5 Tips (With Scripture) For a Successful Marriage From http://www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.ca

I'm going to warn you that there's a lot of scripture in this one! I'm in the mood to preach it today *wink* Scripture kept coming to mind, so I thought I'd share them with you. I hope you are blessed! Running a facebook page of over 50,000 fans means that I'm going to get hundreds of opinions on what marriage should look like. As a result of that I often hear things that stem from a secu-lar view. Thankfully there is a strong community of women out there who are step-ping away from the "me" generation to seek God's will for their marriage. But un-fortunately there are also those who just don't get why we'd ever want to live to "please our man" or why being ourselves isn't simply enough. Here's the thing... if your primary goal is to please your husband, you're missing the mark. Our goal is to live according to our created purpose which is that of being a help meet, thus bringing pleasure to God. And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. - Genesis 2:18 The definition of a "help meet" is basically one who is ready and prepared for his use. There's a much longer definition, but that could fill an entire post--and I've done it before. Back to the topic... The world doesn't revolve around us. Everything in it including our lives should revolve around pleasing God.

When we live in harmony with our husbands ac-cording to God's plan for our marriage we are

pleasing the Lord.

And yes that will call us to exercise humility, forgiveness and grace. My sister and I clearly remember our school days during the 70's when we were bombarded with the message, "The most important person in the whole wide world is you." In fact it was a little song that accompanied many of the videos they played for my classmates and I. What they weren't teaching us is this: Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each es-teem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. - Philippians 2:2-4 Continued on page 5

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Meets at 9:30 and 11 a.m.

Sundays at the FargoDome

701-298-9181 www.prairieheights.com

or on our website

www.phccmops.com

Welcome, Announcements &

Prayer

Mentor Moment: Mary B

Guest Speaker: Laura Ronngren

“Marriage Struggles”

Discussion Groups

THE MONTHLY SPLASH

April 25th—MNO @ Mexican

Village! See page 4 for more de-

tails.

April 27th—Garden Party at Rheault

Farm. Bug hunt, face painting, plant

walk, and more! 1:30-4:30pm; Free!

May 4th—15th Annual Kite Day at Ed

Klapp Park. Show off your flying

skills; prizes awarded after competi-

tion. 1230-3p; Free!

May 4th—Penny and Pals Workshop

for ages 4-5 at Robert D. Johnson

Rec Center. Lean songs and dances

then show off at the end of the work-

shop with a performance! 10-12p

(performance at 1130a). $11.80/

person; pre-registration required.

Call 499-7788.

May 4th—Mother’s Day Dandy at

Robert D. Johnson Rec Center. Ages

4-10 can create a surprise present for

mom, stepmom, grandma, or aunt.

10-1130a. $14.40/person; pre-

registration required. Call 499-7788.

May 7th—Community Block Party at

Courts Plus. Karaoke, inflatable

games, crafts, and face painting. Free

food while supplies last. 530-8pm

May 12th—Marvelous Mother’s Day

at the Children’s Museum. 1-5pm

Moms/members are free! Non-

members $5/person.

May 14th—Community Block Party

at Madison Park. Karaoke, inflatable

games, crafts, and face painting. Free

food while supplies last. 530-8pm

May 16th—Last MOPS meeting

of the year! 630-830p at Temple

Baptist Church.

Every Wednesday @ Barnes & No-

ble: 10am Children’s story time with

snack & craft time.

Every Saturday @ Barnes & Noble:

11am Children’s story time with

snack & craft time.

My name is Whitney Johnson, I am originally from Steamboat

Springs, CO and I have been blessed with a wonderful hus-

band, Tim and three amazing kids, Owen 7, Asher 6 and Olive

1 month. I am a cosmetologist at Olivieri's Salon Namaste.

With what little spare time I have, I enjoy shopping, pedicures

and silence! Our family loves game nights and being outside in the summer.

I have been attending MOPS since Owen

was a baby and graduated last may since

Asher was in kindergarten. But thanks to

our "summer surprise" Olive, I'm able to

attend again! :) I'm so grateful for MOPS

as it has been there for me throughout

my entire parenting career, it has cer-

tainly shaped who I am as a parent.

Anniversaries:

Jane & Craig Lemieux—April 12th

Birthdays: April 29th—Nicole Heppner May 6th—Nicole Kaste May 7th—Jessie Christensen

Katie Selstedt is proud to announce the birth of her son, Maxwell, born

on March 16th.

Jordana Choate is proud to announce the birth of her son, Lucas, born on March 30th.

Kristen Olsen is proud to announce the birth of her daughter, Veronica, born on April 2nd.

Welcome to the new babies and

congratulations to the families!

