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Category Archives: mom highlight

Oct 1 Meeting Recap: Defining Success by the Choices I Make

Posted on November 2, 2015 by ridgemops

Oct 1 Meeting Recap: Defining Success by the Choices I Make

Oct 15 mtg2In our third meeting, on October 1, 2015, Ridge MOPS heard from Merrill Bonarrigo – the co-founder of Messina Hof winery.  Merrill spoke about how we define success, something that can be challenging for all women, but especially hard for stay-at-home moms who may not have the feedback from supervisors or annual reviews that many of us were used to in our careers before mommyhood. When was the last time your 2 year old said you were doing a good job? But is that how we should be defining success, anyway?

Oct 15 mtgMerrill began by acknowledging that success will be defined differently by each person and we will
redefine success throughout our life. The achievement of success is the result of the choices we make. Sometimes choices are big, but usually they are just the minute by minute quick decisions we make which will be the result of our core values and priorities. Little decisions add up to be big things. In order to achieve success we must define our core values – what is essential versus non-essential in our lives. These core values become the filters through which we make our choices.

To identify her core values and priorities, Merrill turned to John 15. According to Merrill, Jesus made it simple: “I am the Vine, My Father is the Vinetender… I am the Vine, you are the branches.” From these verses, Merrill identifies and prioritizes the authorities in her life. Merrill shared a tool with us:

  1. Who are your authorities? List 3. For Merrill, her authorities are (1) God/Faith. (2) Her husband. (3) Work. (Notice, although she is a devoted mother, her children are not an authority. She is an authority over her children. She challenged us with the question – are we spending time leading or following our kids?)
  2. Define what success looks like for you under each authority.
  3. Essentials needed for successful core values. For example: An essential for success in Faith is daily Bible study and worship. The core values needed to achieve this success are perseverance, self-discipline, and humility.Oct 15 mtg3

So, what does this mean for you? How can you apply this? This week, we’ll hear from Ridge MOPS Table Leader Taylor Claiborne on what Merrill’s talk meant for her and how she has been trying to apply this to her daily life.

It is really easy for me to say that my authorities in everyday life are God and my husband (in that order), but when I truly think about my day-to-day relationships and actions, I know I let other people, circumstances, and kids come before God and my husband at times.

In John 15:1-2, Jesus says, “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

I have been praying this week that we all find some peace in knowing that God is constantly “pruning us”. He is cutting off and trimming all the characteristics, thoughts, and actions that are not pleasing garden sheersand serving towards Him and His desires for our life here on Earth. For me, I immediately picture all my weaknesses growing out of my head and God sitting there with those oversized gardening scissors and quickly cutting them off before I do or say something not so pleasing! I hope we also find peace in knowing that He wants us to be more like Jesus and more like Him. He wants us to flourish, to live lavishly, and to find time to rest!

The hardest part about verse 2 for me is the reality that God can’t always cut our “unbearing fruit” off of us before it hurts someone we love. Which means we have to go through some not so great times, be it large or small things in life, in order to truly be pruned, truly be challenged and truly be molded into the image of God.

This week, I have tried to be intentional about living under the authority of #1 God and #2 my husband. I am hoping I can avoid the chaos that comes from trying to respond to all other things in life that I let be an authority over God. I’m not going to lie – at first I thought, wait aren’t my children an authority in my life, where do they fit in? Then the light bulb went off… No. I am their authority and they are my priority 🙂

I-am-the-vine-you-are-the-branchesIn John 15:5-6, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”

In this chapter Jesus uses the phrase “remain in me” multiple times and goes on to use “remain in my love” in the following versus as well. When Jesus starts repeating phrases, I always try to pay attention! Some translations use the word “abide” which means accepting or acting in accordance with. This goes back to making God our authority in life. Abiding or accepting Jesus as our savior and remaining in Him everyday.

The best thing that happens when I abide in Christ is the comfort of knowing I am enough for Him just as I am. I can always tell when I let my husband, kids, or work become a greater authority than God because I usually start to feel dissatisfied and unappreciated. Not that my husband, kids, and work don’t bring great joy to me because they absolutely do! But let’s be honest – our husbands could compliment us all day, praise us for all that we do, change all of the kids’ poopy diapers, and it probably still wouldn’t be “enough”. The truth is our husbands or our kids were not designed to be enough for us. Perfect peace, comfort, and satisfaction were designed by God for us when we place our complete faith in Jesus and choose daily to commit our life to Him.

