This Week at MOPS

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...For Florida anyway.  Don't miss our last official meeting of 2010 this week, December 7th and 8th at 9:30 at Real Life.  Join us for brunch and a small gift exchange.  Please bring a festive mug with something in it.   Real Life East's very own Pastor Mitch McKinney will be joining us, too.  You won't want to miss it.  Food! Gifts!  Be there! 

Don't forget that our Outreach Program for this month is Spare Change.  We'd like to bless the teen moms with some gift cards so empty your pockets, sofa cushions and piggy banks...

See you on Tuesday or Wednesday.  Oh, and don't forget about BELIEVE, the event sponsored by the Real Life Women's Ministry.  This is a don't miss event.  Real Life is blessing some special women with gift cards in addition to a night of yummy treats, uplifting worship and moving testimonies.  The cost is $10 and it starts at 7pm.  Click here for more information. 

 

Just a Mum?

A woman, renewing her driver's licence ,

was asked by the woman at Registry to state her occupation.

She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

'What I mean is, ' explained the woman at Registry,

'do you have a job or are you just a ...?'

'Of course I have a job,' snapped the woman.

'I'm a Mum.'

'We don't list 'Mum' as an occupation,

'housewife' covers it,'

Said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself

in the same situation.

The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised,

efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like,

'Official Interrogator' or 'City Registrar.'

'What is your occupation?' she probed.

What made me say it? I do not know.

The words simply popped out.

'I'm a Research Associate in the field of

Child Development and Human Relations.'

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and

looked up as though she had not heard right.

I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words.

Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written,

in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

'Might I ask,' said the clerk with new interest,

'just what you do in your field?'

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice,

I heard myself reply,

'I have a continuing program of research,

(what mother doesn't)

In the laboratory and in the field,

(normally I would have said indoors and out).

I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family)

and already have four credits (all daughters).

Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities,

(any mother care to disagree?)

and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it).

But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers

and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.'

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she

completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career,

I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3.

Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model,

(a 6 month old baby) in the child development program,

testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy!

And I had gone on the official records as someone more

distinguished and indispensable to mankind than 'just another Mum.'

Motherhood!

What a glorious career!

Especially when there's a title on the door. 

Blessings to you my dear MOM friends!!!

Dating God!!!

Happy Valentines day!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today we welcome some thoughts and
ponderings from our own Erin Ramsey!!

Try to recall a time when you've been in a dating relationship (maybe you're in one now, bless your heart) ... if you're married..then think about your relationship pre-wedding day.

If you had a typical dating relationship it's safe to say that you did at least 1 of the following: Daydream about each other, write each other sickening sweet notes, exchange thoughtful gifts, stay up late talking on the phone until you fell asleep (and fight over who was going to hang up first).

And if you had a typical dating relationship it's also safe to say that all those feelings and actions didn't last forever. That is just typically how relationships cycle. You make a great connection with another person, you try to see them as much as possible or you even go out of your way to be with them. Then someone gets selfish. Someone starts to think of their own needs instead of the other person's. Maybe your eyes start to drift away to someone else.

I fell in love with my husband almost instantly after meeting him. My feelings for him were so strong that I thought it'd be a good idea if we broke up. So I called him up and told him I wanted to "just be friends". Sounds logical right? No, it wasn't logical, it was called "I was scared." I was scared of the commitment of a relationship. I had known all of the fun and good feelings of dating, but I didn't want to actually work in my relationship.

Have you dated God? Have you made an Awesome, life changing connection with Him and lost it? Did you start to think of your own needs more than him? Have you turned your attention to someone else or other activities to fill your life?

Thank goodness, my husband loved me enough to stick around and wait for me to come to my senses. I called him back a few weeks later to tell him I missed him too much to break up.

My husband isn't the only one I've broken up with.

And my husband isn't the only one who accepted me back.

If you've broken up with God, He wants you back.

It may not have been a dramatic break-up, you may even still be dating..but you're starting to lose those "lovin' feelings"... He's still as in love with you as the day he Made you!!! All you have to do is tell Him you'd like another chance.

"... Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord.

Malachi 3:7

Have a great Valentine weekend!! Can't wait to see you all on Tuesday, February 16th.... You DO NOT want to miss this one. The topic... "LOVE ON MOM"!!! You will be so happy you came!

