Supper Club




Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

When you and all of your friends are in different stages of life, it starts getting hard to stay in touch.  I will find myself going months without talking (really talking) to some of my closest friends in the world.  Being thrown into the real world  after college is super challenging, but our Heavenly Father offers us some great advice.  I love the language used in these verses. Stir each other up.  That basically means to motivate each other, but in a way that is passionate.  

Passionately EXCITE one another towards a life of love and good works.  

How are we supposed to do that when all of us are busy all the time and completely drained at the end of the work day?  Verse 25 tells us something that I recently realized is very important in young adulthood and throughout your life as an adult.  DO NOT neglect to meet together!!! Plan regular meetings with your friends.  Encourage each other.  As often as possible. God created us to live in community with one another.  There are countless verses in the Bible about the importance of community.  Without it, you simply cannot survive.

A few of my friends and I recently started a weekly supper club.  This group began as a random idea for a couple of us to take turns cooking each week to save money.  It turned into eight girls (and occasionally a four-year-old) sharing not only a meal each week but our struggles, accomplishments, memories, and so much more. 

We started meeting every Wednesday night, taking turns opening up our homes and preparing meals for each other.  It takes about one hour out of the busy work week to sit down and have a meal with your friends, and let me tell you something.  The first week we met, each one of us agreed that it was the best thing that had happened to us in a very long time.  We talked about how we needed this mid-week "pick-me-up" to get through the rest of the week.  One hour.  That is all it takes to invest in your friendships, build each other up, and EXCITE each other towards a life of love and good works. 

This month, my good friends Daniel and Russ have challenged me and my church family to do small things each week that could make a big difference.  Last week, Daniel had a special challenge for us.  He told us to be joyful.  He told us to be thankful for the family and friends that God has placed in our lives, even when they may do things to disappoint us.  He challenged us to reach out to someone and simply ask them to spend time together.  He challenged us to invite people into our homes to share a meal.  Not because it would be pleasing to God.  Not because it is the "right" thing to do.  But because we desperately need community in order to be joyful.  In order to be EXCITED towards a life of love and good works.

This week, I want to encourage you to reach out to someone you haven't seen in a while.  Ask a friend to go get coffee or ice cream.  Or maybe even invite a few people into your home and cook for them.  I promise that afterwards you will feel rejuvenated and excited.  This time of year is always hard.  We are all desperate for a little more sunshine and color in our lives.  If you make time for a friend this week, you might begin to see that light and color that you needed.  You might even become that little ray of sunshine for someone else.  So pick up your phone and call someone.  Make it happen.  

Get excited.

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