THE CRIBSHEET. Thanksgiving and Meekness

Transcription

1 MOMS CONNECTION STEP 1 AT COLLEGE PARK CHURCH November 2014 VOLUME 12 ISSUE 3 THE CRIBSHEET Thanksgiving and Meekness by Robin Kim Before we can dive into the Thanksgiving turkey, my dad has everyone share one reason we re thankful. Loved ones have men oned new babies, upcoming weddings, or simply togetherness. Not surprisingly, no one includes their defea ng illness, losing someone dear, or another kind of heartbreak. But the Bible instructs us to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thes 5:18) and to be thankful for even the hard mes. Count it all joy, my [sisters], when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the tes ng of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2 4) So how do we count it all joy when we can barely get out of bed in the morning to face the disappointment in front of us? The cancer, the loss, the devasta ng sin of someone dear can be overwhelming and paralyzing. When we want to scream Why me? we re actually instructed to be thankful? Not long ago, my son s sweet giggles quickly turned into desperate tears when he tripped and bumped his head. I scooped him up, and my typically independent toddler collapsed on my shoulder, completely dependent on me. In that moment I realized, this is what the Lord wants from me. Complete, u er dependence on Him. Just like my 2 year old, some mes it takes pain to bring that dependence. Author Kay Arthur calls it meekness, humble submission to the sovereign will of God. In her book As Silver Refined, she says, why should I ever resist any delay or disappointment, any afflic on or oppression or humilia on when I know God will use it in my life to make me like Jesus and to prepare me for heaven? Becoming more like Jesus? Now that s a reason to be thankful! It s not easy, but meekness is a fruit of the Spirit, a supernatural gi. And as Chris ans, our forgiveness through the death of Jesus should make us grateful! We can rest assured everything in life is part of God s plan for our lives (Romans 8:28). Whether this Thanksgiving finds you with an endless list of reasons to be thankful or trials that cloud them all, I pray He grows meekness in us to give thanks in all circumstances STEERING TEAM Co-Coordinator Robin Kim Co-Coordinator Lindsay Atkinson Finance & Registration Kathryn Veldhuizen DGL Coordinator Christy DeCamp Prayer & Care Elizabeth Mott Creative Activities Morgan VanGelder Hospitality Co-Coordinator Christine File Hospitality Co-Coordinator Erica Tomasik Special Events Becca Bruggers Kids Connection Liaison Jaime Whitlock Publicity Jane Hoffman Save the date for CAUGHT IN THE CURRENT Navigating Upstream in a Sexually Charged Society Feb. 7, 9 a.m.~12:45 p.m.

2 great expectations Trina Stull is adopting a 2 year old girl Megan Kraftson due in April HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Mary Cunningham 2 Megan Gentry 5 Sarah Maddox 10 Karisa Steiner 11 Karen Ten Cate 25 Alexa Williams 26 Greta Knight 28 Joy Mahoney 29 Brinnan Bigler 31 DECEMBER The Most Wonderful Time of the Year... As you begin preparing your heart and home for Christmas, here are a few family friendly events during the Advent Season. Check out Page 6 to read some favorite Christmas tradi on ideas from your steering team, too! November 28 (opening day): Dull's Tree Farm is worth the drive to Thorntown. It's a family operated tree farm that doesn't just sell trees, "they sell the experience!" You can buy a tree or wreath, browse the gi shop, or just take in the fun of a tree farm at Christmas! If you go on December 7th, the South Central Newfoundland Club is there with their beau ful "newfie" dogs to help you drag your tree back up from the field. It is a fun day with perfect photo ops! Don't forget your camera, but be prepared for crowds. Check them out at DullsTreeFarm.com. December 5 6: Live Na vity at St Marks Church: Holy Walk through Bethlehem h p:// December 6: Live Na vity and Christmas tree ligh ng at Wes ield in Lights, 5 p.m. h p://wes ieldinlights.com December 13: Christmas Program at College Park Church (see back page for more details) December 13: Indoor, onstage performance of the Live Na vity at St. Luke's MC, 2PM and 4pm. A familyfriendly musical event celebra ng the birth of Christ. Do you know of another great event? Please share it on our Moms Connec on Facebook page!

