Of all the challenges during our month of the Funky Fresh Kitchen, this one is probably my favorite. Having clean and organized kitchens is wonderful. Stocking our shelves with wholesome, healthy ingredients is fantastic. But taking the time out of our busy lives to serve someone? Now that’s more beautiful than any sparkling clean kitchen I’ve ever seen.
While we focus this month on starting fresh, developing a routine, getting ahead, and becoming more organized…let’s also take a moment to look beyond ourselves. Is there someone you know who could use a good dose of something funky and fresh (and delicious!) from your kitchen? A family who could use some encouragement? A neighbor who needs a helping hand? A friend who has served you and you’d like to say “thank you”?
Spend some time in prayer about this one. Who is God putting on your heart to reach out to? Listen.
Then get into your kitchen and bake up something funky and fresh to deliver to someone. Or cook an extra casserole to share. Or do whatever you feel you can/should do that will bless someone else.
Depending on what you feel you should do, this challenge may not actually involve food. Do you need to simply make a phone call to chat with someone? Should you write and send a card? Can you focus some prayer time on someone specific?
This challenge really is about taking a deep breath, slowing down, and taking the time to love on others. As an added bonus, I encourage you to get your kids involved. If you’re going through the Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve curriculum, you’ll easily be able to double up on this one. Oh, and we’ve got a new Funky Fresh Freebie coming up tomorrow that might give you more ideas! :)
Here’s Malachi taking a pie to our friends last year. :)
As you think of ideas to complete this challenge, please leave your comments here. I know we will all love reading about ways you are planning to serve, and will be inspired by your ideas. All comments will be entered in our giveway for two $25 and one $50 gift certificates to the Heavenly Homemakers Shop.
I love this challenge! A couple things came to mind – I have a couple of cards I should write and a food related something would go great with one of them. Then a friend is having a baby any day now and I’ll be bringing her a meal.
My oldest son started piano lessons this last week, and a friend of mine took the two little ones during the 40 minute drive/lesson time. She agreed to do it again this week, and I am going to make an extra casserole on Thursday to take to her Friday for her family. Thanks for the challenge!
We have neighbors that just moved in next door. I am planning on fixing a breakfast meal and take to them. Then invite them to our church.
We live near a college and have people in our home frequently who are in from out of state visiting their children. When they are here, they come and go according to their children’s class schedule for the day so I make crock pot meals that are ready whenever the guests are!!!
I love this one! I have a couple ideas already. Doing some baking to share and make a couple phone calls. I will take some time and pray about this. Thanks for the wonderful challenge!
Food is such a beautiful ice breaker and equalizer. Most everyone enjoys sharing food. I go one to two times a week and cook a meal with 13-16 year old boys who live in a group home. Cooking with them and sharing food helped me become their friend. Now I do all kinds of things with them besides cooking. Yesterday, we all played croquet!
We have a neighbor who just had surgery. I think I will bake something and visit with them.
My DD school has older kids that help out around the school before school starts each morning. Two of the boys are assigned to help little ones out of the drop off line. We are going to make a fall snack mix and package it in disposable gloves with a tag, “Thank you for your helping hands.”
This is just the nudge I need to bake something and take it over to our new neighbors. Also, I have volunteered to teach a class in our homeschool co-op this fall. This is WAY outside of my comfort zone, but I see it as a way to serve all the other moms who have volunteered to teach my kiddos in years past.
I knew it was my neighbor’s birthday last weekend, so I made a few extra truffles (I was already making some for a baby shower) and brought them over to her. She started crying and said that was the only birthday present she received. It was something so simple, so I was so surprised that it such an impact on her. I definitely feel like God has put her in our lives for a reason! We love doing little things like this for our friends and neighbors :)
I like to bring meals to moms who just had babies. Also, my husband does A LOT of canning and whenever we go anywhere, we always bring a gift with us. We are constantly sharing. He has taught me to be generous.
My husband just suggested this weekend that I bake something for the neighbors again. It’s been a while. Thanks for the extra encouragement.
My mom is a widow, and I know sometimes she feels lonely living alone. I try to include her in my family when possible, but we can be so busy that it isn’t as often as it should be. Your post has inspired me to make the effort and plan to have her over more, starting with a meal this week–we’ll see what works for both our schedules!
Oh, this is easy! I am taking cookies to my mechanic tomorrow. AND, my vanilla is ready so will be using that in the recipe!