Meeting Re-cap Dec. 15th-- Craft Day!

Crafts with Kids!!!!

I hope you were able to come out and make some fun christmas crafts with your kiddos! We had several different crafts for the kids and moms to make! We saw some pretty unique ones being born out of awesome imaginations too! BIG thanks to our Craft Ladies for putting this together! Thanks to our MOPPET workers that helped out too!
We also had a great selection of christmas cookies to eat and milk to drink! If you aren't in the Christmas spirit by now... well... I hope you are! :o)
Here are some pics from the event:

In closing:
One of our dear MOPPETS workers wanted us to share a special Christmas Blessing with you via a christmas card she gave us to share! In it is Luke 2:1-7
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ²(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³And everyone went to his own town to register.

⁴So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

She writes to ALL MOPS MOMS:
"The Savior of the the world has come. Rejoice and be glad! Hope you have a blessed Christmas. Thank you for letting me watch your precious child. It has truly been my joy! Merry Christmas, In His Love, Vicki Rector and Family"

Thanks back to you Ms Vicki and ALL our MOPPET workers who are so dedicated and faithful to our children! Have a Merry Christmas!!!! We so appreciate and love you all!

Compassion for Christmas!

Hi Ladies! This is a guest post from Jeri Stone, a Mentor Mom for the FUMC MOPS group in the area. She's an ambassador for Compassion International and wanted to share some information with us about the Child Survival Program. MOPS International supports Compassion as well, and it is such a SOLID organization that feeds, clothes, schools, and shelters struggling children and shows them the love of Jesus in their everyday life. Compassion gives these children a true shot at not just living, but thriving in their surroundings. My husband and I have sponsored Kennedy Wafula for over 4 years...check out the links below!! ~ Amanda

MEANINGFUL FAMILY CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA

There's no greater gift than the life of a child! Yet too many children enter the world sickly and malnourished. Every year nearly 10 million children die from preventable causes before they reach their fifth birthday. Often they're not even given names, because they'll only live just a fraction of that time.

To combat this horrendous problem, Compassion International's Child Survival Program works with expectant mothers and their babies in the most impoverished areas of our globe. The program supports and feeds malnourished children, while training mothers to sustain the growth and development of their little ones.

It provides prenatal care and basic nutrition for the expectant mothers. Later it ensures health care for both mother and child : treatment of infections and diseases, and regular health check-ups. It also teaches moms by giving them infant survival training and stimulation techniques for mental, emotional and social development. Caregivers are given the opportunity to learn to read and write and develop a trade skill to help them provide for their families. All these benefits are delivered through a local church in a developing country, because it knows where the greatest needs in the community lie. In addition, the church wants to show these mothers and children that God loves them.

You can help too! You can help save these little ones for their desperate, heartbroken moms! What better "love gift " for Christ at this most holy season of His birth! If you'd like to make a special gift from your family this Christmas or New Year to Compassion's Child Survival Program please call Jeri Stone at 352-243-1479 or 616-437-5460 or head over to http://rescuebabiesnow.org/ for more information

Thanksgiving thoughts !!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

As we meet with our families, eat our turkey, and enjoy our pumpkin pie this thanksgiving... lets focus on

What is abundantly flowing from your heart--  Along with some practical ways you can help your child show thankfulness!!

So often parents think their children are too young to understand what they are taught. If the most formidable years are the first few years of life, why do parents think this way? You are your child’s first and most-effective teacher in life. Play that to your advantage! If you want your children to be thankful outside of your home, you must teach them to be thankful within your four walls.

Here are just a few of the ways I try to teach my daughter, almost 3 ½, to be thankful:

1. We thank Jesus for the day.
It doesn’t have to be daily, but here are two examples of how to make this part of your normal conversation: When the temperature cools down I’ll tell her, “Cadence, the Lord blessed us with a beautiful day, didn’t he?” Or when rain comes after a much-needed dry spell I’ll say to her, “We need to thank Jesus for sending the rain – our plants sure needed it!”