3 perfect harmony. How is My Loving? by Leslie Rebholz Colossians 3:12,14 Having read No More Perfect Moms by Jill Savage I d thought I d share an excerpt regarding Love from her book. So Thrilled to be hearing from Jill in person this month! I hope you too will find the ques ons following each statement of love from 1 Corinthians 13 as how to s of pu ng on love with our families. (Italics from the book, parenthesis and bold mine) Perhaps you may choose one point below each week or month to focus on growing in pu ng on love. Love is pa ent. Am I pa ent with my child who is so different from me? (Am I pa ent with my spouse when he clearly doesn t understand my female brain/thinking/feelings/differences ) Love is kind. Am I kind when it takes my child (and/or my spouse) twice the amount of me to do something than I think it should? MENTOR CHALLENGE By Cheryl Cecil My husband and I were blessed with four children. From the start I was intent on teaching them about God and everyday things, too: to be polite, finish what you start, help others without expec ng pay. But it dawned on me how much I was learning from them: * When kids talk, listen! * Doing things WITH them trumps doing things FOR them. * They don t care how much you know, un l they know how much you care. * Just when you hoped they didn t hear you, they did! *They read you like a book! * Be parents more than friends. *More is caught (spontaneous) than taught (scheduled). * It is be er to give them reason to respect you than to demand respect. *The ideal is a dream, not reality, so relax! *Most of all, our children belong to God and I m only ge ng started! Love does not envy. Do I wish my child were more like this mom s son or that mom s daughter? (Do I wish my spouse were more like that friend s/person s husband?) Love does not boast. Am I quick to share what my child (spouse) does well or to hide areas when the child (my husband) doesn t seem to measure up? Love is not proud. Am I hesitant to share how I m really doing or how my child (my spouse) is really doing out of a fear of what people will think? Love does not dishonor others. Do I ever dishonor my child (my spouse), demanding that child be someone other than the unique person God has made them to be? Love is not self seeking. Am I ever selfish in my interac on with my child (my spouse)? Love is not easily angered. How much energy do I waste being angry at my child (my spouse)? Love keeps no record of wrongs. Do I have an ongoing list in my head about everything my child (my husband) has done wrong? Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. Do I keep my mind focused on God s truth about my child (my husband)? Love protects. Do I protect this unique human being God entrusted to me even when he challenges my authority? PUT ON LOVE. Love trusts. Do I trust that God has a bigger picture in mind for this child s (my spouse s) life? Do I believe God knows what his or her future holds and I don t? Love hopes. Do I hope and believe the best for this child (my spouse), or do I dread what tomorrow might bring? Love perseveres. Do I keep my mind on the future possibili es rather than focusing on the difficul es and challenges I m dealing with today? Only God loves perfectly. You and I are to evaluate honestly and go to work on the places where God wants to grow us up. No More Perfect Moms: Learn to love your real life by Jill Savage, Moody Publishers, pgs (Used by permission)

4 Discipline Q&A What can you expect from a two year old? by Marianne Miller Ah, let the fun of discipline begin! The goal of all discipline is to teach, so what lessons can a 2 year old begin to learn? No ce I said begin. Consider this: You have 16 years un l this child leaves your home, so they don't need to learn everything in a couple years. Choose lessons wisely. Many of the challenges that you have during this second year will naturally stop because of maturity. Your over arching goal is to let them know that you are in charge, you're trustworthy, and you love them uncondi onally. You want what is best for them and you will help them learn how to behave. So what lessons can they start to learn? 1) Obedience mom and dad are in charge and listening is expected. Rather than being harsh and stringent, be as consistent as possible and avoid star ng bad habits like threatening, bribing, and yelling. 2) They can learn the difference between calm and wild. Teaching doesn't mean mastering, and a high energy toddler will take much longer to learn this than a laid back, compliant one. Prac ce being calm and prac ce being wild. Make a game out of prac cing each one. Then in the moment of too wild, verbally correct the behavior and then remove the child from the situa on if they haven't learned calm yet. 3) They can learn to eat at the table for a period of me and try new foods. Figh ng the food ba le o en causes meal turmoil for the family, so encourage new foods, but I wouldn't die on this hill. 4) They can learn fu lity you don't always get what you want. Things don't always go your way. Tears and tantrums are the sign of a child learning fu lity. 5) They can learn to trust their parents. My parents give me the love I need and have the courage to say no to me. They can handle my immaturity with pa ence because they know I am only two and I have much to learn. Education: Teacher Gift Ideas by Sarah Paschall Winter break starts in one hour, exams are finished, and literature instruc on has conceded to a mindless showing of Elf. High school students cha er about vaca on plans, and we all an cipate the year s final bell. In the midst of our holiday hoopla, students stop at my desk, pausing me from this beast called exam grading. We exchange words, and they o en hand me a homemade card and/or treat (Bless them. They ve learned food is the way to my heart.). Years later, I s ll remember those kind, acne ridden faces that looked me in the eye, wished me Merry Christmas, and handed me a token of apprecia on. In fact, I m no hoarder, but I ve always kept those words, especially, tucked by my desk and close to my heart. They were (and are) the gi that keeps giving. As I ve considered my own children becoming that teenager and (hopefully) independent gi giver, I ve realized the best approach for them and their teacher is to determine, How can we show this teacher that she s no ced for her efforts? Whether it be a small candle, a brief handwri en le er, or an elaborate Pinterest crea on; any caring teacher will be happy to know that others paused to acknowledge her during a busy season. And, while apprecia ng a teacher, become a teacher yourself. Get your li le ones involved. Let them add their personal touch; encourage them to hand gi s or cards to the teacher. And, mostly, talk them through the process of this wonderful gi called giving.

