White as Snow

I'm not a morning person. I admit it. I never have been.

So, when I awoke this morning to cries from my daughter, I was less than thrilled. Especially when I discovered it was because she couldn't snap her pants.

As I blinked to adjust my eyes to the light of her room, though, I happened to glance out her window and all I saw was white. My reaction was, "Wow!" When we went to bed last night, the grass was green, the road was black, and the sidewalks were gray. Now everything was covered in white.

Are you covered in white? Are you LIVING like you're covered in white?

I have to admit, I often fail at living like that. I get angry with my kids, I get critical of people, I get selfish with my time, finances, [fill in the blank]. All of this just points to my need to keep returning to God's word -- to remind myself of the way that God wants me to live.

In the first chapter of Isaiah, God says to the wicked nation of Judah:
16 “ Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. 18 “ Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool."

Aren't you glad you've been washed white as snow? I want that cold wet white stuff outside this morning to remind me of my gracious Savior who shed His own crimson red blood for my evil doings so that I could be white as snow and live in His glorious grace, love and mercy.

"Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, 'Amen!' Praise the LORD." (Ps. 106:48)

People

Today I went to Wendy’s for lunch with two of my three children. As we sat there eating in the empty restaurant listening to my four year old talk about trucks and trains, all of a sudden high school students started filling the restaurant. As they sat down around me I started to overhear the conversations. It brought me back to when I was in high school. Did I ever imagine that I would be a mom and a wife or even have the Lord in my life? I then started to think about my early 20’s and the people that the Lord put in my life and how some of them are still a part of my life and some aren’t. God has placed other people in my life. Each of them has entered and left my life at the perfect time.
About two years ago, I had two girlfriends that had a very bad falling out so that they weren’t talking. It however put me in the middle of this fight that they were having. I remember how the Lord placed one of them in my life at just the right time in my late 20’s. At that time she started planting the seeds that lead me to the Lord. She also introduced me to my wonderful husband.
I thought about how His placement of people in my life has changed as I’ve gotten older. I saw how my love for my husband grow and grow over a year of off again, on again relationship and realizing at that moment that I knew he was the one. The Lord has also placed and helped my friendship with my other friend just at the right time for both my life and hers. But as the Lord placed these two women in my life, He has placed others in my life for this season that I am in now. But it makes me think, “Who has He placed in my life so that I can show them His mercy and grace?” Am I aware of the changes of the people in my life? Or how does my life touch other people, I don’t even know.
When I was pregnant with my son, I thought it would be fun to be on a baby story so I wrote in with my story. We were chosen and our story was put on the air. About a year ago, out of the blue a woman emailed us telling us that our story gave her such hope, that some day she would have another baby. I touched that women’s life and didn’t even know it. I also got to thinking, “Do we notice the people in our lives that need Christ? Do we notice that we need Christ in our lives?” Who has God placed in your life and whose life has he placed you in. Take a look around and see who is at preschool pick up with you or that mom at your MOPS group who doesn’t say much. Is it someone who needs a friend or just some help? Just take a look around; is there someone you can share God’s love with today?

Love Languages

Recently Beth Welmaker from Collegeville spoke to our MOPS group about The Love Languages. This classic topic for MOPS meetings goes well with the bible verse from The Adventures in Mothering theme: "...how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." (Eph 3:18). Beth's talk is based on The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, which explains how there are different ways people express love- with gifts, acts of service, words of affirmation, physical touch, and quality time. Beth is an excellent speaker and gives a mulitmedia presentation with wonderful examples, and the women in my group keep talking about how much they got out of her talk.

Beth's speaking web site is: http://www.geocities.com/bethwspeaks/



Sent to Christy Molnar from

Karyn Bosworth, MOPS Coordinator for Messiah Lutheran Church in Downingtown

Going Beyond in Zone 22

As you know, our theme verse for this MOPS year is "how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ..." ~Eph 3:18. This verse is very near and dear to my heart, as it is one of the first verses I ever memorized. It has been an inspiration to me for over 20 years. I've tried to adjust my life to look more like the love of Christ as a result of this verse. When I first found out it was the theme verse for this MOPS year, I was very excited because I knew I would experience new "adventures" in loving like Christ. I began to pray that I would be open, ready, and willing. Well, who knew one of the new "adventures" would be adding to the MOPS Zone 22 blog site!

This post is only the second time I've EVER added to a blog site. I know some of you have just fallen off your seats with that information. I pride myself on having a strong understanding of the technology that is vital to "my life". The rest, I am comfortable to leave on the side of the road. However, as I search my heart wide and long and high and deep, I come up with how important this blog site is for all of us in this Zone to share information with one another. I love being stretched beyond what's important for "my life" for Zone 22. This is just the beginning...

Where do you need to go beyond this MOPS year? Post your beyond experiences.

