One of our daughters got married on a lovely day in October. Preparing for it long-distance was a challenge. She’s lived in Florida since 2022 and the wedding took place here in Georgia. We missed out on the fun of planning together face-to-face, and the thought of forgetting or messing up a crucial detail terrified me.
Our original guest list of nearly 200 people was the max our venue could accommodate. Although we tried to keep up with the RSVPs, sometimes people are hard to nail down and things happen. When preparing to feed so many people, it’s easy to question quantities. We trusted the caterer’s formula for the meal itself. My husband and I each calculated how many gallons of water, sweet tea, and lemonade we’d need, but at the last minute, my daughter wanted us to double it to be safe. Same with the appetizers we made for guests to enjoy while the wedding party took photos.
Sure enough, we had plenty of leftovers. At the end of the evening, we loaded the back of my car with the extra food and drinks and sent more home with our adult children. I knew what we’d be eating for supper each night and what my husband would take to work for lunch each day. And after months of excitement and anticipation building towards this day, I welcomed a week off of kitchen duty.
Have you noticed how items appear larger when you bring them into your home? That a couch that seemed a reasonable size in the showroom barely fits in your living room? That’s how it felt when we unloaded the leftovers and stacked metal pans filled our garage refrigerator. No way could we eat this much in a week. I began looking for opportunities to feed others with our bounty.
A friend and I had planned to get together the week after the wedding, so I invited her to eat at our house instead of going out. Two days later I hosted an impromptu lunch for some ladies in our neighborhood. What a spread! We filled our plates with smoked chicken, pulled pork, cowboy baked beans, salad, and tidbits from fruit and veggie trays. The food assuaged our hunger, but the fellowship satisfied a deeper need.
Have you noticed how many stories in Scripture involve Jesus and food? He began His earthly ministry by transforming water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana (John 2:1-11) and concluded His time on earth with the Last Supper (Luke 22:14-20). He fed a multitude with five loaves and four fishes (John 6:1-14), ate with sinners and tax collectors (Mark 2:15), and was anointed with oil and a woman’s tears during a meal (Luke 7:36-50). He used parables about wedding feasts to teach humility and radical hospitality (Luke 14:7-24).
Jesus continued to serve others through food after His resurrection. He fed the disciples after a weary (but successful) night of fishing by welcoming them to “come and dine” (John 21:8-14). When He encountered two disciples on the road to Emmaus, they didn’t recognize the resurrected Jesus until the moment He broke bread with them (Luke 24:30-35).
The connection goes even deeper: Jesus referred to Himself as the bread of life, the satisfaction for the hunger and thirst within our souls.
“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
John 6:35 KJV
With the start of the holidays upon us, I’ve been thinking about warm traditions and festive gatherings. It’s a time when spirits rise but depression rates soar. For many, the holidays bring bittersweet memories of loved ones who’ve passed. Some struggle to balance busy calendars, while others battle loneliness that’s more acute this time of year.
Sisters, we can make a difference in someone’s life with something we do every day: sitting down for a meal. Breaking bread together involves more than eating; it’s about serving people and spending time with them. It’s about slowing down, sharing stories, and savoring food and fellowship. You don’t need to throw a fancy dinner party (although you certainly can if you’re able and enjoy it). But all you really need to do is just open your circle a little wider. Pull up an extra chair to the table.
Let’s open our hearts and our homes this season and view mealtimes the way Jesus did: as an opportunity to serve others and come together in fellowship through the ministry of breaking bread.
This devotion is by Dawn Camp as featured in the fall issue of Everyday Faith Magazine.
The FALL issue of DaySpring’s Everyday Faith magazine is out, and we think you’ll love it!
From cover to cover, you will find stories and articles in Everyday Faith magazine to inspire hope, encourage your heart, and remind you that you are loved by God.
You’ll discover tips on how to feel true gratitude, a guide to select the perfect planner, ways to cheer on school-age kids, comforting words for difficult times, and advice on what to say in tough situations. These pages are full of the best support and reassurance—truth from God’s Word.
