Disciples Women Archives - Page 2 of 6 - Christian Church in Oklahoma

Just Like Old Friends…

By Marilyn Bohlender, ODW President

Did you ever meet someone you instantly had a connection with? When you looked back at the details, you felt God’s hand was in it! A welcome smile, where they sat and where you sat were just the beginning of a new friendship! I could add more details but on May 20th at the meeting in Stroud, I met Maria Garza who will be part of the program at ROSES 2024 which will be held June 28-29th in McKinney, Texas.

At this point you are expecting a shout out for ROSES! Of course, I will do that in a minute. For just a moment let me diverge to a thought on how we connect with others and the impact we want to leave. To improve our relationship with others we must first look at our relationship with our loving God, Lord and Savior, which includes prayer.

Pray with me, “Lord, I want to be the friend others want to be friends with, I want to be the type of person others want to work with, I want to be the type of person that brings a smile to those around me. Most of all, I want to be the Christian in which others see Christ in me! If I stumble, I pray that I forgive myself and focus on the path forward, growing and filling myself with your spirit and message of love. Amen.”

Now a shout out for ROSES which will help you grow, renew and be spirit filled. It is not too late to register at CCSW.org. Deadline is June 20th. For more information you can also go to our web page.

Whether you are able to go or not, please pray for the ROSES event, the leaders, presenters and those attending. At last check we need one more to make 50 women attending from Oklahoma. With busy summer and camp schedules this is great attendance! It is not too late to reach out to other women, neighbors, or family, to attend; this may be the christian spark they need.

Are you the one more we need to attend to make 50? Do not let the fact that you are the only one from your church keep you from coming; you will make friends there. I know; at one time I was the only one!

I pray all of us go and make friends.

2 Peter 3:18 (NKJV) But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever.

CCOK3012024-06-27T11:26:21-05:00Jun 5, 2024|Disciples Women|Comments Off

Acting on Opportunities

By Marilyn Bohlender, ODW President

Let’s look at opportunities. In February, we gave an offering for Week of Compassion; they have already reached out to our Oklahoma Region about our storm damaged churches. The opportunity to donate to Week of Compassion is online year round.

Let’s look at the opportunity to go to church. I was reading the most attended Sundays are Christmas, Easter, and Mother’s Day. Another highly attended Sunday is “Bring a Friend Sunday.” How important is it to ask a friend? Did you know someone is more likely to visit a church because a friend invited them! Relationships are important!

I will also ask, ladies are you inviting other women to our events? Bringing others to our events may get them excited about our churches besides being uplifted from the event. If you haven’t already, find out more about upcoming events.

ROSES, June 28-29th, is an event with women from a six state area and held only once every four years.

The NEODW Fall Retreat, Oct 4-5th, is for all women across Oklahoma. We will be adding more.

To keep in the loop, go to Oklahoma Disciples Women Facebook, Northeast Disciples of Christ Women Facebook, sign up for Regional Roundup or go to our Oklahoma Disciples Women page.

Pray for God to give you opportunities and act on those opportunities!

Colossians 4:5 (NIV) Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

CCOK3012024-05-06T09:12:41-05:00May 2, 2024|Disciples Women|Comments Off

What do we have to guide us in a spiritual direction?

By Marilyn Bohlender, ODW President

Do I trust my GPS? Recently it gave directions that did not feel right to me. I took a different turn and the words “recalculating” shouted at me. Actually the path felt right and I did reach my destination!

I wonder if God tries to keep us on track and has “recalculating” moments when we take a different direction. The wise men followed a star to find Jesus. What do we have to guide us in a spiritual direction? We can turn to the Bible; we can pray for wisdom and discernment. Do we listen when we pray? Will God send messages through different means? This is a question many have explored and a question with many different answers.

It has also been my experience that I feel God’s presence when we as Christians gather together. Of course, we gather in church but for the women we have other opportunities to gather together. These events have quality presenters, service projects and the icing on the top is the fellowship and spiritual feeling that happens when Christian women gather.

