
  
  
• Our Winter Session will begin on January 6
  

• Each group is doing it's own individual study.
  
• A full schedule is listed in the sidebar of this blog.
  
  Please do not hesitate to email me if you have any trouble registering or have a question.
  

Janel

Take a Look at the new Women of Hope Website!

Click on the box above or here to take you there.

www.womenofhopecommunity.com

He Knows

We saw Lindsey Kane at the She Speaks conference and I purchased her CD. I cannot stop listening to it! Here is one of my favorites.

Move me aside and move in me! Love it! Enjoy.

Janel

She Likes Me, She Likes Me Not from Lysa T.

Hi ladies,
I wanted to share this from Lysa TerKeurst's blog. She is the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries and I had the pleasure of seeing her this past weekend at the She Speaks Conference.

Tatum and I attended that conference and I for one came away with some life-changing tools.
You can read more about mine and Tatum's recaps here and here.

Back to Lysa's.

I have shared with many of you that I struggle with comparisons. I have written about it before and I pray often that God would help me to let go of this most defeating character trait of mine. That my whole identity would be found in Him only. To say that is easier said than done is really an understatement. I am sure you would agree.

I think as women we just have some middle high school girl stuck inside of us and we all compare ourselves to each other more than we would like to admit. I encourage you to lay those insecurities down with me today. And tomorrow. Each day - lay them down at the feet of the one who compares you to no other!

And read what Lysa has to say about it if you have a minute.

Blessings to you!
Janel

Where Will My Help Come From?

A song of ascents.

Psalm 121 NIV

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Bible Resources

Here are the bible resource links that Beth suggested to help you in studying.

http://bible.lifeway.com

http://blueletterbible.org/

And

http://biblegateway.com

There is actually a link to Bible Gateway in the sidebar.

Aware

Mom's Overture

Ladies,
I forgot to wish you a Happy Mother's Day yesterday!!!

I hope your day was full of joy and rest.

Here is one of my favorite Mom songs by Anita Renfroe. Hysterical.
Blessings to you, Moms!!!!

My Redeemer Lives!

This is the video to the song by Nicole C. Mullins, that Priscilla spoke of.

Listen to that last verse, "I know he lives - I spoke with him this morning!"

It is one of my favorite songs ever because of that one line.

Enjoy~

Spring Brunch

You are invited to the

Seeds Spring Brunch

Tuesday, May 13

Refuge Room

9:30 am - 11:30 am

Enjoy some time relaxing with your group and others from the larger group.

Dine on delicious food.

Share how this year in Seeds has been transforming for you.

Please see your Small Group Leader to sign up to bring a food or beverage item.

This would be the perfect time to express appreciation for your small group leaders. :)

• We will not meet again as a group until June 10 for our Summer study.

• Books for the summer study will be available at this brunch.

Summer Study

We will continue to meet through the summer months with childcare.

We plan to meet every other week beginning June 10.

The study is 7 sessions.

I encourage you to meet for social gatherings on our off weeks so you can get to know each other better!


Our Summer Study will be Beth Moore's,

Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Ascent

It is a detailed study of Psalms 120–134 that will engage participants in unique opportunities for personal reflection and worship while exploring the background/writer of each passage.

Just as a song or poem can express feelings of fear, doubt, hope, and joy, these 15 psalms model how study participants can voice their own petitions and praises to our God, who is always available and ready to hear us. Explores the background of each psalm and psalmist, the majority of which were written by David.


Summer Study Schedule

June 10
June 24
July 8
July 22
August 5
August 19
September 2

Please remember to sign up any extra children for childcare with Marisa. MarisaR@gethope.net





Books will be available at our Spring Brunch or you can purchase them at LifeWay Christian Bookstore or online.

The cost of the book with tax is $14.



Our Fall study starts on September 16 and we will resume a weekly study.

Watch for any updates here!

Word of God Speak

Loaves and Fishes

A note from Aliene :

Glory to God!
The Lord took our little bits and together we are able to give New Life Ministries over $900! I cannot thank you enough for your giving hearts, and taking time to listen to the girls. They were SO BLESSED by your generosity.

The money is enough to sponsor a girl at camp this summer. I’ll bring the picture of Nadya Urina next week. And so the seeds sown today will blow far away to the Ukraine to plant the gospel in the heart of one who needs Jesus.

A beautiful flower will grow – all beause of you. And one who was told ‘you will never amount to anything’ will find hope again, in Christ!

Bible Study Tool

Did you notice in the sidebar the button from Bible Gateway? Look all the way at the bottom of the blog. Right side.