Blessings to you all,
Nichole Bethel
Area Coordinator
Zone 22: Eastern PA and NJ

SDWSC

This button was given to all the attendees at the MOPS Convention. There was no explanation offered when the button was given to them and each mom was encouraged to wear her button throughout the Convention. Of course, there were many guesses on SDWSC. Some I remember involved Caffeine, Convention, and there was even a Sexy Christian guess. Luckily, as a Field Leader (FL), Elisa Morgan explained SDWSC to the FLs during our training prior to the start of the Convention. After it was explained to us, we were then instructed to forget what it meant. If a mom asked us, we were suppose to tell her that we weren't sure what it meant, but encourage her to figure out its meaning.
At Saturday's General Session, Elisa Morgan read from Mark 14. I am going to post verses 3-9 from my NIV Bible.
"While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, 'Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor.' And they rebuked her harshly.
'Leave her alone,' said Jesus. 'Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.'"
She Did What She Could...
Any thoughts?

Christy's Top Ten Convention Adventures

So, I was able to go to the MOPS Convention this year! YIPPEE!! I hope that you were there too, and, if not, I hope that one day you get to experience it. It is a truly amazing time with so many moms. If you did go to Convention, please share some of your top adventures with us. I really don't want to keep talking to myself.
Here they are....

10.The golden cowboy. (see the Convention slideshow)

9. Being able to eat a hot meal that I did not have to prepare without any interuptions. Yummy!


8. Wearing a purple shirt for two days & being able to fit all the free stuff I got into my suitcase. Whew!

7. Sitting through a General Session talk by Patrick Lencioni, buying his book, and actually reading the whole book so we can try not to be such a "Frantic Family".

6. Singing worship songs with Kim Hill and close to 5,000 moms. WOW!!! (all the artists were inspiring.)

5. Going to Carol Kuykendall's workshop. EPIC

4. Praying with Lyn Eichmann before her "How to be an Agent of Change" workshop. She gave a great talk too!

3. Meeting the moms from our Zone on Friday night with our Zone field leaders. Next time there will be sugar-free candy. All you ladies rock!

2. Devotions with our Zone on Saturday morning. AMEN!


1. Spending time connecting with incredible moms from all over while growing in my relationship with God. THANK YOU!

I could probably write 10 more, but really want to hear from you.
Share your adventure,
Christy

Commercial ~ CafeMom ~ Earn $50 towards MOPS activities!

What is CafeMom?
CafeMom is the largest online community site for moms and a proud partner of MOPS! CafeMom is a safe environment where moms can come to get advice, find support, make friends and just relax.

Why Start a CafeMom Group?
As a MOPS Leader, you can set up your own local group on CafeMom so your MOPS group can stay connected, develop and grow. Plus, you can connect with the larger MOPS community at the official MOPS@CafeMom group.

Join the MOPS community on CafeMom today!
Visit http://www.cafemom.com/mops

Creating Your Group is Easy

Go to the MOPS@CafeMom group forum posts and find a sticky post titled "Create a Group for Your Local MOPS Group", and click on the link in the post to create your group.

There are a few types of groups you can create. We recommend making your MOPS group a "Local" group.

Name your group so other MOPS moms can find you easily. Our recommendation is to use "MOPS - Anytown, State".

Go through a few easy steps to customize your group's description, privacy settings, and more.

Invite your MOPS friends! Go to the MOPS@CafeMom group forum posts and find a sticky post titled "Invite MOPS Moms!"

PLEASE NOTE: CafeMom will give local MOPS groups $50 towards group activities, to be used however you decide. Just get 10 participating moms in your local group by 11/30/08. http://www.cafemom.com/mops/rules

Just a note from me: I have actually been a member of cafemom for about a year now and I am so excited to see the MOPS presence all over. If you want to check out my profile, go to cafemom.com and search for cupoftea (that's my screen name). Once you set up a profile for yourself, we can become friends.

Post your comments and questions right here.

Christy

MOPS Convention Adventure

Hello, or for those who have recently returned from Texas, Howdy!
I had a wonderful MOPS Adventure this past weekend and it was great to be able to share it with so many amazing women! The Field Leaders from our Zone who attended included: Nichole Bethel, Kay Kissinger, Denise Kother, Rachael Weber, and, me, Christy Molnar. We missed our other Field Leaders: Cheryl Donner, Susan Entingh, and Lisa Johnson. We had a super turnout for our Zone time on Friday night and we even were able to pray together as a Zone during Devotions on Saturday morning (hi, Christine & Julia!). We are so grateful to each and every one of you for all that you do for MOPS and, ultimately, for God.
If you attended Convention, please share with us here under Comments one of your adventures. If you were unable to attend Convention, but would like to share a MOPS adventure with us, please do so. For the first couple of people who share an adventure, I will send you a gift.

I have more pictures from Convention to post, so please stop by later this week and check them out!