At first glance I wanted to skip over verse 6, but it is a very important verse. The “branch” Jesus is referring to here is people like Judas, the disciple that betrayed him. (Remember he is speaking to them right before he knows he is about to be arrested and crucified.) Judas walked with Jesus, talked like Jesus, but at the end of the day when it really mattered, his heart did not choose Jesus as his authority. Therefore he was like a branch thrown away and withered and burned in a fire.

And, I just asked my husband to proofread this for me, so looks like I have some accountability here!

Taylor is married and mom of two, and an Austin native. She is the table leader for the Orange table.

 

 

 

Posted in Fierce Flourishing, Meetings 2015-16, mom highlight, speakers | Leave a comment |

One Storytelling Diva

Posted on October 14, 2011 by ridgemops

 

By Terri

Let me introduce you to our fabulous Moppets storyteller: Amy Karakourtis.

Amy volunteers to come every Mops meeting to teach our children through storytelling.  The children love her energy and can’t wait to go to storytime.  We are so lucky to have Amy come and share her love for Christ with our Moppets. Here is a little bit about Amy’s family and journey into Mops:

My family: I have been married to Mark for 22 years. We have 3 kids: Drew (17), Katie (15) and Becca Grace (6). All of them have been Moppets. I could probably win some sort of prize for being in MOPS the longest since we have 9 and half year gap between #2 and #3. I have served on MOPS Steering Committees in three different states and I love the ministry it has to moms. When I attended my first MOPS meeting in Omaha, Nebraska Drew yelled most of the morning and the mentor mom was so dear and told me to please not give up on coming. I was suffering from postpartum depression after weaning Katie and coming to MOPS became a lifeline to the outside world for me. It was through that Nebraska MOPS group that I became a part of a Bible Study that truly changed my life. When we moved to Florida I helped start a MOPS group at our church and told my “story” for the very first time to a group. They showered me with much love when I had two miscarriages in a period of time. They were definitely the hands of Christ to me. We moved to Austin in July 2001 and welcomed Becca Grace into our family in 2005. We learned that our oldest had a very devastating disease when she was 13 months old. It was MOPS (again!!) that brought me out of my sadness over Drew to a place of serving in MOPS as a Table Leader. The girls at my table that year are still precious dear friends. I had the privilege to serve on Steering as Speaker Coordinator for two years until my baby graduated from Moppets. Being able to come and share Bible stories with Moppets on MOPS mornings is a joy and pleasure to me. I am grateful to be able to “give back” to a ministry that encouraged my heart through so many seasons of life.

 Advice to mamas: Don’t take life too seriously!! I stressed over WAY TOO MANY THINGS!! Be intentional about trying to be fully present in the moment (when you are playing with your kiddos, reading to them, eating an ice cream) and don’t be thinking about all the things you need to get done after “this” is over. People and God’s Word are the ONLY things here on earth that are eternal…let that be your guide on what really matters.

   P.S. Paper Plates are also the best invention ever!

Amy is telling the story of David and Goliath here.  She used stuffed animals to depict the characters and the children loved it!  Thank you Amy for all that you do for our Moppets!

Posted in mom highlight | Leave a comment |

Mom Highlight- Susan Stivers

Posted on October 5, 2011 by ridgemops

By Terri

 Susan Stivers

My husband,Josh,and I have been married for 10 years this December.  We are blessed with three little girls–Abigail is 7, Hope is 5, and Noelle is 2-1/2.  All of them are smart, beautiful, creative, and full of energy! Abigail is your typical oldest child, independent and self-motivated.  Hope is sweet-natured, giving, thoughtful, and eager to please. And don’t tell her older sisters, but Noelle rules the roost! They drop everything for her!  It’s been so fun to watch the sister dynamic between my girls.  Sometimes they are inseparable…best friends with such intense love for each other.  And other times they are each others’ greatest enemies and will do or say anthing to hurt the other.  God reminds me of my childhood through them as I watch them grow and look forward to fostering a sisterly bond between them.  God is good in every possible way, threading the needles of our lives into amazing tapestries.  I look forward to the day when I will walk side by side with each of my girls in their relationships with their Creator.  What a privilege–bless God!

