Guest Post - TakeThemAMeal

My son had just been born.  I had been up 4 times the night before and I had an awful headache.  It was dinner time, my 2 year old daughter was screaming because she was hungry, and my husband was still at work.  I was stressed and overwhelmed.  Then, my doorbell rang.  It was my friend Sarah bringing us dinner.  I knew it was going to be gluten free, I knew it was going to be good (simply because I didn’t have to make it!), and best of all, I knew more meals would be on the way in the coming days.

I knew all of this because of a wonderful service called www.TakeThemAMeal.com, a free website used to coordinate meals for those in need, often after an illness, hospitalization, loss of a loved one, birth of a new baby, etc.  I had used the site for years to both create meal schedules and receive meals before moving to the city where it is headquartered and meeting one of the owners.  I work for them now, and it’s one of the best jobs I’ve ever had because I and many of my friends have benefited from the site so much.

TakeThemAMeal.com is really easy to use. Once a meal schedule is created, you can enter in the address of the person receiving the meal, details about when to drop it off, dietary concerns, and even see what other people are bringing so that no one brings the same thing.  I used to have a calendar where I would pencil in who was bringing what on which days, spending lots of precious time trying to get all the details straight.  Now it’s done in minutes on a super easy to use website.  TakeThemAMeal.com even sends you a reminder email!  Here is a sample of what a schedule looks like- http://www.takethemameal.com/sample.php.  

TakeThemAMeal.com is also a useful tool within the body of Christ.  A few months ago, one of the members of our church had an unexpected extended hospital stay after the birth of her second child.  The meal coordinators quickly updated everyone on the families needs through their TakeThemAMeal schedule.  They even used the website to collect money for the family to buy food at the hospital.  I wanted to help out and TakeThemAMeal made it easy to serve; it listed all the foods their daughter at home enjoyed and gave instructions for the best times and the best way of delivering the meal.  As believers, we have the privilege to serve others in the church and TakeThemAMeal.com a great tool to simplify the “Meal Ministry” process.

To date, over 1.5 million meal schedules have been created to serve over 200,000 families.  So consider setting up a meal schedule at TakeThemAMeal.com the next time you hear of a friend, church member, neighbor, co-worker, or family member in need of a break.  It’s free, easy to use and a great way to show you care.  

By Maureen Witmer

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Also check out our sister site- www.PerfectPotluck.com

The Matthew 6:33 Life ~ Guest Post

Today I have a guest post from KM Logan from Lessons From Ivy.  She has a lovely site and I've been blessed by the things she shares.  After you read this post go on over to her site and get to know her better.  I know you'll be blessed!

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Prioritizing life can sometimes be difficult. 

“How clean should I make sure my house is?”

“How much time should I spend working from home to earn extra income?”

“Do I need to get a part time job, or am I just chasing after a lifestyle?”

“Am I spending enough time with my husband and family?”

“Am I volunteering enough at church?”

“Am I volunteering too much at church?”

The fact of the matter is that the answer to these questions is different for every single one of us.  Some women need to take on a part time job or work from home, while others don’t need the extra income they just want it (this isn’t necessarily wrong).

Some women will have plenty of time during their day to spit shine their entire house, while another woman who has small or special needs children will barely have time to get dressed every day.

Every priority in our life however needs to come back to one question:

“Is what I’m doing helping the Kingdom of God?”

Having a spotless house but neglecting the teaching of God’s Word to our Children affects God’s Kingdom in a negative way, while pouring God’s love into their precious hearts and having streaky windows affects God’s Kingdom positively.

By no means am I saying that women with clean houses aren’t teaching their children’s God’s truth, or that you can’t have both, I’m just giving an example.

I can have what the world would consider success but if my children don’t feel loved by me, I’m not seeking God’s Kingdom I’m seeking my own desires.

Life is about balance and priorities.  We all have different needs and callings, but we should always seek God’s Kingdom first and everything will fall into place.

" But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

KM Logan is a wife, mother, blogger and author.  She's written 3 books and has far too many ideas in her head at the moment for others.  She'd love for you to visit her at Lessons From Ivy and hopes you can be encouraged there.