Christy

New Adventures, New Leadership, Same Love and Commitment to Mothers of Preschoolers

Dear Ladies,

I have been dealing with some medical issues for a while now, limping as your leader with our wonderful Zone 22 Field Leaders keeping MOPS in Zone 22 going strong. After much prayer, tears and finally peace I have realized it was time to step down as your Area Coordinator and pass on the mantle of leadership. I have been honored and blessed to be your partner in this amazing ministry for 5 years at my local groups, and 9 years as a Field Leader. You have all blessed me as I stood beside you and watched how so many gifted women encourage, equip and develop every mother of preschoolers to to realize her potential as a woman, mother and leader in the name of Jesus Christ.

I am thrilled to pass on the role of Area Coordinator for MOPS Zone 22 to Nichole Bethel. She has been a dynamic and dedicated member of your Field Leader Team and is excited to be leading you into this new MOPS adventure. Please welcome her and support her as she seeks to serve you in the name of Christ.
Blessings,
Barb Vogelgesang

Adventures in Mothering 2008-09

Join the Adventure
The MOPS International theme for 2008-09 is Adventures in Mothering.

This theme equips moms to learn more about themselves as they go through the adventure of motherhood. They will celebrate and embrace the fun in the experiences, even in the midst of daily mom life that stretches them emotionally and spiritually.
The metaphor for Adventures in Mothering is an amusement park. With the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of the amusement park, motherhood might feel like a sensory overload. But your MOPS group will enjoy this together and learn more about themselves as women, moms and leaders.
A theme provides a fun way to organize the MOPS year. The underlying reason for using a theme is to allow all MOPS groups to focus on a scriptural principle that will be developed throughout the year. The theme verse for Adventures in Mothering is Ephesians 3:18: “…how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” The dimensions of this verse express how God is with us in our mothering adventure. For the moms in your group who are exploring and wondering about faith in Jesus, the theme Adventures in Mothering is a winsome and fun way to organize content. As the year unfolds, your MOPS group will examine the practical aspects of the theme and then move toward spiritual truth. The knowledge that God is with us on the mothering adventure gives hope. God’s love is big enough for the magnitude of the adventure!

Theme Book

Guess what, mom? It’s not just about the kids! The Mommy Diaries: Finding Yourself in the Daily Adventure honors you and your mothering adventure—by helping you rediscover yourself through encouraging and funny stories of moms just like you.With contributors like Leslie Parrot, Liz Curtis Higgs, (and Barbara Vogelgesang!) and many other fresh voices, you’ll appreciate a focus on:
Reclaiming your identity as a woman
Cultivating meaningful adult relationships
Asking for help when you need it
Keeping hope alive, and more!
Yes, you can grow as a woman in the midst of the mothering process. Pick up The Mommy Diaries today for inspiration on your own daily adventure!
MOPS leaders, you can promote this book by:
Promoting The Mommy Diaries at Council Meetings
Recommending the book to a friend or relative
Sharing the book with your church’s Women’s Ministry Director
For more resources from MOPS, go to www.MOPS.org/books.

Theme DVD

A 2008-09 MOPS International Theme DVD comes FREE to each MOPS group as a benefit of on-time Charter Renewal. This DVD will provide inspirational and practical tools to equip MOPS leaders to carry out the theme in their group. Use the Theme DVD at a leadership team planning retreat. The Theme DVD will help your team understand the theme, simplifying theme-related planning so you can concentrate on relationships rather than details. Make sure to renew your Charter on-time by May 31st and you will automatically receive your free Theme DVD sent to the Chartering Ministry Attention: MOPS Group Coordinator.

Theme Curriculum

The MOPS group curriculum that accompanies the theme book, Adventures in Mothering, offers fresh teaching for your MOPS group meetings. Maybe life as a mom feels like a merry-go-round as you go round and round and up and down–but don’t seem to get anywhere. Or perhaps you are riding the bumper cars of the relationship part of your adventure in mothering. This MOPS curriculum has been designed to speak to and to equip every mom. The video curriculum features favorite MOPS speakers such as Sara Groves amd Julie Barnhill and moms just like you who will help you find yourself in the adventure. The curriculum will include a Leader’s guide with discussion questions and ideas for group activities and mom applications to integrate the theme into your MOPS group experience. Ideas to Get You Started The MOPS International Theme DVD your group receives free when you renew your Charter in April or May will have more ideas for implementing the theme, but here are a few places to start the adventure:
Organize Discussion Groups around amusement park rides.
Make your MOPS meeting a sensory experience, with sounds, smells and tastes from an amusement park.
Use the rides at an amusement park for meeting themes. The Adventures in Mothering curriculum will provide a basis with seven sessions and additional ideas.
Have moms keep a diary of their own mothering experiences to reflect on as they read the stories in the book, The Mommy Diaries: Finding Yourself in the Daily Adventure.
Curriculum speakers confirmed at time of printing but subject to change.
Theme Resources and Graphics Elements
The theme fonts are:
Savoye for the Bible verse
Sabon for the title, Adventures in Mothering
More common versions that look similar are:
Cochin Italic, French Script, Coronet, Crestwood and Ribbon 131 for the Bible verse
Byington, Garamond for the title, Adventures in Mothering
Curlz MT and Gigi for the swirled letters in the title (A, M)
Click Here for the Theme Graphics

