March MOPS Meeting

Hey gals! Many of you braved the rain this morning and we're so glad you did! March is always our testimony month and this month we had Hannah Schultz share with us: "Being Brave in the Midst of Chaos and Confusion." I know everyone got something out of it, because who doesn't face chaos and confusion at some point in motherhood?

Hannah is wife to Jared, mom to Gabriel, and follower of Jesus Christ. She shared about how her relationship with Christ in the midst of chaos is the foundation and anchor to enduring even the most painful hardships in life.

Hannah outlined her talk with some commonly heard sayings, such as:
When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.
Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.
Marriages are made in heaven. 
It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.
The darkest hour is just before dawn.

We hear these phrases often and while some aspects may be true, we often come to learn that life is much more complicated than these sayings are able to illustrate. Through struggles with infertility, miscarriages, the premature birth of her son Jude and the loss of his precious life, and the patient endurance in the adoption process of their son, Gabriel, Hannah has not only come to know the Lord more intimately, but has been able to walk along side others to comfort them in their time of hardships and pain.

Here are a few encouraging verses Hannah shared with us this morning:

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:8-11

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

Beautiful verses to focus our hearts on in the midst of chaos and confusion!

Thank you, Lord, for yet another wonderful MOPS meeting! We'll see everyone again in April!

February MOPS Meeting

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so what better way to prepare than to hear about ways we can BOLDLY build our husbands up?! Peg Devault encouraged us this morning with her talk on "Husband Soup."

Peg shared her wisdom with us and gave us 6 ingredients we can use to strengthen our marriages and relationship with our husband:
1. Fear of God--Fear isn't a bad thing if we see it in the context of God's Word.
2. Prayer--Pray for your husband often, that God would fill him with Christ-exalting wisdom.
3. The Bible--Become a strong woman of the Word. (2 Timothy 2:15)
4. Trust and Respect--We should trust our husband and he should trust us. Show respect to your husband. He is the God-ordained head of you and your household.
5. Guarded Tongue--"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." (Proverbs 31:26)
6. Humor and Fun--There is always something to laugh about. Humor can often diffuse a difficult situation. God has a wonderful sense of humor and He delights to delight us!

We are so thankful Peg blessed us with words of encouragement and also challenged us in areas God may need to grow us in our role as wives.

Our Creative Activity was "Mini-Dry Erase Boards" we can each use to leave sweet love notes to our husbands on for Valentine's Day, right?! They all turned out cute and can be used for memory verses, menu lists, and more!

And as always, we gave out lots of prizes and give-a-aways! A couple gals won a date night basket! So fun!

We will see you all again at our March meeting!

And don't forget, if you are interested in attending Hearts at Home, the deadline to register is next week! http://capebiblechapel.org/#/events/hearts-at-home

January MOPS Meeting

The holidays are over and January can be a long and cold month, so it was a blessing to get out of the house and be reunited once again with all our MOPS Mommas!!

Candice Schroeder spoke to our group this month and what a blessing it was!

Candice, along with her husband Stephen, are in their final semester of the Bible-portion training with New Tribes Bible Institute. This training is preparing and equipping them for their upcoming goal to plant a church amongst an unreached people group. Not only is Candice bravely trusting God for her future on the tribal mission field, she shared about her experience giving birth to her two year old daughter, Eliana, which proved to also be an exercise of her trust in Him!

Exactly two years ago on January 9th, Candice gave birth to her precious daughter Eliana after a very hard 30 hours of labor. Candice faced the complication during delivery of her daughter being stuck in the birth canal and having to be forcefully pulled out. Upon arrival Eliana was not breathing and went 12 minutes without oxygen. After finally being resuscitated, she was quickly rushed off for medical treatment. The outcome did not look good for baby Eliana. The fact that she lived was a miracle, but her not having brain damage would also take a miracle. It was very, very unlikely. The weeks following were very rough. However, after an outpouring of prayers, medical tests showed that Eliana had NO BRAIN DAMAGE!! Truly another miracle! Eliana did experience a birth injury from the rough delivery known as Erb's Palsy. Put simply, this injury is a paralysis of the arm resulting from damaged nerves.


Candice's story of Eliana's birth, as well as managing their daughter's life with Erb's Palsy, led into the challenge she presented our MOPS group. How do we handle suffering and trials? When we experience feelings like worry, bitterness, or guilt--how do we approach those thoughts? Will we trust God? Or do we default into a different way of thinking?


Below I have included Candice's handout, which summarizes many different ways of thinking, as well as Scripture we can use to address various feelings we may experience as we face different trials and tribulations in life.