All these events are welcoming of our church women outside their area. Pray for these events and our women to find a path to attend.

Coming Events

CADW at Southern Hills Christian Church, Edmond, April 23rd
NE Area Spring Meeting, April 27th
ROSES June 28th-29th Note: ROSES scholarships must be received by April 29, 2024

Details Here

Save the Date

Oct 4-5, 2024 for NE Fall Retreat; detailed info will come at a later date.

~Prayers and Blessings

Marilyn Bohlender, ODW President

Psalm 25:4 (NIV) Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.

CCOK3012024-05-02T14:16:12-05:00Apr 4, 2024|Disciples Women|Comments Off

ROSES! It will be BIG!

We have a new lady at our church ready to serve and be involved. I love new people! They give us fresh energy. She asked, “What is ROSES?” I said it is that big Disciples Women’s event we are going to in June! When I go to these events, I come back energized, ready to serve and be involved just like a new person.

Save the date June 28-29th for ROSES, an inter-regional Disciples Women event normally held every four years, and in 2024 being held in McKinney, Texas!

ROSES was last held in Tulsa in 2019; it is now Texas’ turn. Well, Oklahoma set the bar high in 2019 and Texas is ready to fulfill their slogan that everything is bigger in Texas!

Their region is actually Texas, New Mexico, and our panhandle. It is called Christian Church in the Southwest. Talk about bigger; they have almost three times as many churches as our Oklahoma Region. Also, Great Rivers Region, the three states to the east of us, is a part of ROSES. In four years, they will have their chance to host.

As I have traveled around Oklahoma, I know we are an awesome group and when we go to McKinney, Texas on June 28-29th, they will know Oklahoma is in the room!

Registration

ROSES registration and details is online at CCSW.org. For now, check out the flyer with three keynote speakers plus other presenters. These are awesome women: one has spirit, another energy, and all will leave you wanting more! You will love how God is using them.

Scholarships

If you act before April 29th, ODW plans on assisting quite a few of our Oklahoma women with LDEF scholarships for the registration fee. Applications must be received by April 29th. The scholarship only pays for registration; you will need to book and pay for your hotel. Click here for details.

Hotels

Everyone needs to book your hotel asap! The hotels will fill up fast as the word gets around about ROSES: It will be BIG!!!

For more information see the Oklahoma Disciples Women webpage or contact Marilyn Bohlender ODW President 580-483-5110

2 Corinthians 5:17(CSB) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

ROSES June 28-29, 2024

Visit https://www.ccsw.org/ to Learn More!

CCOK3012024-04-02T14:56:29-05:00Mar 12, 2024|Disciples Women|Comments Off

Heart in Your Words

Do your words have heart? Do your words lift others up? Sometimes, even unintentionally, our words have the opposite effect. I ponder on the phrase “Sticks and stones can hurt my bones but words will never hurt me!” Words can hurt! This phrase must have been said to teach us to ignore hurtful words.

In the book of James the small tongue is referred to being like a rudder able to turn a ship. When I was young, after a fight between myself and a sibling, our mom would have us say nice words to each other. It wasn’t easy but these words worked and we were back to playing nicely together.

The power of our words are with us as adults. Pray for God to give you the words to say as you encounter people throughout the day. If you are home by yourself, reach out to others who may need to be lifted up. Lifting others up will inadvertently cause you to be lifted up also!

In this February month, fill yourself with scripture, devotion, singing, prayer, praise and worship. As you become spiritually filled, you will discover your words will have heart!

~Prayers and Blessings,

Marilyn

Romans 5:5 (CSV) …because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us

CCOK3012024-04-02T14:35:22-05:00Feb 13, 2024|Disciples Women|Comments Off

Be Still and Listen

If there was any time of the year when I wanted to grab a blanket and wrap up in it, this would be it. My energy was spent with holiday activities and now winter weather is increasing. As I look outside at my dry brown yard, I have to remind myself that our Holy Father is still here. He must have included in His plan this unusual season that is in a dormant stage.