Mom-E-Mail August 18, 2008

(from August 18, 2008)

Eating Deodorant
Christy Molnar, Council Coordinator

Yesterday morning I caught my 21-month-old youngest child, Danielle, eating her dad's scented deodorant. Well, actually, when she heard me coming, she ran back into the bathroom and tried to quickly put it away. I saw little, white "crumb-like" pieces all across the floor. As I ran after her, I saw the deodorant and then I caught the full scent. Whew! I grabbed it and saw she had been gnawing on it. The warning on the back said that if swallowed, to contact medical personnel or call Poison Control.

I immediately called my pediatrician's office and they gave me the number for Poison Control. I was in full panic as I waited on hold with Poison Control for what felt like an hour (but was really less than 2 minutes). What has she done? Should I have rushed her to the hospital? WHO eats deodorant? Of course, while I’m panicking, Danielle was over by her toys calmly playing. That was a little reassuring. When I told the operator what happened, she assured me that it would be fine. Thankfully, Danielle didn't get any deodorant in her eyes. And, I was told that if she actually swallowed any of the deodorant, she would probably throw it up and be fine. “Really?” I thought. “You can eat deodorant, throw up and be fine? Ok, thank you.”

What I really appreciated during the phone call was that the operator was very reassuring. I felt so guilty. I felt like a bad mom. Who lets their child get a hold of deodorant and eat it? I defensively told her that I’m the mom of two older boys and have never had to call Poison Control with them. I didn't want her to judge me. She didn't. She said, "Oh, you have a little adventurer on your hands who will certainly continue to be a blessing to you."

Yeah, I have a little adventurer all right. She is taking me on quite the roller coaster ride. In the end, Danielle didn't throw up. As I cleaned all the bits off the carpet and soaked her clothes, it appeared she had really just been chewing it. I don't know, maybe the texture was appealing. Ewwwww....

Prayer From a Mother's Heart
Dear God, help me to understand that your love and validation is not dependent on what I do or don't do so that I can model that love to my child.

Thank you to Preschool Kidz for sponsoring this Mom-E-Mail. Preschool Kidz is an online preschool store for all your fun and educational preschool materials. Here, you’ll find colorful preschool books, sing along music, animated videos and free resources you’ll enjoy using again and again. Nurture your child’s love of learning with our delightful, easy-to-use preschool materials! Visit preschoolkidz.com to shop today and receive 12% off with code MOPS825!

When to Ignore Criticism

Hi Ladies,

As you serve in MOPS you will sometimes have to deal with critics. You know, the mom who doesn't agree with the way you handle things. This article by Blaine Allen has some great Biblical insights for how to handle critics.
Blessings,
Barb


When to Ignore Criticism
As Christian leaders, we have to know when to let criticism roll off us.
by Blaine Allen

You will meet a beautiful young lady who will want to know everything about you," said the psychic to the frog who had telephoned her hotline.
"That's fabulous. Where will I meet her? In the park, along the seashore, on the trail to the woods?"

"No," countered the psychic. "Next semester in her biology class."

And that's no fun. Diced to pieces by another on a cold lab table, dissected until your emotional guts hang out. That's just no fun.

Someone has said, "Two things are hard on the heart—running uphill and running down people."

May I suggest a third? Running down yourself.

Unjust criticism—the untrue, excruciating, vicious, Biology 101 criticism—slashes deep. Though the person who criticised you may be gone, the pain and injury is not.

"Am I really that bad?"
"Why did it happen that way? It must be because of me."
"I just can't seem to do anything right."
"I must not have what it takes."
In no time, the hurt person has turned on herself, a cannibal's nightmare. And with an insatiable appetite, she proceeds to consume what remaining shreds of emotional flesh are left.

"Why continue?"
"Who really wants or even needs me?"
"What a failure, an ugly failure, I am."
Brutal words wheeled by brutal thoughts … and another victim is clubbed to a heartrending death. Of course, followers of the Lord should expect unfair treatment. It is part of the Christian career opportunity. Timothy was reminded by the Apostle Paul:

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:10–12).

Jesus taught, in what is probably his most famous sermon: Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me (Matthew 5:10–11).

Since biased criticism will increase the more we grow in the likeness of our Lord and take seriously his call, there must be a better way to mentally handle what is vented.

