The Jewish Sabbath meal the ‘Shabbat’ is the model for Fuel/food. This was a key family meal of the week and took place every Friday evening at sunset. It was a time for the whole family to be together and affirm their commitment to God and to each other. The meal consists of thanksgiving, blessing and prayer and its purpose is to place God at the centre of the family and prepare the family for the Sabbath.

Fuel/food does not require a ‘2.4 children’ family! The model of extended family may be phasing out of our society, but one of the central principles behind Fuel is to share this meal with others. This will mean inviting friends, neighbours, or wider family to be part of your meal. Couples, singles, families, empty-nesters and grand-parents can all be part of Fuel and share meals with their network of friends and family. This may be the most exciting element of Fuel as it provides a way for us to live out our faith in a way that is accessible to others.

Before getting in to the main course it’s worth warming up with a starter. The following ideas can be used to get the meal headed in the right direction and provide some focus.

Starter One: Remember
The Jewish Shabbat meal started with sharing bread and wine. Imagine the surprise for the disciples when Jesus said that this ritual, should from this point on, be done to remember Him. Perhaps its time to bring communion home?
Remember Jesus: Share some bread / wine / juice
1 Cor 11:23-29 may help with this starter

Starter Two: Blessing
Another great starter is based on blessing. Part of the meal was a blessing for each member of the family.
For example: (Name), God bless you, may you know strength to walk every day, kindness to help others along the way and patience for the journey.
Create some personalised blessings. It’s a real challenge to provide a blessing for each member of the family - but well worth it!

Starter Three: Names
Another great starter is based on names. Get some conversation flowing by sharing the meaning of each other’s names. Perhaps take the opportunity to explain why you chose a particular name for your child/ren. A Google search for ‘baby name meaning’ will provide information on the meaning of a wide range of names.

Starter Four: Light
Try starting a meal with worship. Light a candle and thank God.
“God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light, and he said that it was good!”
Reading Mat 5:14-16 may help to encourage us to shine.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”
What does it mean to shine?

Starter Five: Food
Great starters for sharing…
Nachos
Dips
Etc

Starter Six: Grace
It seems obvious but it’s a great starter!
Do it. Enough said.

Starter Seven: Grace v2
It doesn’t have to be done that way. How about asking everyone to suggest something they are thankful for then round it off by saying Amen.
Eyes open makes it even more personal!

Starter Eight: Fortune cookies?
Get to grips with writing some blessings or destiny words for each other. Provide each person with a piece of paper and pen, give them 2 minutes to write a blessing or word for the person on their right. Share the blessings with each other. In a family environment this is a great avenue to explore discerning what things we need to take on board and what things we need to leave behind.

Starter Nine: Rice paper
How about some tasty words. Get some rice paper and edible ink pens from your supermarket. Write some words of prayer / blessing for each member of your family. Once they have been read eat the paper as a sign of taking it ’on-board’. Tastes good too!

Starter Ten: Prayer
Share it around. Write a prayer for the person on your right. As your family rises to the challenge these prayers could be spoken over each other.

Starter Eleven: Mums
Part of the special Sabbath meal was a blessing for Mums. As a family spend a moment honouring and thanking your mum. Sometimes these things need to be said. It may sound cheesy but it’s worth it!

The Main course is the heart of the meal. Some time to enjoying eating together. It doesn’t have to be a roast with all the trimmings, these meal ideas are great for sharing and are relatively straightforward to prepare. Please share any of your favourite family meals with the Fuel Network.

Main One: DIY food
Tortillas
Fondue
Fajitas
Baked potatoes and fillings
Savoury pancakes

Main Two: Nice and Quick
Pasta Bake
Chilli-con-carne
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Lasagne
Carbonara

Main Three: Family Favourites
We’ve all got a favourite meal. Why not base a meal around a member of your family’s favourite.
Main Four: Treats
Fish and Chips
Indian
Chinese
Pizza

Here are some suggestions for a strong finish. Hopefully re-fuelled and ready to go...

Desserts One: Easy desserts!
Yogurts
Fruit
Ice-cream
Jelly

Desserts Two: DIY
Making your own desserts gets us working together. Easy suggestions include:
Fruit kebabs
Iced fairy cakes
Cheese and biscuits
Sundaes
Pancakes
Why not make them for each other!?

Desserts Three: Cheers!
Special drinks are a good way to round off a meal.
Fruit Cocktails
Hot chocolate

What about a meal for that special occasion or just to help someone feel special. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Special meal One: McDonalds
Take one of your children out for lunch. It doesn't have to be posh! Make the most of the time. Ask them how they are doing. Enjoy their company. Play it by ear. It’ll be great!

Special Meal Two: Birthdays
You may already have a birthday routine but how about adding a blessing to the celebration. Spend some time preparing a blessing for the one with the birthday. Things to include could be: things on that make them special, hopes and dreams for the future, scripture etc. Let your mind run away with it. Consider it an annual MOT. Spend some time examining your relationship. Put some things right. Worth a try?

Special meals Three: Date night
Dad’s, your daughter needs to know she’s a princess. Take her for a meal. Candle-lit, you know the place. Make the most of the opportunity before you’ve got to give her away…

Special meals Four:
Dad’s, its not just the daughters that need you. Spend some time with your son. Take some lunch, buy some lunch, but whatever you do make sure you build up an appetite! Climb that hill, ride that bike, get the fishing rod out, golf clubs, windsurf ;-) if it works for you it will probably work for him.

If this grabs you try reading Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.

Special meals Five:
It’s not just for the Dad’s, How about Mum’s and daughters? Go for a coffee or afternoon tea. Get your nails done. Be friends. Mum’s and sons is a good plan too. Find something he likes and find the time to do it. Play the Xbox, eat crisps, go to the cinema. You might be surprised how much you’ll love it!

You’ve got to the end of Fuel/food. Hopefully you’ve tried some, hopefully you’ve liked some of the ideas, hopefully you’ve got some regular time set aside to put God at the centre of your family life, hopefully you’ve developed some ideas of your own!

Now that it’s starting to work for your family why not invite someone round to share a meal. Family, friends, neighbours might all enjoy a Fuel meal.

If you have given Fuel/food a go it would be great to get some feedback. Please send comments to Jono Harvey
 
Hoping that the sharing of a few of these ideas will provide your family with a greater sense of connection with each other and with God.