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Epistemologies (“uh-PIST-uh-mologies”) deal with the way we think and process information to determine what is “real” and what isn’t. Every epistemology isn’t necessarily “bad.” But our foundational, #1 epistemology needs to be the word of God, the Bible.

*If our epistemology contradicts God’s written word (the Bible), then we should always trust the Bible instead, because it is infallible, or totally trustworthy!

1. Biblical epistemology – “I know it is true because the Bible says so.”
2. Mysticism/Existentialism – “I know it is true because I experienced it.”
3. Empiricism – “I know it is true because one or more of my five senses have validated it: I saw it with my own eyes, I touched it, I smelled it, etc.”
4. Subjectivism – “I know it is true or okay because it feels good, or it makes me happy.”
5. Pragmaticism – “I know it is true or okay, because the end justifies the means,” or “whatever works.”
6. Agnosticism – “You can never know anything for sure.”
7. Rationalism – “I know it is true, because it conforms to the scientific method” or “to science.”
8. Post-Modernism – “Your beliefs can be true for you, and my beliefs can be true for me.” Creating reality/truth based on social context.

Verses from the Slideshow:
Guilt—Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Regret—Philippians 3:13, “…one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…”

Bitterness—Hebrews 12:15, “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled…”

Shame—Hebrews 4:16, “ Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Overwhelmed—II Corinthians 12:9, “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

Worried—Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Brokenhearted—Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Somehow, Not Good Enough—Ephesians 1:7, 10, 13, “…In Him.” Believers are in Christ Jesus!
-The information on epistemologies is being borrowed with permission from New Tribes Bible Institute. Class EV123, Evangelism in a Postmodern World.

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A big thank you to Candice for sharing her story, challenging us in our thinking, and encouraging us in our faith!!
Candice also had a give-a-way for one lucky mom and I think many of us were interested in it. If you were wanting to check out the book she gave out, it is "The Lamb" by John Cross.

Our Creative Activity this month was "Mini-Masterpieces" and who doesn't love grabbing a hot glue gun and letting their creative juices flow?! They all turned out so cute!

Another fun and successful meeting! It was a great way to kick off our 2015 MOPS year!!

And don't forget our MOPS Movie Night on Friday, February 6th at 6:30pm!! See you then!!

December MOPS Meeting

Today's MOPS meeting was fun, fun, fun!! We did not have a speaker or Creative Activity this month, but instead enjoyed a more relaxed morning!

We started our morning off focusing our hearts on the reason we celebrate Christmas: Christ's birth. I was blessed to get to read, "Christmas Through Mary's Eyes" to the group. As mothers, it's very humbling to think of what that experience would have been like for Mary.

Next we did our White Elephant Gift Exchange! Look at all these awesome gifts!

There was lots of stealing going on! This gal was determined to walk away with this gift!

Time to open them! There were so many cute things everyone brought! So fun!

Score! Look at that adorable scarf!

We also squeezed in some Christmas trivia! And of course, ended with a prize! These ladies are thinking hard!

And thank you SO much to everyone who contributed to our donation collection. We gathered up many items to donate! Your Steering Team will prayerfully decide this week who to hand deliver this collection of goodies to.

Next on the calendar: Christmas Caroling! We'll see you this week ready to sing! Blessings!

November MOPS Meeting

This months MOPS speaker drove all the way from Kalamazoo, Michigan and are we so thankful she did! Sari Dolence spoke to us today about "Fearless Parenting," which continues our theme this year of "Be You, Bravely."

Is there such a thing as fearless parenting? Most moms can all agree that fear is an ongoing struggle in parenting. Sari shared Jeremiah 29:11 with us: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." This verse is a common one used to encourage us in our walk through the struggles of life. However, Sari went on to focus on the word "hope" in this verse. She explained how the original Hebrew meaning of the word used in this verse for hope can be illustrated more deeply in another part of Scripture. We read in Joshua 2 about a Gentile prostitute named Rahab who hid Hebrew spies so that they wouldn't be captured and killed. The spies whom Rahab saves tell her to put a scarlet cord in her window and to gather her family into her house. When the Israelites would return to attack, they promised that by seeing the red cord hanging at her home, they would spare her and her family. The word used for "cord" in this passage also means an "expected hope." Rahab hung the read cord, meaning "hope," with an expectant hope of the promise given to her by the spies. She clung to this hope, which ultimately saved her life. As mothers, we too must have an expectant hope for our children. We must hopefully cling to the promises God has given us over our children's lives and trust that even through our failures, God's promises will be fulfilled. Sari blessed us with a prayer card and rope to remind us of this awesome truth!