Therapy for the Bruised Psyche
There is—a biblical way. Paul was often the prey of stabbing tongues, and it wasn't all from unbelievers. One of the sickest New Testament churches labeled the great apostle Paul an absolute failure.

Paul, you don't know how to speak.
Paul, you are not really an apostle.
Paul, you are not very gifted.
Paul, you don't know how to lead.
Paul, with your handicap, you leave a bad impression.
Paul, as we rank you with others, you don't measure up. You're just not effective.
Rumors like that had to hurt, especially from a people Paul had shepherded to the Lord and spent much time encouraging in their new faith.

The Corinthians took the apostle apart piece by piece. It was Biology 101, and he was the subject being verbally dissected. Laying him out on their cold lab table in one bloody mess, the Corinthians decreed: "You're a failure, Paul, and you need to know it … an absolute failure."

He didn't know it and had no intentions of knowing it. Read his response:

So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God (1 Corinthians 4:1–5).
He was polite, courteous, but to the point: "I don't care." When it was evident that the detractors were not heaven's messengers, the apostle mentally blew it off. "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court."

Know Who You Are
As Ralph drove down the freeway, the cell phone rang: "Ralph, this is your wife. I just heard on the news that some idiot is driving the wrong way down 1-95. Be careful."

"Hazel, it's not just one car … there's hundreds of them."

Perspective often determines outcome. And when you are the recipient of in-your-face criticism, that is especially so. The way you and I view ourselves determines how well we handle harsh words.

We live and minister at a time when the Western evangelical church is making a historic paradigm shift. Less and less, Scripture is our sole authority. More and more, a culture that mirrors an antibiblical value system has the final say. In the name of relevance, demographic research determines our music and the shape of our message so that we can reinvent ourselves to appeal to the greatest number. Though perhaps done from positive motives, the results are staggering: The audience is not just the customer, it has been crowned sovereign king. "Do it this way… . We don't like it done that way… . Don't forget, we can vote with our pocketbook and our feet." Sovereign king.

To take the heat in the midst of such a radical shift and live to tell about it, we must understand and embrace heaven's perspective on servanthood. We must hear again the true sovereign King's stance on those who lead for him. With it, we can endure for the long haul, no matter how "worldly" our Lord's bride becomes.

Paul knew that perspective. Though Paul's response to criticism in 1 Corinthians 4 is not the primary gallery of God's thoughts toward his own, there are some unforgettable portraits, like the two viewed in verse 1: "So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God."

Servants of Christ. "Yes," you say, "that's what I am."

Great. That's what I am, too … some of the time.

Only when I look closer at what a servant really is, I'm confronted with a troubling feeling that this snapshot is not always me. The photo is not of a person running one of heaven's regional offices as vice president of operations. It's not an executive setting the vision and agenda for the kingdom from corporate headquarters. It's not the perfectly dressed Coordinator of the mega fundraiser. Based on Paul's choice of words from the original, a servant is a person clothed in sweat and the stench that comes along with it. This is a take-orders trench person doing what another tells him to do without raising an eyebrow. It was an expression used in Paul's day to depict those who rowed from the lowest tier in the belly of the ship, an odious, painful place to be.

And as an authentic servant of Jesus Christ, you row. Not as a favor, but because it's your place. Assignments are made, not choices given; chores are done, not careers chased. With love, for sure—love for the Master with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength—but a love that finds expression through the bent knee. You do what you are told even if no one else does it with you. You do it when others wouldn't dare. You do it unrecognized. You do it unappreciated. You just do it because you are his servant at his beck and call. If there are laurels for what was ordered, you know Who really deserves them. If there is something less … after thinking about it, you are not surprised; that's part of being a servant. Jesus said so: "So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty'" (Luke 17:10).

So what is really bothering you?

Are you reeling from the shock of unscrupulous criticism? That's understandable. But adjusting to the reality of "now," is there anything else that has bent you out of shape? Do the reverberations from what others think, say, and do torment you? Does the thought of facing people who've heard things that simply are not true horrify you? Are you afraid that the words that gored will cost you advancement, your job, not to mention friends and you just cannot shake it? To stagger from the shock is again understandable. But to stagger from more than shock may indicate that you cannot say with Paul, "I care very little," because you are an honest person, and you really care a whole lot.

Servants don't care a whole lot. What they do, they do because of the Master. It is the Master's responsibility to handle the fallout. The burden is his, not the servant's, to control the critic and grapple with the repercussions.

So what if you have encouraged, supported, and even wept with your critic, who has now taken a hunk out of your hide? You did not choose to serve your critic; God made that choice. Your choice was to be a servant. He assigned to you the task to serve someone he knew would bite the hand that fed it. As an unworthy servant, you only did your duty. You did what you were told to do.