Where do I fit into this and the words “Be Still and Listen” keep appearing in my thoughts. I close my eyes, pray and empty my head of any problems and daily issues. A ray of sunshine peeks through the room as I just sit and listen enjoy being wrapped in the blanket and my Lord’s sweet spirit.

Eventually, I open my eyes and see my calendar across the room. There are exciting events on those pages. The colorful pictures on the future months show God’s plan for growth. The events coming up will also be a time of growth and fellowship. Mark your calendar for 2024:

CADW January 23, FCC Moore, OK RSVP 405-794-6166 by previous Tues.
CADW April 23, Southern Hills CC, Edmond, OK
ROSES June 28-30, McKinney, TX

This is just the beginning of a Great 2024!

~Prayers and Blessings

Marilyn

Psalm 46:10 (KIV) Be still, and know that I am God…

CCOK3012024-04-02T14:29:00-05:00Jan 9, 2024|Disciples Women|Comments Off

What’s Your Passion?

What’s your passion? How many times we are asked what are your hobbies, what do you like to do, or what are your interests? The answers vary greatly from quilting or cooking to reading. Some of us love animals, plants, music or walking. Whatever our passion we often like to talk about it.

This brings me to another passion which is the passion of Christ for us. How do we talk about that passion? We find it easy to talk about our favorite hobby but may find it difficult to put into words our faith even though it is something that is so important to us. Let me introduce a story of an unusual flower being used long ago by missionaries to explain the story of Christ, hence the name Passion Flower.
(Story source)

“When the Spanish and Portuguese missionaries came to the Americas in the 16th century, they used the Passion Flower as a symbolic way to teach about the story of Jesus Christ.

The 10 petals represent Jesus’ Faithful Apostles
The five “anthers” are symbolic of the five Sacred Wounds Jesus suffered
The circle of filaments in the center of the flower represent the Crown of Thorns.
The three purple stigma represent the 3 nails holding Jesus to the cross.

The month of August is a time when the Passion Flower normally blooms. Once on a walk on a quiet country road, I found one. It was exciting to find the unusual looking flower. This made me realize stories spoken from the heart of your faith also can be exciting for the recipient. I pray God gives you words to convey this passion.

~Prayers and Blessings
Marilyn Bohlender ODW President

Michael Davison2021-09-13T14:25:27-05:00Sep 13, 2021|Disciples Women|Comments Off

A Christmas Letter from Marilyn Bohlender, Oklahoma Disciples Women

Sometimes a Christmas letter tells of important events in a individual’s or family’s life over the past year. Often, there will be sentiments for a joyous Christmas and a blessed year to follow. It would end with expressions we need to see of love, comfort and peace.

It has been about a month since I submitted a yearly report on Oklahoma Disciples Women . One of the aspects not stressed enough in the report was how busy some of our women were because of Covid-19. Many became the makers of masks. Some women were extremely isolated while others had their children or grandchildren at home. Simple activities such as a grocery store trip became difficult with shortages of certain items and extra precautions taken to maintain as much safety as possible. Some women became the shoppers for others. We adjusted to many changes from doctor appointments to not gathering in person.

In spite of all the challenges, we persevered. We made phone calls, wrote letters, and sent cards. Some learned new technology. We had drive-by parades to celebrate graduations and birthdays. Our many churches that were able to go online reached an even bigger audience. We became creative and even when we open, we will have new ideas to keep and use to carry out our ministries.

As Christmas approaches, I feel compelled to attempt to uplift those of you that may not be able to have the usual Christmas traditions. I have experienced Christmas holidays isolated and discovered it is what you make of it. Plan activities for yourself. It may be a few simple lights and decorations that you especially enjoy while listening to Christmas music. Plan times for phone calls so you will still have the opportunities to visit with others. Write letters or send cards to others who need uplifting like nurses, to those who might be isolated, and to others who might be away from family such as soldiers.

