This year Heart to Heart has consisted of a series of meetings and events all tied to the theme, "That Makes Sense". Each part of the series used one of the five senses as a launching point. We began back in September with meetings called "Taste and See That the Lord is Good" and there was a serious amount of chocolate involved! This series was desigend to be a good way for women to find out if Heart to Heart would be a good fit, and an easy place to invite friends.
We then did a womens' spiritual retreat called "Touching Heaven". It was in Menucha, Oregon and intentionally focused on the spiritual worlds, both dark and light. The feedback from that retreat was enthusiastic. "Best retreat ever," was noted over and over again. It was certainly a great time to get in touch with God and with each other.
In order to sharpen our listening skills we did a winter series called, "Can You Hear Me Now?" and spent time learning how God speaks to us. That was capped with a holiday seeker friendly event called "It's Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas". It was a blast to have several presenters, to learn a few Christmas tips, and just hang out and have fun together.
Finally we did a series called "I Can See Clearly Now" which was intended to re-energize our devotional lives. We spent a lot of each week doing personal Bible study and sharing new insights in groups discussions. There was a big enphasis on the inperative need to include God's Word in our decisions and plans.
How important is your Bible? Consider the following:
It was written over a span of 1500 years by more than 40 authors spread over three continents: kings, peasants, fishermen, criminals, poets, and statesmen. The languages they wrote in are dead or close to it but it has outlasted their limited knowledge and been translated into more than 2200 languages.
It is eternal, it begins before the creation of the universe and reaches into the far future.
It is quoted by angels and misquoted by demons. God protects and preserves it and man has manufactured more copies of it than any other book. It’s words and ideas have been incorporated into hundreds of thousands of pieces of art and literature.
It is used as a model for worldwide codes of law, serves as a shield of the preservation of liberty, guides kings, presidents, and generals, and encourages scientific thought.
Men have been martyred for believing it and waged wars to defend it. Wherever it goes women and children are elevated. It was the driving force behind the exploration of the new world and the abolition of slavery.
It's pages burn with truth,It is reliable, holy, complete, inexhaustible. It is eternal.
And it is personal. It has sustained soldiers in foxholes, nourished the starving in prison camps, been a companion to orphans and widows. It has stopped the desperate from pulling the trigger, swallowing the pills, slamming the door.
It's pages whisper, "Come near...take a closer look." A story, a verse, a word...just for me, just for you, just for today.
Seeing clearly requires us to put on our holy glasses and learn to appreciate God's holy Book.
The final event for Heart to Heart women this season will be our annual Garage Saling Extravaganza in June. This is a totally fun morning when we meet at the church, team up, get directions and garage sale lists and head out for a few hours of treasure hunting. We meet back at the church for lunch and show and tell. This year we are planning to provide childcare. Watch for date and time.
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