Proverbs 31 - Refresh and Renew

Our women's ministries hosted an R&R today.

Not Rest and Relaxation - although it was that.

Refresh and Renew

The morning began with worship

 

One song we sang was  "The Famous One".                      .

As we sang I realized that EVERYONE sees His glory.  

They may not attribute the beauty of the sunrise or sunset to Him,

they may not think that nature reflects Christ,

but it does!

You are the Lord , the famous one, famous one
Great is your name in all the earth
The heavens declare You're glorious, glorious
Great is your fame beyond the earth

                                          And for all you've done and yet to do
                                           With every breath I'm praising you
                                          Desire of nations and every heart
                                           You alone are God, You alone are God

 You are the Lord , the famous one, famous one
Great is your name in all the earth
The heavens declare You're glorious, glorious
Great is your fame beyond the earth

                                                         The morning star is shining through
                                                             And every eye is watching you
                                                         Revealed by nature and miracles
                                                             You are beautiful, You are beautiful

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After worship, we broke out into workshops.  It was not easy to choose which workshops to take!
They were:
              How to have an effective Quiet Time with your Bible
                Healthy Living
                  Style Class
                    Home Decor/Organization
                        Frugal Food
                           Growing Older with Grace

The first one I went to was "Growing Older with Grace" with Jill Moore.

"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you;  I will sustain you and I will rescue you."  Isaiah 46:4

We were reminded that Proverbs 31 describes the woman's life - not her daily agenda.  As we get older, multitasking becomes more difficult.  We have to graciously ask our family for help if we need it especially during the holidays.

A book she recommended was:  

We were encouraged not to live in fear of getting older.  Don't be pessimistic or despair or live with depression on our shoulders.  He is with us in our worst days.  I think that is the wonderful thing about being a Christian.  On our very worst days, He is with us by our side. Why would I want to live this life without Christ?  Life on this earth is hard.

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."  Hebrews 13:5

She encouraged making new goals as we age and to work at bringing God glory in our remaining days. Some elderly can get pretty self-centered, but we need to be outward focused; to use our spiritual gifts more.  If health keeps us from serving physically, we can pray, send cards, etc.  We need to invest in the eternal.

As far as dying Jill reminded us that we had already passed from death to life, so there is no need to fear death.  And finally, to preserve our story.  She gave examples on how to do that.

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The next workshop I attended was on Home Decor/Organization by Beth Buerge, one of the girls in my young mom's Bible study and daughter of my good friend, Debbe.

 

I was encouraged by her presentation and making the home more organized.  

I have to admit to having a lot of stuff.  

My poor children will have to haul a lot away to the dump I'm afraid.

Unless I get rid of stuff.

She said we should set reasonable goals;

such as attacking 1 closet or 1 junk drawer a week.

We made decorative jars, like the one with the star in the picture above.  I should have taken some "after" pictures.  Some people painted theirs.  We used the hot glue guns and attached ribbons, buttons, etc.

I kept mine neutral tone.  And when I came home I decorated the taller jar too.  It is going to be a thankful tree.  I printed out some leaves (from this blog) and when my guests arrive for Thanksgiving, they will write what they are thankful for on them and hang them on the branches.  I'm not sure what to put in the smaller jar.  I was going to put the branches in it, but they needed the larger jar.  Maybe M&M's?

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At this point it was time for lunch:

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After a time of visiting with people at our table, we went to our last workshop.  I chose Frugal Food by these ladies -

Kristin shared how she does freezer meals.  She currently has 80 freezer meals in her freezer!  She will go shopping and then do marathon cooking!  I got great ideas!

Kerry (I love her blog!) gave tips about couponing and saving money.

Caryn has been in my older ladies' Bible study group for years and she passed out a flyer on soup recipes and things that freeze well.

What a great day!   Thank you, women's ministries, for encouraging us!!

And here was a picture of the sky as I left the church.                    

  The heavens declare You're glorious, glorious
                                            Great is your fame beyond the earth