October Meeting Recap: Embracing Rest

Embracing Rest... sounds good in theory, right?  We all know we need it but actually "embracing rest" seems like a daunting task in the face of the demands of motherhood (and life).  Is it possible for mamas to embrace rest?  In October we explored that possibility...

devotional

Pamela shared a devotion with us reminding us to take care of ourselves... i.e. put on your oxygen mask before attempting to assist others!  She reminded us that you can't pour out of an empty cup and that there are many practical ways that you can care for yourself.  You can read her devotional here.  

speaker

We had the privilege to hear from our Mentor Mom Jan Gropp on the topic of Embracing Rest.  Jan pointed us to the example of Jesus who would purposefully disengage to rest, telling his disciples to come away with him from the crowds and busyness to rest and be refreshed.

Jan also shared two principles from John Ortberg's book "The Life You've Always Wanted' that have transformed her thinking about rest.  One is the concept of The Unhurried Life (a.k.a. "the practice of slowing")... We live in a time and culture that is suffering from "Hurry Sickness" and we are often swept up in rushing around, constantly hurrying from here to there.  An example that Jan shared was how annoyed we become if a check-out line at the grocery store is moving faster than the one we are in.  Most all of us are probably guilty of that!  Ortberg encourages us to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives.  Jesus was often busy but never hurried. 

The second principle Jan expounded upon is that of "Training vs. Trying".  In 1 Timothy 4:7 each of us is instructed to "train yourself for godliness" and Ortberg contends that there is a difference between trying harder and training wisely.  Jan used the example of an athlete and also experiences from her own life to illustrate that to train wisely one must make a decision and have a plan, not just try harder. 

(click here to learn more about Ortberg's book)

craft

What better way to embrace rest than to steal away for a few quiet moments with a hot cup of coffee (or tea or cocoa)?  To that end, we created cute and personalized mugs using oil based Sharpie paint pens for this month's craft.  Check back soon for the full tutorial! 

service project

For our service project we collected bras and bucks (dollars) for an organization called Free The Girls, a non-profit organization that provides job opportunities for survivors of sex trafficking in developing countries.  

You can learn more about Free The Girls by clicking here.  

Thank you to all who participated!!! 

Our next MOPS meeting is Thursday, November 12th!  Hope to see you there!!!