I have a friend that just moved to a new city to start a church plant with her husband. Can’t get a meal to her but I think I’ll try to overflow her mailbox with some cards this week. :)
My friend just had her third baby, and our church has set up a CARE calendar for her. I will be taking a meal to her and her family soon.
I can’t think of anyone who needs a meal right now, but I do need to do something to thank a friend who watched my older son while I was handling some medical stuff with my younger son. Praise God for great friends who take the place of family when you have none close-by!
What a small thing to do that could be such a great blessing to someone! My husband is a campus minister, so I will ask him to invite a college student (who may be especially needing some time out of the dorms and in a home) over to share a fresh, homemade, family meal with us around our table.
A man in our church recently fractured 4 vertabrae in his neck. Obviously he can’t work, and he has one of those halos on his head. It’s taking a toll on them financially and emotionally. He and his wife have 4 children at home. We’re planning to make them a meal this week.
This is a great challenge! An elderly neighbor just fell and broke her hip. She’s not a big eater, but seeing my toddlers seems to be a real treat for her. She calls them her “grandkids”. :D Visiting her is a way to serve!
Love this challenge. I love giving home baked goods or sending notes. I plan to make and give some bread to a lady that has been a great help.
love taking meals to new moms!
I have a friend who just had her sixth baby. All her meals are taken care of, but I’ll try to make a healthy snack and maybe something for breakfast to bring over to them.
Thank you for the reminder on this! I need to step up and bake for my neighbors.
I am planning to babysit a friend’s toddler since she just had a new baby. Hopefully we can also make a treat to share!
I am making dinner for the youth group this week. We don’t always feed everyone, but we like to have a meal for the kids who come to the meeting after a full day of school and sports pracrtice, kids who play in the worship team, and anyone who is hungry.
My 3-year-old daughter and I just finished mixing up the zucchini cookie dough to bake tomorrow. I am also going to make a few spaghetti casseroles and bring some fresh veggies from the garden with dip.
Baking cookies for friends.
We just moved to a different state where we do not know anyone. We are in a new development so we have not had any neighbors. Well we have our first new neighbors across the street. They are an older couple with a disabled daughter. We are going to make them cookies or muffins and the kids are going to draw them some pictures. This will come with an invitation to go on walks and play with us.
I have some friends who are going through hard times (emergency surgeries, lost jobs, etc). We hope to take them a meal in the next couple weeks to show we care and are thinking of them.
I have a friend who lost her husband a few months back. I haven’t been able to have some real girl time with her since then due to conflicting schedules, but your post encourages me to make time in my schedule this week for her. I think with the feeling of fall in the air a homemade apple pie and some girl talk are in order. :)
we have an elderly neighbor couple that we have ‘adopted” as grandparents. =0) Lots of jam, etc get sent over. Just made cookies for the ushers in our church with a little thank you attached to it. It is an often thankless job we wanted them to know how much we appreciate them (all 30 of them!!!)
Each month I schedule a day to take something to my grandma and also to a great-aunt. For Christmas we give them a list of dates for the month and the theme. This year it’s desserts. We’ve used soups, cookies, muffins and a main dish themes for other years. It makes me take time to stop and visit when the dates are scheduled in advance. I still like to stop in at other times but it doesn’t happen as often as it should.
We have been canning like crazy and we are coming up on our goal for canned tomatoes – so we are going to can up the extra and take them to neighbors and family to add a little funky fresh to their kitchen while serving at the same time.
We just moved cross country 2 months ago and have been adjusting and settling into our new routine. Our pastor challenged us yesterday to not get too “nested” – we are pilgrims on this earth – and I want to get out of my comfort zone before I get too settled. So we are having various people over for meals this week. Before the move I cooked often for other people, but I have fallen into the habit of just caring for my family as we adjust.
My parents are elderly and now more than ever need help. My sistes and I decided we would each take them food to last them through the week. My time is this weekend. I plan to take several freezer meals also. I will be taking meatloaf, okra, lots of chiken caseroles. i will take some of my canned items too. Just yesterday, I was able to help my oldest daughter out(single parent) with lots of food and encouragement.
We just took a meal to a family at church – – they had just had a baby . . . we all made cards and were excited to meet their blessing :) . .. what a treasure to love on others!!
I share my garden produce with friends and family. I make myself available for a disabled neighbor when she needs rides. I am part of a church card ministry.