5 Favorite Christmas Traditions Christmas is just around the corner, and it can be overwhelming to sort through the many tradi ons you can make together as a family. As you're planning for the season, here are a few favorite Christmas tradi ons from your steering team to give you some ideas. Remember you can't do it all! Some mes the simplest efforts make the best memories. Our family has a large "appe zer Christmas Eve party" where we invite those who might not have someone else to celebrate Christmas with to join our family. It's a come and go thing where people come before or a er their Christmas Eve service. Erica Tomasik My side of the family always goes to the play "A Christmas Carole". We also always put up our Christmas decora ons around (and outside!) the house and listens to Christmas music on the day a er Thanksgiving. Chris ne File My favorite Christmas tradi on is reading The Advent Book by Jack & Kathy Stockman. It's a huge, heirloom book with doors to open for each day of December. Behind each door is a beau ful illustra on along with part of the Biblical account of the Christmas story. My boys love reading it each day, and I love that they learn the story of Jesus's birth through repe on. Robin Kim We do a Jesse tree. We learn about the lineage of Jesus and make cra s for each person to hang on our Jesse tree. We read from the story "The Jesse Tree" by Geraldine McCaughrean and do a devo onal each night during Advent from "The Advent Jesse Tree" by Dean Lambert Smith. Jaime Whitlock We drive around and look at lights in our pajamas (well, the boys, at least) and we stop for hot chocolate. We also try to do the Jesse tree, it's ge ng easier as our boys are ge ng older. Lindsay Atkinson So where can you see Christmas lights in Indy? The Indy with Kids blog offers a current lis ng of Christmas lights. Here's the link from last year: h p://indywithkids.com/2013/12/indianapolischristmas tree lights list/ It's hard to put into words what a privilege it is to see Christmas through the eyes of a child. Have fun crea ng tradi ons with your own family, and remember the goal is center in on Jesus, not to have the "picture perfect" Christmas. Noel Piper offers some beau ful insight on crea ng Christ centered tradi ons here: h p:// cles/how wesee christmas symbols my takeaway - Contentment by Joy Mahoney I keep seeing link a er link from my Facebook friends to ar cles about simplifying Christmas. My kids don t need more stuff! they all declare. Overwhelmingly, parents everywhere are repelling the excess ingrained in our most cherished American holiday. Even those who don t follow Jesus are crying out for less. Why? I think the answer lies in the message of my church s Christmas musical when I was 11 years old. I played a cranky nurse to Dr. Newheart, a physician who specialized in trea ng those suffering from discontentment. Her worst cases involved the Christmas Day Dumps, when all your stuff is not enough and you slip into a slump, as the lyrics went. Dr. Newheart had a cure: filling one s heart with the life offered by Jesus instead of earthly stuff. Her compliant pa ents found their lives transformed by their newfound Savior. It s easy to iden fy the things that have true value in life: loving rela onships, health, liberty, me. Yet even they cannot fill the deepest holes we carry in our souls; only Jesus can. As I strive to make plans for a meaningful Christmas season, I find myself wrestling with the ease of talking about simplicity and the tougher discipline of adhering to it. You don t need more stuff, the Holy Spirit declares. I am enough. Oh, Jesus, come! Come and fill my empty spaces with the deeper contentment offered by You, the Prince of Peace. I yearn to desire no more.