The article above is just one of many featured in Everyday Faith magazine, which is perfect for gifting to a friend, Bible study sister, Sunday School teacher, or neighbor. And to help you do just that, we’re giving away FIVE sets of magazines — one for each winner and one for them to give to a friend! Leave a comment telling us to whom you’d gift a copy, and we’ll draw five winners.
I live in Georgia too! I’d love to gift a copy to my daughter who raises her and her husband’s 2 year old full time ❤️
Kellie
Good Morning! I would share a copy with a friend of mine, a widow, who is currently struggling with many health issues, making it difficult for her to get out & about.
I would share with my sister! She’s a teacher and would love your magazine!
I would love to gift a copy of your amazing joyfilled magazine of inspiring articles to my middle sister. She lost her husband to gleoblastoma three years ago. During that time she has struggled with depression, anxiety and fear. I have encouraged her to attend church with me but she holds back. I just keep asking. I think that reading this publication just might settle into her heart and give her a taste of what a community of church, faith and friendship could do to fill her life with the beauty of our Lord.
Thank you for this opportunity. I would enjoy reading this magazine and would give the copy to the next friend that I see.
I would love to win a copy of this magazine! I would give a copy to my friend that I walk with. I think it would encourage her:)
Thoroughly enjoyed this devotional today. Thank you
Dawn,
I love your devotion about sharing food and friendship! My sweet mama was always cooking for others so this comes naturally. Everyone needs to eat and everyone needs friendship. I shared your devotion because I think others will benefit from it.
Sending you summer JOY,
Lisa Wilt
I would love to receive a copy of the new fall magazine. I would share the second one with my daughter, she is a busy teacher and mother to three busy boys:)
Thank you for all your inspiring messages!!
I’d love to receive a copy of your magazine. I’d share a copy with my adult nieces, to encourage their walks with Jesus.
Thank you for reminding me that spending time around the table truly is what Jesus did and wants us to do the same.
I would bless my daughter-in-law with your fall magazine. God Bless you
I would like to give a copy to my friend whose spinal column is collapsing and had surgery; is still in pain.
And a copy to my daughter whose spine is collapsing and she is depressed.
I bought my granddaughter a copy and one for myself.
God bless.
Would love to win because I would gift one to a dear friend whose hisband committe suicide 2 weeks ago. She’s really having a difficult time.
This magazine is always such a blessing! Thank you for compiling it and making it available. If I were to win the giveaway, I would give one copy to my pastor’s wife and after I read my copy I will donate it to either the local library or care center.
I would love to gift my daughter with a copy of this magazine. We just moved to Savannah to be closer to her and her family. She has been making sour dough bread recently and I plan to get a starter from her soon!
I would love to gift one of these to my pastors wife. I love to encourage our leadership!!
Dear Dawn……..I really loved your story about Jesus and the food today. As fate would have it, that is exactly what my minister spoke about last Sunday at church. I used to look forward to my holiday splashes my relatives used to call them. We had a large house with a dining room and card tables set up in our large living room (sometimes referred to as the ” Kids Tables” ) much to their dismay. Some of them wanted to sit at the ” adult table “.Here is where my sadness begins even now already. I am 77 years old and all my relatives are gone from the Earth. Different holidays were split up between all of the women and we never missed one celebration. Other things have happened. My husband started with violent dementia and came very close to killing me which he denies, but it is the way this disease is. I needed to get him out of the house for my own safety and then sell the house of our 40 years there as we both needed money. So many things to pray about and finally I was forced to divorce him which after 17 months was finally final last week. My one son dismissed me as his mother (he was 52 at the time) as he said I was lying about his father’s condition although he never came one time to see him or me. I also have 1 grandson and my son told me I could never see or even talk to him ever again and hung up on me. A most heart-breaking phone call and after almost 2 years now and he knows now that I was not lying, but still no communication. This is where your very important devotion comes to play for me. My husband is in one facility and I had nowhere to go after the sale of the house and am in another facility where I don’t really belong. Almost everyone here has relatives that visit, do their laundry and mostly take them to their homes for celebrations and good food. I have no one. No matter how much I remember that God, Jesus and my Holy Spirit are always present, I am sorry to say, at this time of the year, it is just not the same. Last year all I did was cry in my apartment every time a holiday came up. I am so happy that all of these other people have places to go. I am not jealous, just very, very sad. Your ( in ) community pulls me through these times with your daily devotions and all the books I have from your community. I just don’t know what to do this year. Here without any communication, all the managers are leaving or were fired and we have no one to go to if we have Questions. Thank you Dawn for your story and I will save and re-read after lunch today and hope to get some additional encouragement. If you have any words for me, could you share them with me, Dawn ? Thank you again and I am sending my love and prayer to you and your family. Please have a great Labor Day weekend………….Betsy Basile
I love this magazine! My favorite thing is to sit and read it on our deck at the lake or bundled under a quilt reading the fall and winter issues. Thank you for the chance to win a set!
