What a blessing to have Kendy Easley remind us how gratitude changes our perspective. I hope as you celebrated Thanksgiving this past week with family and friends you had a chance to slow down and reflect on how many blessings we all have.
Are you a person who lives in the past? the present? the future? How can you focus on being grateful while living in each of those "times"...instead of regret, worry, fear. Focus on this: whatever is TRUE, whatever is NOBLE, whatever is RIGHT, whatever is PURE. If we aren't bestowed a grateful heart, we have to develop and cultivate it.
Philippians 4:4-9
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Follow-up questions:
-How do we find a rhythm or posture of gratitude in these years as a new mom or while mothering small children?
-How do we support each other with forms of gratitude?
-How do we find gratitude in the midst of hard or dark days/seasons?
-How will we hold onto gratitude in the midst of a busy, emotional holiday season?
Kendy also recommended the devotional Savor by Shauna Niequist. You can get in touch with Kendy at kendye@churchbcc.org.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Thursday, October 26, 2017
MOPS Recap Week 2
What great reminders Scott and Heather Sund brought to us in Week 2 about Navigating Marriage in the Little Years.
No matter what our relationship status is, tuning into each other's emotions (spouse, child, parents, friends) is key to creating a healthy dependence on one another.
1. Trust the Compass
Our tendency is to trust what we see or feel, but straying just 1 or 2 degrees from God's course for us can get us miles away from where we should be. God is our "true north".
2. Reckoning: Getting Back on Course
The best changes happen in small, repeatable steps. Choose kindness, do small things often, put one foot in front of the other. Model grace to one another - accepting the other's experiences.
3. Three Steps for Navigating Season Ahead
-Attach: Get away from the false narrative. Our marriages should be primary so that our children will see healthy love relationships of interdependence.
-Communicate: Speak to each other and ask good questions. Find spiritual practices that work for you "How can I pray for you today?" There is POWER in the Word of God in your home.
-Play: Spending time together will make the times apart easier. Laugh and be each other's best friend.
And try to say "YES" during this season. We are all busy, busy, busy. But let's make time for relationship.
Follow-up questions:
-Which of the 3 steps (attach/communicate/play) is most exciting (or most difficult) for navigating your next season?
-What is a way you can PLAY as a family in the month ahead?
You can get in touch with Scott and Heather at Navigate Family Therapy (www.navigatefamilytherapy.com).
No matter what our relationship status is, tuning into each other's emotions (spouse, child, parents, friends) is key to creating a healthy dependence on one another.
1. Trust the Compass
Our tendency is to trust what we see or feel, but straying just 1 or 2 degrees from God's course for us can get us miles away from where we should be. God is our "true north".
2. Reckoning: Getting Back on Course
The best changes happen in small, repeatable steps. Choose kindness, do small things often, put one foot in front of the other. Model grace to one another - accepting the other's experiences.
3. Three Steps for Navigating Season Ahead
-Attach: Get away from the false narrative. Our marriages should be primary so that our children will see healthy love relationships of interdependence.
-Communicate: Speak to each other and ask good questions. Find spiritual practices that work for you "How can I pray for you today?" There is POWER in the Word of God in your home.
-Play: Spending time together will make the times apart easier. Laugh and be each other's best friend.
And try to say "YES" during this season. We are all busy, busy, busy. But let's make time for relationship.
Follow-up questions:
-Which of the 3 steps (attach/communicate/play) is most exciting (or most difficult) for navigating your next season?
-What is a way you can PLAY as a family in the month ahead?
You can get in touch with Scott and Heather at Navigate Family Therapy (www.navigatefamilytherapy.com).
Monday, October 16, 2017
2017-18 MOPS Dates
Below are the 2017-2018 MOPS dates for Alpha and Omega!