This is a great tool for bible study. Especially, one like the one we are doing now. When the teacher is calling for you to look up many different scriptures this can sometimes be challenging for those who don't have much time for study or are easily distracted.

Most times I love the feel of my bible and flipping through the pages while I look up these different scriptures. I also like to write notes by those scriptures so I can refer to them later.

But, the reality is that many days with two young children running around, I am distracted and have limited time to look up all of the necessary scriptures that are called for.

So, I study near my computer and just quickly look up the scriptures on Bible Gateway.

Bible Gateway allows you to look up the scripture quickly and in many different translations.

For instance, Priscilla talks about Psalm 46:10 on Page 42 of our study, but she doesn't actually have the scripture written out.

If you look it up in the NIV translation that most of us have then you will see this:

10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

But she uses the NASB translation a lot to make her points. So, if you don't happen to have this translation, you can just look it up on Bible Gateway and find this:

10"Cease striving and (A)know that I am God;
I will be (B)exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth

I find Bible Gateway a useful tool for study. I know many of you already do, too, but wanted to just put it out there for those who don't already know about it.

By the way, we are studying week 3 if you are behind, lost or confused.

Subscribe via Email Now

I have added a new feature in the sidebar. Subscribe to receive updates via email OR in a reader format now.

Subscribe to this blog

You can be automatically emailed when this blog is updated.
Just click on the little orange box in the sidebar where is says "Subscribe in a Reader".

You will be all set up to receive updates as soon as I post them!

Thank you from Restoring Hope

Ladies,
Thank you so much for all of the items you brought for the White Flag Shelter.

I think you collectively brought almost $300 in gift cards in addition to all the needed items. I am sure they will not need paper towels for a year!

Thank you especially Mary Ellen, Nancy, Kelly and the ladies from that small group for organizing the drop off, the donuts and juice and mostly for your special hearts toward the homeless.

Here is a little note of thanks from Stephanie, founder of Restoring Hope:

"I don't really have the proper words to thank you enough for all that you've done for the homeless ministry. I am overwhelmed, to say the least. I wish I could thank every single woman who so generously gave today but please at least share with them my deep appreciation. It was such a pleasure being there today and seeing all these incredible women! I certainly felt God's presence there today. Thank you for being the "link" for the homeless ministry.

Blessings, Stephanie"

Here is the link to Restoring Hope if you would like to know more about it. You can sign up to receive alerts and emails from Stephanie and also sign up to help with the White Flag Shelter.

How Do I Join Seeds?

It is easy to become a part of the Tuesday morning Women's Small Groups at Hope Community Church.

Seeds is unique from other small groups because we offer paid childcare during the day.

Other than that we are exactly the same as any other small group at Hope. We offer regular study of the bible through various inductive studies.

We provide you with fellowship and friendship while serving the needs of our community together.

We would love for you to join us.

Please click Here to read more about our upcoming study.

To join:

1. Click here to sign up for a small group at Hope. (You will be redirected to the Hope Community Church Website) In the first section of this page you will see a this sentence underlined and in brown letters: Browse All Small Groups. Click there.

You should filter through the small groups by entering Womens, Tuesday, Morning or the one of the specific names listed in step 2.

2.Follow the directions on that website to sign up in one of the following groups: (You will basically just be sending them an email)

• Elaine Maza
• Robin Boudwin
• Julie Biggs - Tuesday morning group
• Su Holshausen - Tuesday morning group
• Kristin Retzlaff

*some of these women lead multiple groups so please make sure you are signing up for Tuesday morning.



3. If you need childcare, please contact Juley Sexton at juleys@gethope.net and she will get your child/ren all set up.

4. Please email me if you have any questions.
Janel
norose@dandeliondayz.com


Please note: If Tuesday morning does not work in your schedule we have other women's small groups available HERE

Need more information on Women of Hope? Go Here.

Childcare Registration Information

Childcare (KidTowne) Coordinator

Juley Sexton

Hope Community Church

juleys@gethope.net

532-0620

KidTowne at Hope Community Church takes great pride in caring for your children.

In order to do that in the safest way, we must follow state mandated teacher/child ratios.



In hiring childcare workers, each must complete an application process including a background check and training.



We ask that you turn in your completed childcare registration form and payment 2 weeks prior to the beginning of each session.

Session dates will vary according to each individual study. This along with the amount of childcare you will be needing will affect the amount you pay for childcare.

Payment can be split up if needed.

Scholarships are available. Contact Juley or Janel to find out more.

You must register your child/ren for each session.



An email does not qualify as registration.

We serve Year Round, Traditional and Homeschool schedules with prior registration.



Contact Juley Sexton to get registration forms and to find out the cost for the upcoming session.