Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

from

Women of Worth

May the Lord bless you with the 

wonders of His love and

the gift of His peace.

10 Easy and Cheap Christmas Decorating Ideas

Need a few new ideas for 

your holiday home?

Try these tips. 

They're easy on both 

your budget and your schedule.

1. Wrap empty boxes with holiday paper (plain colors or plaids are best); tie on fabric ribbon or twine, add decorative tags or bits of holly and arrange in a vignette on a sofa table or in a large planter or galvanized tub. 
2. Take a tip from restaurants and wrap the fronts of  your wall art and decorate with a large ribbon bow. It will give your home a festive appearance and go better with your other holiday decor.
3. Spray long twigs gathered from your yard or the woods with white or gold paint; arrange in crock or tall glass cylinder (with glass gems or marbles in bottom). You can hang a few Christmas balls on this if you want.
4. Toss a few pieces of garland onto a cake platter and nestle Christmas balls in the center; top with cake dome and use as a centerpiece or kitchen counter decoration. 
5. Spray pine-cones with fake snow and dust with white glitter; arrange in basket or decorative bowl. 
6. Tie a big red bow on a child's teddy bear and place under the Christmas tree or on a shelf.
7. Use children's Christmas books (Little Golden books are great) for decoration on the tree or hung in a garland or placed in a basket with Christmas floral picks. 
8. Put glass Christmas balls in a glass compote or punch bowl for a holiday centerpiece.
9. Decorate a small Christmas tree for kitchen use with metal cookie cutters, jar rings tied with ribbon, small spoons, etc. Place inside a crock or put on a cake stand and cover bottom with a plaid bread towel. 
10. Spray a quart canning jar with fake snow and add glitter while wet (use white sparkly glitter for a snowy, elegant look or red glitter for a festive touch); when dry, drop a 20-count strand of white lights inside, cover opening with a circle of fabric and then screw on the ring, leaving end of light strand out. Add a sprig of fake holly or greenery and ribbon, plug in and enjoy (but don't leave it on when you leave home:)

Let the Decorating Begin!

www.acultivatednest.com

Looking for inexpensive ways to decorate your home for Christmas? 

Click here to check out our Pinterest holiday printables board.  A free printable can be a great starter piece for a stunning vignette or wall arrangement. 

Happy decorating! 

Happy Thanksgiving 

from 

Women of Worth!

Ohio WOW Retreat Celebrates 20 Years!

Front of the Beulah Beach Worship Center decorated for the retreat

On September 11-13, ladies gathered at Beulah Beach Conference and Retreat Center for the annual "original" Women of Worth retreat. This retreat, the dream of Lorena Glick and hosted annually by the Canton-Massillon WOW group has been the inspiration for numerous other ladies' retreats across the IHC movement, from Alabama to Pennsylvania, and Indiana to Blind River, Ontario, Canada.                    

 

 

 

This was the 20th Anniversary for the retreat and there was a special after-service

 session devoted to the celebration. 

The beautiful cake/cupcakes were provided as a complimentary gift from 

Krista Jeffries and the Kountry Korner Bakery.

 

 

 

A commemorative WOW cup stuffed with candy was given to each attendee.

The theme for this year's retreat was Life in Christ: Good to the Last Drop. and the venue was decorated with sunflowers, mums and white pumpkins.  Missy Miller created a coffee bar which was open all weekend. It featured brewed coffee, iced coffee and gourmet pumpkin-spice creamer.
 

 

The featured speaker was Janan Miller. 

Additional sessions were given by Rebecca Miller and Valorie Quesenberry,

The retreat was led by National and Local WOW Director , Lorena Glick. 

 

 

 

Rebecca Miller, MA, LPCC, CSATc

 

The Saturday evening concert featured the Jerry Glick family. 

They provided a variety of music, both vocal and instrumental.

Phil and Jennifer Alexander, and Jerry, Becky, and Jonathon Glick

Grady Alexander

Autumn Quesenberry provided special violin music.

Director Lorena Glick (Also National WOW Director)

Janan Miller sang with two of her daughters.

 

Valorie Quesenberry led the group in worship during each session.



