I started Table Talk with a deep desire to encourage you, as readers, to gather around your own tables and share your own stories of faith and God's faithfulness.
Allow me to introduce you to Ken and Lisa Krenzler and their ministry, At Table. A few months ago, they reached out to share about their table-centered ministry here in the Pacific Northwest.
Ken, a chef with years of experience preparing meals for celebrities, cancer patients, care homes, cooking schools and crowds of up to 3,000, was inspired by a “milk and honey” sermon about the significance of biblical foods. Intrigued, he began studying these foods and was struck by how often Jesus engaged in ministry "At Table."
This study soon turned into menu planning, as Ken sought to recreate ancient dishes — Jacob’s pottage, King David’s banquets, the feasts Jesus attended and Roman fig cake, a delicacy that Paul may have enjoyed.
However, it wasn’t enough for the Krenzlers to simply tell me about their ministry; they graciously invited me to experience it firsthand. So, one wintry Friday evening, my family and I walked through the front door of our mutual friends’ home, stepping into an evening that engaged all our senses.
After worship to open the Sabbath and a prayer for the meal, steaming bowls of aromatic lentil soup were passed around to a table of a dozen friends in ministry — both familiar and new.
Ken had skillfully combined ancient recipes with elemental offerings. The table was laden with brimming bowls of olives, grapes, pomegranates, melon, figs, hummus, a refreshing cucumber salad, a tangy apple-walnut-feta salad, pistachios and more. It was an abundant spread, full of color and flavor.
Nearly everything was intentionally served at room temperature. Two types of flatbread were presented: wheat bread, eaten by the wealthy, and barley bread, a staple of lower-class families. The barley bread was especially remarkable!
As our plates filled with biblical foods, the next key element of the At Table experience began. Ken and Lisa guided us in sharing personal stories of how God had worked in our lives. As the conversation progressed, we laughed, teared up and exchanged meaningful stories of God’s grace and faithfulness.
As dinner wound down and conversations shifted to smaller groups, four hours later, we reluctantly said goodnight. We were satisfied, not only in body, but also in spirit, after such meaningful time spent At Table and in community.
The beauty of this ministry isn’t in the menu — it’s in how any meal, simple or elaborate, can become an entry point to rich, heartfelt conversation. At the heart of the table, we find opportunities to deepen relationships and share God’s faithfulness. Perhaps, as you gather around your own table, you’ll discover that a simple meal becomes a sacred moment.
Table Talk Prompt
How might you create a space at your table for meaningful conversations about God's faithfulness? What’s a story of God’s grace that you would share with others around your table?