2. We talk about how the Lord has blessed Daddy with a great job & one that allows me to stay at home with her.
I cannot stress enough the importance of teaching your children that your husband’s job is a blessing – not a curse, even if he works more than you’d like him to. Your children pick up so quickly on your attitude about your husband’s job, and they will follow your lead of being thankful for it or despising it. Remember, your view & attitude about your husband’s job is also teaching your child about how she should view her job (or her husband’s job) when she becomes an adult. It also teaches her about work ethic & responsibility. So stress the positive things about your husband’s job; after all, nowadays we should all be thankful if our husband does have a job, especially one that allows us to stay at home with our children.

3. Teach your child to say “Please” and “Thank you”, even if you have to solicit it.
Sure, it’s uncomfortable to take your child to Chick-fil-A and at the end of the meal ask, “Now what do you say to Mommy for taking you out to lunch?” But if you want your child to learn to say it at all, especially when you aren’t around, you have to start with expecting your child to say it to you. Trust me, your heart will completely melt when your child starts saying it to you without being prompted! And when you hear your child say it to someone else without being prompted, your heart will soar!

4. Send thank-you cards.
For the most part, people really do like being thanked for doing something nice for someone. Everyone enjoys a pat on the back and acknowledgment for their good deeds. This may seem like an old-school practice to you, but if you want your children to be thankful, it’s a must. Even a two-year-old can “sign” her name to a hand-written card that you write “from” her. When they’re young, write thank you notes from them, and do it in their presence. You have to tell your child what you’re doing in order for her to learn that “it’s just what we do”. Once your child does start writing, or becoming more interested in it, she will take much pride in signing her name to the card. You can ask her what she’d like to say and write it down. Or have her draw/write something & tell you what it says; then you write the “interpretation” under her art/words. Remember to write thank you cards yourself, as well!

5. “Practice what you preach.”
I don’t know how much I really believe that “actions speak louder than words”…when it comes to being thankful and teaching our children to be thankful, our actions and words are synonymous I think. When you live your life speaking and showing your thankfulness for what you have, what others do for you and how others treat you, and doing so in times of crisis or blessing, you are teaching those principles to your children. When you complain, aren’t quick to say thank you, and don’t acknowledge God or the giver for the things you have and are blessed with, then you are sending a very strong & negative message to your children. Remember that your children will say and do exactly what you say and do… so what exactly do you want that to sound & look like?

I close with two scriptures that come to my mind: (from the NIV version)
The Bible tells us in Luke 12:48, “…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” This scripture reminds me that the Lord indeed blesses us, and if we are blessed with much, then more is expected from us. I think gratitude falls into that category. How can you ask God to continue to bless you when you don’t bless him and thank Him for what He’s already given you and done for you?


And Romans 13:7 (NIV) instructs us to “Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”
I cannot think of any instruction more important to follow than that which comes from the scripture itself. If someone does something nice for you, is generous toward you, says a kind or thoughtful word, etc., then isn’t it appropriate to give him the honor (thankfulness, gratitude…) he is due? My response is most certainly “YES!”

I want to be a thankful person, and I want my children to be likewise for out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45) … What is truly coming from your heart, and what would you like to come forth from your child’s heart?

We want to thank TRACY LAWLOR for sharing her thanksgiving thoughts with us!!   We wish you all a fabulous Thanksgiving!  We have a lot to be thankful for! Many Blessings,
Your family at

A Little Pick Me Up

Kelly G. wanted to share this with you girls....
Much love to you on this Monday after Mother's Day! :)

I KNOW someone needs some encouragement this mother's day!! I have this in a print on my wall that I read just about everyday!! ~ Kelly G.

Continue On
by: Roy Lessin
A woman once fretted over the usefulness of her life. She feared she was
wasting her potential being a devoted wife and mother.
She wondered if the time and energy she invested in her husband
and children would make a difference. At times she got discouraged
because so much of what she did seemed to go unnoticed and unappreciated.
"Is it worth it?" she often wondered. "Is there something better
that I could be doing with my time?"
It was during one of these moments of questioning that she heard the
still small voice of her heavenly Father speak to her heart.
You are a wife and mother because
that is what I have called you to be.
Much of what you do is hidden from the public eye.
But I notice. Most of what you give is done without remuneration.
But I am your reward.
Your husband cannot be the man I have called him to be without
your support. Your influence upon him is greater than you think and more
powerful than you will ever know. I bless him through your service
and honor him through your love.
Your children are precious to me.
Even more precious than they are to you. I have entrusted them to your care
to raise for me. What you invest in them is an offering to Me.
You may never be in the public spotlight. But your obedience
shines as a bright light before Me.
CONTINUE ON.
Remember you are my servant.
Do all to please me."

