Have you been longing for connection with other moms who are in the midst of raising teens?
I’ve often said, I wish there were playgroups for moms of teens, because we need that connection as much as we did when our kids were toddlers. I remember the days when we’d sit on the floor while our tots crawled all over us. We’d talk about nap-times struggles, best diaper prices, and how to make your own baby food.
As the kids grew older, our times turned in teaching them how to share, while we attempted to talk about the challenges of parenting preschoolers in the midst of their interruptions. Then the school days arrived and our mommy play dates ended, even if our questions and curiosity about how other families were walking through the challenges were still on the tip of our tongue. So that’s where this idea for Grace Chats comes in.
Moms still need each other…
…to learn from, to be encouraged by, and to feel like they are not alone in the struggles that come with raising teens.
Why not start your own Grace Chats group?
It is as simple as this:
- Find one friend to partner with you in this adventure.
- Pick a date and time that works for the both of you.
- Invite a dozen other moms of teens.
- Plan a topic to discuss from one of the Topics & Truth Download options.
- Set the stage with tea, coffee, and a sweet {or healthy} treat.
- Open with a get to know you game or conversation starter.
- Make the expectations clear that the group is not a time to gossip about your kids, meaning personal stories should not be shared, rather the conversation should focus on how to grow in understanding Biblical principles and creative ways to implement those ideas in parenting your teens.
- Use the “What’s Spoken Here Stays Here” policy, which means whatever is shared in the group should stay in the group, and not be repeated at home or amongst friends.
- Cover it all in prayer, praying through the planning stages and providing a time for pray at the end of your gathering.
- Keep it going by planning the next date for within a 2 to 3 week time frame in order to gain momentum and grow together!
If the idea of starting a Grace Chats group intimidates you, then this encouragement from Vanessa (one of our team members), which she shared with the M2B Mentoring Network Group, should speak right to your heart. She started a Grace Chats group with a friend that approached her recently and is thrilled to see how God is working already:
Grace Chats … the Plan to Start a Group
Praise God, I am starting a Grace Chats small ladies group in our neighborhood! Actually, my friend down the street approached me about helping her set a moms group for Christian women we know. She wanted to keep it simple but asked me for ideas on a topic or approach. She knows about the work we do at M2B and I offered a few suggestions.
Well she wants to do Grace Chats and we are also going to implement Impact My Life!!!
Ahhhhhh I am so thrilled!!! God works in amazing ways and He has brought me to a friendship with this lady with similar morals and ideas! We all know that can be hard to find in today’s world! I am so pumped and honored to be using our very own tools right here on my street!! I will keep you all posted as we progress! Sometimes life just happens to us when we least expect it…..because God’s timing is always PERFECT!
Grace Chats … Gathering #1
What a wonderful morning we had together for our first gather! I was able to meet some new faces and got acquainted with some great ladies with like minded ideas! We all were on the same page and it was so nice to sit with a group of women who have the same Christian morals and ways of life!
My friend, who wanted to start this group with me, read from Conquering Conflict download and it was a hit! To be honest, even though I have studied and used that resource myself in the past, it really struck me today hearing it from someone else. It was like I saw it in a new light!
I really connected with a few new friends and it was such confirmation that God led us to start this Grace Chats group! To top it off, my friend texted me a few hours later and said that I impacted someone at her house today…that I spoke to her heart and she knew God was in the room and using me to speak to her. How amazing is that! Wow! I feel so blessed! Honestly I have M2B to thank and Lisa for her wonderful ministry, which is being used by the Lord to help us in our faith walk!!
So would you like to start your own Grace Chats Group?
Click here for resources to download!
Be sure to join the Mentor Network for ongoing support and email us to let us know, too!
We’ll cover you in prayer!
{Tweet about Grace Chats and see if your in real life friends respond!}