Right now I am serving my 29 year old daughter who had her first baby 3 weeks ago. Meals, nursing advice, baby holding while she naps, whatever she needs right now. Really not much of a hardship since the baby is involved in serving her :)
I’m working on a quilt for my best friend who will be 86 on the 13th! I wanted it done by her birthday, but finances made it to where I couldn’t buy a quilting foot =( I’m also part of the card list at church. It is a really neat idea! Women sign up to send out cards for people in the church who are sick, has a death in the family, etc and sends them a card from the church! I like to send my own to though :) Tons of ways to serve people I just need to get up and do it!
My beloved is around the corner cleaning the neighbor’s driveway & yard of all the dropped peaches. He delived the neighbors a dozen fresh eggs too.
Yesterday the neighbors told us we can help them out by picking the fruit on the trees (they are college renters) I’ll probably have some jam or a cobbler to share later in the week :)
I thanks god the he aloud me to share my time to feed homeless people ones a months(I am part of that ministry) and also these coming wednesday my daughter volunteer to bring some snaks so We will be making chewy granola bars for her m-pack girls in our church.(your recipe has become very famous in our church).
I’m awaiting an email from the MOMS Club I just joined – they’re doing a consignment/bake sale that’s benefiting charity and I’m hoping they still have something unclaimed that they need for the bake sale. :D If I knew more people around here, I’d do something else, but I’m new to the area. :p
Thank you for the challenge, it’s a good push! this is always something on my mind, but usually gets put on the bottom of the priority list.
I have signed up for our meal ministry at church. I was so blessed by this ministry when my little one was born, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to serve others in the same way! This past week I brought a new mom and her family a dinner (and your whole wheat banana muffins for breakfast the next morning). While I was there, she mentioned that she’s disappointed she won’t be able to attend our first MOPS meeting because, after having a C-section, she can’t lift her kids into the car. Because I met one need, I was able to volunteer to meet another – since we don’t live far I offered to come over and help her get her kiddos in and out of the car that morning. :)
I love having friends over for supper. It’s a great way to show them that our food is not so bad tasting. ;)
My mom writes poetry and wants it to be a blessing to others. I send them to people as the need arises (with her permission!), either via email, snail mail or in person. Often I put them into cards that I make trying to help bless someone’s day. Thanks
Perfect post for today as we were already planning to serve a recently divorced neighbor and his daughter with dinner tonight. She’s commented on having to eat chicken fingers every night so we’re trying to be more conscious about serving them when I can make something that transports easily :)
I just found out a church member had her twins and with a 2 year old at home too I am planning to surprise her with a meal and some snacky things for the big brother and new mama (and daddy too!). Should be fun as we don’t know each other much at all and she lives pretty close…kind of a random acts of kindness thing.
I’m going to take my kids to visit my grandparents. I was already planning on bringing them some fresh tomatoes from my garden but I think I’ll also take them a fresh loaf of zucchini bread.
Having a small group of ladies over tonight for a Bible study!
We have a card to send out to a dear friend who hurt her back, and since we did the letter ‘B’ in Learn Your Letters Learn To Serve last week (and we’re a bit behind, haha)we will be taking Brownies to daddy’s Bosses this week. :)
Wow! Just did this last night and brought some fresh milled homemade bread to some neighbors.
Well I haven’t gotten a lot done with new baby but I did get some cooked chicken in the freezer and some chicken broth made.
I just made a casserole to take to a homeless center that serves lunch everyday…
My mom is going through Chemo right now so I’m going to kill two (metaphoric) birds with one stone. I get to make a new soup recipe from a cookbook I just got, and I get to make something that my mom can hopefully tolerate, as she has been nauseated for the past few days. It’s nice when you can do something you love for someone you love. :)
My brother and his wife have a new baby, so I am going to make them some food!
Sent church dinner leftovers home with our Pastor’s family to help feed the guest speaker & family they are hosting this week. Definitely need to work more serving into my week!
What some call ‘ironic’ I call God…my husband and I were JUST discussing serving others and how to teach our children to serve…then I saw your post! Awesome!
I love this idea :) Lots of people need to be served!
Our neighbors (and great friends) just brought home their first baby yesterday. She was born 4 weeks early and only weighs 4 lbs. I’ll be taking a few meals over to them this week.
I sent food over to our neighbor when his power was out.
