Gathered ’round the table
A beautiful thing happens when women gather at a kitchen table. Conversations flow, hearts soften and relationships are nurtured. By God’s grace, that is exactly what happened at the Lamplighters Kitchen Table Talk on Saturday, April 14th.
Oh – and there was also coffee and lots of chocolate!
Seventy-nine women registered for the first ever Kitchen Table Talk hosted by Lamplighters Bible Study, a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church. Sixty-eight of these women made it to the table with forty children in tow. Can we please give a shout out of great thanks for our amazing childcare helpers?!? The women who gathered for the Hope for the Weary Mom talk represented twenty-four churches throughout the Austin community.
The morning featured authors and speakers Brooke McGlothlin and Stacey Thacker who poured out their hearts and shared stories from their own journeys as weary moms. In their willingness to be transparent and openly discuss both the good and the hard situations they’ve encountered in the overwhelming call of motherhood, Brooke and Stacey provided hope by sharing how God meets them in the middle of their real life messes.
After hearing from the speakers, women had the opportunity for ‘table talk’, where very real and honest conversations occurred.
“Brooke and Stacey’s talk touched my heart. I heard loud and clear that I am not alone in feeling ‘messy’. I am grateful for the hope and healing they provided me and many other wonderful women that participated. I think it’s so beautiful for women to come together and get real about what is really happening in our lives and our hearts,” said Annie who attended the Kitchen Table Talk.
In addition to sharing their hearts, Brooke and Stacey gave practical ways to seek hope in our everyday lives. For a free copy of the H.O.P.E. document they taught please subscribe to the Hope for the Weary Mom newsletter here. As part of H.O.P.E., Brooke and Stacey encouraged women to pray, specifically for a friend with whom they can confide in and share the ups and downs of motherhood. They also recommended finding time daily to spend in the truth of God’s Word. As a Bible Study we couldn’t agree more! Of course we’d love for everyone to join Lamplighters for our next study – Genesis: Tell Me The Story.
But, there are many opportunities to study Scripture, including the suggestions Brooke and Stacey offered – Savoring Living Water and Focused15. Katie Orr, author of Focused15, has offered a 50% discount to our Kitchen Table Talk community for her current Bible study on 1 Corinthians 13. Simply enter the code: LAMP at check out for your discount which is good through the end of April 2012.
If you were unable to attend the Kitchen Table Talk, or you just want to hear Brooke and Stacey again, we’ve uploaded their talk here.
Finally, Save the Date! Lamplighters will host the next Kitchen Table Talk on Saturday, November 3rd. We’ll be talking about Family Dynamics, just in time for the holidays.
We look forward to seeing you gathered ’round the table.
