AND THE WINNER IS..........

Sorry for the late post but we wanted to wait for the awesome pictures that Louise took so we could include them on this particular post.

Wasn't the thrift store shopping and the scavenger hunt just a fun, fun time? More than a few of us were introduced to stores that we will definitely be visiting again in the future.

Once we stopped at the first store we were all off and running like a bunch of crazies! It was quite a spectacle to see a group of seemingly dignified ladies rummaging through a large pile of bras and then giving up a significantly loud 'yahoo'. Surely people thought that someone had found something of value that was accidentally put in a donation bag and would be striking it rich on Antique Road Show. But, alas, it was only a 44DD...

Lunch was a good time too. Sugar sisters had a variety of wonderful choices and dessert goodies to boot. The tiny cupcakes were just too cute and tasted good too.

The eventual winners of the scavenger hunt were: Kim, Toni and Tonya. Good job girls!

Here are a few of the photos taken throughout the day. Enjoy! ( I am not too good on embedding the pics yet! I couldn't get them in the order I wanted...maybe next time:) )

Upcoming Ladies Events......Ya'll Come!

We have a very exciting new event coming on Saturday, July 17th. It is our first "Thrift Store Shopping and Scavenger Hunt." It works like this: come to the church at 9:30 on July 17th. We will head out to several thrift stores, resale shops and an antique store or two. At these stores, you can shop for yourselves, your kiddos, etc... AND in addition to or in place of shopping, you will have a list of several items to locate throughout the day. Once you find an item on the list, you will write down the name of the store you found it in and check it off the list. Whoever finds all of the items first or whoever has the most items checked off at the end of the day, will be the GRAND PRIZE WINNER of a free one night stay at the Prarie Garden Bed and Breakfast in Sterling, Ks! Who couldn't use a night away...and for free!! Plan to join us for this fun event...and Oh yea, we will be stopping for lunch sometime in between all the shopping and scavengering ( is that a word?)

Secondly, we have a wonderful Ladies Retreat on August 6th and 7th in Broken Arrow, OK ,where we will hear Priscilla Shirer speak. Many of you may already be familiar with Priscilla. She is the daughter of Tony Evans and is a very gifted speaker. You will not come away disappointed!!
The deadline for signing up (and paying up-ha) is July 11th. The cost is $95 (plus you will need to bring money for your meals).
We will leave the church at 12:00 on Friday the 6th (please have eaten lunch already) and will arrive at our hotel around 3ish. We will check in, then head to a local restaurant for an early dinner, then head on over to the event.
After the evening message, we will head back to the hotel for some 'girly' time. (Hint: bring your favorite color of nail polish). Hopefully, we will get to sleep at a decent hour--when exactly is that?
In the morning, we will have breakfast at the hotel, pack up, and return to the church for the rest of the messages. When is it all done, (around noon) we will get on the road and stop along the way for a quick bite. We should pull in at the church around 4 on Saturday. Those of you attending Megan Gobel's wedding should have plenty of time for a shower and change :)
Hope to see you all at these exciting events. These are great times to get to know one another and build friendships with other FaithGalz!!

Melt in your mouth...Delicious!

Today was the Mexican Fiesta fundraiser for the youth group and what a wonderful fiesta it was! The tables were decorated with beautifully colored napkins and gerber daisy centerpieces. How pretty. The meal was just as enjoyable. We were served, tacos, refried beans, enchiladas and a FABULOUS dessert...sopapilla cheesecake!! Oh, that my friend, is good stuff!
A big thank you goes out to the wonderful Mrs. Karen Vogt for accepting the challenge of organizing this event. I'm sure she had others who assisted her and we send you all a big thanks as well. Food always seems to be so much better when I don't have to cook it myself. Do you find that true for you too?
I have been thinking lately about 'summer cooking' and was wondering if anyone has a tasty, simple, and inexpensive meal or salad (or dessert..yum) that you would care to share with us?
Here is one version of the sopapilla cheesecake that we had today...
Ingredients
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 (8 ounce) cans crescent roll dough

1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
Directions
1.Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Beat the cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape the each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough.
3.Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar together with the cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the cheesecake along with the almonds.
4.Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares.