ALPHA
October 3, 17, 31
November 14, 28
December NONE
January 9, 23
February 6, 20
March 6
April 3, 17
May 1, 15
OMEGA
October 10, 24
November 7, 21
December 5
January 16, 30
February 13, 27
March 13
April 10, 24
May 8, 22
ALPHA
October 3, 17, 31
November 14, 28
December NONE
January 9, 23
February 6, 20
March 6
April 3, 17
May 1, 15
OMEGA
October 10, 24
November 7, 21
December 5
January 16, 30
February 13, 27
March 13
April 10, 24
May 8, 22
Monday, July 17, 2017
MOPS Testimonials
Here is what some moms had to say about their experience with Green Lake MOPS:
"I moved to Seattle a few years ago with a new baby and not knowing a single person outside of family. It felt so isolating and scary at first. How do I make new friends, where do I take my baby to play, how am I going to get around this big city?! I knew of a few people back home who had done MOPS, so I looked into it and found the Bethany Green Lake MOPS. They looked like they were pretty active, so I took a leap and registered. At the first meeting, I instantly loved it! At my table, I was able to meet new friends, have play dates with their similarly aged children, and get useful parenting tips from other moms. It was amazing to see friendships formed and meet other ladies who cared about my family, prayed over us, and loved on us. I also learned useful tips from the speakers at MOPS and feel like I've been able to be more positive, knowledgeable parent and spouse. I'm really grateful for finding MOPS and these women."
"I joined MOPS with my toddler son as a casual way to get to know some other moms in the area, but it quickly became something we looked forward to every week. I found a community of women who have supported me through the lows of multiple miscarriages and the highs of a pregnancy and new baby. My son has made new friends in the kids program and comes home telling me stories from the Bible that he learned while he was there. MOPS is such a joy to my weekly routine and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to connect."
We would love it if you would join us this year! Contact glmopsreg@gmail.com for registration inquiries.
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
MOPS Summer Play Dates
We hope to see you there!
Tuesday, June 13
10:30am
Maple Leaf Park
Tuesday, July 11
3:30pm
Green Lake Wading Pool
Tuesday, August 15
10:30am
Meridian Playground
Tuesday, June 13
10:30am
Maple Leaf Park
Tuesday, July 11
3:30pm
Green Lake Wading Pool
Tuesday, August 15
10:30am
Meridian Playground
How To Register for MOPS for 2017-2018
Thanks for stopping by the Green Lake MOPS blog!
Registration is currently open for the 2017-18 season. For registration inquiries, please email glmopsreg@gmail.com.
We'd love to see you at MOPS this year!
Registration is currently open for the 2017-18 season. For registration inquiries, please email glmopsreg@gmail.com.
We'd love to see you at MOPS this year!
Monday, May 22, 2017
Speakers: Katie Gruver and Anne Granperson of Positive Parenting Seattle
Our second-to-last speakers of the season were Katie Gruver and Anne Granperson of Positive Parenting Seattle (website here).
One thing to remember from their talk were their three bullet points / suggestions for parenting preschoolers:
One thing to remember from their talk were their three bullet points / suggestions for parenting preschoolers:
- Do vs Don't
- Limited Choices
- Special Time
Is that ringing any bells?! We hope that whether you completely agree with the parent philosophy or not, you were able to take something away from their talk.
(And remember that they offer classes and coaching! Go to their website for more info.)
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Speaker: Dr. Tina Sellers
Breaking free from sexual shame
I don't think I'm alone when I say that having Dr. Tina Sellers come and speak at MOPS the last 3 years has been a mind and heart altering experience... and hey! maybe even a BODY altering experience? (Re-member!)
We are so happy to be able to share her talk with you here. And I don't mind saying that I'm really looking forward to digging into this topic more deeply when her book comes out. Here is a link to her talk that she gave on 2/14/17, as well as the corresponding handouts with excellent discussion questions and resources.
For those of you who watch the video, at the end during the Q&A, there was no sound on the questions being asked. For reference, the main questions asked were with regards to little boys and how to handle their discovery of special parts of their bodies and how to handle that.
Enjoy!
And the powerpoint and resources:
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Speaker: Janice Jacobson
Just in time for New Years resolutions (okay, I'm just saying this because I'm so horribly late in writing this blog post, but just go with me on this), let's think back to Janice Jacobson's talk in November. If you recall, Janice is a co-op preschool teacher who spoke to us about the importance of play, fun things to do inside and outside, and some of the impacts of screen time.
I wanted to make sure you all have access to the documents that we passed out at the meetings in case you misplaced them or weren't there to hear the talk, so they're attached to this post!
Janice also recommended this website that helps families plan for a technology "diet".
I know that my table had some great discussions about technology and our kids after her talk, so I hope you found it helpful as well!
Resources from her talk:
Thanks for sharing so much of your wisdom with us, Janice.
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