Where I live they still ride on the back of the trash truck. Stopping at every house along the way, the two men do what few really want to do. Sometimes it's to pick up an end table, footstool, maybe a bench … stuff that looks pretty good to me. At other times it's to pick up what smells foul. But the two do what they are supposed to do, even if what's picked up is covered with maggots. As servants of Waste Management, these men just do not care a whole lot.

But me? When I walk through our neighborhood, I have been known to check out a rocking chair at the curb, a wheelbarrow, even a rake, just to see if it's something I could use. But garbage? Maggot-infested garbage? No way. I'm very selective. Somebody else can deal with that mess. Because I am not a servant of Waste Management, I am very, very picky.

Servants of Jesus Christ are not picky. Dealing with maggot-infested crud that's brought to the curb is not their favorite thing to do. Sometimes it really smells, but that comes with ministry. It's part of the assignment. Authentic servants of Jesus Christ just don't care a whole lot. And because they don't, it's easier for them to "blow it off."

"Men ought to regard us as … those entrusted with the secret things of God" (1 Cor. 4:1). Who are "those entrusted"? Think of an investment broker responsible for someone else's money or a flight attendant caring for the needs of his passengers—that is the idea behind the phrase. This is the second portrait in Paul's gallery. For the apostle, the entrusted assets—food of truth—were the "secret things of God" managed for his Master. Feeding God's household was an awesome responsibility, for which the cook dare not tinker with the assigned recipes. This was not Paul's own dinner to doctor up. Everything was God's—the food, the gifts to prepare the food, the know-how to serve it in the right way at the right time to the right people. All of it was from God. Because it was, Paul answered to him, not to his critics.

Remember who your audience is. You live your life, use His spiritual gifts, serve as a servant, all before the audience of One. Your ultimate accountability is to him. He, and He alone, determines what success is and what it's not.

This is not to imply people should not hold people accountable. Quite the contrary. The Lord interposes individuals into our lives who are commissioned by him to hold us responsible within their various spheres of influence. They are supervisors, teachers, pastors, elders, deacons, board members, mentors and those who serve in civil government to name a few.

But there are some who simply assume that role. They believe all balance sheets—mistakes, no mistakes, bad work, good work, what's said, what's not said—are due on their desk. There are others who rightfully have oversight, but abuse it. They don't hold people accountable; they execute them.

When told by either the power usurper or the power abuser, "You can't cut it," you must remember who ultimately makes cuts. If we do, with Paul we can say, "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court" (1 Cor. 4:3a). It's looking into God's gallery and seeing our portrait: one entrusted.

One of the worst ministry blunders you can make is to think you are working for someone else.

I work for the mission board.
I work for the elder/deacon board.
I work for the senior pastor.
I work for the congregation.
I work for a "parachurch" ministry.
I work for the denomination.
I work for the school.
And the most deadly is the attitude of a spiritual entrepreneur: "I work for myself."

No, you are a servant of the living God, and an unworthy servant at that. You work for him. God puts his servants in various places to accomplish his purposes. Though we are to submit with positive attitudes and our very best effort for all those placed in proper authority over us, it's from him that we live to hear, "Well done."

What, then, is the point of coming unglued over unfounded criticism? Did you use your abilities loaned from above to carry out duties assigned to you by the Lord? Did you carry them out with a passionate diligence? Have you been teachable? Are you still teachable? Are you still willing to be corrected if wrong or shown a better way?

You said "Yes"? Then, friend, with graciousness, "blow it off."

Taken from When People Throw Stones © 2005 by Blaine Allen. Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Is Your Steering Team a Committee or a Community?

As the MOPS year begins to wrap up, many of you will be experiencing changes in your Steering Teams. Some people will move on, others will change positions, and there may even be some fresh faces joining you. For some groups, all the Steering positions are filled and you are probably looking forward to your summer and a new year. Other groups may be going through some minor changes, while others may be changing a great deal. Finally, there are some groups that will be struggling to fill their Steering positions. Please don't be discouraged and remember to pray. Whether you are a Steering Team of 10 or 3, I urge you to take the time to build your team as a community rather than a committee. Sometimes Steering Team members can become so overwhelmed and/or focused with planning the MOPS meetings that they don't make time to build relationships with one another.
You will be amazed to find that as your Steering Team becomes a community rather than a committee, Steering Team members will want to come and participate. Consider this perspective on creating community in your Steering Team:"The univited guests in your meeting are our emotions, family problems, and personal concerns. Like little gremlins, they sneak in and mess up a meeting by discharging frustrations in speeches on topics totally unrelated to what is really bothering us. In a community, there are no uninvited guests. The whole person is invited. We take time to catch up with each other, pray for needs, and then go on to business."
(Roberta Hestenes from MOPS Connections 07/04 pg 17)

One way to help build your committee into a community is addressed by Carol Kuykendall in her
writing titled "Steering Synergy:Working Together for Better Results"

Synergy – what does the word bring to mind and how does it apply to you and your MOPS leadership? Granted, it sounds like a techno-term, referring to something strange and invisible that happens in cyberspace. But actually, the word refers to what happens when two or more people work together to achieve something better than they could achieve alone. Synergy comes out of team unity.
“I can do what you can’t do, and you can do what I can’t do. Together we can do great things.” -- Mother Teresa

How is your Steering Team’s synergy?
We recently asked MOPS leaders this question in a MOPS Leaders On-Line e-mail letter. We got many responses with practical suggestions. Most leaders agreed that synergy is crucial to the success of a MOPS group.

