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Women, what
a wonderful time in history to have God-given breathe in your lungs. You can know today and everyday that you have
a purpose and it is not by chance that you are where you are at in this life. Women all around us are growing and
blossoming under the wise headship of God and the brave men in our
congregations. First of all, I want to
say a heartfelt thank you to all the men in our lives, husbands, fathers,
brothers, friends, pastors, for your leadership to us women. Our sense of security, joy and fulfillment
has been ever increasing as you have been stepping into your designed God-given
purposes as men. We can also begin
realizing and walking in our purposes because you have so bravely preceded
us. We are great full and respect you
deeply.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 so poetically
reads…”There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a season for
every purpose under heaven… A right time
for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, A
right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy and another to
construct, A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and
another to cheer, A right time to make love and another to abstain, A right
time to embrace and another to part, A right time to search and another to
count your losses, A right time to hold on and another to let go, A right time
to rip out and another to mend, A right time to shut up and another to speak
up, A right time to love and another to hate, A right time to wage war and
another to make peace.”
Isn’t it amazing how every woman
reading this text can find herself amongst these words. Maybe laughter surrounds your day, or are you
crying? Are you a married woman making love or an un-married woman embracing a
season of abstinence? Are you holding on
to dear memories of a mother or child long since passed or are you letting go
of a daughter all grown up embarking upon her own purposes? We are all in different seasons of our
lives. I have at times said to myself,
“I would give anything to go back to the spring of my life and make some
different choices or, I can’t wait until winter comes and I can slow down.” But my heart has changed as I have heard our
precious pastor’s wife and my mother talk about the seasons of a women’s life
and how to be content and thrive in the season of life in which we find ourselves.
“Seasons”, is our 2008 Life Giving Women’s ministry
focus. We will be learning this year
about the different seasons in a women’s life as they compare to our earthly
seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. At our Life Giving Saturday in
April we will hear from a women who is blooming in the Spring of her life and
another who is walking under the fast-paced warm Summer sun. In August we will hear from a wonderful woman
watching the Autumn leaves changing all around her and another who is sitting
by the fire as the beautiful Winter snow falls all around. Please come to our Life Giving Saturdays in
April and August for some wonderful fellowship, engaging worship time, yummy
treats and inspirational speakers. Also
in October we will be having our second annual Life Giving Retreat at Ceta Canyon. We had such a wonderful time last year and
this year will be even better. Then in
December come and be a part of our Christmas Party. We will be watching a wonderful Christmas
movie and munching up a winter storm.
As women, we have the chance to be Life Giving to one
another and grow under the council of Godly women. This years Life Giving activities will lift
your heart and inspire you to embrace the wonderful purpose-filled you. See you soon to revisit where you’ve been,
embrace where you are, and begin to prepare for the season that’s to come.
Jenny Ragland
Life Giving Coordinator
Plainviw and Lubbock Campuses
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2008 Life Giving Dates
Life-Giving
Saturday, April 19
Life-Giving
Saturday, August 2
Life-Giving
Women’s Autumn Retreat, October 24-26
Christmas
Party, December 5
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