We just returned from spending a week with our daughter and new granddaughter. One of my contributions was to prepare dinner for a week. I prepared extras of each meal and left her freezer stocked with 4 meatloaves, 6 servings of corn chowder, 1 pesto pizza, filling for veggie tacos, and 2 servings of maple garlic glazed chicken. I helped her get ahead with freezer cooking AND I found a way to serve.
I also visit a retirement home each Tuesday to serve as a volunteer counselor. Residents can sigh up during the week if they have something they would like to talk about. Most forget that they can sign up so I check with the secretary to find out who has had a rough week or been troubled and I appear in their room to lend an ear or shoulder. They are so appreciative of individual time and I am so blessed by it.
I must have been on a roll! All those breads and muffins I was making? I already took some to one of our favorite older couples! I love to share with them!!!
I mail a card on the 7th and 14th of each month to a friend or family member.
My whole family was grumpy today – until we seved homemade cake to some men who were doing roof repairs, and invited neighbors over for dinner. The best way to get happy is by serving others! I think a very wise woman blogged about that recently!
I have been so busy preparing for our new baby, that I haven’t served much lately. I plan to make a meal for my neighbor whose husband is deployed
I think we’ll pull our “learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve” book back out. I loved that book and we ha so much fun doing it! So fun to bless someone unexpectedly!
I like to bring goodies to work for my coworkers. They appreciate the treats, and always rave about my food, so I know they like it!
We had two new families move into our neighborhood so we have taken them bars and a note to introduce ourselves! The kids loved it!
I made my Grama her her favorite soup (stuffed pepper) for her birthday so she wouldn’t have to cook. She had to take my grampa to the hospital for his iron infusions, which takes hours, and she was pretty worn out.
They both told me (and my mom, and lots of other people) that it was the absolute best they’d ever had. Unfortunately, they asked for the recipe, but I rarely use recipes so I wasn’t able to give it to them. Maybe I can can some of it to give to them as a Christmas present :)
The daughter of a friend of ours was badly injured in a terrible car accident. We’ve been praying constantly. I’m going to write her a note with healing verses on it and go sit with the family tomorrow.
I have been sharing tomatoes, peppers and basil with co-workers and church members. I hope to make my Italian vegetable soup for someone soon. Thanks for challenging us. I also have been talking with my husband about ways we can serve more. What better way to preach the Gospel than being the hands and feet of Christ.
Time to make more zucchini bread for our wonderful neighbor who provided us with enough zucchini to freeze for the winter.
I am at my sister’s house this week two states away caring for my mother who was just released from the hospital. It is very satisfying to care for a loved one and help around the house while my sister is at work.
Every month I make fresh banana muffins for the 90 year old lady who grew up in our house, and has now become our adopted great grandmother. She eats the muffins every morning for breakfast, and I love supplying her with them as she has health issues and has lost most of her teeth, so eating is an ordeal. I am so blessed to have her in our lives, and love that our home brought us together!
I would love to take a dessert over to a family that just had a new baby. Thanks for the ispiration.
I just made a little over two dozen homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch…my husband will take some to work and some will go to different neighbors tomorrow!!!
I love this challenge! I love being able to love on others!!
I just finished up a couple pans of whole wheat cinnamon rolls for my husband to take to his co-workers tomorrow morning.
Trying to have breakfasts and lunches on hand and make our home as comfortable as possible for the guest speaker who is staying with us this week. Letting another family use our house tomorrow night since they don’t have enough room at their’s to serve a meal. God has blessed us with the space in our house, so how can we not share it with others? Thanks for this challenge. Makes me want to think of more ways to serve others. Like the lady next door who’s going through a divorce and has a baby my son’s age (not even a year yet). Praying for God to help me see how I can serve her.
I have found that my service of others is directly proportionate to my walk with the Lord. The more time I spend in the word and prayer, the more thankful I am, the more content I am, and the more love I am filled with. Service is just a natural outpouring from and emulation of Christ’s love. It is the times I allow myself to get too busy to spend time with my Lord or too self absorbed, that serving becomes a chore or a prideful pat on the back. Teach your children to serve by practicing and find your strength, joy and motivation in the Lord.
Taking a meal to a family when they have a new baby is one of my favorite ways to love on someone.
We are going to take a meal to a little old lady who lost her husband a few months ago. None of her family lives here, and Im pretty sure she doesnt cook for herself now.
my act of service will be done in the kitchen…ironing hubbys work clothes…but it doesn’t involve food does that count? not my favorite chore and i haven’t done it for 10 years but i’m making an effort now b/c i know it’s the little things that say i value you.
and with today being my day off i’ll hopefully get to the cookies he’s asked for on my to do list too.
