Reminder

Just a reminder, Ladies...time is ticking away as we prepare to launch our two new Bible studies.
Look for sign up sheets on the Aroma table on Sunday, or you may contact me by email at
jeffamy111@netzero.net to sign up. Don't miss this opportunity to dig into God's word together on Sunday nights or Tues. nights. I promise you, this time will be the highlight of your summer and you will build some long lasting relationships. Look at the post below for information on both Bible studies. Childcare will be provided for both, but you must make a note that you need childcare when signing up.
Looking forward to walking through God's word with you this summer. Serving you...Amy

Summer Opportunities for You

I apologize for the lack of blogging about upcoming events lately. As you can imagine from (most of you) being moms yourself, our Aroma team has very busy everyday lives and sometimes we get out of sync in our planning. Do not take that as our hearts not looking out for you, though. We very much want to provide opportunities for you every week, every month, or every time we can, but sometimes we just need to take a break and let God show us which way to go.
In the coming days, Aroma will be meeting and planning things for you to participate in this summer. More than that, however, we would love to just give you some ideas that you can even implement in your day to day life as you "pay it forward" in your investment in others. I want to make you aware of some things we have planned thus far so that you can be making plans to attend yourself, or invite someone you know to attend. A couple of things require your participation.
As Pastor Jeff encouraged us on Sunday... we are to make everything we do point to the Cross. That is our goal as we invest in your life. You, or even Aroma, may not be able to attend everything we have planned, but we desire to provide as many opportunities for you so that you have some options. I ask that you bear with us as, once again Pastor Jeff said, we are in a process of growth. God is molding us and shaping us as we go, so that one day we will truly do everything we put our hands to with excellency. So, that being said, mark these things on your calendar. Also, any interests you have for Aroma to promote, please give us your ideas...or better yet, let God use you to lead whatever it is you have in mind!

June Bible Studies:
"Surrendering the Secret" - by Pat Layton...This study will be led by Amy Hickman, and is for anyone that has suffered an abortion and desires God to heal their past. We will meet on Tuesday nights, beginning June 10th at LifeSong Church at 7pm. Your anonymity will be protected. You may contact Amy at jeffamy111@netzero.net to sign up or ask any questions. Please read the following description of this Bible study, and share it with any friends you know that may be interested...
Many women hide the secret of abortion deep in their hearts, and they are suffering severe consequences. They carry a great burden of shame and failure afraid to reveal their hidden pain, and by doing so are forced to endure the long-lasting effects in isolation. Surrendering the Secret will allow women to release this burden and find freedom through 'redemptive community' while experiencing hope and joy as shame and failure are replaced with beauty.


"No Other Gods" - by Kelly Minter...This study will be led by Amy Hickman on Sunday nights, beginning on June 8th and is open to women only. This is an 8 session study that will lead you to placing God right in the center of your day to day life, amidst the busyness and chaos. We will enjoy a warm atmosphere together of sharing in the recipes the author offers (sharing a meal), as well as a living room atmosphere. This book is the first of Minter's "Living Room Series." Cost of book is $10. Please bring any friends interested. Look for sign-ups at the Aroma table, or you may contact Amy at jeffamy111@netzero.net


This Night...Our second This Night will be on Monday, June 30th. Our theme is "This Night...a night to reach our community". Our guest speaker will be Susan High, who is bringing Wellspring Living SC to Lyman. We will be participating in providing a registry item for the new Wellspring House in Lyman. Here's a little info from Wellspring's site, www.wellspringlivingsc.org

Wellspring Living connects a caring community with women seeking a way out of unhealthy behaviors, promoting healing, wholeness, independence and family restoration through Biblical principals.

At Wellspring, our desire is to expand our vision of God's transformational power, unify cultures and denominations, provide connection between issues and solutions, restore women, protect children and challenge people to live dangerously for God.

