Mom Time Starts Soon!

Hey there, Mama's! We are in the final planning stages for this next semester of Mom Time, and I am so excited! Being a mom is a huge privilege and responsibility, and can sometimes be overwhelming. (I realize I'm preaching to the choir here!)

As a church, Fox River will be focusing on the "i Will's" of following Jesus. While we won't be engaging on this topic at the same level as a traditional Journey group, we will be looking at our lives as moms to see how we can impact the world around us. We will also take a look at things that rob us of contentment and joy in this time, and explore the antidote to those things.

Wondering what I'm talking about? Join us and experience it for yourself! You can sign up for Mom Time by clicking here. We meet every Tuesday from 9:30-11:00, October 4th-December 13th. Paid childcare is available and you can sign up for that online, too.

Here is what a typical Mom Time morning looks like:
9:20-9:30: Arrive and put kids in nursery
9:30-9:45: Snack and chat time, coffee and continental type breakfast provided
9:45-10:00: Welcome, announcements, and ice breaker time
10:00-10:30: Teaching Time
10:30-11:00: Break into small groups for discussion

If you haven't already read it, click here to learn more about Mom Time.

Need Some Mom Time?

Aaahh...motherhood.

Cooing babies, giggling toddlers, children playing happily...

(Insert deep contented sigh here.)

Ok, so it does happen sometimes. But at other times, crying babies, willful toddlers, and children wrestling one another to the ground to snatch that toy back...that would be a more accurate representation. Either way, though, you are the mama. The one in charge.

As wonderful and amazing as being a mom is, sometimes we just need a chance to step back, take a breather, and hang out with people who get it. And at Mom Time, we get it.

As a leadership team, we have 22 kids between the 6 of us, ranging in age from 3 to 24. One of us is even a grandma, so when I say we get it, we really get it.

Join us this semester as we explore what God had in mind when He made you a mom, no matter how that came to be, whether through birth, adoption, fostering, or step-parenting. We will talk about contentment, things that threaten it, and how to get it. I promise we will share some laughs as well as practical help for dealing with the different issues as moms.

You can register for Mom Time at the Journey table in the gym or by clicking here. (We are #18 on the list.) See you October 4th!

Almost Time...

For Mom Time, that is! Mom Time kicks off October 4th at 9:30...watch for sign-up information at church or here on the blog. I will post a link as soon as we are able. Now is the time to start telling your friends and setting aside Tuesday mornings in your schedule. We look forward to connecting with "old" friends and making some new ones. In the meantime, go squeeze some more fun out of these last warm days...See you soon!

Mission Accomplished (Sort Of!)

The culmination of our semester is upon us. We hope we have inspired you to see motherhood as the God-given calling it is. For this final teaching lesson, we encouraged you to write a mission statement to help you define what is important to you, instead of just going through the day trying to make it until bedtime.
Here are the steps we went through to begin our mission statements:

1.    Pray: Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.  Psalm 127:1

2.    List your roles, then put them in order of importance to you.

a.    Things you do

b.    Things you are

c.    Then, Simplify!

3.    Dream and Define!

a.    Think about your dream goal for this role

b.    Ask yourself what you want others to say about you in this role (Think obituary here, as morbid as that sounds)

4.    Create Action Statements: What will you accomplish in each role?

a.    Write in the present tense

b.    Find a verse to accompany it, if you wish

c.    Should be a challenge, a chance to grow from where you are today.

5.    When you’re done:

a.    Post it where you will see it

b.    Measure your life against it

c.    Review and revise it regularly

Remind yourself that “I AM NOT WHO I WILL BE!” You are in the act of becoming, a change in the making, and remember, your change and growth are not only a product of your own strength and determination, but also God’s grace. Align yourself with Him and step into the flow.

Welcome to your revolution!

Roles	Action Verbs	Adjectives/Adverbs
Christian	Develop	Consistently
Wife	Maintain	Loving
Mom	Pursue	Safe
Writer	Learn	Simply
Teacher	Provide	Purposefully
Friend	Create	Inspiring

 A great resource for writing a mission statement is an e-book available for free on a mom-focused blog called http://inspiredtoaction.com/  which is where I got the worksheets from that we used.

When you make your mission statement, leave a comment and tell us what it is!

Easter Ideas for the Kids

Hey there! Here are the promised Easter "recipes" from Jenn. The first is to make resurrection eggs out of plastic eggs. The second is for resurrection buns, yummy treats that bake up hollow signifying the empty tomb. Let's remind the kids that Easter is about more than chocolate for breakfast and fluffy bunnies!

Resurrection Eggs

1. Palm leaf

Mark 11:7-9  When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it.  Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields.  Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!”  “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

2. Dimes

Matthew 26:14-16  Then one of the Twelve-the one called Judas Iscariot-went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?”  So they counted out for him thirty silver coins.  From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

3. Communion cup

Matthew 26:26-28  While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying “Take and eat; this is my body.”  Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.  This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

4. Praying hands

Mark 14:32-42  They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit Here while I pray.”  He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.  “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them.  “Stay here and keep watch.” 

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.  “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you.  Take this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.  “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep?  Could you not keep watch for one hour?  Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Once more he went away and prayed the same thing.  When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy.  They did not know what to say to him.

Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?  Enough!  The hour has come.  Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise!  Let us go!  Here comes my betrayer!”

5. Leather strip

Mark 15:15  Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them.  He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

6. Crown & Purple cloth

John 19:1-5  Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.  The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head.  They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 

7. Nail

Luke 23:32-33  Two other men, both criminal, were also led out with him to be executed.  When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals-one on his right, the other on his left.

