Join The Lifegiving Table Book Club!
Friends, I have something super exciting in the works for you! If you read The Lifegiving Home and loved it, you will LOVE this new book by Sally Clarkson. The Lifegiving Table is all about discipling, connecting and deepening your relationship with your kids through meal times.
In the past 20 years, family dinners have declined by 33%. By now we know that dinners around the table are so important for all people, particularly children and families.
I recently read an article on the Washington Post where a therapist said she often had the impulse to tell families to go home and eat dinner together rather than spend an hour with her. That’s powerful! At the table we have countless opportunities to dig into the hearts of our little ones (and big ones too!).
Research is now showing that for young children, dinnertime conversation boosts vocabulary even more than being read aloud to. Meals are a natural connection point throughout the day that help us stop, breathe, connect, and recharge - both physically and spiritually. At the table, the door is open for us to deepen relationships with our children and pass on our faith.
Join me and my friend Haley for a book club beginning Oct. 30th. We will meet every Monday at 8pm CST on FB Live and talk about The Lifegiving Table!
From the time they were little, our children were included in our hospitality efforts. When we were expecting guests, each child was given a task to complete to make our table ready. Setting the table, cutting flowers, lighting candles, putting on music, cooking, meeting guests at the door, and making them feel welcome in our home were standard responsibilities shared by us all. Because we wanted our children to learn conversation skills, each one was to think of one question to ask our guests. There were even times when they were asked to give up their room or their bed for someone who was staying with us—a great lesson in serving.
Another important way we taught hospitality to our children was encouraging them to invite their friends over as often as possible. We served juice and cookies to toddlers, lemonade and sandwiches to ten-year-olds, pizza and popcorn to teens, and enough chocolate chip cookies to fill a fleet of semis. We opened our rooms and our yard to study groups, kids’ clubs, and lots and lots of games. In the process our kids learned even more about what it means to welcome and serve others. - Sally Clarkson, The Lifegiving Table