When God called me into ministry in late 2007, I assumed that ministry would always look the same….speaking, writing, and teaching the Bible. For seven and half years, ministry has, indeed, looked exactly like that. God, however, didn’t get the memo that things should stay the same. And boy, I am so glad He didn’t.
A handful of months ago I read a blog post by my darling friend, Jan Morton, where she told of a new ministry that she and a girlfriend had begun at their church in South Georgia. It was a cooking and mentoring ministry that she called Taste and See. She gathered about 10 ladies together in their church’s kitchen for a little bit of Jesus and a little bit of cooking. Her program has been wildly successful, requiring two sessions each quarter.
When I read Jan’s post, my heart began to flutter. I learned to cook by spending time in the kitchen with my Mother and Grandmother. However, I feel like many young women did not have that opportunity because their moms worked outside the home, or simply did not have the time to spend teaching their daughters how to cook homemade dishes. I adored Jan’s idea, and immediately began to pray about doing something similar in our town. As I prayed, I began to sense a holy ‘Yes’ from the Lord. So, I tossed out the idea on Facebook, a potential date/time, and what I proposed we would cook. Bam! Immediately I had six beautiful women sign up.
On Saturday, I hosted my first session of Tasting Grace. #tastinggrace
Four ladies came, hungry for a little bit of Jesus, and a lesson on making homemade biscuits. I had prayed over this day for weeks, asking the Lord to bless it. Oh friends, He did…in such a big way.
I had asked the Lord for a short devotion topic, and He made clear that it was to be wisdom. I used Proverbs 2:6 as the focal verse and spoke to the ladies about how true wisdom comes only from God. In the first verses of Proverbs 2, we hear Solomon admonishing his son to ‘call out for insight and cry out for understanding’, look for wisdom and search for it’, ‘turn the ear to wisdom and incline the heart to understanding’.
Obtaining wisdom is an active process. We must seek God’s heart, and ask Him to instill in us His wisdom. He does this when we read the Bible and communicate with Him in prayer.
After we pondered wisdom for a few minutes, we headed into the kitchen in my basement, and got our hands all flour-y! Greg was our photographer. Here are a few pictures of our morning.
I use the recipe on the bag of White Lilly self rising flour for my biscuits. The only change I make is that I use LARD instead of vegetable shortening.
Measuring and sifting flour.
Making my biscuits as I teach the ladies how to make their own.
Lori took the old adage that ‘it’s no good until you get it all over you’ very seriously!!
Our creations!
I had melted butter and homemade strawberry jam and apple butter on the table waiting for the ladies to taste their creations. Everyone did such a great job with their biscuits, and each lady took home a bag with her biscuits in it. Biscuit making is an art, and requires lots of practice to know when the dough ‘feels’ ready to cut into biscuits. These ladies are well on their way to becoming awesome biscuit makers.
I asked the ladies if they thought I should host another session in a few weeks. I got a resounding “YES”! We even brainstormed about what we would cook. My plan is to host another session or two in the autumn, and we will learn to cook something yummy like homemade soup and cornbread, or chicken and dumplings, or perhaps, a fruit cobbler.
The morning was such an incredible blessing to my heart. This ministry fits so well with my heart for speaking into the lives of women. It allows me the opportunity to leave a bit of a legacy in the lives of these women. A Jesus-filled, wisdom-seeking, biscuit-making legacy.
Here are some quotes from the ladies:
“The morning was perfect. Just the break, fellowship, and God-centered thing I needed.”
“How fun!”
“It was a blast getting to spend time with everyone.”
“I was super blessed today! Many days I feel inadequate as a mom, and baking fears add to that. I now feel empowered. The devotion on wisdom was really needed! Thank you so much.”
Linking up on Friday at Grace & Truth!!