Leisa Larson, Council Coordinator from Lincoln, NE, writes: “I learned that unity and shared vision were intertwined. Here are several things we have done to foster unity on our Steering Team. Each piece contributes to the oneness we have as leaders.”
We sign a Steering Team covenant. We outline and commit to a list of Steering Team expectations so we are all on the same page, regarding our level of commitment. This is also helpful to share with potential Steering Team members. (Here is a sample covenant)
Together we choose a Bible verse to claim for our Steering Team. Ours this year is Philippians 2:2 about “being one in spirit and purpose.”
We have prayer time at every MOPS Steering Team meeting, sometimes spending half our meeting in prayer. This is especially important for a new Steering Team or one with several new members. Spending time in prayer knits our hearts with the power only God can provide.
We take an annual weekend retreat together, which includes training, plenty of time for sharing our hearts, and lots of good food. We also spend time discovering our personality types and how to work together.
We try hard to handle any conflicts in a timely fashion, with as much love and grace as possible. The more we realize how much we all love God, love each other, love MOPS, and love our moms, the easier it is to realize true unity of spirit.

Tami Kuratli, Co-Coordinator at Grace Foursquare MOPS group in Camas, WA, describes a Steering Team activity to build unity:
“We have a team-building time at the beginning of each Steering Team meeting. My Co-Coordinator and I asked each woman to bring a rock to our next meeting. At the meeting, we had gel pens so they could write their names on their rocks and decorate them. We told each one to pass her rock to the person on the right, and then asked each leader to take the rock home and put it somewhere where she would see it and pray for that person each time she looked at it. The rock represents Jesus, upon whom our lives and our MOPS group are built.”

Suggestions from other leaders include:
Be friends first. Invest in each other. Make sure you communicate regularly.
Get to know each other better. Take a Personality or Personal Strengths survey and learn to work together. In the book Real Moms by Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall, the chapter on “Real Me Mom” offers a short personality test. Click Here for the personality test from What Every Mom Needs. For help with Adobe files click here.

When you face disunity, be open with each other; agree to disagree on some issues, and move on!

Do a Bible study or devotional book study together. Several groups suggested studies they have found beneficial – What Every Mom Needs Bible Study (Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall), The Power of a Praying Wife (Stormie Omartian), Becoming a Woman of Prayer (Cynthia Heald), A Women’s Guide to Servant Leadership (Rhonda Kelly).

Gather some prayer warriors to pray for each person on your Steering Team. Perhaps your MOPS Mentor can find more prayer warriors. Each Steering Team member can take an area of the MOPS ministry and pray specifically for that area. Share praise reports! Steering Team synergy helps your team accomplish your goals. This goal of unity is really God’s idea. He created us as relational beings, in need of him and each other. He desires that we be “knit together in love” (Colossians 2:2) as we achieve his work on earth.

Liz Selzer's Leadership for Life Talk

Thank you for attending the MOPS International Leadership Summit 2008. This training event was made possible by the use of advanced satellite communication tools. Using these communication tools make it possible to provide cost effective training for more MOPS leaders. However, occasionally technical equipment failures are still known to happen in today’s technological environment. An equipment failure during the Summit broadcast caused a 3-minute audio outage for many Summit locations. MOPS International understands the frustration this caused when trying to participate fully during Liz Selzer’s teaching.
We have made Liz’s scripting available for download at your leisure. Please take advantage of these valuable teaching notes. Click here to download.
Sincerely,
MOPS International Leadership Development/Events

MOPS Summit Set for Saturday, April 25, 2009

Hello!
Now that we have wrapped up our 2008 MOPS Leadership for Life Summit, MOPS International has announced that next year's Summit is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2009. Now is the perfect time to discuss attending this wonderful training event with your whole Steering Team. Make sure you and everyone on your Steering Team marks their calendar.
Where is it going to be you ask? Great question. This year our Zone, Zone 22, had 3 Summit locations: Doylestown, Sayre, and Chambersburg. Right now, we have no sites for next year's Summit. What was that? You think you and your Steering Team may want to host next year's Summit. (So glad that you asked!) Well, in order to host the Summit you must have a CCN (Church Communication Network) subscription, have had one in the past and still have the equipment in working order, or be willing to purchase a subscription at a reduced rate (more details can be obtained by contacting Kay Kissinger (she's our Zone Event Coordinator (ZEC) at kdkissinger@verizon.net). We are actively looking for sites in our zone. More information can be obtained by contacting Kay.

