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WEEK THREE
Disciple Over Dinner

“They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: “Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is done.” So he went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared.

Back and forth they talked. “Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?””

DEVOTION 

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to two of his followers on the road to Emmaus. With His identity cloaked by God, he talked with them about all that had happened and explained the significance through the Scriptures: “Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27, NLT).

They couldn’t get enough of what Jesus was saying and asked him to continue over dinner. As soon as He gave thanks for the bread and broke it, as He had at the last supper in Luke 22:19, their eyes were opened. They were dining with the risen Savior! Not only that, but they had been taught to understand the Scriptures. Jesus knew the dinner table had a tendency to soften hearts and often served as a place for topics of importance. What better place to make disciples than at the dinner table!

THINK ABOUT IT:
Is God asking you to reveal Jesus — the Word who became human (John 1:14) — over a meal?

Carter’s Favorite Cheesy Chorizo Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 lb of Ground Chorizo Sausage
1 tbsp Cilantro
1 32 oz Free Range Chicken Broth
1 Packet of Taco Seasoning
2 10-oz cans of Rotel (I like it spicy so I use the Hot)
2 8-oz packages of Cream Cheese

I am a sucker for soups! Especially when the weather is cold.  The best part about this recipe is that it goes in the Crockpot.  Yes, I am a FAN! Maybe it’s because Sunday dinner would have never existed in all of my ministry years without CROCKPOTS!

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by browning your Chorizo.  I love the smell of this – so fragrant!  (Also note, if you sub out this meat, your soup will not taste the same 😉).  While the meat is browning, turn your crockpot on low and fill it with the cream cheese, Rotel, and taco seasoning of your choice.  Mix the browned meat into the cheese, (drain it if you want before hand-completely personal preference). Stir the meat, rotel, cream cheese and taco seasoning together.  If you are going to be home, allow those to cook for about an hour before adding in your chicken broth. If not – go ahead and add your broth in. Add in the Cilantro. Let it cook on low for about 4 hours or high for 2 1/2 hours.  Obviously, its soup…so its always better after it settles!

GARNISH IT!

Top with fresh sliced Avocado, a dollop of Sour Cream, Grated Cheese, and Tortilla Chips




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Let’s Talk
What is one question you would like to ask God?

Remember we wanna see your Family Feast Night Photos! Tag us and use #tkcffn

WEEK TWO

WEEK TWO
Consider Your Conversation

Luke 14:1-24 MSG

“One time when Jesus went for a Sabbath meal with one of the top leaders of the Pharisees, all the guests had their eyes on him, watching his every move. Right before him there was a man hugely swollen in his joints. So Jesus asked the religion scholars and Pharisees present, “Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath? Yes or no?”

They were silent. So he took the man, healed him, and sent him on his way. Then he said, “Is there anyone here who, if a child or animal fell down a well, wouldn’t rush to pull him out immediately, not asking whether or not it was the Sabbath?” They were stumped. There was nothing they could say to that.

He went on to tell a story to the guests around the table. Noticing how each had tried to elbow into the place of honor, he said, “When someone invites you to dinner, don’t take the place of honor. Somebody more important than you might have been invited by the host. Then he’ll come and call out in front of everybody, ‘You’re in the wrong place. The place of honor belongs to this man.’ Red-faced, you’ll have to make your way to the very last table, the only place left.

“When you’re invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes he may very well say, ‘Friend, come up to the front.’ That will give the dinner guests something to talk about! What I’m saying is, If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face. But if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”

Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people.”

Jesus followed up. “Yes. For there was once a man who threw a great dinner party and invited many. When it was time for dinner, he sent out his servant to the invited guests, saying, ‘Come on in; the food’s on the table.’

“The master said, ‘Then go to the country roads. Whoever you find, drag them in. I want my house full! Let me tell you, not one of those originally invited is going to get so much as a bite at my dinner party.’” That triggered a response from one of the guests: “How fortunate the one who gets to eat dinner in God’s kingdom!”

“Then they all began to beg off, one after another making excuses. The first said, ‘I bought a piece of property and need to look it over. Send my regrets.’ “Another said, ‘I just bought five teams of oxen, and I really need to check them out. Send my regrets.’ “And yet another said, ‘I just got married and need to get home to my wife.’ “The servant went back and told the master what had happened. He was outraged and told the servant, ‘Quickly, get out into the city streets and alleys. Collect all who look like they need a square meal, all the misfits and homeless and wretched you can lay your hands on, and bring them here.’ “The servant reported back, ‘Master, I did what you commanded—and there’s still room.’