Susan is an awesome speaker because she is a woman with a heart of passion and compassion. You don't want to miss all she has to share, and how we, too, can touch the lives of these women she desires to reach.
We are now taking names of anyone that would like to hostess a table of eight. For our summer This Night, you will only be asked to provide a summertime centerpiece and party favors for each of your guests. We will give you your color scheme when you sign up. You will need to set up your table the night before after Sunday evening worship. Tickets are $10/person. Proceeds will also go to help give a love gift to Wellspring. For more info about Wellspring, check out their website and read Susan's blog! Link to www.wellspringlivingsc.org
Please contact Amy Hickman at jeffamy111@netzero.net if you would like to be a hostess. You may ask a friend to help you. Deadline for hostess sign up is June 15th.

Just Be Still

How many times have you heard yourself saying to your child, "Would you just be still?" I know that this mom here says it every, single morning as I am putting hair in ponytails. "Don't squirm." "Just be still." When things get uncomfortable or chaotic, we just want to move around a little and squirm, don't we? Truth is, life is just plain, ole uncomfortable all the time, isn't it? If it's not busyness, it's sickness. If it's not rushing, it's confusion. It's really always something.

This has been on my mind alot today. As we were sitting at lunch today, we were discussing the good, ole days when our Mamas made Sunday lunch. This is a tradition that I still very much like to hold on to. Grant it, there are times when we like to go out after church with friends, but usually you will find me getting up on Sunday mornings and putting something in the Crock Pot, or defrosting some meat to prepare when I get home. I truly enjoy the feel of Sunday lunch with your family. Here lately, I haven't had the opportunity to prepare Sunday lunch for my family due to various meetings or birthday celebrations that we've had, and chances are, I won't be fixin' lunch this Sunday because I am pretty sure there is some Scripture in the Bible that says, "Mama ought not cook on Mother's Day," so ok...I won't, then! Anyhow, where have those days of just being still gone to? I, for one, am getting almost perturbed at the number of people I talk to that just can't seem to catch up with themselves. I might be one of those. No matter when you see them, they are busy...their lives are chaos...they are always negative about the "next thing" they have to do. Well, I'm here to proclaim, "Chill out!" It's time for us to be doin' some be stillin' and knowin'. This might hurt a little, but no matter what you have on your agenda, take some time to just "Be still and know that He is God." He, ladies, is the knower of all things...the peacespeaker....the calm in our raging sea. I know that my soul craves this peace. I crave it for you. Gone are the days of our parents. We can learn from them on this. There is nothing more important....NOTHING...that should come in the way of being still and knowing that He is God...of being still and knowing that our family, our KIDS are right here in front of us just wanting a little piece of us....of listening to that friend that is hurting...of chucking that chore you said you were going to do today, and just having a little quiet instead with some hot tea. Do you see my point? I feel burdened for those of you who are just getting caught up in the chaos and you're missing the blessings staring you right in the face. Take a little encouragement from me and from the One who loves you most. Stop what you are doing right now, take a deep breath and just BE STILL!

Thank You Jesus Responses

Thanks to some of you for responding to our Back Door Guests blog, in conjunction with our Thank You Jesus Party. You will find a couple of responses to the Back Door Guests in the comment section under the blog. A few of you wrote to show specific ways you show hospitality to others. Many said you go to lunch with others, write notes, pray for, invite over to your home, etc. Some made plans to specifically carry out an "extend your hand" to others act this week.
The overarching message I hope you take from this is that no matter what you do, or for whom you do it....I'll pause to borrow a popular slogan....Just Do It! We could get caught up in feeling left out or that no one includes us in their group, but the point is when everyone is extending a hand all around them, people don't get left out. The only warning would be in the process of all of this that you not put yourself in a clique, but rather you are always looking for opportunities to extend yourself to others that may not be a part of who you normally associate. If you think about it, it's easy to have people over to your home that you find it easy to connect to, but how about try inviting someone that's recently visited LifeSong. That may just be what they need.
It's in those times that I, personally, have really gotten to know someone a little better. The truth is, we need to work at this like busy little bees....everyone together. One person can't do this all by themselves. This is why I like to hear your testimonies...to see how we are succeeding at reaching out to others. It's easy to get caught up in thinking you are all alone sometimes, but when you hear the opportunities that God gives us individually, it's cause for a....help me out here....THANK YOU JESUS PARTY! So, press on, my friends. Let God continue to use you to build relationships that last.
Finally, I want to post a very profound response to our Thank You Jesus Party post. It specifically outlines just how great of a God we serve. It encouraged me and let in encourage you, too. This, my friends, is the real deal. Jane writes the following.....