8. Black cloth

Luke 23:44-46  It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining.  And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  When he had said this, he breathed his last.

9. Spear

John 19:33-34  But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.  Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

10. Linen cloth

Matthew 27:57-60  As evening approached; there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.  Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.  Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock.  He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

11. Stone

Matthew 28:1-2  After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.  There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.

12. Empty

Matthew 28:5-8  The angel said to the women, “do not be afraid , for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples:  ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.  There you will see him.’  How I have told you.”  So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

Resurrection Buns

Frozen bread dough

Butter

24 large marshmallows

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Let the frozen dough thaw.

Melt the butter.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon together.

Divide dough into 24 uniform balls.  Roll each ball out until flat.  Wrap each flattened ball around a marshmallow, making sure to seal all openings.  Dip the ball in melted butter, then in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Place in a large, greased baking pan.  Cover and let rise until double (about 35 minutes).  Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

 



A Big Pot of Stew

Who doesn't love a good stew...especially here in the northern climates? I am picturing a big pot bubbling on the stove of some beef, carrots, potatoes, onions (don't tell the kids...), topped off with homemade dumplings. Stew definitely makes my top ten favorite foods.

There's another kind of stew, and I'm not talking about chicken. I'm talking about a big cauldron of "I can't believe you...", "and then he..." with a little bit of "how dare you..." thrown in for good measure. I'm talking about the kind of stewing we do when things don't go our way. We rehash. We think of everything we should have said, and will definitely say next time it comes up. We simmer with the lid barely on, just waiting for the right time to spill our bubbly mess all over the one who has it coming. As I write this, I am picturing a pot of potatoes almost ready to boil over, starchy water caked on the outside of the pot, the lid jiggling in anticipation of sending angry torrents of water all over my stove. I hate that kind of mess because it just gets everywhere.

Kind of like stewing about something does. But I'll be honest...I used to like the stewing about something almost as much as the eatin' kind of stew. I am a natural brooder. I chalk it up to my highly analytical, need-to-be-right nature, so I know firsthand what a mess stewing makes. I used to stew for just the right amount of time...long enough to make the other person feel bad, which was the goal, but not long enough that they got mad back at me and I ended up having to apologize for stewing. Which I wouldn't have had to do if they didn't deserve it in the first place...can you just see the stainless steel lid on my head starting to jiggle with the threat of boiling over again.

The antidote is forgiveness, plain old grace. It is choosing (yes, Virginia, there is a choice) to look past the offense. Not easy, I know. Sometimes the easiest explanations are the hardest to implement. It is remembering that love covers a multitude of sins...his, mine, and ours. Focusing on the whatever's is a good place to start too. Whatever is good, true, noble, praiseworthy, parking your mind on these things instead of the not so good stuff that seems to be more readily available sometimes. Choose to see the positive, regularly, and the negative starts to fade. Not because it isn't there, but because you aren't always looking for it. Make a habit of pointing out one good thing, every day, about the people who drive you nuts. Soon you will see them in a different light.

Like Luanne and Jon taught this week, marriage takes work. A good solid marriage is intentional. It requires feeding and nurturing, like raising a child. Consider all the work we put into raising our kids to make sure they turn out just right, but how much conscious effort do we put into our marriages? Let's practice good communication and friendship building with the relationship that is supposed outlast all others this side of heaven.

I pray that as you go forward, you will see your husband in a new light, with less bubbling going on under  your lid...

 p.s. Moving on isn't always easy. I posted a devotional on forgiveness over on my personal blog. Click here to read it.

For Better or Worse

Luanne Glass, Director of Women't Ministry, taught the first week of a two part series on marriage. Marriage is one of those places in life guaranteed to show you your weak spots. It can also be a refuge, a safe place to flourish, learn, and grow.

She gave us some tools to use that will apply whether you have been married one year or fifty, and tools that are practical enough to apply to other relationships as well.

• Recognize that we can't change our husbands, only ourselves. Most conflict occurs because we are all selfish. We want what we want when we want it, and now there is an equal partner with the same feelings, but we don't want the same thing. What's a girl to do? Seek God. Seek to understand. Learn to put your own desires second.
• Remember that we are not the same. God has wired us differently, from the way we look to the way we think, process, and communicate. Men take up to 7 hours to process something that we can sort through in just a few minutes. That doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with them, but their gears shift differently. It's not a bad thing...can you imagine if both of us made decisions without a cooling off period, for good or bad scenarios?
• Build up your husband instead of tearing him down, especially in front of other people. It is not God-honoring or respectful to your husband to make him the butt of a joke with your friends.
• Pray for his strengths and your weaknesses. Keep your focus on the things you need to work on instead of his shortcomings. When you do focus on the positive, it reroutes the circuits in your brain and cuts down on the ugly nagging chatter that can fill your head when your frustrated. (Or is that just me...?)
• Being designated as his "helper" is not a secondary role. The Holy Spirit was given to us as a "helper", and is our connection to communication with God. Obviously being in a "helper" role is very important, so lean into it. You will be blessed.

Here are some outside links to marriage:

• We will have the book Sacred Influence for sale for $10 at the cart.
• Shelley Gallamore blogged about 10 Things About Marriage here.
• Elmbrook Church is hosting a Love and Respect Conference. Check out the details here.
• Luanne mentioned the boxes in men's brains. Here is the video on that:

The best gift you can give your kids is to love their dad and model that for them. It is not easy, but it is totally worth the effort. Next week Pastor Jon Glass, Luanne's husband, will join us for Mom Time, and give us some insight into the men's perspective.