Tape that card up and hang your rope somewhere you will see them, ladies! We need a daily reminder of the expectant hope God has provided mothers who trust in Him!

Three more valuable points Sari shared with us:
1. Fear is not wrong...it can motivate us into action. God has provided ways for us to Biblically handle and deal with our fears.
2. You are going to make mistakes. God can work thru and use even your mistakes!
3. God made NO mistake putting your kids in your household with you as their parent and he has a plan and a purpose for you and them. "From one man (Adam) he made every nation, that they should inhabit the earth; and he (God) determined the times set for them and the exact places they should live. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:26-27).

Our Creative Activity for the month were aprons! The ladies had lots of fun decorating them!

And our MOPS tees are in! 

It was a fun meeting and we are looking forward to gathering together again next month. Start looking for those White Elephant gifts, ladies! See you in December!

October 2014 MOPS Meeting

It may have been rainy and dreary outside, but it was a cheery and fun morning inside at our MOPS meeting this morning! We had so many new moms visiting MOPS today and so many adorable teeny tiny babies! What a blessed morning!

Today we were blessed to listen to Kim Swartz speak on the topic of budgeting. Or, as Kim put it, if the "B" word (budget) frightens you, refer to it as your "spending plan."

I love how Kim tied in our theme verse for the year: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:18-19). It doesn't matter what your finances have looked like in the past up to this point, today you can be intentional and make different choices for the future!!

I will sum up Kim's talk with the "10 Steps" she shared with us this morning. She draws her wisdom and insight from Dave Ramsey's Biblical approach to money thru Financial Peace University. So she has taken Dave's teaching and added some insight of her own in this step-by-step plan:

Step One: Transfer ownership of possessions to God. Give. Try it. You'll be amazed.
Step Two: Evaluate
Step Three: Save $1000
Step Four: Tell your money where to go (this includes giving plan)
Step Five: Pay off ALL debt with the Debt Snowball plan
Step Six: Emergency Fund of 3-6 months of living expenses
Step Seven: Invest 15% into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement
Step Eight: College Funding
Step Nine: Pay off the mortgage
Step Ten: Then you can Eleven: Build wealth through mutual funds/real estate and BE READY always to give generously over and over again.

I hope everyone is now encouraged to BE BRAVE with your BUDGET!!

Our craft this month was budget envelopes! Everyone had fun cutting, folding, and getting creative making adorable envelopes, all the while getting to know some of the other moms at the meeting!

As always, there were lots of fun giveaways, yummy food, and fun had by all! We look forward to seeing everyone at the Pumpkin Patch for our group mid-month!

Semptember MOPS Meeting

The year has begun! What a fun first meeting to kick off the new year!

Can you see the excitement on these moms faces? They are about to eat food they did not cook without little hands grabbing at them! One of the many great things about MOPS!!!

And may I say the food was super yummy this morning?! I hope everyone got a taste of Deb's crepes because they are delicious!!

Our MOPS theme this year, "Be You, Bravely" is a great one for us moms! And one great example of a mom stepping out of her comfort zone by being brave is our awesome MOPS Coordinator, Adrienne Armstrong. We are so glad she has bravely taken this leadership role to continue our MOPS group this year!!

Veteran MOPS Mom April Whittaker shared with our group the way MOPS has blessed her over the years. One of the main missions of MOPS is that no mom mothers alone. April explained how MOPS brought fellow moms into her life who walk along side her in the adventure of mothering. She also challenged us with the question, "In the next year, what is that little voice inside calling you to do in bravery?"

Our Creative Activity for the month is a Courage Key Necklace. In our welcome packets, each mom receives a courage key. We had fun making necklaces, bracelets, and key chains.

We spent lots of time this morning getting to know each other and chatting! Don't forget to plan those mid-month activities together between our MOPS meetings! Looks like this group got theirs planned!

What else do we love about  MOPS? All the prizes and give-a-aways!!! These two gals scored some gift cards this morning!

At an upcoming meeting we will take orders for MOPS t-shirts for the year. However, until we get our local group tees ordered--MOPS International has tees available on their MOPShop site (http://co-store.com/mopshop). Lacy Sanford was sporting her adorable tee from the MOPShop store this morning!

Thank you to all the moms who made it this morning! We are praying for an awesome MOPS year! We continue to be thankful for the MOPPETS workers who love on our kiddos during our meeting and to the Mentor Moms who also give their time to minister to us mommies!

Here's to a great year of bravely being our authentic selves and bravely mothering together!!