A meal to the family that teaches our girls piano and freshly baked raisin bread to our son and his family (we don’t get to see them often). : )
I’m hoping to take meals to some families who just had their first babies.
I’ll have to do some extra canning to give away :)
I have extra baby clothes to give away to friends that have been a blessing to me.
We’ve had several new neighbors move onto the block in the past month so now that the cooler weather is here and my kitchen is cleaner and more organized I will bake up a batch of Welcome! cookies for each of them.
I’ll be sending a card to a friend whose mother is ill.
Not sure what I’ll do yet….but thanks for the encouragement!
A close family member is pregnant with baby #4 and VERY sick most days. God has placed her on my heart. We will be taking a casserole and homemade whole wheat bread to them tomorrow!
A family in our church lost a baby so I will be taking them dinner tomorrow night.
My daughter helped me make brownies to take to our next door neighbors.
I’m a part of our meals ministry team at church :)
we’re making dinner for a co-worker that is visiting from out of town
My good friend purchased this curricululm last year and I have been a blessed recipient. I LOVED when her kiddos showed up at my door with some goodies to share love and serve! Warmed my heart. She loves your curriculum too!
I’m grateful for this post. I’m on bedrest with HG which is morning sickness on steroids. I’ve been sick for so long and will continue to be sick until my baby comes. I really needed this because it got me thinking about what I CAN do for others instead of where I need serving. I CAN lend a listening ear. I CAN pray for those who help me. I CAN call up a loved one and tell them I love them. I CAN think about how I can serve someone else when I get better. Thanks everyone!
We will be taking a gift basket of homemade jams, pickles and other canned goodies we produced from our garden to a neighbor who graciously lets us ‘farm’ part of her property. Our girls are all excited, as each contributed something to the basket. The pumpking chocolate chip muffins look like they want to be included as well, so we’ll make a batch to share.
Well, I served my hubby. I gave him a hair cut! This was the third time I’ve done this so I was a little apprehensive. But practice makes perfect and I did a good job. I was proud of myself! He loves it when I wash his hair for him so I did it before and after. We had a good time too. Just being quiet and listening to calming music. Good stuff.
Both last weekend and this coming weekend, we’ve hosted people who are interviewing for a position at our church. It’s a great way to get to know people, while filling a need!
Hi all,
Thanks for putting this out there. I was grateful to be able to deliver some make a head meatballs to a family via their daughter. She goes to my school and had gotten hurt last Friday playing. Her mouth was so sore that she has been on soft foods. I enjoyed making these meatballs that are soft and delicious. My family really enjoys them. But, mostly I enjoyed telling the little girl that I made them for her family and her to enjoy and I hoped her mouth feels better. She smiled big and gave me a hug. What joy I was given? Understand this, the father has been out of work for some time. It is a family with 6 children and they are sweet and beautiful. I try to help when I can, but I don’t want to offend them. Yet, I think the need for assistance is there. Thank you God for placing these folks in my life. We all need more opportunities to embrace serving.
God bless,
Mary Lou
Last week, I took a meal to a friend whose husband had pneumonia. Taking meals to people is not my forte, so this was going out of my comfort zone. Our church has an extensive meal service ministry, and I took the leap and signed up for it. Now I need to learn to cook better!
HAHA, funny this is the challenge. My family and I jut baked a bunch of cookies and gave them to our neighbors, all in the shape of leaves.
Today I was able to finally do what I had hoped to do. I neighbor and friend, who has been both very busy and stressed, finally asked me to come over to visit. I brought her some vegetables from the garden for tonight’s supper.
Some friends from church just had baby #7 this morning. I’m looking forward to taking a meal to them and maybe (if I can sort out transportation) take her kids for a while to let her get some rest and one-on-one time with the new baby!
Think I left my comment in wrong place :( so here it is hopefully in the right place to win one of these certificates….making cooking this week-end with granddaughter who always spends Fri. nites :) and will share with family and friends…..
The Death by Chocolate looks so yummy….will have to make that soon…..
Correction….making COOKIES, not cooking….could we please have an EDIT BUTTON on here Laura ? :)
This is a great challenge and one I am trying to become more intentional about. The kids and I delivered fresh baked cookies to a new neighbor, and delivered a meal to a family whose son was having surgery. Next step: inviting someone to my house for a meal!