The four ladies who have attended every retreat for the past 20 years:
(Lto R) Lorena Glick, Eunice Stearns, Judy Miller and Rose Turner. 

The weekend was a great time of celebration, fellowship, and spiritual growth.  The ladies enjoyed the gorgeous new worship center at Beulah Beach, and reveled in the lakeside environment as they ate in the waterfront dining room or walked along the shore of Lake Erie. And we will do it all again next year!  Plan to join us!

 

Recipe - Taco Soup

Now that the kids are back in school and cooler temps are approaching, it's time to get into the kitchen and create some warm, family meals.  Here's a recipe for you to try -

 

TACO SOUP

 



Ingredients:

• 1 lb of ground beef
• 1 lg chopped onion sautéed with beef
• 2 cans kidney beans
• 1 can corn
• 1- 15 oz can Rotel
• 1-15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 packet ranch dressing mix
• 1-1/2 cups of water

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients, bring to a boil and then simmer for fifteen minutes.  Don't drain cans - add all liquids!  Add sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips as a garnish. 

Patty Stamper, of Burlington, KY, says, "I like to use black beans instead of kidney beans, and add more corn than the recipe calls for.  It is such an easy recipe and it is always a crowd pleaser."

*recipe and photo from www.southernplate.com


Is Taco Soup a favorite at your house?  If you substitute ingredients, leave a note in the comments!  We'd love to hear how you "dress up" your Taco Soup.

Recommended Resources: Coping with Stress God's Way!

STRESS LESS 

by  Don Colbert, MD

We hear a lot about how we need to "give it all to Jesus"  or "cast all of our cares on Him."  And it's all true!  But learning to cast our cares and lower our stress levels is not an easy-breezy skill.  And often the people who encourage us to do those things don't really offer any practical suggestions on how to do it!

This book is written by a Christian doctor who understands the commitment it takes to overcome a life of stress and live more in God's rest. He doesn't give flippant admonitions, but nitty-gritty-rubber-meets-the-road steps we can all take to follow God's plan for our lives.  He includes nutrition, Scripture, sleep, margin, exercise, the habit of joy, and so many other Scriptural habits that Jesus modeled for a balanced lifestyle. 

Contents:

1. I am a Physician Who HAS Healed Myself

2.  One Nation, Under Stress

3.  Fight, Flee...or Stew in Your Own Juices

4.  Mental and Emotional habits Prepogram Us for Stress

5.  Addressing Distortional Thought Patterns

6.  Reduce Your Frustration Factors

7.  Dealing With the Inevitable Offenses

8.  Wiping Out Worry

9.  The Power of Attitude to Create or Relieve Stress

10.  Learn to Be Assertive

11.  The Impact of Your Words on Your Own Stress Level

12.  Building "Margin" Into Your Life

13.  Sleep - God's "Stress Buster"

14.  A Diet to Reduce Stress

15.  Nutrients for Coping with Stress

16.  Exercises That Relieve Stress

17.  Cultivating Happiness and Joy as a Lifestyle

18.  Learning to Relax

19.  Adrenal Fatigue and Burnout

20.  The Peace That Passes Understanding

Appendix A.  Salvation Prayer

Appendix B.  Positive Affirmations

Appendix C.  Scriptural Affirmations

Appendix D.  Product Information

2015 Central Indiana Women of Worth Retreat

The Central Indiana Women of Worth Retreat is the result of two WOW groups working together. The Indianapolis Chapter led by Debby Gaskins and the Anderson, Indiana Chapter led by Barb Brock formed a retreat committee which plans and oversees this annual event. 

Together, these groups accomplish more than either of them could alone

 and many lives are blessed with the result.

This retreat report was submitted by Barb Brock. 

A BEAUTIFUL FRAGRANCE

Debby Gaskins, Indianapolis WOW Chapter Leader

Many thanks to ICHA Campground for hosting the 2015 Central Indiana Wow Retreat! It is because of ICHA'S investment in this ladies' ministry , that we can keep the cost affordable, making it possible for many more ladies to attend. 