Hello friends! I grew up as a North Dakota

farm girl and am so glad to be back here raising

my family! My husband’s name is Ryan. We

met in college while he was attending NDSU

and I was at Concordia. We were in the Air Force ROTC program

together. He taught me how to march and then we knew it was

love! :) We dated all through college and got married shortly after

we graduated. We celebrated 10 years of marriage this past fall! Ryan and I were both in the active

duty Air Force and lived in San Antonio, Washington, D.C., Little Rock, and finally Abilene, TX.

Ryan was able to get a full time ND Air National Guard job that allowed us to move back to ND. We

are so grateful to be near family again!

We have 3 boys: Noah (6), Isaiah (4) and Jonah (3). We were amazed at the birth of a GIRL in De-

cember. Grace Betty (named after my mom) is now almost 4 months old! The kids are such blessings

and make each day crazy, fun, interesting, humorous (and lets be real—exhausting!) I am so grateful

that I am able to be a stay at home mom the majority of the time. I work about 1 day a week at Es-

sentia as a nurse in the cardiac cath recovery area. I mainly go to work to regain my sanity and to

remember what it’s like to talk to adults.

We just began the adventure of homeschooling this year with my oldest son. It’s been challenging,

but so rewarding. It’s so fun to watch him figure things out and to see the joy on his face when he

discovers something new!

I used to love to do crafty things (crochet, sewing, knitting, scrapbooking, baking) but now due to a

lack of time to myself, I mainly just pin things on Pinterest and dream about the day when I’ll have

time to be crafty again!

PHCC MOPS has been such a blessing in my life. I’ve made great friends, grown in my faith and

learned so much from the women in this group. Thank you for being a part of it!!

Plunge groups are a great way to

meet other moms with similar in-

terests outside of your MOPS Dis-

cussion Groups. Plunge groups are

open to anyone and you make the

rules! To sign up after the meeting,

please email Janelle at

phccmops@yahoo.com.

Coffee Lovers

Book Club

Baby Sitting Co-op

Supper (couples)

Supper (moms)

Biggest Loser

Crafting

Movie night

Walking

Outdoor Play Group

Games

Freezer meal exchange

Coupon/Frugal

Bible Study

Ingredients:

3- 8 oz containers of cream cheese

3 eggs

1- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 TBSPs vanilla

2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup of rainbow sprinkles

1/2 cup powdered sugar (optional)

1/2 TBSP whole milk (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. With your mixer on low, beat together the cream cheese, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and almond ex-

tract for five minutes. (It may not be completely smooth when you are done, but that's okay . . . resist the urge to eat all

the batter.)

3. Slowly mix in all the sprinkles with a spoon.

4. Pour the batter into a spring form pan and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool completely, at least four hours in the re-

frigerator.

5. Optional: Want to make a good dessert even better? Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk, make it festive

with a little pink food coloring, and drizzle it over the cheesecake.

Freezer Exchange: Exchanging

meals at each monthly MOPS meet-

ing. Please contact Sarah Underdahl

at sarah.underdahl@ndsu.edu if you

would like to participate in the Febru-

ary exchange.

Couples’ Supper Club: In March-

the couples ate at Longhorn Steak-

house! Meeting the third Friday and

following Sunday each month. Please

contact Janelle at phccmops

@yahoo.com if you would like to join

the group on April 19th or 21st at

Rhombus Guys Pizza in Downtown

Fargo.

Coffee Lovers: Date for a meet-up

will be coming soon! Look for an

email from Teresa DeMers or get in

contact with her if you would like to

be included in this group.

Biggest Loser: Weigh-ins are hap-

pening at the monthly MOPS meet-

ings. Good luck to all those participat-

ing!

Group leaders can contact Katie

McGowen with any updates at katied-

mcgowen@gmail.com

Join your fellow MOPS moms on April 25th for Mom’s Night Out at Mexican Village! We will be meet-ing at the 45th Street location at 7pm for chips and salsa, dinner, drinks, or just some great conversa-tion and laughs. Look for an event invitation on Fa-cebook and be sure to RSVP if you

are coming. We will be making a reservation based on the re-sponses!

Supplies:

Large size popsicle/craft sticks (amount is up to you!)

Different colors of Washi tape or strips of scrapbook

paper and glue

Permanent Marker

Large container

Directions:

1. Cover one side of each stick with colorful Washi tape

or glue strips of scrapbook paper to one side of each

stick.

2. Write different springtime activities on the opposite

side of each stick. These can be fun things like playing

hopscotch or going for a nature walk or spring clean-

ing activities like raking leaves or pulling weeds. Anything to keep the kiddos from

using the dreaded “I’m bored!” comment.

3. Put the finished sticks in a jar or other container and let the kids pick out an activ-

ity when you need something to do!

Supplies:

2 cups water

1/2 cup liquid dish soap

1/8 cup corn syrup

Large container for mixing

Directions:

Pour all the ingredients into a large container and shake it up.

