Debi's Desk

 We recently moved into a new home; one of the first things my lawn-loving man did (after mowing the grass) was to put down cedar chips around all the flower beds  and in a large empty space under our deck.  The only problem was, he unknowingly covered over several dormant perennial plants.  It wasn't until a few weeks later that I noticed little green sprouts struggling to come up through the chips.  As I dug around the chips, I discovered that in spite of the several inches of wood covering them, these little green plants were actually very strong and they were not going to let anything  or anyone get in their way of growing up and out.  Wouldn't it be great to have that kind of resolve in our Christian life-that no matter what obstacles come our way, we are determined to not let our growth in Christ be hindered. How is your garden growing these days, ladies?  Are you so bogged down in the "mire" of life that you are stuck and feel like the life is being drained right out of you or are you letting the SONshine of His love and the water of His grace nourish you so that you are growing in spite of the "mire"?  I hope you are encouraged by this month's Footnotes. We chose the theme, How Does Your Garden Grow, not only because it is the season for seeds and dirt but because May is a great time for assessing where we have been, where we are and where we are going.  2011 is almost half way through...I pray you take a few minutes to ask yourself this check up question and allow God, the Master Gardener, do some weeding and pruning if necessary.

 A great way to fertilize your life garden is by attending this year's Women of Faith event.  Ladies, we have a few seeds, oops, I mean tickets left.  And we have decided to make them available to you at a discounted price.  Grow Girl-Grow!!!!!! And talk about growing...Her Steps Summer Bible Study is going to keep you moving and sprouting in all directions.  Check out the great opportunities below including some amazing and fun exercise options.  Also you do NOT want to miss Coffee, Chocolate & Chat coming up on June 12. You are going to have a blast, tasting treats, rockin with Zumba and much more...did you know that chocolate is a very healthy food?  Hope you can come...hey bring a friend too.

And finally check out the precious and inspiring Mother's Day article in Valley Girl Stepping Up written by Wanda Brown.  From table to table, Wanda has been blessed and continues to bless everyone she meets.   

Wiping the dirt off of my knees and sending you big Mother's Day hugs,

Debi Lydic serves as the Director of Women's Ministry at Valley Church. You can email her at debil@valley-church.com

 Featuring speakers Lisa Harper, Luci Swindoll, Angie Smith, Kim Cash Tate, and Sheila Walsh

Musical guests Mary Mary and Selah

Drama by Nicole Johnson

and

Special guest Dr. Henry Cloud

 We've brought back the special Valley Church price of $79. That price includes all sessions as well as a boxed lunch on Friday and Saturday!

LADIES WE HAVE JUST A FEW TICKETS LEFT! YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY! REGISTER TODAY-RIGHT NOW!  

Contact Gina Kincade at 226-9973 or via e-mail at  

ginak@valley-church.com or to ensure you get the $79.00 price purchase your ticket today online at: 

Click here to purchase tickets online.  

For a preview of some of the speakers that you will hear at Imagine, please visit the Valley Church Women's Ministry Facebook Page.

Around the Kitchen Table... 

My earliest memories are of my Grandma.  She gave me the most valuable gift...her time and her love. The best of these times was when she baked bread. Grandma stood me on a small narrow chair right in front of her at her long kitchen table.  She taught me how to crack eggs and whisk them up and then she let me dump large amounts of flour into the yeast mixture.  When it was all worked together in her enormous bowl, she'd plop it out on a large floured area in front of me.  While Grandma kneaded her mountain of dough, I would pat and knead my smaller one. By the time I was done, I was covered in flour. Grandma, always patient with me, gave me the nickname, "Missy Messy Dobber". Sometimes Grandma would let me make "pies" with her at her kitchen table.  She would make the pie and I would make my version of a pie using her special silver thimble.  

Many years have come and gone yet the memories and experiences I had around my Grandma's kitchen table have stayed with me. I learned so many valuable lessons as she shared not only her cooking skills but also her life experiences with me.  The things she did as a child, the hardships and sorrows she faced as  a young pioneer woman have been so valuable for me in facing my own life issues.  There was never a hint of bitterness or complaining, her voice was always soft and kind.  She truly was a living example of someone who lived by her faith and had a deep relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  As I grew from childhood into my teen and young adult years, I cherished the deep reverence my Grandma had for God.

After my Grandma went home to be with the Lord, my kitchen table became a gathering place for my four children. I now had four pair of busy hands wanting to stir pancakes, cakes and cookies...and help knead bread dough.  The table was also used as a craft and painting table, a science lab and sewing table.  While my children were busy around the kitchen table, I prayed silently that God would guide and direct their lives and help me to be the kind of mother He wanted me to be.   

I loved those years of caring for my children.  They went by way too fast. Before I knew it my children had outgrown the "kitchen table" stage. As they left our home one by one, I wondered what God would have me do now.   

