Monday, October 9, 2017

DEVOTIONAL stories from the heart
 by Erin L.
 I picked the October newsletter because that is my month. The month that begins all my favorite things. I am a sucker for any and all things fall. I’ve never been a summer girl. I hate to sweat and I am way too pale to pull off shorts and tanks, unless I am wearing tanner....tanner that will rub off on anyone that accidentally rubs up against me because of the 95+ degree KC heat. I endure the summer months because I know right around the corner there will be crisp mornings and the most beautiful hues of dark reds and deep oranges decorating the tree lined streets of Johnson County. As I sat down to write all about my love for this season and encourage each of you to find your love for fall and embrace all its goodness, my favorite writer and blogger posted her Comforts of Fall. Kelle Hampton has a beautiful story of her journey to motherhood and mothering a child with Down Syndrome. I have been following her story for seven years and every time she writes it’s eloquent, authentic and inspiring. I decided to share her post. It will make you want to run through the seasonal aisles of Target, grabbing all the faux pumpkins and cinnamon candles that can fit in your cart. So, light a candle, warm up your coffee and enjoy her fall inspired words.

The Comforts of Fall   
by Kelle Hampton
I take comfort in our inward huddle this time of year, maybe because we’re so tired come October, but even so, I like it. I take comfort in the way we craft a little more, bake a little more, curl up on the couch a little more for watching movies or reading books to kids in jammies who are splayed over our laps like lazy cats. I take comfort in the nesting genes that arouse the last three months when I mother bird the living heck out of our place to make it as cozy as cozy can be–stringing twinkle lights, fluffing pillows, stirring chili, tucking bed sheets picked out special for this very time of year. I take comfort in planning all the festivities saved for the calendar’s grand finale–the costumes, the parties, the family dinners, the traditions that remind me what a gift this period of time in my family’s life is and to be grateful for all the hidden treasures. I take comfort in making lists that I’ll likely forget to ever look at again, but the making of the lists in itself feels satisfying. I take comfort in the sensory explosion–the scent of cinnamon and apple in the kitchen, the crackling of our first fire when that long awaited cold front finally makes its way, the box of leaves from Michigan that will arrive in a few weeks and make me cry with the good kind of homesickness. I take comfort in grounding routines and schedules that sometimes overwhelm me but remind me that the best things in life come with effort and discipline and, yes, sometimes tears. I take comfort in the adjustments that follow the tears–saying no when my cup’s too full, saying yes to self preservation. I take comfort in silly things that might not matter in the grand scheme of things but matter to me when I want to feel good–things like the perfect fall print in a skirt that swishes or chic boots that make me feel so put together, I even remember not to slouch. I take comfort in friend dates and family movie nights and the joy of being able to call both my parents and hear them answer on the second ring. I take comfort in putting check marks on our fall bucket list and feeling like completing “Host a Soup Spectacular” and “Watch Harry Potter with Homemade Butterbeer” is as important and productive as “Write Another Book” or “Respond to Every Unanswered E-mail.” And I take comfort in knowing that at the end of the day during this busy time of year, what didn’t get done is okay, and what did get done is good enough. 

Talks I’ve had with my kids have been when it’s just one of them and me in the car. I start asking questions and the conversation goes somewhere beautiful or important, and we never would have gotten there another way. Same thing with Chip and me. The car is often where we connect, process, and to get up to speed. Or we roll down the windows and let the music play, and that’s just as good! LAUNDRY: This is and always will be a hard one for me. It seems as though I am washing enough clothing for a small nation. And yet in the mounds is a clear blessing. The fact that we even have such an abundance is enough to stop any griping. Beyond that, there is something about the smell of fresh laundry, the hum of the washing machine, and the warmth of linens straight from the dryer. These are small things, but the daily recognition makes them less small. They become a way of seeing the world, a way of acknowledging all of life with thanks and eyes to see the good. It’s always there. It just sometimes gets a bit buried under the filthy baseball uniforms. 

I bet you have your own list of little daily grievances. Instead, maybe find the blessing hidden in the chore. Or try looking at a current trial with fresh eyes. Sometimes a change of perspective is all it takes to let gratitude run free in every area of our lives. Once that happens, nothing ever looks the same again: Everything starts looking like a thankyou. 

Monday, August 14, 2017

Not too late to sign up for the upcoming mops year! The baby room does have a wait-list and the other childcare rooms are filling up fast. If you have any questions, feel free to contact indiancreekmops@gmail.com
Our kick-off picnic will be on August 29th & the semester starts on September 5th.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Free Indeed
Welcome to the 2017-18 MOPS International Theme – Free Indeed


Theme Verse

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. -Luke 4:18-19

What do you long for? What is the thing that your heart craves?

Is it possible that your deepest desire is to be free?

Free from worry.

Free from feeling stuck.

Free from hustling to be loved.

Free from a heaviness you can’t put your finger on.

Free from thinking you should be someone other than exactly who you are.

At the core, maybe what we are all longing for is to be Free Indeed.

In order to unfold our wings this year, we will …

Let Love Be The Loudest Voice
Proclaim Favor

Sometimes, especially as moms with young kids, life can sneak up on us, and we don’t realize that we have gotten stuck. Stuck in patterns of thinking or habits that are holding us captive. This is the year that changes, this is the year we will stop settling for what simply gets us by and do the work to get to what’s best. We will examine our worries and not believe everything we feel. We will bask in the freedom of living loved by understanding who God is, and who we are because of it. We will be free from the need to hustle for our worth, and we will live in the truth that we are already loved and loveable without all the striving. We will parent with fresh perspectives and will treat ourselves with tenderness, because love is the loudest voice we hear, and it is proclaiming freedom and favor.

This is about putting in the work to live fully loved and fully free. To recover our sight in order to view not only ourselves, but other people as God’s beloved children. To internalize the truth that God does not expect us to earn or hustle for our worth. God tells us, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:29-30

Be Gutsy
Proclaim Release

Sometimes we don’t take responsibility for our lives. WE carry the weight of expectations, feeling out of control over the pace and trajectory of our days. Being gutsy is about realizing that you get to decide how busy you are, what you say yes to, what is best for your family and what you make a priority in your mothering. If you need to slow down your life –you can do that. If you feel like you don’t have any friends, go out and make some. This is the year of release from believing life has to look a certain way, and isn’t there so much freedom and audacity in that? The truth is, we have more authority to shape our daily lives than we think we do. Your life can match your values and your passions, it will just take some guts to make it happen.

We will proclaim release from the unwritten expectations that tell us we are supposed to live in ways that are incongruent with who God created us to be. It is freedom to mother and freedom to shape your family rhythms. To trust your gut and to move with freedom and passion just like Paul tells us to, Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. – Galatians 5:16

Go First
Set Free

It is a fact that freedom is contagious. That is why we are choosing to go first in order to spark a revolution of women who are choosing freedom over fear. Going first is about being courageous enough to take steps before you are ready, to share the details of your journey, extend invitations, conquer fears, and lead the way for friends and kids and family. In fact, one of the best ways to advocate for others’ freedom is to go first ourselves, and then we can share with courage and honesty because we have found the keys that can set others free. We will go first so that we can set other captives free.

Going first means being the first to tell your story, the first to strike up a conversation with a stranger, the first to invite a friend to MOPS. It is walking in freedom and inviting others to get free by encouraging other women to get honest about their failures, fears and secrets. Because what we know is, The truth will set you free. – John 8:31-32

Monday, June 19, 2017

Hi Ladies! The Kendra Scott jewelry store at Town Center was nice enough to schedule a Kendra Gives Back event with us! MOPS will receive 20% of ALL proceeds sold Wednesday, June 28th, 5:00-7:00 pm.
Come for any part of the event if you're available. Enjoy snacks, drinks (champagne!), and mom's night out time. There's no obligation to buy. Bring friends and family if you can. Kids are also welcome.
Please like and share the Facebook event, and share the flyer on social media! The store has a sale this day — 15% off all drusy stones — so that can help drive customers in!
Thanks for your support!