Notes from the Bookshelf: Sink Reflections

What do you see when you look into your sink, dirty dishes or your smiling reflection looking back at you? This week in Mom Time, we got some great tips on how to start taking charge of your household with control, peace, and guidance from God. 

Sarah Bach introduced to us  a book by Marla Cilley’s (aka the Fly Lady)  called Sink Reflections, a guide to creating a cleaning routine for yourself, how to de-clutter your home, keep your cleaning organized, and how to keep your sanity in check.  The best part is, you only do it in 15 minutes chunks max! No giant list, no marathon Saturday session. A little bit each day. That's it.

Sarah encouraged us to remember that we are all in different seasons of motherhood and that we need to find a peaceful and acceptable balance between a clean home and “normal” home for your specific household.  Sink Reflections offers specific tips on how to de-clutter your home without overwhelming yourself, how to feel good about your progress, and how to start with baby steps. 

It’s important to ask yourself regularly, does my home bring me joy? Do I love my home? Do I need my home?  Most importantly, we need to ask, am I blessing my home with grace, peace and order in a way that pleases God?  Am I counseling my children to do what is responsible and right, based off of my own actions?  Am I creating a living environment that is a peaceful dwelling place for my family? All of those thoughts should be of great encouragement when facing that pile of dishes that somehow seems to reappear every morning and night.

Titus 2:3-5 “Bid the older women (That’s YOU)… to give good counsel and be a teacher of what is right and noble, so that they will wisely train the younger women (your daughters) to be sane and sober of mind (temperate, disciplined) and to love their husbands and their children.  To be self-controlled, chaste, homemakers, good natured (kind-hearted)…

If You Give a Mom A Muffin

Today we kicked off our semester with a poem that sums up a regular day in the life of a mom:

If You Give a Mom A Muffin

If you give a mom a muffin,

she'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.

She'll pour herself some.

Her 3 year old will spill it.

She'll wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.

She'll remember she has to do the laundry.

When she puts the laundry into the washer,

she'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.

Bumping into the freezer wil remind her,

she has to plan for supper.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.

She'll look for her cookbook "101 Things To Do with a Pound of Hamburger."

The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.

She will see her phone bill which is due tomorrow.

She will look for her checkbook.

The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her 2 year old.

She'll smell something funny.

She'll change the two year old's diaper.

While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.

Her five year old will answer and hang up.

She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.

Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.

And chances are...

If she has a cup of coffee,

Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

While the author of this poem is unknown, the scenario is a familiar one to all of us. We hope that when you come to Mom Time, you will leave encouraged and refreshed, and even get to have a cup of coffee and a muffin with friends. 

It's Spring...at least in Mom Time

We are busy planning our spring semester and can't wait to get started. If you have never attended Mom Time before, you should check us out! If you have been a regular attender, we are excited to see you again. Bring a friend with you!

This next semester we are looking to the bookshelf for some inspiration and practical advice in dealing with all aspects of our lives. As moms, we have lots of responsibilities, and sometimes we can find ourselves overwhelmed. At Mom Time, we provide a place for you to take a deep breath, connect with other moms facing similar challenges, and offer some perspective and help.

While we may not all have kids the same ages, if you are a mom with kids under 12, I think you will find some benefit in attending. The baby years are the most physically demanding, but the elementary years bring challenges as well. Any way you slice it, being a mom is all about juggling the needs of lots of people while loving them and not losing your mind. :)

This semester, we will start out focusing on all aspects of our homes, then expand the focus to ourselves, our relationships, and lastly, our parenting. Each week we will take our teaching from a book or two, so if you want to dig a little deeper on your own, you have some resources to get started.

We meet at the Fox River Waukesha Campus on Tuesday mornings from 9:30-11:00, beginning January 22nd and going through May 14th. There is no cost to attend  Mom Time; paid childcare is available. Look for registration to be open soon, or visit the Women's Ministry Cart for more information. You can see what we did last semester right here.

We look forward to meeting you for a little Mom Time!