All the while He was preparing something good for me, and soon I found myself around another table, a preschool table. My Grandma's legacy continued as I had the privilege of helping little hands finger paint, roll out playdough, and trace the letters of the alphabet.  Grandma's wisdom flowed through me not only to these little ones but also as I encouraged their mommies during the busiest time of their lives.
Time passed way too quickly as I transitioned from  Preschool Teacher to being a Grandmother myself.  Once again, God opened a door for me to pass on the values I learned at Grandma's table to my own grandchildren. Around my kitchen table once again, I began teaching those same values to two more pairs of busy hands. And when those busy hands grew to big for "kitchen table" activities, I found myself back in the classroom around an elementary sized table, once again sharing experiences and wisdom from my Grandma with a whole new generation of children and their mommies.  

And...after retiring at age 71, God revealed to me that He had more "kitchen table" experiences for me.  Doors opened wide for me at a new Urban Christian school where God had already prepared a "table" for me to pass on the many life lessons and wisdom first taught to me by my Grandma.  In addition, God has led me to a round Bible Study table right here at Valley Church. This time the table is filled with young women.  Each week I find it a joy and privilege to come to these tables where I have the chance to share my Grandma's life lessons, values and most of all, Jesus Christ.     

Wanda, Age 3 with her Grandma

Wanda and her husband, Rodney, have attended Valley Church since March, 2002.  Wanda is still impacting big and little lives alike as she volunteers at Joshua Christian Academy.   

As Spring rolls around...I get motivated for the vegetable garden season.  The payoff of fresh backyard summer vegetables starts months earlier.  I am driven to be "diligent in the dirt" by the hope of the fruitful reward I know will come.   Gardening is a partnership with God.  I have a job - plant the good and weed the bad.  God has a job - bring sunshine, rain and cause nutrients to be drawn through the roots.  His jobs are things I cannot do. 

Gardening is similar to cultivating Christ in the hearts and in the lives of the children in our homes.  The hope of the fruitful reward of a true love for God in my children's future ought to motivate me today.  Cultivating Christ in my children's lives, similar to backyard gardening, is a partnership of God.  I have a job - consistently planting seeds of Scriptural truth in my children (plant the good) and patiently guiding those same children through their missteps along the way (weed the bad).  God has a job  - illuminating the truths of Scripture through the Holy Spirit, showering His mercy on my children as they learn to walk rightly and allowing His creation to absorb that which will cause growth.  Again, His jobs are things I cannot do. 

Mark 4: 26-27, "Jesus was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows - how, he himself does not know." "  He causes the growth.  However, He has called us to participate in the process.  May we honor Him in our role as laborers in the cultivation of the hearts of our children.

Josh oversees programming, staffing and vision-casting for ministry affecting children birth through eighth grade. Josh and his wife Sarah have four children: Hannah, Caleb, Moriah and Andrew.

A Mom's Influence:

 The other night my daughter Sienna played with cups and plates for an hour. She made our family dinner, tea to drink, and even cleaned up. She put all the dishes in her own (pretend) cabinets, other wise known as the windowsill. Sienna watches everything I do. She listens to everything I say. She also asks questions all day long; sometimes verbally and other times I can see the wheels turning in her head as she is trying to figure something out.

As observant as she is, it would be an insult to her for me to assume she doesn't pay attention to how I dress and the way I dress her. At two she already appreciates wearing a pretty dress, and at two, she is learning the importance of dressing modestly without me even mentioning a word. Toddlers love to imitate what they see and hear.

Mothers of toddlers have a unique opportunity to start their daughters off on the right foot. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." We teach our children to say please and thank you in hopes they will be polite, even when we aren't around them. The way a child dresses is no different. When our child is young, we choose their clothes, buy their clothes, and dress them. This season of life passes quickly, but while we are in it, we have the opportunity to develop a positive norm in their life; the norm of dressing modestly. This doesn't mean they will never want to wear the latest fad or there will never be arguments about clothing, but it does create a significant advantage in teaching them to dress modestly as an adolescent.

The catch comes with the way we dress. If a mom dresses her daughter modestly, but doesn't do the same for herself the daughter will notice. Eventually, that daughter won't see a need to dress modestly. The next time you dress your toddler, and yourself, think about the way you want her to dress in 10 years and even 20 years. Everything you do is influencing them. The earlier your influence begins the longer it will last.

Three steps to be a positive influence on your daughters dress:

1. Lead by example (dress like you want them to dress).

2. Provide the opportunity (stock their closet with age appropriate modest clothing).

3. Tell them they look beautiful.

Come Join Us

Sunday, June 12, 2011

 6 - 8 PM

Valley Church Courtyard Hall

"Percolate and Perspirate" with the fun loving ladies of Valley Church.

Be prepared to laugh, move, eat and win prizes. Learn about fun summer group opportunities to stretch your heart, mind and body.

Come casual and ready to have fun!

Pick up your free ticket at the Women's Ministry Display in the Valley Church Atrium starting May 15th. 

As I write this last piece highlighting the 2010-2011 MOPS year, I am reminded of how truly blessed I am to be a member of Valley MOPS.  This group of women is diverse, inspiring, and faithful.  I have learned from each of them, and I am a better mother, wife and friend because of them.  We enjoyed a small, intimate group this year, so with each meeting, conversations became deeper and friendships grew stronger.