Graduation Time

Happy May Everyone! The past few days have been a little stormy in our neck of the woods, haven't they?
But I sure enjoy a soft summer rain and even the sounds of an occasional good old fashioned Kansas thunder/lightening storm (as long as it's kind of off in the distance and the lightening doesn't strike too close). :)
This time of year has us busy, doesn't it? With Mother's Day, graduations and the beginning of the summer wedding season......not to mention that school will be out soon and all the kids will be home from school or college. Do you find yourself already thinking, "What are we going to do this summer?" I do. Somehow my 'to do' list is always longer than my 'done' list. It seems that I often find myself saying "Oh, I'll get to that (whatever it may be) this summer when I have more time". More time.....who am I kidding?
What will you all be doing for the summer?

Me, Myself and Lies: A Thought Closet Makeover (Video-based Bible Study)

Ladies,
Please consider joining us on Sunday mornings for this study. We have been learning about
renewing our minds and I believe this will be a useful study to help us see ourselves as God sees us.
Hope to see you there beginning on May 2nd.

BEEEEEP....

BEEEP.......

• This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. The broadcasters of your area in voluntary cooperation with the FCC and other authorities (or, in later years, "federal, state and local authorities") have developed this system to keep you informed in the event of an emergency.  If this had been an actual emergency, you would have been instructed where to tune in your area for news and official information."

Does this sound at all familiar (and maybe a little comforting) to you? A few afternoons ago, I was catching a few much needed minutes of 'blob' time, sitting down catching up on some celebrity gossip ( flipping through the channels) when across the top of the screen rolled a typed 'Thunderstorm Warning' for a nearby county.  For some reason my mind flashed to the old fashioned Emergency Broadcast System test that we used to hear at least monthly. Sadly, I am old enough to even remember seeing the Indian in a circle on the TV screen while the test was being administered. Now days, if it runs, I believe the screen shows rainbow colored vertical lines while the BEEEEP plays out. Another emergency test I'm accustomed  to hearing is the weekly, Monday, at noon, tornado siren screaming. I realize that it seems weird for such an ear piercing noise to be comforting, but knowing it is working somehow makes me feel secure. 

I began to ponder the phrase '"If this had been an actual emergency, you would have been instructed where to tune in your area for news and official information."

I think that's what we do as Christians....We know there IS an ACTUAL emergency...People are lost, dying and going to hell all around us. We are here to 'instruct' them where, or better yet, WHO, to turn to for the official information on avoiding destruction. I know often times, I am too quiet, when in fact, I should be the siren. How about you? But once we share the love of Christ with those in our circle of influence, and they recognize their need for Christ, they are so grateful that someone chose to be the one to sound the alarm to keep them from certain doom. It's a comfort to know someone cares and is looking out for you, isn't it?

We've got the right information and know WHO to turn to so --get out there and MAKE SOME NOISE! 

Love.Grow.Serve

Didn't you just enjoy the message Danny gave today? How exciting to see the Lord giving him a vision for our church to reach out to our community. I can't wait to see what God will do with our obedience to Him.

Speaking of obedience, I would encourage you to spend some time this week reading about Jesus' entry into Jerusulem and how He spent His last week before the crucifixion. Yesterday, as I was reading Luke chapters 22-24, I couldn't help but re-read chapter 23 verse 11, where Jesus had been taken before Herod. The particular phrase in the NASB that drew me in was: "....after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a georgeous robe...." It was the  word 'contempt' that kept pulling me back.
Just for fun, I looked up the definition of contempt in the online Miriam Webster's Dictionary and found two definitions that caused me to ponder. They were:  1. willful disobedience to or open disrespect of a court, judge, or legislative body and 2.  lack of respect or reverence for something or someone. I mulled over the thought that if I am wilfully disobedient, even in the smallest way, to the Lord  throughout the week and then come to church on Sunday putting Him 'in a georgeous robe' of a King, it is nothing but mockery and contempt toward the Judge/Maker of the universe.
Lord, forgive me/us for times when we don't chose to obey you and your Word. When we choose our own way instead of Your best way. Thank you, Jesus, for choosing to be obedient even unto death.