BE.forehand

I love fabric stores. Walking the aisles, I imagine what certain materials can look like sewn into a jacket or draped over a picture window or covering a chair. Fabric stores are a dreamer’s paradise. Full of potential!

When we were in India a few months ago, I was struck by the beautiful fabrics everywhere. It was a visual masterpiece!! My hostess took me to the market & on the streets were beautifully woven fabrics and rugs, hand crafted with care. Before that trip I hadn't thought much about where some fabrics come from or how thoughtfully they're made. I had envisioned machines doing the job, taking for granted the work that goes into the fabric… the design…the care.

The fabric maker isn’t thinking about keeping the material on the loom, but dreaming about what it can become when someone’s imagination takes it and runs. Beauty meets function. Fabric isn’t meant to stay on a bolt, but to be taken down, cut into pieces and sewn into something useful. Last time I checked, people don’t just display rolls of upholstery in the living rooms. They usually purchase a piece of furniture where the material has been stretched over a frame to give us a place to rest. Just as it was designed.

Ok, why the talk about fabric & furniture? I was reading Eph 2:10 this morning and rolling around the word “beforehand.” If I want to BE. who God has made me, then I probably should go back to the BE.forehand… pausing to remember it’s God who ordained my purpose before I even existed. He gave it thought and fashioned me to be to be fitted for something. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

That word workmanship means “a product, i.e. fabric: thing that is made.” It just made me smile to think of God putting me together, preparing me to be stretched out for something good.

We’re like bolts of extravagant fabric, woven together with care, prepared to be fitted into something gorgeous… not to stay safely on the rack so that people can talk about how pretty we are or what we could be. But to let ourselves be stretch into the thing God ordained BE.forehand.

Have you ever dreamed of what He planned for you... BE.fore you came to BE.?

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BE.

The worship tonight was astounding... to see so many women taking time away from stuff to just BE with God produced a sincere joy in many of us. I WISH you could have heard your voices in unison from where we were standing!!

Several women tonight began to share their stories... what distorted reflections they are fighting and how they want God to be their identity maker. Be encouraged! Your identity, value and purpose come from a perfect source... not what people think about your title, your appearance, how well your children behave or your special talents. Kick down the circle of mirrors- put it BEhind you- and walk... no, RUN toward the one who knows you best.

And this week- BE compassion. BE love. BE yourself.

Wanna GetAway?

What commercials are branded in your brain? Even though they are intentionally crafted by creative people to help us remember to purchase specific products, I often wonder if the ones I remember most have something to say about my twisted sense of humor... or maybe about things I wish to have. Hmmmm.

Don't you love those Southwest Airlines commercials? You know the ones I'm talking about? Where someone has done something completely boneheaded... usually left to hang in the awkward tension of everyone's stares. Then you hear the very recognizable SWA "ding!".. "Wanna get away?"

It usually makes me giggle and think... "uh... yeah."

Who doesn't want to get away from every day life sometimes? Stress... temptation... work... carpool... things I won't mention because it would offend my husband and sons (oops). But whenever we choose to get away from something, aren't we really choosing to GO TO something else? Where will you go to get away? And what will you find when you get there?

Christ pretty much summed it up. Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Rest. Ahhhh. Such a beautiful word... even to a driven girl like me.

Yet, we can't mistake rest for saying "someone else will take care of my stuff" or "I'm going to take a life-nap while God addresses all the junk flying around me." Rest is really more a state of the soul.

Worship, prayer, reflection, the Word, and listening are just a few of the ways we can approach God for rest in our souls... to simply cup our hands and say "God, I'd love to exchange my gritty attitude and exhaustion for some of Your peace and strength. (or maybe) Could you pour out some grace for a girl who doesn't have it all together?"

Well here's an opportunity, HillsideWomen! Thursday, April 23rd at 6:30pm we will have a 90 minute worship retreat and spend some time adoring God together. A time to GET AWAY. And a time to GO TO.

Childcare is available, but please make a reservation by April 19th. Drop by our GetAway table on April 12th & 19th, call Marie at 457-4918, or email Lisa Bradshaw at lisa.bradshaw@hillsidewired.com.

Make it a girlfriend night! Bring a friend! Come GetAway with our Lord for a couple of hours. Never know what you might walk away with... perhaps something you can GIVE AWAY to someone else!

Faces in the Book

What's "Faces in the Book?"

We used to shake our heads at our sons when they initially spent so much time on Facebook, browsing through all the profiles, pictures, stories, comments and information... accumulating friends like football cards. But it was amazing to watch how many details they learned about their "friends" through this little social tool. Through people's bios and comments, they sometimes discovered more about their friend's character that was attractive.... and sometimes quite the opposite. Either way, they always seemed to be a little more in touch with some people than they ever had been before. (Hey, and they were reading more!)

Of course we couldn't let them have all the fun. (Funny how the things we initially mock, we end up appreciating) We joined the cult phenom and have reconnected with friends from high school & college and keep in touch with family and friends. It's also an easy way to pass info about upcoming events!

Many of you probably already have a Facebook. Most of you might already have a Bible, too.

Quite a tool... this amazing Book of profiles, pictures, stories, and lessons of life. This spring we are focusing all our Bible Studies on the lives of some of the Book's greatest characters. We want to seriously invite you to join us for the "Faces in the Book" studies. Invite your friends to join too! For several weeks we'll take a regular look at several people's profiles in the Bible and hopefully learn a thing or two about ourselves along the way. On the right side of this page you'll find a list of everyone we're going to get to know better.

Registration is on, friends! Take a chance and join us this Spring! http://www.hillsidewired.com/ministries/adults/for-women/faces-in-the-book