E is For Entitlement: Raising Thankful Children in a ME Generation

Laura Sandretti

What a privilege it was to have Laura Sandretti come and share with us some practical ways we can guide our children towards gratitude.  It is important for us to educate and empower our children.  Parenting with the end in mind is key.  Be intentional about your parenting and you will be blessed.  Here are some notes from her great talk with us.  

1.      E is for Eating-Exodus 16

a.      Eat all of less-put small portions on their plate; they can have seconds of their favorites once they have eaten what is one their plate.

b.      Every good and perfect gift comes from above (even the food they don’t like)

c.       Expedition-take them to serve at a homeless shelter

d.      Exceptions-let them have a few things they won’t eat (especially if they gag on it)

2.      E is for Effort- Colossians 3:23

a.      Every job can be fun, it is all about the attitude

b.      Eyeballs are for using

a.      See what needs to be done and do it

b.      Train them to ask the following

                                                                          i.      What needs to be done?

                                                                        ii.      What can I help you with?

3.      E is for Earning- Philippians 2:5-7

a.      Earning is optional (humility is found in servant hood)

b.      Ease up on the gifts

a.      Jesus got 3 gifts, your kids can too!

c.       Extras are theirs to purchase

a.      Encourage them to pray before they make a big purchase

4.      E is for Entertainment

a.      Equip them for school (it can be boring at times)

a.      Give them quiet room time each day

b.      If they say they are bored, give them a job to do

b.      Everything is not about their perfect life

5.      E is for Every word matters

a.      Use words that foster gratitude

b.      Everyday expressions

                                                                          i.      Please and thank you

                                                                        ii.      Ask me, don’t tell me

c.       Wants vs. needs

6.      E is for Example

a.      Be prayerful and bout our own entitlement issues

b.      I kings 3:9

Authentic Friendship

Kim Mitchell did an amazing job sharing her heart with us about authentic friendship.

She began by discussing the differences between authentic and surface friendship. Surface friendships tends to be fake, polite, superficial, backstabbing and convenient.  Authentic friendship is messy, unconditional, honest, emotional and loyal.  

1 Peter 1:22-23

22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.  23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Kim went on to share the different types of love that are referenced in the BIBLE.  The type of love described in 1 Peter is Agape love.  An intense, deep, Christ like love.  It is a love that has a cost.  

She shared an awesome example of a true authentic friendship that she has

with her friend Kristie.  With the Lord's help Kim has been able to assist Kristie through her trials even when it hasn't been easy or convenient for her.  God has been faithful and has shown himself through their friendship.  


John 10:10

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.



We can have an abundant life and pure joy by loving God and others, but it will cost you something.  It may be your time, energy, even your sleep.  Think about what God's love for you has cost him.

Kim left us with these thoughts: Are you willing to sacrifice to truly love someone else?  Who is God asking you to love?   

Fall Social

 We had a lovely evening crafting and chatting!  The wreaths and fall signs turned out beautiful!  A big thanks to Emily for all the hard work she put in to make this night happen.  

Planet Mom

Sometimes motherhood can feel as though you've landed on a completely different planet . That is why mothers can benefit from being together. But being together doesn't mean you have to have it all together. Praise the Lord for that!

Rachel Inuoye did an awesome job of sharing with us how we can successfully live on planet mom.  A couple of key points from her talk:

• Being at MOTTs doesn't mean you have to have it all together
• Don't compare yourself to other moms, celebrate their gifts
• God has hand picked your children for you

Hope to see you on October 17th as Kim Mitchell speaks to us on the topic of friendship.  Until then, celebrate your friends gifts, and share yours with others.

JOIN US IN FALL 2013!

Moms! You have the most important job in the world.  You're shaping the future.  MOTTs is designed for you!  Moms of tots all the way up to teenagers will learn and grow spiritually.  A speaker each month will focus on faith based topics, followed by small group discussions and prayer time.

