Coming Up

Mark your calendars for our upcoming events next week!

On Tuesday, September 25, we will be having our second MOPS meeting of the year. We'll start right at 9:30 in the River Room, so come at 9:15 to start checking your little ones into the MOPPETS program. We have a great morning planned with food, time to get to know your small group and others better, and maybe even a little competition thrown in - bring your game face!

The same evening, following our meeting, we will be meeting at Noodles & Co. in Turkey Creek (across from Target) at 6:30 for a Moms' Night Out. Come meet us for dinner, hang out, and stay for dessert. Feel free to come when you can and jump in with everyone else.

We can't wait to see you!

Counting Down

With the start of school and the onset of fall, there is a lot coming up to look forward to! School events, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and maybe even a birthday. Kids especially feel the anticipation. One fun way to help your kiddos look forward to upcoming events without constantly asking if they're here yet is to make a countdown paper chain together!

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The Happy Home Fairy made this fun back-to-school paper chain that you could use to look forward to a field trip or other fun school party or event.

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Ten Kids and a Dog used this Christmas chain and a sweet poem instead of an advent calendar.

Consider helping your kids write things they are thankful for on a Thanksgiving countdown paper chain. Or use the same theme as a birthday party to make a birthday countdown chain. The possibilities are endless! The visual and physical element also helps preschoolers understand how much time is left before a greatly anticipated event. 

What events are you and your family counting down to this fall?

Recipe: Cinnamon Glazed Popcorn

Can't get enough of fall flavors? Here's a great combination of an easy snack and a classic fall spice. Head on over to 100 Days of Real Food and check out her Cinnamon Glazed Popcorn.

What is your favorite fall flavor?

A Moment for Your Monday

As I sat down to spend some time with God recently, I felt led to read through the beginning of the book of Matthew - the genealogy of Jesus. If you've read it, you know it's not usually the most exciting part of the book. But as I read, three names struck me all over again:

Tamar. Rahab. Ruth.

Women were not usually listed in genealogies - it's significant that they are listed in the first place. What's even more incredible is that these women were "outsiders" in a culture that was very careful to isolate itself. Tamar was most likely a Caananite, her marriage arranged with her father-in-law Judah was living away from the rest of his family, the original Israelites. Rahab was a prostitute in the city of Jericho before the nation of Israel conquered it. Ruth was a Moabite widow who followed her mother-in-law back to Israel, even though she had nothing to come back to. All three are listed as direct descendants of Jesus. 

They were brought into the family of the Israelites because of their faith in God above all else. They were willing to leave behind what they knew to step into a promise. And they weren't sideline spectators! God gave them an incredible role in history. They played an integral part in the life of the one we still worship today.

Maybe you feel like you don't belong in God's family. Maybe you didn't grow up in a Christian home and struggling to figure out how to run one yourself. Maybe you don't feel like you know what your purpose or calling is. Maybe you're not sure God sees you at all as you go through your day-to-day routines. But you don't have to be a spiritual giant. You don't have to have an incredible history. You don't have to know how you fit in. 

God sees you.

And he has an integral role for you to play in his story. You may not know it, or even ever see it, but you are not relegated to the sidelines! So take heart that you are not laboring blind or in vain. Your job is important and none of your effort is lost. 

Recipe: White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Did you get a taste of the white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies at our first MOPS meeting this morning? Here's how you can make them yourself at home!

Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter (for best results, use salted)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour (the batch at MOPS was made with whole wheat flour)
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 small bag of white chocolate chips
1 small bag of dried cranberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars together in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Add eggs, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add flour slowly until completely mixed. Do the same with the oats. Add cranberries and white chocolate chips at the very end, turning mixer off as soon as they are incorporated so as not to crush the chocolate.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper (for best results). Bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes, depending on cookie size and your oven, until the edges are just golden. Let cool on cookie sheet for 1-3 minutes before removing to cooling racks.

Of course, be sure to enjoy a couple while they're still hot from the oven!

A Moment for Your Monday

Sometimes it's hard to see past today - right now. You feel overwhelmed, overtired, or even completely lost. It's hard to imagine getting everything done that you need to, much less that you want to! As you start your week, take a moment to listen to these words from the introduction of A Woman and Her God:

God knows each of you and cares for you just as He cared about Mary [see John 20:14]. He knows your name; you belong to Him (Isaiah 43:1). No matter who you are or what kind of baggage you carry with you, no matter what you look like or feel like, no matter what you do or don't do, God loves you just as you are right now. You don't have to get your act together, lose ten pounds, run a marathon, write a best-selling book, or raise perfect children. You are an extraordinary woman in His sight right now. Not only does He love you, He cherishes you. ~page viii

Our First MOPS Meeting!

We're anxiously gearing up for our first MOPS meeting at Two Rivers Church, coming this Tuesday from 9:30-11:30 AM. If you haven't registered already, come a couple minutes early to get signed up for the year. You won't want to miss it! There will be good food, time to reconnect with great friends, and we can't wait to hear from our sweet Mentor Mom, Kay Crouch, as our first speaker for the year.

For more information, check out our page on www.TwoRiversChurch.org/MOPS. If you are joining our MOPS group for the first time, welcome! Need directions to Two Rivers Church? Check out the map below and click the "Directions" link.

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Recipe: Fresh Apple Cake

Labor Day is behind us, nights are starting to cool down, kids are back in school, and that means fall is on the way! What better way to celebrate the season than with an easy, yummy cake with fresh apples. Check out this recipe from A. Liz Adventures:

Click here to link to recipe.