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Do you ever struggle with knowing what to cook for dinner? Need a few new recipes? Well allow me to introduce you to my sweet friend, Janelle, from Comfy In The Kitchen! Janelle is a fellow GMG and like Clare, she also is a wonderful personal friend to Courtney and me! If only she lived closer…..I’d love to learn how to cook like she does!! This girl is amazing in the kitchen and it’s a blessing to have her on GMG today!
Please welcome Janelle to Good Morning Girls today!!!
{My van in the midst of a meal ministry!-Yes, those are tubs of Ricotta-lol.}
“She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar” ~Proverbs 31:14
This particular verse has been, what I would call, my adult life song. Some of you may know that the Lord has given me a “meal ministry” on and off line. Making meals for others is such second nature in my life that I don’t consider it as much of a sacrifice as I do a joy, privilege and way of life. Raising 3 young children and keeping up with all the demands of this ministry is not always easy, but God has graciously given me just enough means, time, patience, and strength to keep it going. One of the best parts of this ministry is sharing it with my family-the children love to accompany me and witness God’s work in action and my husband gets a kick out of what God is calling me to do {he also doesn’t mind getting a home cooked meal out of it.}I am just so thankful to the Lord and for the support of my family.
Although I get so much joy in serving others, serving my own family is my life’s biggest blessing. In 1 Timothy 5:8 it says, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Sometimes as women of the Lord, we work so diligently within certain boundaries of our ministries ,but unknowingly fail to consider our families. This isn’t just heartbreaking to the Lord, it’s also counter productive! After all, we are here to serve God! In this meal ministry I have learned how important it is that first set aside portions for my beloved party of five {take a picture for the blog, haha}, than divvy the rest according to God’s will.
One of my favorite authors, John MacArthur wrote about this verse on Grace to You ,he says…
“She is like merchant ships, she brings her food from afar.” Some of you are saying, “Well that’s my wife, she finds these coupons and drives 30 miles to get a bargain on orange juice and eats up more in gas than we save.” Well, listen, she’s trying. Now we understand that benefit of that being frugal and being careful. But in those days the rub was you had to walk…you had to walk. She walked long distances to find something that her family would enjoy. It doesn’t even say the price was the issue, although we could assume it was. She’s like a merchant ship. I mean, he didn’t say she’s like somebody who takes a short trip. She’s like a ship, she takes a journey to get some food that’s way off in the distance, and she has to walk a long way to get it. But because of the delight she has in providing it for her family, she willingly does that. She finds her complete satisfaction in the joy of serving those great distances to find the very best, certainly for the best price to bring the benefit to her family.She’s engaged, you see, in good planning, careful management, but it’s not just simplistic, it’s not just bread and water, there are little things that she adds to make it rich and enjoyable, even if she has to go a long way to get it.”
Can’t you just feel the excitement and enjoyment that the Proverbs 31 woman gets from serving her family?! She is willing to literally walk the extra mile to make something special for them! Her reward is the beautiful feeling she gets by sharing God’s love with her family. How lucky are most of us who have paper and internet ads to compare prices and vehicles to take us safely to and from grocery stores? I often wonder if I would be so willing to do all that I do with the means of the Proverbs 31 woman. She amazes me and makes me realize how far I have to go to live to measure up to those Godly standards!
Ladies, let me encourage you today to go the extra mile for your family and for others! It is a blessing to be trusted to serve ….and in my life, it’s been a blessing to bring food from afar.
How do you bring food from afar? I’d LOVE to know!
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Janelle Nehrenz
Janelle is a Christian, a Wife, a Stay at Home Mom of 3 young children and a proud- to- claim- it “Foodie”. She absolutely loves to cook and typically has an audience of 3 children, pulled up on chairs, taking turns pouring ingredients into bowls. Her spiritual gifts are a mix of “hospitality and evangelism” and is here in the center of God’s will hoping to help you get a little more “comfy in your kitchen”! You can find her displaying step-by-step photos of her recipes, giving devotionals,and sharing meal ministry stories on her blog Comfy In the Kitchen.
Actually, for my family, it has been an interesting swap! We have started eating less processed foods. This often means shoping more locally, (right near our church, right near our home, right near work, etc.) to get the best foods for our family! Even in the garden…I am excited that instead of getting “imported” foods from all over the country and world, I am able to provide food from my own garden. YES, it takes more planning and creativity, and even a bit more on our budget to buy fresh and local, but I know I am blessing my family with good health, so its worth the sacrifices ♥
Love the wisdom that you shared with us today, Janelle!!! You are an inspiration in the kitchen and outside as well!
Thanks so much for your encouragement today!
Love God Greatly!
-Angela
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