"Since your Thank You Jesus Party blog I have been thinking about what I could write. I feel unqualified to even start, but here goes, I’ll step outside my very quiet, secure box …

Since the death of my husband in 1999, I have been feeling a little lost (really very lost). We had a lot going for us. He was in a managerial position that he worked very hard for, I was in my 26th year at my job, one child living on his own and one child graduating from high school. We had talked about retiring, playing golf, traveling to play golf and spending quality time together. He lived two years, 3 months after his diagnosis. I often wondered why him? Why not me? He was a good husband, father, manager and just a good person. He was always working, providing, making our life and the life of our community better. After his death, I knew I was missing something else, but didn’t know what. I grew up in the church so I thought I knew what church was about. In 2003 my grandson was born, my daughter divorced several years later, my mother had a stay in the hospital with several critical issues and then finally my son got married at 37! I dealt with each issue with prayer and God answered. I was invited to Life Song Church in the spring of 2007. I had tried several churches that had a different style of worship (not traditional as I had grown up in) but they just didn’t fit. I said OK, I’ll bring my grandson. He will love being there learning about God, Jesus, the Bible, etc. And, the rest is history. Thank you Jesus for showing me what church is really about…not just attending church, but how to show your love to everyone I come in contact with, even those who have hurt me.

I learned more in 2 months at Life Song than I learned in my 60 years of being. Thank you Jesus for Life Song, my pastors and my new friends."

Have a great weekend, Ladies. I love you wholeheartedly!

Back Door Guests are the Best

I'm sure you have all seen or heard the phrase, "Back door guests are the best." I personally like it's meaning a lot. I love for people to come to my home and feel comfortable enough to go to the back door, come inside and make themselves right at home. I have been thinking alot about "being hospitable" to others lately. I can remember a day (don't I sound old saying that!) when families were at their gathering places - grandparents' homes, aunt's/uncle's homes, church social halls - just enjoying being together. Today, however, things seem constantly in fast-forward and no one is bothering at all to push PAUSE. I am guilty of it, too. I get so preoccupied with myself and my life that forsake doing what I love the most - just hanging out with people. I have a theory that all too often we don't see people returning to church or to Aroma women's ministry because we choose not to let them into our personal lives. We keep them at arm's length. All too often I hear excuses people make like, "my house isn't clean or good enough"; "my cooking skills are not up to par to have anyone over"; "I'm just too busy to take time to have lunch with anyone"; "I have to work too much"; "I don't have anything to say when I spend time with people." The list could go on and on. I don't think any of us, however, think of so many excuses when others do extend a hand to us and desire to spend time together. Of course, sometimes schedules conflict and we can't make plans, but doesn't it light up your day for someone to be hospitable to you? 1 Peter 4:9 says, "Be hospitable to one another with out grumbling." Hey, there's nothing that says "I love you" more than someone saying, "I can't have you over to my house right now, but one day I will...when it's clean, or when I live somewhere else." (That was a hint of sarcasm...sorry). By then, you may have lost your opportunity to extend the hand of fellowship. Let me tell ya....I have never been to someone's home, or gone out to fellowship with others and thought of the trivial. I find myself thinking of how much that person must love me - that they would want to spend time with me...no matter what. However, I've been to plenty of homes and done plenty of activities with a grumbler (I'm sure I've been the grumbling host a time or two, too.) where I left feeling like my cup had not been filled. On the flip side, too, I've seen a lot of people take, take, take...never to give, give, give. That might bother me a little because I see the purpose of giving to others is to also instill in them the notion of "paying it forward." Hebrews 13:2 says, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly, entertained angels." Wow! I don't know about you, but I don't want to miss an opportunity like that! You may be reading this with the argument, "I just don't have the gift of hospitality." Well, maybe not in the physical, visual ways we think of it sometimes, but Ladies, if you know Jesus as your Savior, you have something so very precious to offer another!
You've got LOVE. That is all I want people to say when they leave our home, or leave from spending time together doing whatever! I just hope and pray they felt loved and wanted.
There are still several days left in our 30 Day Give. Maybe someone needs you to pick up the phone and show hospitality to them. Maybe it's telling them you love them....write them a note...take them out to lunch....invite them over for burgers on the grill...go for a pedicure together. Get creative! So, I'm asking you again to post. I can tell ya, you didn't respond a lick on our Thank You Jesus Party, so I'm showing some mercy and giving you a second chance to give God some praise. Share with us how you show hospitality, and that, my friends is part of our Thank You Jesus Party. He deserves praise for bringing people in our lives that we can show a little hospitality to. If you need an idea of who needs some encouragement right now, write me. I happen to know someone that needs a little pick-me-up. Once again, you can write me at jeffamy111@netzero.net