6 Education Q&A Series by Lindsay Atkinson Jenny Rogers, former MOPS mentor, wife of Soul Care Pastor Andrew Rogers, and mom of four children ages 8-16 shares with us about her experience in sending her children to Suburban Public Schools. How many years have you been involved in Public Schools? 11 years Why did you choose Public Schools for your family? We see public education as a ministry field. We see this as one way God is allowing us to be used to minister His light and gospel to a community of people whom He loves and desires to be shown His truths. We also believe that God has gifted the teachers and staff in public schools with unique talents and abilities to teach our children. We respect and honor their knowledge and schooling which has prepared them to teach our children well in their respective fields of expertise. What is your favorite thing about the Public Schools? The thing I love the most about our kids being in public school is the privilege we have to be the light of Christ to a dark, hopeless world. We have a responsibility to carry the love of Christ daily to unbelieving teachers, children and their families. To many, this may be the first time they have been exposed to a follower of Christ, and what an honor that is to fulfill that. Our kids have had many opportunities to share about their faith and invite friends to church or our home where the gospel is lived out and shared. It's also been a great opportunity to teach our kids about discernment in many various issues that come up in public schools, but from God's perspective. What, if any, are some challenges to sending your children to Public Schools for you? For your children? The biggest challenges to having our children in public schools is the vast difference in worldviews. The way problems are handled may differ greatly than we would handle it. Also, with children coming from such differing religions and world views, this can pose a challenge with morality issues, friendships and conflict resolution. It gives us great family discussions and a platform to discuss the difference between God's way and man's way. How do you foster a partnership with your child s teacher? Communication is a key element in a relationship with our teachers. I try to or call them with changes to our routine, concerns I may have with our child's progression or understanding of a subject or just to encourage them by letting them know we appreciate the hard work they put into teaching our kids. I also try to volunteer for field trips, class parties, or to help out in the classroom when needed. I think the thing that fosters this relationship more than anything though, is prayer. Weekly, our 'Moms in Prayer group gather to pray for individual teachers and staff and their specific needs. When the teachers know this, they know we care and support them in what they're doing. Often through the year, this group will bring treats or goodies to show this appreciation and to minister the love of Christ to them. What advice would you give to a mom who was considering Public Schools for her children? Be involved. Be watchful, prayerful and open to God's leading in this mission field. Be proactive to shine the light of Jesus Christ wherever God places you. Look for opportunities to serve and to share the Gospel to whomever He places in your proximity. Get to know other believing parents who can partner with you in this and encourage you. Find a prayer group and pray regularly for your children and the staff. Help your children to see their unbelieving classmates or teachers with God's eyes and teach them to pray for their salvation. Rejoice with your children when you see that happen!!

7 Nov Jan Calendar Thu. 6 Service Project: Safe Families by Barbie Dayberry Thu. 20 Peace-Filled Homes by Paige Osborne Fri. 21 Thu. 20 Jill Savage: No More Perfect Kids 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM, No childcare TONIGHT! Thu. 4 Pursuing Our Husbands by Emily Schuitema Fri. 12 Playdate 10:15 am Christmas caroling at Hoosier Village Nursing Home Thu. 18 Christmas Party Thu. 8 Gathering Your Family Around the Table by Susan Crenshaw Thu. 22 Praying for Your Children, and Teaching Them How to Pray by Sarah Shaw Nov. Dec. Jan. R : Go to to register War Within Movie R - Attend a viewing of The War Within. The movie is starring College Park member Reggie McGuire. Wed. 26 Thanksgiving Eve Service 6:00 PM - 7:10 PM Childcare will be offered through age four. R Sun. 7 Fall 2014 Marriage Panel: Expectations in Marriage R Fri. 12 Christmas Musical Sat. 13 Christmas Musical Sun. 18 Pursuing A Cross-Centered Marriage (Spring) Every Sunday, from 01/18/2015 to 03/01/2015, 11:30-12:50 p.m. Childcare available. R