Anderson WOW Committee

Our attendance was down this year because of a late winter snow storm, however  over 100 ladies gathered from across the Tri-state for a fantastic weekend.  The Central Indiana Retreat begins on Friday afternoon, with an overnight stay and dismisses by 4:00 PM  Saturday. A lot is packed into those two days

Refreshments at the Retreat

Barb Brock, Anderson, IN WOW Leader

Excitement ran high as guests arrived Friday afternoon, and entered the "Meet And Greet" Welcome Center. Tasty refreshments were awaiting the weary travelers, and there was time to wind down and relax by meandering among the tables set up for a "Silent "Auction or by browsing through  the "Book Nook", or by just  sipping a refreshing drink with a friend.

Roses from Colombia 

 Ladies enjoying the Friday evening banquet.

 But the main event of the evening, was the opening banquet and The Daniel Edward's Family Concert. The hall was beautifully decorated with 200 fresh, long stem pink roses, imported from Colombia. The catered roast pork dinner with all the trimmings was delicious and the concert was wonderfully relaxing and  inspirational ! What a talented family! The concert was full of variety, singing, instrumentals, and Daniel Edwards playing his saw. A special treat was when Daniel's two sisters and his dear mom joined them for a song. What a blessed evening. 

Daniel Edwards playing the saw

The Daniel Edwards Family

Esther Dotson Coner speaking at the retreat

Saturday was filled to the brim, beginning with a Breakfast buffet.  Everyone was looking forward to the sessions, with our featured speaker, Esther Dotson Coner. As a child, she became a vital part of the Edwards Family Music Ministry. After she married Tim Dotson, they pursued a music ministry of their own. Across the years her music has been a great blessing. The majority of the ladies  at the retreat had never heard Esther  speak, although she was known to us as a beautiful, accomplished musician. However, we discovered that Esther Dotson Coner is a very gifted, inspirational speaker. The Lord helped her develop our theme, "A Beautiful Fragrance" in an amazing way! Her transparency took us on a journey into the hidden places of her heart. She referred to them as faith building places, that God had used in her life.  Esther pulled back the curtains that covered a bleeding heart, and led us down the corridors of her inner soul, to witness the survival of faith in the midst of a fierce and deadly storm. And God used not only the storm, but the "aftermath and the clean-up" of it as faith builders in her life.  He was in the midst of it all.  Faith in her God has survived helped her survive and brought her through victoriously.

Esther Dotson Coner with her sister, Elizabeth Bell

The ladies left the retreat filled to the brim with a week-end of blessings and with a challenge  to be like Mary and let the atmosphere of our daily lives be permeated with the beautiful fragrance of Christ in us!

It's Time for a Retreat!

 It's early this year!

Sept 11-13, 2015

on the shores of Lake Erie!

Gather with us for Women of Worth's

original retreat and celebrate

our 20th year!

Get your registration in today!

Special Speaker: Jan Miller

Other sessions by:

 Rebecca Miller

Valorie Quesenberry

Coffee Bar!

Anniversary Cake!

Bonfires!

Shopping!

Laughter!

Friends!

Time with Jesus!

You don't want to miss it.

Contact Lorena Glick by email at wantok2@homail.com 

and see our Facebook page here to see the brochure.

Recommend Resources: Dealing with Codependency in Yourself and Others

What does it mean to be codependent?  It is not an easy term to define - it applies in different ways to different relationships.  But one over-simplified definition is:

"Dependence on the needs of others."

This term was originally used to refer to people who lived with alcoholics or addicts, and became dependent on the addict's needs in an unhealthy way.  However, even a short reading about codependency will prove that the unhealthy habits can apply to most all of us in one way or another.  The point isn't really to label or define; the point is to understand.  We need to understand ourselves and our sometimes unhealthy habits in order to grow.