Dear Dawn……..I really loved your story about Jesus and the food today. As fate would have it, that is exactly what my minister spoke about last Sunday at church. I used to look forward to my holiday splashes my relatives used to call them. We had a large house with a dining room and card tables set up in our large living room (sometimes referred to as the ” Kids Tables” ) much to their dismay. Some of them wanted to sit at the ” adult table “.Here is where my sadness begins even now already. I am 77 years old and all my relatives are gone from the Earth. Different holidays were split up between all of the women and we never missed one celebration. Other things have happened. My husband started with violent dementia and came very close to killing me which he denies, but it is the way this disease is. I needed to get him out of the house for my own safety and then sell the house of our 40 years there as we both needed money. So many things to pray about and finally I was forced to divorce him which after 17 months was finally final last week. My one son dismissed me as his mother (he was 52 at the time) as he said I was lying about his father’s condition although he never came one time to see him or me. I also have 1 grandson and my son told me I could never see or even talk to him ever again and hung up on me. A most heart-breaking phone call and after almost 2 years now and he knows now that I was not lying, but still no communication. This is where your very important devotion comes to play for me. My husband is in one facility and I had nowhere to go after the sale of the house and am in another facility where I don’t really belong. Almost everyone here has relatives that visit, do their laundry and mostly take them to their homes for celebrations and good food. I have no one. No matter how much I remember that God, Jesus and my Holy Spirit are always present, I am sorry to say, at this time of the year, it is just not the same. Last year all I did was cry in my apartment every time a holiday came up. I am so happy that all of these other people have places to go. I am not jealous, just very, very sad. Your ( in ) community pulls me through these times with your daily devotions and all the books I have from your community. I just don’t know what to do this year. Here without any communication, all the managers are leaving or were fired and we have no one to go to if we have Questions. Thank you Dawn for your story and I will save and re-read after lunch today and hope to get some additional encouragement. If you have any words for me, could you share them with me, Dawn ? Thank you again and I am sending my love and prayer to you and your family. Please have a great Labor Day weekend………….Betsy Basile This is not a duplicate comment and I took much time to respond to Dawn.
I really enjoyed this one today. Breaking Bread. I had made an abundance of baked goods a few days ago and gifted some to a helping hands organization yesterday. They were very appreciative and gifted me back. It was a blessing for me to give expecting nothing in return but God saw something I needed and blessed me in return. I would love to read this magazine and gift one to a dear friend who needs encouragement.
Excellent article. I pray our hearts embrace the message of breaking bread with one another. It is a true union of the body of Christ as we partake of Him with one another in Love.
I would give: one to a lonely senior/widow; one to my pastor’s wife to bless her the way she blesses others; one to the leader of our Women’s group; one to my best friend; and one to our senior member who is battling cancer.
Dawn I love what you said we can all make a difference.