Be proactive and be determined to be creative on what you can make out of the situation. I continue to stress scripture reading, devotions, praise songs, and most of all prayer.

I anticipate that God will be moving even more in 2021 and hope you include this thought of “increase” in your prayers.

Prayers and Blessings,

Marilyn Bohlender

ODW President

Michael Davison2021-06-24T13:37:03-05:00Dec 7, 2020|Disciples Women|Comments Off

Update on ODW Area Meetings and Fall Retreats 2020

Usually, August is a busy month for our Oklahoma Disciples Women Areas who would normally be having meetings and taking registrations for Fall Retreats.

Central Area Women:
According to Central Area Director, Jeannie Atkins the Central Area Women are considering a scaled-down meeting with no food and many precautions in place. Their cabinet will decide by mid-August about the meeting which is usually during the last week of August.

Northeast Area Women:
Northeast Area Director, Delois Guess states they will not have a retreat but are considering an alternative activity through social media during the weekend of October 2-3, 2020.

Northwest Area Women:
Northwest Co-Director, Sally Wheeler reports cancellation of their August Missionary Brunch and Fall Retreat. Sally is working on the Northwest Area booklet to be completed by mid-August. Sally is also looking at ways to engage the women through current technology.

Southeast Area Women:
Southeast Director, Mary Mueller has also had to cancel meetings and fall retreat. Mary also serves on the Texoma Christian Camp Board. Mary states that cancellations have been hard on the camp. Camp benefits our youth. They are able to hold events like Water Weekend for the youth since the camp has a dock on a lake. If you feel led to make a donation, you may send a check to: Texoma Christian Camp, PO Box 135, Ardmore, OK 73402-0135

Southwest Area Women:
Southwest Co-directors are Pam Shepherd and Marilyn Bohlender. The Southwest Area Women haven’t met as a group since the fall of 2017 but over the last few years Marilyn has stayed connected through church visits in Southwest Oklahoma. Marilyn found all to be warm, caring, thriving groups doing exciting things. Often Pam and other women of SW Oklahoma took turns traveling with Marilyn. Marilyn reports being very glad she was able to visit so many churches before the onset of Covid-19.

Stay connected with Oklahoma Disciples Women Facebook page as well as on the Oklahoma Region’s website and monthly e-newsletter.

Always keep your faith in the foremost of things

CCOK3012020-08-17T13:21:28-05:00Aug 17, 2020|Disciples Women|Comments Off

ODW Encounter 2020 is Cancelled but “Be Ready!”

Instead of Encounter this year, take that time for Encounter and use it to “Be Ready!”

Yes, this means there will not be an Encounter 2020; yes, with heavy hearts we canceled Encounter. Encounter was destined to be a good one with Rev. Dr. Christal Williams, Regional Minister of Tennessee as our speaker. Coordinators Tara Dew and Sally Wheeler had already put in a lot of work for Encounter and we thank them for all the prep work they did.

Back to my first statement of “Be Ready!” When we are able to have Encounter again, make sure you are ready for all it has to offer: ready to be uplifted, ready to be transformed, and ready to be more connected.

How you prepare to “Be Ready” is up to you. I know some of you have extra time on your hands and others are busier than they have ever been. At the top of your list, please include prayer. Plan ways to be more spiritually connected whether it is to read scriptures and devotions, listen to scripture inspired music, or listen to all the on-line services that our churches have produced. Here is a link from our Regional website to worship online.

Encourage each other to find ways to keep yourselves positive and spiritually uplifted. Please post and periodically check our Oklahoma Disciples Women Facebook created by our VP of Reachout, Sally Wheeler. Also, check the Regional website for information okdisciples.org and the Regional eNewsletter Regional Roundup for Disciples Women news.

Prayers and Blessings,
Marilyn Bohlender, ODW President
580-483-5110

Lamentations 3:22-24 (ESV) The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

CCOK3012021-06-24T13:37:52-05:00Jun 15, 2020|Disciples Women|Comments Off