Another reason for this discussion is that anyone who works with people for very long will undoubtedly run into someone who is struggling in some way with codependent tendencies.   Here are just a few of a long list of possible characteristics:

* you make regular sacrifices of yourself to please someone else
* find yourself constantly drawn to needy people
* needy people are drawn to you
* you have a lot of fear, anxiety and resentment
* you have a tendency to control someone else (even under the guise of helping them)
* you have a tendency to be controlling and belittling of yourself
* you are often in denial of your own feelings and needs
* you have weak boundaries
* you grew up with an addict or a strongly controlling person
* you currently live with an addict or a strongly controlling person


Here are a few helpful resources if you are curious to learn more about this subject for yourself and for others:

This is a short but powerful video to give you some insight into codependency.  You may even have to say "ouch" a couple of times as you listen!

Codependent No More
by Melody Beattie

Codependent No More - WORKBOOK
by Melody Beattie

The Language of Letting Go
Daily Meditations on Codependency

Codependency for Dummies
by Darlene Lancer

Recommended Resources: Working with premarital couples

DO YOU KNOW A YOUNG COUPLE PREPARING FOR A WEDDING?

Have you ever heard the saying about how we put hours and hours into preparing for a wedding, but very little time into preparing for the marriage?   Have you ever seen this happen?  Knowledge and preparation certainly don't take away the need for work and commitment in marriage, but having some understanding and good tools can really help a couple go into marriage more prepared and more committed to building an excellent marriage.

Undoubtedly, meeting with a qualified counselor or pastor multiple times, several months before the wedding is ideal.  But so many times, it seems this does not happen for one reason or another.  Perhaps a couple has come to you as a trusted friend or as their pastor's wife and asked you to meet with them before their wedding.  Perhaps your husband is called upon to do premarital counseling as a pastor, and would like some fresh tools.

No tool (or book)  replaces  honest, open and loving conversation with a couple who have spent years growing together.  But it can be very helpful to have a good resource to work through together if you are trying to meet with a couple before their marriage.

Preparing for Marriage is a book/workbook from familyLife ministries.  It contains six main sessions and special projects to help a couple work through come crucial and valuable issues and information.  In the "how to use this workbook" introduction, it also explains the value of working through the book with a mentor and provides a table which explains the three options: 1.  Learning and discussing the material with a mentor.  2.  Learning the material on your own, then discussing it with a mentor.  and 3.  Learning the material without a mentor.



This is an excellent resource to recommend to your young friends who are not planning to do premarital counseling.  But if at all possible, it would be best to invite them into your home or some other meeting place to discuss the material they have covered each week.  The value of hearing a trusted couple talk honestly about their own challenges and victories in marriage can make a life-changing difference in the life of a couple getting ready to choose a partner for life.

*********

PREPARING FOR THE MARRIAGE BED

One important area of marriage that very often gets glossed over or ignored completely in premarital counseling (even professional counseling!) is the area of preparing for physical intimacy in marriage.
No doubt about it, it can be a challenging thing to sit down with a young couple and discuss the joys and challenges of the wedding night and what follows...

But perhaps you have heard the heart-breaking comments from a young bride who is less than thrilled with her first impressions of the marriage bed.  Or seen the frustration in the eyes of a young husband who is baffled at the complex creature he has married.  Or perhaps you have wished that you had been somehow better prepared for what to expect in the early days/weeks/months of adjustment.

There are several excellent Christian books which can expertly guide a couple towards a beautiful beginning....and can continue to help for years to come!

Even couples who don't consider themselves "readers" will most likely be willing to read a book on this intriguing subject...but you may want to wait until a month or two before the wedding to recommend these books.

Getting Your Sex Life Off to a Great Start
by Clifford L. Penner and Joyce J. Penner

Intended for Pleasure
by Ed Wheat and Gaye Wheat

The Act of Marriage
by Tim and Beverly LaHaye

**********

TAKING SEXUAL TEMPTATIONS INTO MARRIAGE

If you are working with a premarital couple, please do not gloss over the subject of sexual addictions. Many,  many Christian couples are going into marriage with the baggage of sexual addictions (both men and ladies!).  It is unraveling marriages at the seams and breaking hearts.  As mentors, counselors and friends, we must be able and willing to probe, to dig deep, to be honest and to have real answers.

If you don't know where to begin, you can have the couple read this book, discuss it together, then bring it to your sessions to discuss it with you.

Every Man's Battle:  Winning the War on Sexual Temptation one Victory at a Time.   by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker