Happy Thanksgiving!

The Indian Creek MOPS Steering Team would like to wish you a very

We hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends

as well as time to reflect on all the blessings in your life!

I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.  Psalm 69:30

See you at our next meeting December 4th!

Meeting Tuesday!

MOPS Meeting Tuesday November 20th!

This is going to be a really fun meeting!

Holiday Mart

Come shop early for the Holidays at our Holiday Mart.  There will be many businesses including jewelry, skin care, photography, and more!

Brunch provided by:  All Group!  Everyone will bring 2 items Tuesday.

Bring a friend day!  Bring your friends to come socialize and shop!  The table with the most friends wins a prize!  (Friends do not have to qualify to come to MOPS this time, all ages/stages in life are welcome!)

Craft:  Birds Nest Necklaces

Hope to see you all there!

Book Review: Living in the Pink

Living in the Pink by Sharon Tubbs

Living in the the Pink by Sharon Tubbs is a series of short stories that give insight into things that go on in women’s lives that they would prefer to hide or disguise.  The book addresses addiction, infidelity, jealousy, wayward children, divorce, and many other difficult topics in a unique way.  Each story is told from an honest point of view that comes off very genuine and believable.  It was very easy to relate to these stories in a personal way.  Any reader would find themselves in at least one of the stories in this book.

This is not a typical book of short stories because each story is woven together by common characters yet a different perspective and circumstance.   This gives the reader a chance to feel connected to the book as they follow different characters whose lives are intertwined in a close knit church community.

I thought the underlying message of the book came through very well.  Living in the Pink is similar to living halfway for God and halfway for yourself.  It challenges readers to look at themselves and examine what their true intentions are and shines light on the fact that we all have areas to work on.  Tubbs also gives thought provoking questions at the end of each chapter that would be great for a small group or book club.

You can find Living in the Pink in the MOPS Library at the next meeting.

I received a copy of this book from Lift Every Voice Books in exchange for my honest review.

Sarah L.

Featured Article: You Are Your Brothers (& Sisters) Keeper

Featured Article: You are your Brothers (and Sisters) Keeper by Jenni B.

We’ve all heard the question, “Am I my brother's keeper?”  A saying from the book of Genesis (chapter 4) of Cain and Abel.  After Cain had murdered his brother Abel, God asked him where his brother was.  Cain replied, “I know not; am I my brother’s keeper?”  God’s response?  Why yes, yes you are.

Pastor Gary Kendall spoke about this story in church one Sunday.  There were several “AH-HA” moments for me, but the one thing that stood out was the statement, “Even if you were the only person on earth, God would have still sent His Son to die for YOU.”  On the way home (by myself for that evening service) I thought about that.  God sent His Son Jesus to DIE for us.  Jesus came to earth, knowing He would be mocked, spat on, teased, called names, punished and ultimately die just for YOU.  He didn’t complain, He didn’t say I’m giving up, all He knew was YOU were worth everything He faced.

It made me question whether or not I would put myself in a situation where I knew I would be teased, spit on, and ridiculed, knowing that I was doing so to benefit a stranger whom I have not met.  It’s easy to say I would do that for a loved one or friend, but to be that selfless for a stranger, is something I can only strive to do.  Pastor Gary spoke that it’s up to us to look beyond ourselves and focus on the needs of others so that God can use us more for His needs.  

Reflect on the verse for this month of love found in Matthew 22:39 (The Message) to “...Love others as well as yourself”…  Pray that God would open your heart to love those that need loving and to open your arms to hold those whom need comfort. 

Do you have the courage to sacrifice yourself for a stranger?                                        

Fall Service Project

This Fall our group collected new books to donate to kids at Children's Mercy Hospital.

Thanks to all the MOPS who donated!  We collected 71 books!

Thank you T.L., the Service Project Coordinator, for organizing!

Book Review: You Can't Make Me

For Those Who Have A "Strong Willed Child"

You Can't Make Me (But I Can Be Persuaded)

You Can't Make Me (But I Can Be Persuaded) Book Review

Do you have a strong willed child?  I know we have at least one in our house. A few years ago when I was the mother of one compliant and obedient child I heard people talking about how their children were "Strong Willed" and I thought that this was possibly some kind of excuse parents use to justify their children's behavior.  Boy, was I wrong!

Now I am a mother of three wonderfully different children and I know from experience that there is most definitely such a thing as a Strong Willed Child! While this admission explains some behavior it does not in fact give anyone an excuse to diminish it.  It can, however, make raising theses children more challenging.

You Can't Make Me by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias not only gives many suggestions and guidelines on how to deal with a Strong Willed Child, the author gives practical tools on how to raise them to be great adults who use their strong will to get ahead in life.

Tobias points out that having a strong will is not a negative character trait.  Many successful adults are strong willed.  They have to be to change the world, introduce innovative ideas, and lead others.  A Strong Willed Child is not a burden but a gift entrusted to you as a parent.  With the right tools you can use the child's strong will in a positive rather than a negative way.

I recommend this book to any who are dealing with a child that is a little (or a lot) more difficult to deal with at times.  Tobias' book gives helpful strategies to make the relationship between parent and Strong Willed Child healthier while helping them work as a team to reach the goals that the child and parent set together.

I would recommend this book for parents of kids of any age.  You can read an expert from the book here.

You can also check this book out from our very own MOPS Library at the next meeting!

I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.  I am not under obligation to give a positive review.

Sarah L.