We as followers of Jesus that have food on our tables are blessed to have food on our tables every day. When there are so many people in our world that don’t have food. That are starving and some in our world Homeless and starving too. All very sad. People like me and others that have food on our table every day. We can make a difference in someone else life who is starving. We can make a meal for a family struggling to feed themselves especially if got kids the kids. We can also that have a meal each day on our tables. Give to the food banks some food. So as they can give it to a family struggling to put food on the table for them and their Families. No matter what the reason they are without food. Then thank God it not us without food on our tables if we have food on our tables every day. We can pray for them. Know we are doing a we bit to make a difference by giving to food banks. So as they can make up food bags to help Families struggling to put food on their tables for everyone in them. So as everyone fed in the house hold. By us giving to food banks we are helping Families less well of than us that are struggling. Their are Parents doing without food. Just so their kids get fed and don’t do without food. That sad Parents even thinking that way. All this very sad. We read all the stories in our Bibles where Jesus helped people starving and made food stretch. Like in the stories you Dawn talk about in you ready for today. So if we want to be like Jesus as his followers. We can show Jesus love by helping people less well of than us. By giving as I said to Food Banks so as they can give it to Families struggling to pay bills and put food on the table for them and all the rest of the Family. That way we are sharing Jesus love plus making a difference to those less well of than us. I say Amen to that. Love Dawn Ferguson-Little Enniskillen Co.Fermanagh N.Ireland. Xx
My best friends kim or Courtney. We love fall!
I would gift a copy to any of the ladies in my weekly Bible study. They’ve been such an encouragement to me these last few years.
I would love to gift a copy to a dear friend who has covered me in prayer during this incredibly difficult season.
I’d gift the magazine to my mom!
I would gift a copy to my daughter. Thank you for the chance 🙂
Hello. I would gift a copy of the Fall issue of Everyday Faith Magazine to my Aunt. Thank you for the giveaway.
Beautiful idea! Is this magazine available in Canada?
I would share with my sister in law, Mary.
I would give one to my mom. Read one and the give it to my sister.
Thank you for this devotional. It reminders of the importance of fellowship and just showing up for one another with what we have.
I’d gift a copy to my sister-in-law. I would love for us to both take up the mantle of starting weekly or monthly dinners with extended family and friends.
I would probably gift one to my mom, dad, grandma and neighbor. I think they might would enjoy it.
I would give a copy to my buddy, Arlette. One time I left a fall gift package on her porch. She’s from Texas and has a pleasant southern accent. One of the things that was in the care package was a mug that said “Happy Fall Y’all”. She texted me that fall is her least favorite season and she had prayed that God would help her enjoy it more. Summer is her favorite season and she dislikes when she can’t wear shorts anymore because it’s too cold where we live in Washington State. Anyway, my gift made her laugh at how God answered her prayer of learning to embrace the season. This would be a great reminder of that God-wink that we shared once.
Hello. I would love to win a copy of Everyday Faith for my cousin who is a soft place to land in my life. We have walked side by side in our faith journey and I’m so grateful for her. Thank you!
Oh my daughter and I Love this magazine! I would gift it to her because she is a Preschool Teacher and has 2 littles of her own! Her husband is a Youth Pastor! They love & serve the Lord with all they have! Thank you so much for doing this!
I would share with my best friend or my mom!
I would gift it to my Ladies In Faith Together Group
I’d gift a copy to my mom. She is amazing and does so much for others that I feel this magazine would strengthen and encourage her to keep being like Jesus!
I would give a copy to my sister in Christ Monica. She is our church secretary and a blessing in my life.
I would love to share the Fall Everyday Faith magazine with
My Sister in law going through chemo, the new gal who just came to a Bible study after 10 years not attending church, the friend who can’t afford one , my husband who borrows mine every time I get one which is every time and the church youth leader who I mentor.
I would give a copy to my mom.
Oh my goodness – I work at a school. – would love to give to some of my teacher friends. How we all need it!!
Also would give to my daughter- Oh my goodness – I work at a school. – would love to give to some of my teacher friends. How we all need it!
I don’t know how I’ve never come across this magazine! It looks like such an uplifting publication. I’d give a copy to my sister-in-law, Caroline, who would be so blessed by this magazine.
I would give a copy to my mom who is going through so much these days.
I always enjoy the articles in (in) courage. They always have good advice and seem to always talk about things that affect me. ☺️
Dawn,
I love cooking for others. It blesses my heart to take homemade food to friends & spend some time with them. My ex pastor & his wife have a friendsgiving each year. They invite people over who would otherwise not have any place to go. We each bring a dish or two to share & then take some home for later. It is a pleasant way to spend Thanksgiving.
Blessings 🙂