Tag: fellowship

Let’s continue our theme of reaching for refreshment and savoring summer days by cultivating our relationship with God and each other.

Today I’m including:

1. Lemonade stand memories,

2. Encouraging words from the apostle Paul,

3. 5 easy ways to gather friends around the table,

4. 2 more summer recipes, and drum roll please …

5. Updates on A Place at His Table, my devotional that releases this August.

Let’s start with a glass of cold lemonade. Does that sound like summer refreshment to you? 

Lemonade Stand Memories

My summer memories include our childhood lemonade stands where sugary liquid pooled on the table and covered dimes and quarters with stickiness.

I remember …

–selling lemonade to the mail carrier and neighborhood kids who ran home to get their dimes,

–cooling off by drinking more cups of lemonade than we sold,

–standing in the grass with a tanned face and arms that glistened in the sunlight (Aunt Tommie said only animals sweat, and in the South, some say we glisten instead of perspire.), and

–laughing with friends around the table in our front yard.

Let’s capture some summer fun with our adult friends and brighten their and our summer days with refreshment, encouragement, and joy.

Paul’s encouraging words

I don’t think the apostle Paul drank lemonade, but he appreciated the fellowship of gathering with friends. His words teach us the importance of cultivating friendships and encouraging each other.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul began the book of Romans by explaining his role as a servant of Christ (1:1-6) and by telling the recipients of his letter how he’d prayed for them (vv. 8-9).

In verses 11-12, Paul wrote,

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Romans 1:11-12 ESV

Paul knew the value of gathering for mutual encouragement. He so desperately wanted to visit with believers in Rome, that he urged them

 to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.

Romans 15:30-32 ESV

The New Testament letter writer knew Christian fellowship would encourage faith and offer joy and refreshment. When we connect with God and learn more of Him, we have more to offer others, and the benefit is reciprocal when they do the same.

When we connect with God and learn more of Him, we have more to offer others. Share on X

Kelly Minter, a Bible study author, speaker, and singer, also knows the value of gathering with friends. She recently wrote on her Facebook post, “When my spirits are low, it’s the joy of community, the joy that sometimes runs alongside sorrow, the joy whose source is in Christ, that lightens me.” https://www.facebook.com/KellyMinterAuthor

How can we gain and share refreshment this summer and encourage each other? Following are:

5 Easy Ways to Gather Friends Around the Table

Pray about whom to invite, include a new friend, and plan to gather around a table for a time of fun and encouragement.

1. Pull up your chairs to a coffee shop table. Order iced coffees, share a brief devotion you’ve read recently, and enjoy conversation.

2. Walk in a shady park or beside a river early Saturday morning, then enjoy a thermos of lemonade at a picnic table and pray together.

3. Plan a summer recipe swap. Serve lemonade and a salty snack mix or crackers (homemade cheese cracker recipe below).

4. Schedule a time to browse through some shops or visit a flower garden together. Afterwards, enjoy lunch at a quaint café or your favorite restaurant.

5. Invite friends for a simple breakfast on the patio, deck, or porch one morning before the heat index soars. Juice, coffee, and muffins fuel conversation. Yogurt and fruit are yummy too.

Let’s avoid the autumn “I wish this summer that I had ___” lament. Plan a simple opportunity and invite friends to join you around the table for summer joy, refreshment, and encouragement.

Your Turn

Please enrich our time together by answering one or more of these questions:

Why did Paul focus on fellowship? How does gathering with friends encourage you? What’s your favorite way to gather around a table and encourage others?

-A heartfelt thank you to readers who share my posts with friends

More Refreshing Summer Recipes

Crispy Cheese Bites

                A crispy, delicious treat with summer lemonade

Ingredients

1 cup butter (not whipped), softened ahead of time

2 cups sifted self-rising flour

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups rice cereal

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less)

Cream the butter and blend in the cheese. Stir pepper into the flour and add the flour to the creamed mixture. Mix well. Blend in cereal last. Coat fingertips with flour and shape the mixture into small balls. Place them on a baking sheet and press lightly with a fork to ¼ inch thickness. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until barely light brown. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

  Lemonade

Check out this site to discover lemonade pro tips and how to freeze the lemon juice-water syrup for a later time.

https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/fresh-squeezed-lemonade/

Here you’ll find summer beverage “Tips & Tricks” like “Fizzy Lemonade” and how to substitute honey for sugar.

https://recipesbycarina.com/homemade-lemonade-recipe/

This interesting site includes the history of lemonade, a pro golfer’s choice, and why the tasty beverage quenches thirst.

https://flavorman.com/5-things-about-lemonade

NOTE: Click the link for the last post with an introduction to the current theme and 2 recipes.                                                                                               Reach for Refreshment post

   Updates on A Place at His Table   

Bold Vision Books will release my book in late August this year!

Several readers have asked me about the process of writing a book, so I’ll answer your questions here. If you like reading details, here they are.

Before I update, I’ll backtrack a bit to answer your questions.

During the fall of 2018, a women’s Bible study group at our church studied Psalm 23: The Shepherd Within Me by Jennifer Rothschild. I pondered verse five for weeks.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Psalm 23:5 ESV

In my journal, I sketched a table at the top of each page and asked God to teach me more about His table and His provision. He taught me then, and He’s still teaching me now; all I need for each day rests on the table He’s prepared for me. Maybe not all I want, but all I need. I don’t have to live with heart-grasping, joy-stealing worry, fear, or doubt—and neither do you.

The Idea

The idea for A Place at His Table: God’s Daily Gifts to Satisfy Your Heart began to percolate. I sensed God leading me to write devotions to help other women learn to trust Him for all their needs. Each devotion would start with a table story and illustrate one of God’s blessings or gifts.

The Beginning Process

From the spring of 2019 to the fall of 2021, I prayed, studied, sought training and advice at Christian writers’ conferences, consulted with friends, and wrote some devotions. I asked God to confirm my ideas or close doors.

After submitting samples and later a formal, 33-page, book proposal, I received an email in 2022 announcing Bold Vision Books planned to extend a contract for this project. The thought of it still amazes me.

The Manuscript

For the next year, I studied, prayed (lots), wrote devotions, rewrote devotions, edited devotions, and sought critiques and advice. I worked hard to ensure the stories fit the Bible passage I highlighted. When I realized I had repeated some ideas and writer friends pointed out titles that didn’t fit stories well, I created a spreadsheet to track the passages I used and the gifts of God I’d highlighted.

Writing a Table Tip to accompany each devotion was fun and included ideas from friends who were excited about the book.

Finally, this past spring, after two friends helped me proofread, I reread the entire book several times, checking different aspects. I submitted the manuscript this past spring.

Writing a book is a humbling process and a team effort. I’m grateful for the opportunities God gives me to learn more about His Word and to write to honor Him and help readers.

Next Time  

I hope this summary answers your questions. After the next post, I’ll include a briefer update on the editing process and the next phase. What else would you like to know? Feel free to email me at Jeannie@JeannieWaters.com.

Thank you for sharing my joy. Please join me in prayer as I collaborate with the wonderful folks at Bold Vision Books to send A Place at His Table out into the world to honor God and share with readers what God is teaching me.