Please join us in the fall as we kick off our 2nd year of MOTTs at Spring Creek Church.  We have some fun and exciting topics that will be covered by energetic, spiritual leaders.  The line up for the fall is as follows:

September- Planet Mom, guest speaker Rachel Inouye
October-Friendship in a Frenzied World , Kim Mitchell
November- E is for Entitlement, guest speaker Laura Sandretti
December-Christmas Traditions, Margie Bernhard

Dates and Times: 3rd Thursday evening of the month, September-May from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Spring Creek Church N35 W22000 Capitol Drive in Pewaukee, Wisconsin 53072
Registration Fee: $40 yearly fee

Hope to see you in September!

Click to Register

Wives...Respect your husbands!

 

We kicked off our meeting with a little song and dance to Respect by Aretha Franklin.  A big thanks to Emily and her friends from the silver group.  You ladies rock!

We were blessed to have the Women's Ministry Director, Wanda Leffel, and her husband Titus present on the topic of respecting our husbands.  It was so awesome to have a Godly couple share their hearts and experiences with us on such an important topic.

Why is it so hard for us to respect our husbands?  They are sinners, and so are we!  Men are imperfect and it makes it hard to respect them.  Even so, respecting our husbands is a Biblical Mandate.  God created order in the family for a reason.  We are to submit to our husbands, which means we are ranked under him in family order.  However, this doesn't make us inferior or less important. 

Marriage is tough, what should we do?  First of all we need to acknowledge that respecting our man is a command from God.  We need to recognize the power that sin has over us.  Pray often and ask God to defeat this sin and for the strength to do so.  We need to be aware of the trigger points that make us most vulnerable and tempted towards disrespect.  It could be things like our hormones, exhaustion  or having too high of expectations.  Lastly, come up with some practical steps to re-train our mind and actions to fulfill Go's plan for our marriage.  

If you make the effort to respect your husband, you will feel the love you so deeply desire from him.  God will bless you and your marriage.  Start praying and obeying and watch those blessings pour down ladies!

Happy, Happy, Happy!

Our February meeting was canceled due to snow.  It was such a bummer to have to cancel a meeting, but safety comes first!

Our speaker, Debbie Giese from Fox River Christian Church, was willing to reschedule and join us for our March meeting.  She spoke to us about having a happy home.  It was a humerus and informational talk.  We got a lot of practical ideas for how to keep our homes happy.

Debbie defined the word happiness and added that it can be circumstantial.  Sometimes we wait around for something to happen that would make us happy.  Maybe it is having a baby, getting a certain position at work, getting through the terrible twos.  There are so many things we wait for.  The truth is, it is possible for us to be happy if our circumstances are less than ideal.  Here is how Debbie broke it down for us:

Humble: Nothing reveals our own selfishness like having kids.
Available: Grow your relationships and be flexible.
Persevere: Don't just survive, be intentional.
Plan: It will keep frustration at bay.
Yourself: Continue to grow and challenge yourself.

Food for thought: What attitude might you carry that works against your happiness? How can you make some changes?  

Sooner than you think...

We kicked off 2013 with a topic that every mom needs to be educated on...teaching your child about intimacy.  During large group time we watched Mary Flo Ridley's DVD and learned a lot about how to answer those tough questions our kids ask by simply being honest and being prepared.

The first step is to define your message.  Incorporate biology as well as your core beliefs.  An example of a message is that sex is a gift from God for marriage.  It is short and too the point.

Another thing that Mary talks about is using proper terminology for private parts rather than silly made up words.  This will be important when it comes time to explain things around puberty.  If they have heard the terminology it won't be as awkward and silly.  Practice saying those words ladies!

Explaining the story of birth can be a tricky thing.  Your 3 or 4 year old may ask questions if mommy has a baby in her belly.  Use the correct terminology with your little one, but keep it simple.  They don't need the entire story at that young of an age.  Let them guide the discussion with their questions.

Conception is another topic that may come up in the preschool years.  How did that baby get in your tummy mommy?  If you want to use part of your message you may start out with something like, "by God's design..." Keep it simple and again, let your child guide the discussion with their questions.

Just remember, everything doesn't need to be shared in one conversation.  You will be having many conversations over the years.  Practice, be prepared, and you'll do just fine!