More on Identity

Have you been thinking about what Justin shared with us at our last meeting? Here is another look at the topic of "What do you do?"...check it out!

Who Am I?

By Erin Ramsey, Creative Activities Co-Leader

Sometimes I’m tired. Just tired of all the Things I am.
I say that I’m just Too many Things to too many People.
I’m a Wife. I’m a Mom. I’m a Housekeeper. I’m a Friend.
It can go on and on. Then it “hits” me, Yeah I am all those Things but I’m some-Thing even more than all that. I’m a Child of God.
What does that mean though?
Well, the Bible tells me that I was Knit together Perfectly in my Mother’s womb. No matter how Broken or Lost I feel, I must remember –
Who I am above all else – I am HIS.
He loves ME. He chose to Save Me.
So, knowing that HE loves ME and loves all of the Things that I am,
I know I can be those Things through Him and to please Him.
I cannot live for Myself or Anyone else.

Yes Lord, I will be all of those Things for you. I will be a Wife for you. I will be a Mom for you. I will be a Housekeeper for you. I will be a Friend for you. Amen

“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called you by name. You’re Mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end – Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you:…That’s how much you mean to Me! That’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you."
-Isaiah 43:2-4 (The Message translation)

"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out,you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day."
-Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message translation)

Graceful Parenting

Hi Ladies! From time to time, we'll have some guests post a thought for us. This one is from Jodi Vermaas, our friend, mentor, and staff contact. Enjoy!

Romans 14:19- “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”

As a Christian, a mother, a counselor and a children’s ministry director, I have had lots of experiences with many adults and children. I am thrilled to be part of a ministry that allows us all to walk through the doors (no matter what our sinful backgrounds may be) and inspires us to change. I am also grateful for the grace we all experience as we continually realize our sin, and how we can change. As a Christian people, we try hard to welcome others and to make everyone feel that they are not only accepted, but loved and valued. I know how grateful I am that people love me, even when I am unlovable!

As a mother, I have been perplexed about how we as mothers can sometimes throw out that same grace we rely on with each other when it comes to dealing with children - other people’s children and our own. I feel called to look at children the way I look at my fellow female - with grace. We all can think this is a “no-brainer,” but haven’t we all been guilty of passing spiritual judgment on a child (or his/her parents), when that child has acted out in some way? I believe we need to walk carefully in these situations.

Consider the myriad of controversial topics when it comes to dealing with children:
If/how/when/and where to discipline?
Home school/Christian school/Public school?
Some TV/no TV/any TV (the same for music, movies, etc.)?
No junk food/organic food/eat what is put in front of you?
Obedience: required the first time/required unless the child is over-tired/required sometimes/only when in front of others?
Church kids are always/sometimes/learning to be (which one is ok to you?) calm, kind, and respectful?

I once had a mother point out to my husband that one of my children - who has a sensory processing disorder and who was having a loud sensory reaction to his surroundings at the time - that if we “spare the rod, we spoil the child.” While we appreciated the scripture knowledge, we did not feel we were being built up in our parenting! We felt so discouraged and misunderstood, not to mention how our child felt.

Sometimes being stuck in our own parenting world with the children we know, we put expectations and judgments on kids that we barely know, not to mention understand. It is subtle, but can hurt our relationships with one another. As mothers, let’s lead the charge in building each other up as we take on the greatest challenge of our lives - raising kids to God’s glory!

They all grow, change, mature, adjust, and fall down. They all have unique needs, challenges, gifts, and sinful natures. Just like us, they need grace. Let’s encourage one another to look at our children and others the way we desire to be looked upon, through the eyes of Christ. When we do this, power and unity is given the ability to spread through our friendships, our ministries, and our lives. And when we live by grace, we are then able to give instruction, discipline and advice in ways that are uplifting and Spirit-led.

(If you are interested in learning more, all of Romans 14 is a good study on this topic.)