Bible Babe Wrap-Up

This past semester we looked to the Bible for encouragement in our lives today. You may think that the people whose stories are featured in the Bible are there because they were pefect, but that is not the case. They are featured in the Bible for our instruction in these days. as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:11.

From Abigail we learned how to love someone who isn't being particularly lovable. Not that any of us have to deal with that...just sayin'.

Eunice taught us that we can raise children who love the Lord even when our spouses and extended families are not on the same page. Eunice was the mother of Timothy, a great young pastor that Paul writes to in the New Testament books of 1 and 2 Timothy.

Becky and Erika teamed up to bring us Mary and Martha in a hilarious skit, then tackled the deeper issue of being busy for Jesus vs spending quality time with Him. A balance is needed in life, and they pointed us in the right direction.

In a very heartfelt and moving lesson, Jessica taught about the importance of leaving a legacy through the life of Ruth. We don't always think about it, but we need to be aware of the impact we are having on future generations through our interactions today.

Aziza bravely shared her story of redemption and restoration through Christ, and the way that has directed her life now. As Tabitha/Dorcas did in the New Testament book of Acts, Aziza is reaching out to the world around her in the name of Jesus.

Following a lesson on creating family devotion time by Michele Stamn from Family Time Ministries, we wrapped up the semester with a special outreach breakfast and a lesson Mary.

We think we know how our lives are going to play out, then we get thrown a curve ball. Mary, mother of Jesus, knew she was going to be the Queen Mum, as her son was going to be King. What she didn't realize was what that would actually look like.

If you have never looked to the Bible for comfort, inspiration, or direction, I would encourage you to check it out. You will see that many of the people in it are not that different from you and I.

Hannah: A Woman Who Overcame

The story of the Bible babe of Hannah comes from the book of 1Samuel which was written over 3000 years ago.  What is so amazing about the Bible is that we can read these stories today and still relate to them.  (See Hebrews 4:13).  Hannah may have lived in a different time and culture, but she had many of the same problems to overcome that we do today.  Her first problem was that her husband had another wife.  Well I suppose that’s one we can’t relate to, but imagine the jealousy.  Have you ever been jealous of someone?  Hannah suffered from infertility.  You may have gone through that painful situation or know someone who has.  Her rival, Penninah, aka the other wife, kept provoking her year after year because she had what Hannah so desperately wanted – children.  If we’re honest we probably know many women who have something we want and it can be a struggle for us.  Hannah was depressed, had a husband who could be insensitive, and then to top it off was accused by Eli the priest of being drunk when she was pouring her heart out to the Lord.  So suffice it to say, Hannah had some problems to overcome.  Is there anything in Hannah’s life you can relate to?

How did Hannah deal with all this?  She got honest with God.  The Bible says she poured her heart out to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15).  Maybe some of us need to do that today.  After she prays and receives some added encouragement from Eli, verse 18 of the same chapter says “her face was no longer downcast.”  And then comes the happy ending.  Don’t you love happy endings?  Hannah ends up giving birth to Samuel, who becomes a great judge and leader in Israel and God blesses her with five more children as well.

So what are some lessons we can learn from Hannah’s life?  First, make your requests known to God (Philippians 4: 6-7).  He loves you so much and no request is too big or too small.  God may not give you a “yes” answer like He did with Hannah.  He may be saying “wait” or “no, that’s not My plan for you,” which brings us to our next lesson.  Trust God in your circumstances.  That’s a hard one to get a handle on sometimes.  His perspective is different than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).  He sees things we don’t see and knows things we don’t understand.  And He never does anything that isn’t for our good (Jeremiah 29:11). 

What is your Samuel today?  That thing you desperately want?  Have you taken it to God?  Sometimes we take it to God, but don’t leave it with Him.  We like to take it back again and again.  Sometimes it’s a daily choice to leave it with Him, again and again.

This is just a quick snapshot of Hannah’s story. Not only was she an overcomer but a woman of integrity and humility as well.  So I encourage you to read her whole story in 1Samuel 1:1 – 2:20.  There is much to be learned from these Bible babes!

 

Written by Luanne Glass, Women's Director