Gather At The Table
Watch The Grand Premier Of Our New Series
“You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:5 NASB)
Pull up a seat and join us for a little while!
Welcome to the table. We have some great things we want to share with you.
THANK YOU for opening up your lives and for joining us in this work. Many more lives have been blessed since the last email. We always celebrate you and your unique contribution.
This newsletter's theme of "Gather At The Table" carries many meanings. A table provides a setting for connection. Our lives thrive when we are connected with God and others. I love how God wants to meet with us no matter what is going on in our lives. Jesus even sat at the tables of those who rejected Him. He made room for them. He has made room at the table for all of us!
I am going to let my good friend and prayer partner Craig Cunningham share her heart about the table. She and her husband Hugh have played a huge part in this work's effectiveness. I love them!
Watch Our New Series
We are pleased to present "Join The Move: Episode 1." This short video series posted at the top of our blog welcomes you into a fun, fast play-by-play of a move, from the picking up of furniture to delivery and installation. You get to experience the JOY in the process and see the way love-in-action affects a family!
Special thanks to the dynamic production team of our friends Paula Manga (shooting) and Mikayla Hawley (editing) in creating this video.
They did a fantastic job of catching the ENERGY on these home transformations.
Craig Shares Her Table
My favorite times are when family and friends are gathered around my table. In our fast-paced world, we have to intentionally slow down and sit down to enjoy each other's presence...to be present in the now and really connect with each other. There have been celebratory times of great laughter at my table and times of heart pain and tears, but the togetherness multiplied the joy and divided the sorrow.
Jesus engaged with others at the table by sitting at their table and entering into their lives. There is a spiritual table our God sets for us.
The Word says He sets the table "in the presence" of our enemies. He desires to have us sit with Him at His table. I picture a table replete with every good and perfect gift. A table filled with grace.
We can come to God's table with our brokenness of sin, guilt, weakness, pride, and shame. And we can come to God's table, rejoicing with hearts of gratitude and thanksgiving.
Jesus has pulled out a chair for each one of us and calls us to come and dine with Him, “to taste and see that the Lord is good." He desires to fill us with His Spirit. May each of us see our table as a time set apart to honor Him and each other.
Issues Across The Table
We will continue to share in each newsletter things that affect the demographics we serve. The table connects to the topic of food insecurity! It is difficult to perform well in school or think about coming out of poverty when hungry.
The issue of food security refers to not only the quantity of food present but also the quality of nutritious options. Research on "food deserts" is based on zip codes where there exists a vacuum of access to quality grocery stores. Food deserts have many convenient stores but lack grocery stores with fresh produce.
Furnishing Families occasionally will bring food along with our furniture deliveries. We have directly distributed food at critical times in our community. This is not our primary focus. We are engaged with community partners that do serve families with food. Statistically, Black families tend to be more vulnerable, as evident in the graphic below.
Tarrant Area Food Bank's Web Site crafts a compelling picture of who falls into the food insecure category:
Hunger can affect any one of us. Most people who seek food assistance have to swallow their pride before going to a pantry or soup kitchen. Many are hard-working, low-wage earners without health insurance who are trying to support families while dealing with medical bills, major car repairs or other situations that become financial crises because of their low incomes. Others are living on fixed incomes—people such as senior citizens or individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Some are middle-income earners who have been laid off and have spent their savings while job hunting.
In light of this, we ask you consider to find a way to support financially or volunteer at a Food pantry, Food Bank, Soup Kitchen, or any organization targeting this issue within your community.
If you would like to continue to sow into this region, consider supporting by clicking Here for The William M Mcdonald YMCA in Fort Worth, which serves as a partner and distributor for the Tarrant Area Food Bank.
Table Talk
At the table, we get to hear what's going on in the lives of our friends, neighbors, and family. So many special memories have been created in this space for me and my family. I love to create that environment by hosting parties.
I enjoy spending time with God literally at the kitchen table in the mornings cozied up with tea or coffee in hand. He sets a table for us, and we can choose to join.
Thank you for joining the Furnishing Families table. Experience the joy of this large family as they are fully furnished including a big table and chairs.
We are grateful to you!
May your tables be filled with love, life, and the Lord!
Annabelle and Lance