Rylie’s Favorite Taco Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

2 lb Lean Ground Beef
1 Box of Jumbo Pasta Shells
2 Packets of Taco Seasoning
1 bottle of Taco Sauce 
1 cup of Shredded Cheese (Mexican Blend)
Doritos
Sour Cream

Oven

Pre-Heat oven at 350 degrees

Boil Pasta Shells.  While pasta is boiling, brown Lean Ground Beef on stove-top, drain excess grease.  Combine cream cheese and taco seasoning in cooked ground beef (it mixes best if you do this while the beef is still warm).  Drain water from pasta shells, rinse in cold water, allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Stuff ground beef mixture into taco shells.  In your baking pan, cover pan with taco sauce, then place stuffed shells in pan. Spread more taco sauce on top of stuffed shells. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven. Crunch up Doritos and place on top of shells, then Sprinkle Shredded Cheese on top. Return to oven until cheese is melted. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Top with a dallop of sour cream, serve with a side salad, chip & salsa, and have a FEAST FIESTA!

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DEVOTION 

When Jesus accepted a dinner invitation to the home of a Pharisee, He came prepared to speak on the hot topics of the day: working on the Sabbath, places of honor around the table, and who gets to sit at God’s banquet table. When we make dinner time a regular practice in our homes...it is hopeful that hot topics and touchy subjects will still come up.  And that when they do, we are prepared to deal with them.

When Jesus had a point to make on a difficult subject, he didn’t go into a long, drawn-out monologue. He asked well-thought-out questions that engaged people and told interesting stories to make a complex subject understandable.  He gave us the perfect model to follow.  

His words were grounded in a solid understanding of the Word and a deep desire to bring people into right relationship with God.  In this season where we are focusing on Feasting on the Word, attempt to make HIS WORDS YOUR WORDS!

THINK ABOUT IT:
Are your conversations encouraging and biblical?

Let’s Talk
If you could talk to the whole world for 30 seconds,
what would you say?

P.S. I would love to see you capture your family feasting, so take a pic and post it to Instagram or Facebook
with the hashtag #tkcffn

WEEK ONE

We are in such an incredible season as a church family!  It is just like God to speak through Pastor, a Declared 40 Days of Feasting, as we closed out our 20 for 20 Fast!  God is a God of Double!  When you study the Bible, you will find that Jesus spent a great deal of time around the table.  As Americans, we might suppose that our bellies would hardly need instruction on feasting.  However, most of us have never given any serious thought to what it might mean to feast with Christ-honoring intentionality. 

The Bible is jam-packed with the goodness of food and the holiness of feasting.  Feasting is not first about the food.  It is foremost about the Godward celebration of being together.  The heart of feasting is not the food itself, but the heart of the feasters.  A true feast is infinitely bigger than the food.  The center is God and His greatness and grace towards us.  He certainly intended for us to feast more often than on Holidays (aka Thanksgiving).  So, when you plan to feast over the next 5 weeks, plan with Jesus at the center. 

My heart is to assist you with that planning.  Each week I will provide you with 1 well planned evening around the dinner table with your family – big or small, that makes a night of feasting possible.  I know that our lives are full, so included in each week’s plan you will find a short devotional/scripture, a topic of conversation along with that scripture, and I have even included recipes for my family’s favorite meals for the entirety of our 40 days.  Let’s FEAST!

Love you more,

Pastor Steph

Collin’s Favorite Chicken & Rice

Ingredients
1 (10 ½ Ounce) Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 (10 ½ Ounce) Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Cup of Uncooked White Minute Rice
1 Packet of Dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix
(I double all of the above for more rice for a family of 6 – plus my fam loves the rice)

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast PER individual – (I make 6)
(Optional – Veggies for Side Dishes)


Oven
Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, uncooked rice, and ½ of the packet of dry onion soup mix together in a mixing bowl.  Stir together until all ingredients are mixed well.  Pour into ungreased baking dish.  Place the chicken breasts on top of rice mixture.  Sprinkle the remaining packet of dry onion soup mix on top of the chicken.  Cover with foil; bake for 2 hours. 

Crockpot (my preferred way to make this meal)
Combine the cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, uncooked rice, and ½ of the packet of dry onion soup mix together in a mixing bowl.  Stir together until all ingredients are mixed well.  Spray your crockpot with cooking spray, place chicken in first, sprinkle the remaining packet of dry onion soup on top of chicken, cover with rice.  Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 4 hours

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Week #1

Comfort Food

Luke 24:35-43 NLT

“Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread. And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he ate it as they watched. Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”

When Jesus appeared to the disciples, they were afraid and thought they had seen a ghost.  So, Jesus, in His upside-down way, reassured them with the simplest of gestures, He sat down and ate with them.  It is after they ate the Bible tells us, that Jesus opened their minds to understand the scriptures.  Jesus wasn’t proving that He wasn’t a ghost by eating.  He was doing something familiar to ease the disciple’s minds.  Talk about the ultimate comfort food!  Jesus was ministering to their weary hearts.  Meals can still work that way today, by melting away a difficult work day or a rough day of school. 

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Let’s Talk
Jesus' resurrection was a dream come true for His disciples.  If you could have one dream come true, what would it be?

P.S. I would love to see you capture your family feasting, so take a pic and post it to Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #tkcffn