I came to MOPS three years ago soooooo ready for a mom’s group like the one that MOPS offers.  I instantly began  relationships with my table leader and mentor mom and am so blessed that we are great friends today!  Every little part of MOPS is my favorite part of MOPS:  when I serve  my plate with yummy breakfast I say to myself “this is my favorite part of MOPS”; when I get caught up with each of my table members taking any opportunity to encourage them I say to myself “this is my favorite part of MOPS”;  the encouragement and wisdom I’ve gained from every guest speaker makes me think “this is my favorite part of MOPS!”  God has used MOPS to meet my needs on a very personal level, as if He made MOPS just for me.  It has been exactly the tool I’ve needed to stay encouraged as a wife and a mom.  It creates a community for young moms and helps fill in those gaps that grow so quickly just from being so tired and overwhelmed from the hourly things we deal with.  I have always struggled with perfectionism which so often leaves me feeling like an utter failure as a mom.  God is gently showing me how I push myself to operate out of my flesh and to recognize those lies from the enemy.  He is teaching me to choose to believe what God says about me instead…that I’m holy, righteous, cleansed, loved, His beloved child, co-heirs with Christ.  We are His workmanship and are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.  That’s ME, and it’s YOU!  He blessed us with every blessing that He blessed Jesus with!  Praise God!  My prayer is that we can all live out of the freedom that Jesus gave us when He died on the cross and rose to live again.  There is just no other way to live!

Posted in mom highlight | 3 Comments |

Happy Birthday Bess!

Posted on September 29, 2011 by ridgemops

By Terri (Bess, Buffy Boy and Sandy)

We are so blessed to have Bess and Buffy Boy to greet us every Mops meeting.

We would like to spotlight Bess and tell you a little about her and what MOPS means to her.

Happy Birthday Bess!

August 10, 1928

Bess and her husband Galen met while she was pursuing a Masters Degree in Home Economics at the University of Texas.  Bess’s landlady who rented her a room introduced her to Galen.  After a short courtship they married and enjoyed living in an area which was being developed.  Galen rode horseback to read meters at the time.   Two years later, their daughter, Sandy was born.  There were no churches in their area and as churches were built further and further out, they moved their membership closer to home.

Bess and Galen ran the Maverick Market, the first grocery store in the area and then went on to run the Lake Austin Estates Recreation Club which was built on Lake Austin. In 1967,  Galen built their house on Bahama Road.  Sandy was three years old and Bess has lived there ever since.  Sandy attended the UT nursery and then Kindergarten in Tarrytown.  She enjoyed the Drama Department and earned a scholarship at Wellesley College.  She attended many colleges and earned a degree in Sociology at UT. Sandy presently resides in Houston and is a bookkeeper.

Every summer Bess and her husband would enjoy long visits from Steve, Galen’s son from a previous marriage.  He was 9 when they married and now resides in New Jersey.

Around the time Sandy finished College, her father Galen,  passed as a result of problems that developed in the Military while serving in the Korean War.  Bess and her daughter miss him greatly.  She knows how overjoyed he would be with the current renovations that are being done to their house to make life a little more comfortable for Bess and Buffy Boy.

Bess and Buffy really enjoy coming to MOPS on Thursdays to help welcome us and our children and to lend a helping hand if needed.  She loves it when our children interact with Buffy.  She became involved with MOPS when Susan McCormack was Children’s Ministry leader and her daughter was responsible for the group being welcomed and helped them  inside with their dishes prepared for brunch.  She asked if Bess would be interested and of course she was and still is.

Bess feels having an opportunity to be a mom is definitely an education in itself with many lessons learned as the children develop in all areas.  It also makes her very grateful for her parents’ love and caring patience in her family of 7 kids. They were disciplinarians but they acted as though they enjoyed having each one of their children on the scene.  What a blessing!  She had fun growing up in her own “little democracy” as her mother said, with fair treatment for all.

Happy Birthday Bess and We truly appreciate all that you and Buffy Boy do!

Posted in mom highlight | 1 Comment |

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