#HisTable  By: Julie Wicker
Do you feel broken today?
When Jesus sat down at the dinner table with his disciples in Matt 26:26-28 Jesus took bread, and when he gave thanks he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body, then he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many of the forgiveness of sins”.

Why do we always seem to have food with fellowship at church?
Deborah and I are in a small group that meets twice a week to do a bible study. Tuesdays in generally a food, lifestyle change type study and Thursdays is generally spiritual growth, my favorite! We’ve done the Daniel plan, out of Daniel 1:1-21 where Daniel ate the food off the land like fruits, vegetables, whole grains vs. the Royal fatty foods King Nebuchadenzzar was serving his army. So, we’ve chuckled over the fact that there always seems to be food at church functions, some healthy but majority good old southern comfort foods. I love providing food I can throw in my crockpot whether its sausage grits full of yummy butter and cream cheese or taco soup that you can’t help but to load down with cheese and sour cream. Oh, and the desserts, we have some woman that can bake in our church. I can breathe in the amazing aroma and gain 5lbs.
God created us to have a relationship with His son Jesus Christ and fellow believers; 1 Cor 1:9 “For God is faithful through whom you were called into fellowship with His son Christ Jesus” And we are to share His love to everyone as it says in what’s known as the Great Commission in Matt 28:16-20; vs. 19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit”.
So, the question should be; why NOT have food and fellowship together?
Just as Jesus brought the disciples together with bread and wine, we can bring our friends, family, and community together with food and God’s redeeming love. On the topic of redemption, my poor crockpot has been redeemed on a couple occasions. This past church gathering my crockpot base got mixed up with someone else’s crockpot and my ceramic piece did not fit my newly acquired base. This was a huge deal since I use my crockpot to bring my family together at dinner in my own home. Thankfully I could narrow it down and redeem my crockpot base. It’s a great analogy for me. We don’t always have to have everything neat and tidy to approach God’s throne as in Heb 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the thrown of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”. Everything in not always going to fit together or make sense, we can stand on God’s promise out of Jer 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.
The Great Commission can be right here in Georgetown County. Deborah and I are members of Herbert Memorial United Methodist church. We support Helping Hands ministry, who through donations serves over 3,000 families each year and the Backpack Buddies ministry at Kensington Elementary of approximately 30 kids twice a week. I would love for you to prayerfully consider supporting these 2 missions. As seen below, Deborah and I are donating a few items for both ministries. If you would like to give a monetary donation you can make your check out to, “Herbert Memorial UMC” and the mailing address is 84 Forrest Ave. Georgetown, SC 29440.
Helping hands takes all Non-perishable items. Backpack buddies needs pre-packaged foods that have easy access and don’t required a stove or microwave like; pop top Chef Boyardee, pop tarts, bottled water, fruit snacks, and much more.

The study Deborah and I are currently doing on Tuesdays also involves saving money while eating healthy. We wanted to share with you a few tips for family meal planning.

Julie’s Meal Plan:
Monday: I cook spaghetti sauce in the crockpot all day. I generally use 3-4lbs. of Hamburger meat and a couple large jars of sauce. My mother-in-law’s touch is to throw in a couple basil leaves for added flavor.
Tuesday: I take half of the left-over spaghetti sauce and make Beef Vegetable soup in my crockpot by adding a large container of chicken broth and canned veggies and potatoes.
Wednesday: I take the other half of the left-over spaghetti sauce and make chili by adding chili seasoning to put over Johnsonville beef brats, a family favorite.

Deborah’s Meal Plan: Tuesday is my busiest day of the week. Therefore I have deemed every Tuesday to officially be Taco Tuesday (unless we have leftovers we need to eat lol). In an effort to make my life easier, each weekend I buy a family pack of hamburger meat (at least 3 pounds). I go ahead and brown all of the meat and then divide it into packs of around 1 pound each. With one pack I go ahead and season with a packet of taco seasoning and refrigerate. Then on Tuesday all I have to do is reheat it for Taco Tuesday. The other packs may be put in the freezer and can be pulled out and thawed for a quick meal. Below are two other easy meals for hamburger meat.

Hamburger casserole: 1 pound browned hamburger meat, 1 cup white rice, 1 can beef consommé soup, 1 can beef broth, salt and pepper to taste. Put all ingredients into a casserole dish, cover and bake @350 degrees for 1 hour.

Baked beans with hamburger meat: 1 pound hamburger meat, 1 large can baked beans. Mix with brown sugar and worchestchire sauce per taste preferred. Bake @350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbling.

#Prayer #foodforHim  By: Deborah Ard

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the daily bread you provide for us. Guide and direct us as we break bread with our friends and loved ones. Challenge us with opportunities to provide food and fellowship with those you place in our path. May we take seriously the charge of The Great Commission and use our time, talents, and resources to bring others to Christ. Lord, break us for what breaks your heart and use our brokenness to be a blessing to others as we learn and grow to be more like Christ. We pray in the precious name of Jesus. Amen

#WorshipWithUs     Please take a moment for personal worship as you listen to the song below;

Give Me Your Eyes By: Brandon Heath