Moms at the Sayre Summit Site

MOPS Leadership for Life Summit

Hi Everyone!
It was so wonderful to see those of you who made it to the MOPS Leadership for Life Summit this past Saturday, April 12th at the Doylestown location. A special shout-out to the mom who drove 6 hours to attend! Amazing! I am sure each and every one of the moms who attended has a story to tell of how she was able to get there. After all, we left our children/family & obligations for the day and that is not always an easy thing to do. Also, a special shout out to all those who attended at our Zones other two sites: one in Sayre and one in Chambersburg. We did miss those of you who were unable to attend and I thought maybe, if anyone is willing, we could share our experiences with our whole Zone.

Please, if you attended, share with us what you learned from the Workshop, the Simulcast, and the Positionals. For instance on the Values for Life Workshop ~ How many attendees have filled out their weekly schedule and attempted to match their time with their values? Please share your stories with us...we want to hear them!

There was a glitch during the Simulcast where we lost the sound during Liz Selzer's talk on Take Time Back: In Your Ministry. MOPS International will have the talk available and we may be able to post it here on our blog in the next couple of days. If anyone has any other questions or comments on any of the talks during the Simulcast, I think this is the perfect place to discuss it.
Please share all your questions, comments, and ideas with us. We want to hear from you!!

I also thought that the Positionals were informative. I attended the Coordinators' Positional. Everyone had some really great ideas to share. I believe we all agreed that the number one thing to do when you are feeling overwhelmed, underappreciated, burned out, and ready to throw in the towel is to PRAY! Learning to rely on God when things aren't going our way is the BEST way to go. I thought it would be good if we could share practical ideas that were discussed during each of the positionals so that no one has to reinvent the wheel. PLEASE share!

Finally, it would be great to see some pictures. If you or someone in your group took pictures, let's see them.

REMEMBER, MOPS International exists to encourage, equip and develop every mother of preschoolers to realize her potential as a woman, mother and leader in the name of Jesus Christ, and that includes you too!

God Bless,
Christy Molnar
Zone 22 ABE Council Coordinator

Resources for inviting new moms to your group

Mom-E-Invite
The Mom-E-Invite is an easy way for you to invite moms to your MOPS group! Simply tell us which group you attend, insert a personal message and send the e-invite to all your mom friends!
Try this e-invite is over Mother’s Day: have a MOPS group Mother’s Day outreach, where moms where you can invite new moms visit your group.
Send a Mom-E-Invite Today!

NEW! Invite-A-Mom Cards are a free resource created for you to invite moms to your local MOPS group. With a brief introduction to MOPS, this professionally designed card has room to be personalized on the back with your local group contact information.
Ideas on how to use this card:
Hand out cards to each mom in your MOPS group. Ask them to invite a mom they know to your group!
During the summer: make sure that each mom is equipped with cards to invite/promote your MOPS group for the fall.
Pediatrician or OB-GYN office: leave a handful of these at your local doctor’s office for new moms.
Place Your Order and Invite-A-Mom to MOPS Today!*
*Orders are limited to two packs of 25 cards per order. If you are interested in ordering more cards than the maximum allowed, please explain in the order form. Requests will be approved on a case-by-case basis, as supplies are limited.

Click here to register

• Not enough of you to go around?
• Are life's demands consuming you?

Let's take time back and make it count at the MOPS International Leadership Summit!

Take time to...

• Network with other MOPS Leaders
• Invite potential Steering Team Leaders to Summit
• Get registered!

Join Zone 22 at one of the two Leadership Summit locations in our area.

Athens Wesleyen Church, 3903 Wilawana Road, Sayre, PA 18840

First Baptist Church of Doylestown, 311 W. State Street, Doylestown, PA 18901

For more information contact Zone Event Coordinator, Kay Kissinger at kdkissinger@verizon.net

We need your feedback

Hi MOPS Leaders,
We would like this blog to informative, encouraging and inspiring to you but we need your feedback. What would you like to see here? Ideas for your group, inspiring articles, ideas to deepen your faith, a bulletin board of what's going on with other MOPS groups? Please help us out. Send me your great ideas, your questions and your MOPS calendars. Brag about your group, ask us questions. Your field leaders need you to participate in order for us to keep our motivation to keep blogging. We are here to serve you and we need to hear from you.
Your "voice" would be such a blessings to us.
Thanks,
In ministry to moms with you,
Barb Vogelgesang
joyousheart@enter.net
MOPS Area Coordinator Zone 22 New Jersey and Eastern PA