Aside from the 'social' aspect of the group (which is stellar I might add!), we were blessed with practical, informational and entertaining speakers. Topics ranged from women's health to financial advising to sharing the real meaning of Christmas with our families.  I can honestly say that I feel more fulfilled as a mother and woman after this year's season.

We also provided services to Valley Church, such as quilt cutting and baking cookies for a Mother's Day tea.  As our chartering ministry, Valley Church has opened its doors to us and provided support in many ways. We could not operate without a caring chartering ministry, and to all the individuals who have spared their time for us - especially Debi, Gina and Cindy - we sincerely thank you!

To all the faithful "regulars" - Molly, Anna, Karen, Julie, Lori, Jessica, Amanda, Bev, and Bridgit - THANK YOU for making this year meaningful, entertaining, and enjoyable. 

Although the official meetings are over, we carry the fun into the summer with playdates, mom's night out, and fundraising.  Our first summer fundraiser will take place at the Pizza Ranch in Waukee on June 22.  We will bus tables and clean dishes (a regular night for most of us!); if you are in the area or just love pizza, please come out to support us on the evening of June 22.  Also, summer playdates and mom's night out will be announced in the near future.  The summer is a great time to get involved with MOPS before the next season begins, and we hope to meet lots of new faces before September.

In closing, MOPS exists "to encourage, equip and develop every mother of preschoolers to realize her potential as a woman, mother and leader in the name of Jesus Christ." Our group follows this mission statement and aims to provide every mom who walks through our doors an opportunity to connect with other mothers, be heard and supported, and grow in her faith. We hit the nail on the head this past season, and I am hopeful and excited for the 2011-2012 season.  Please check us out during the summer or when we begin in September. We'd love to meet you!

Super Sprouts

I'm taking a departure from my usual cooking quips to tell a humorous story about my husband, Clint-with permission of said protagonist, of course.  One day when he was about five years old, he and his sister assisted his parents with that all-time classic activity of planting the spring garden.  The day was rich with tilling the soil, setting rows and sowing seeds of all shapes and sizes.  Finally, as the sun was setting on the little gardeners, the two siblings were scrubbed clean of dirt...and more dirt...then tucked into bed for the night.  Clint remembers closing his weary eyes with great expectations of the seeds sprouting overnight and beginning their green ascents toward the sky.  He couldn't wait to wake with the sun, believing that surely, all his care in planting would reap great and observable rewards.

In the morning, Clint bound out of bed, ran to the garden (likely still in his Superman pajamas) and saw, to his five year old delight, that nature had far outdone itself!  There was one full row of two inch green spikes protruding from the soil!  He bound into the house (as if wearing Superman's cape) announcing to his parents with a shrill that "the seeds grew this much!" and held up his little fingers to show the astounding measurement.  Unbeknownst to him, after Clint had gone to bed the night before, his parents planted a row of actual onion seedlings with tender green tops.  Mom and Pop decided that his joy was too great to deflate at that moment and so left the perceived miracle intact.  To this day, Clint proudly credits his enduring green thumb, which has indeed provided our family with many bountiful gardens, to his early supernatural horticultural successes.

The spiritual application of this story has a supernatural essence, too.  2 Corinthians 4:18 reminds us to "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  If only we could have child-like expectation in the unseen answers of life's situations.  Wouldn't it be refreshing to labor diligently, rest peacefully, and hope assuredly for things we can't fathom will work out without the jaded perspective of history and experience?  I want to tend my heart's garden and develop this maturity in faith-letting each new hope be unique. To grow a fresh wonder and expectation of a miraculous harvests with eternal purpose.  I want to see the moments in situations worth shouting to the world that God's seeds "grew this much!"  Let's keep our hearts tender and eyes alert this spring for the super "sprouts" Jesus Christ is growing in our lives.

Roasted Sprouts

Fresh Brussels sprouts, cleaned and halved

Olive oil

Sea salt

Cracked pepper

Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and spread on baking sheet.  Roast at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until edges of sprouts are browned.  This roasting recipe also works well with green beans, potatoes, and onions.  Delicious and healthy-straight from the garden! 

Along with her family, Kindra has attended Valley Church for five years. Kindra feeds others from her heart as well as her hands.  Kinda also serves on the Deaconess Committee.

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To find out more:

Click Here 

You may register ONLINE now or in the Valley Church Office, M-Th. You may also register at the Women's Ministry Display starting Sunday, May 15.  Registrations for Thursday AM & PM Exercise classes must be made in the church office or at the Women's Ministry display.  

Women's Ministry has a wide array of Bible Studies and resources that are available to be checked out for a small non-refundable fee ($25 for Valley attendees, $50 for those not affiliated with Valley).  A full listing of these resources is available for review.  E-mail ginak@valley-church.com to receive the list of available resources.

Debi Lydic- Director of Women's Ministry                

debil@valley-church.com