Photo Credit: farfromthefarm.com
RECENTLY Mr. Keeper and I listened to a pastor we enjoy, Jack Hibbs. He encouraged us WAKE UP and walk a disciplined life, redeeming the time as Ephesians 5:15-20 teaches us. We are to PRAY UP. To be having a constant conversation with the Lord, as we are liberating people with our prayers. He told us to ARMOR UP and live a life prepared for battle. He said we shouldn’t be wearing our bathing suits but our battle gear. Click here to keep your battle gear in top form.
"Each of us may be sure that if God sends us on stony paths
He will provide us with strong shoes, and He will not send us out
on a journey for which He does not equip."
Alexander MacLaren
A Home to Keep: DIY! LUNCH & LEARN - Clipboard Art Display
"Slow down, extend an invitation and leave room for growing connections."
We have a need to gather, but we put it off. We want to connect but we make excuses. "I don't know if you know it but we've acquired some bad habits since the pandemic. We have without even meaning too brought some isolating habits with us." shares Cindi McMenamin in her book ,The New Loneliness.
It's time to connect and here's one way to do it. My good friend Lynn Bailey shared something they do at her church, it's called LUNCH & LEARN. Click here to find out how to implement LUNCH & LEARN at your church or with friends, coworkers or neighbors.
"And let us consider how we may stir up love... Hebrews 10:24
Mixing Bowl: Recipes! The Open Door of a Supper Club
~An Invitation to Your Table is an Open Invitation to the Lord's Table~
Have you every been deeply impacted by being invited to someone's house? Has your heart been warmed by an outstretched hand? An invitation that made you feel included and welcomed? I have. That's why I am starting a new feature to my blog this year that will be my seasonal Supper Club ideas. What is a Supper Club? It is about belonging and bringing people together. It's a wonderful way to cultivate community. It's an intentional gathering in the spirit of friendship and a shared meal.
"Your kindness and intentionality can make others feel seen and valued."
But first a moment about entertaining verses hospitality. This is not about doing it better than someone else and excluding some, it's about opening your door and inviting others in, especially the broken, hurting and those on the sidelines. Many of us struggle with having people into our home. But hospitality isn’t about perfection—it’s about connection. Again it's about slowing down, extending an invitation and leaving room for growing connections. I want to encouragement you to prioritize relationships over appearances, and inspiration to embrace the heart of true hospitality. Don't let your insecurities sabotage your heart need.
"Hospitality isn’t about perfection—it’s about connection."
Typically a Supper Club is the same group of people that meet throughout the year, thus it's called a "club" however, the Supper Club I have come up with after praying is inviting different people each month, but we can still call it a Supper Club!! So as you craft the framework of your Supper Club whether it is the same group or different people each month here is a Step-by-Step guide to get you started, some Hospitality Tips and Click here for some great recipes to get you started.
Simmer on these ideas for your first Supper Club:
Main: Ham & Cheese Sliders
Side: BLT Wedge Salad
Dessert: Salted Caramel Banana Pudding
A Step-by-Step Guide to start a fun Supper Club
Start With Prayer:
Commit the time to the Lord ask for His guidance in who to invite. Pray about the details of your dinner. Ask the Lord to help you be intentional to open your home up and to be His hands and feet as you thoughtfully plan. I also, specifically, ask the Lord to fill my home with His Presence, that there would be joy and peace in our gathering.
First Thoughts:
I like to think of Him as my first guest. Wherever or whenever we meet I like to have a scripture on display. I will put it on a little chalkboad on my sideboard where the food will be or at individual place settings, whatever works. I also include worship music, it sets the tone immediately.
Set a Consistent Date for Your Supper Club Gatherings:
Pick one night, like, the last Saturday of every month to schedule. Just know there will always be someone who can’t make it and that’s ok.
Creating a Supper Club Menu:
Consider who brings what and the format of each gathering. You can do appetizers and desserts only or a sit-down where the host can do the main dish while others bring the sides and desserts.
Hospitality Tip: I love using butcher paper on my serving table or our dinner table. It's inexpensive and fun. You can write scriptures on it. Or a personal note that applies like: Happy Anniversary or Happy Birthday etc.
Supper Club Guidelines:
A fun surprise is hosting a Secret menu and a surprise location that is revealed at the last minute.
Dinner themes can be as simple as “Italian night” or can be more creative, like a murder mystery.
Send out some sort of an invitation for the event – this can be as simple or as complex as you want.
Decide if you want to play games.
One month host in a home the next month you can all meet at a restaurant you've never visited before.
Have breakfast for dinner or salads only or call out for pizza.
Hospitality Tip:
Keep Dessert Simple. We all love ice cream and it's such a splurge! Serve a couple flavors along with fresh berries and chocolate chips.
I hope these ideas inspire you and that you'll continue to return to your home away from home.
See You at Supper! Linda
“You crown the year with a bountiful harvest;
even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.”
Psalm 65:11
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