Renewed Perspective

Today, I'm asking for your involvement. As I told you Sunday, one cannot go on a mission trip and not be changed, but one also cannot hold back praise when God works in one's life. To keep it to ourselves would be "beside the point." God has really impressed several things on me lately. Number one...His Word is alive and active among us. He is up to something! Number two...He is looking for us to be real. I may be blunt in saying this, but I'm a little tired of people coming to church just for what it can do for them. I hear, and yes...even at LifeSong...some say how they won't come to such and such event if it doesn't meet their needs or if it isn't in their realm of interests. As the old 80s saying goes, "well, gag a maggot!" Let's be challenged to live beyond that, ladies. How about let's get out of the mindset of what the church can do for us, and let's just start being the church. In the end, the result will be more abundant than if you are depending on your activities at church to make you feel good. The end result will be lives changed for the glory of Christ. I have talked about it before, but people are just looking for what is true and genuine if you call yourself a Christ-follower.

This morning, on the Today Show, a man spoke of his personal journey to find out why religion is so divisive, when it is supposed to be the chord that binds us together. He was challenged by a trip to Africa where he saw people giving their whole lives up just to see that one person might have a chance at life...a better quality of life. He said, in the end, he discovered that we here in America care more about being right than being genuine in our love. He, at the end of the interview, summed it up in a nutshell.
He reminded us that Jesus told His disciples that the greatest commandment is to "LOVE one another." (Does this sound familiar to you, LifeSong?) His challenge was to have us as a nation return to that. You know what the ironic thing is? This man was not saved. He is just a man searching for truth as to why Christians aren't real in what they say they believe. Ummm! That ought to shoot you square between the eyes. He really spoke words of truth, except for this. He did not talk of relationship with Jesus as being the difference. It's no wonder why. If Christians are showing no more than religion, then we are failing. We must be showing relationship, because certainly if we do, we would be showing love, right? Chew on that a little while will you?
I said chew on that! Don't read any further until you ask God if that was a word for you.

Number three...I believe that God is calling us to be change agents. We can't do that unless we have been changed by the One who gave His everything for us. He "loves us with an everlasting love," ladies. Doesn't that just wash over you like a refreshing spring? I can love ANYONE because of that great love.
I tell you...Being on mission in Las Vegas changed me. Maybe you don't care to hear about it. That's ok. I am always amused by the fact that if someone doesn't share your experience, then they really don't care much about what happened to you or what you learned. Not a problem. We share it anyway because we brag on the One that did a work in our lives. I want to celebrate with you when God changes you. That is what life is all about. We must share Christ's victories. We must thank Him for His great mercy and grace. What is Christ doing in your life right now that you want to thank Him for? Maybe He's given you victory in a particular area and you want to share it. Now's your chance. Write us here at AROMA and tell us how God is using you or working in you right now. We'll post these testimonies and have us one big "Thank You Jesus" party! Come on now. Write us and let us rejoice with you. Please specify if you would like to remain anonymous, and when describing your situation God is working in, use discretion in sharing names or places. We will proofread these for content before posting, so email me at jeffamy111@netzero.net We are so excited to hear what God is doing in your life!

Nanoo

I posted a personal blog on our family blog today and I think it really speaks my heart, so check it out and I hope it speaks to you. www.hickmanhappenings.blogspot.com