(Empty milk bottles or Tupperware containers with a tight seal

work great.)

Allow the bubbles to settle for a few minutes before using. Use leftover store bought or homemade bubble wands!

Cover article continued from Page 1 Thankfully when we gave our lives to the Lord we understood that life was about more than merely pleasing ourselves, it was about living be-yond ourselves so that God would be glorified through our lives. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. - Romans 12:1 With that in mind, let's consider our marriage. As I've mentioned in many of my previous posts, marriage is a reflection of the covenant be-tween Jesus Christ and the church. Are we presenting that covenant as one that is holy and acceptable unto God? In other words, what is our marriage saying to the world? And if it calls for forgiveness and grace on our part, are we willing to be that living sacrifice? We may very well feel that we are perfect just the way that we are, but God's will for our lives is that we are continually growing in virtue: And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance pa-tience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 2 Peter 1:5-7 We don't create a life merely for the benefit of our husbands. Although we do love them to pieces and that is a good thing! We live a sacri-ficial life that is pleasing to the Lord and the fruit of that sacrifice is that we are a crown to our husbands. Fruit is the result, not the goal. A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. - Proverbs 12:4 What are the things that a successful marriage requires? What tips can we glean from scripture? As much as some women prefer to avoid this fact, a successful marriage requires service and humility on our part. You're not going to hear that said too often around the water cooler. Instead you'll hear things like, "You have a right to be happy," and "Follow your heart."

Unfortunately following the heart doesn't lead us down the best paths. In fact the Bible warns us in Jeremiah 17 that the heart is deceitful

above all things. It tells us that we need things when we don't, and if we followed it we'd sleep too late, eat too much, and eventually come to

poverty. That's where the heart wants to lead us.

And yes, you have a right to be "happy," but God desires more for you and for your marriage. Temporal happiness doesn't offer the long-lasting joy that one yields through hard work, commitment, and adherence to wisdom. Wisdom, unlike the heart, leads us safely through life. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, And without hypocrisy. James 3:17

The Bible is a beautiful love letter from the heart of God to your own. It provides us with every bit of wisdom that we need to not only survive in this world, but to excel to a place where joy, inner peace and contentment carry us through.

You are loved by an almighty God,

(http://www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.ca)

1. Are you ready for a few more scriptures? Here are five that we can apply to our marriages:

Be ready and willing to forgive.Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel

against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. ~ Colossians 3:13

2. Be humble enough to let go of your need to be "right." Seek for quick reconciliation rather than holding onto

anger.With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; ~ Ephesians 4:2

3. Make it your goal to show an interest in him. (I'm repeating this verse)Let nothing be done through strife or

vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. ~ Philippans 2:3

4. Live with an attitude of gratitude. Marriage can be tough at times, but appreciation trumps nagging any day

of the week!In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.~ 1 Thessalonians

5:18

5. Pray often. There is more power in prayer than our mind could ever comprehend. Make prayer a part of your

everyday life and take your marriage to the Lord.Pray without ceasing. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Second semester dues ($30) were due in January. Please give your money to Tanya Schoessow tonight. Checks can be made out

to PHCC MOPS. If you need a scholarship, please speak to Janelle Stahl or Tanya Schoessow.

PHCC MOPS cookbooks are still available for sale! If you are interested in purchasing a cookbook, please con-

tact Tanya Schoessow. Cost is $10.

The PHCC MOPS Facebook page is a “closed group” meaning that the content is only available to see if you join.

Find the page and click “Join Group” and you will be added by one of the steering team members. It’s a great place to

see what is going on with the group, find events going on around town, post prayer requests, and just get to know the

other moms!

May is our last meeting for the year! Swim Dresses are in charge of the snack. Be on the lookout for an email

from Kari Dahlen!

There is no MNO for May so we hope you can all make it to our April MNO on the 25th.

recipe from Annie Eats, featured on www.megseverydayindulgence.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

½ cup warm water (about 110°)

1 envelope (2 ¼ tsp.) instant yeast

1 ¼ cups water, at room temperature

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting

1 ½ tsp. salt

olive oil or non-stick cooking spray for greasing the bowl

Directions:

1. Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dis-

solves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room temperature water and oil and stir to combine.

2. Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Briefly combine the dry ingre-

dients at low speed. Slowly add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass

forms. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5

minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in

size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate it.

3. To bake, place a pizza stone in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 500° for at least 30 minutes. Turn the

dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form both pieces of dough into

smooth, round balls and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30

minutes.

4. Working with one piece of dough and keeping the other covered, shape the dough and transfer to a pizza peel or round

of parchment dusted with semolina or cornmeal. Top as desired. Slide the dough onto the pizza stone. Bake until the

crust edges brown and cheese is golden brown in spots, about 8 to 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining ball of dough or

freeze for later use.