#iftable

This the second of our current series, Women of the Table. In this series we are  introducing you to the women that grace if:table every month and their stories of beauty and redemption.

 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. —Acts 2:42

 I’d Like to present to you Rachel Califf, here’s a little glimpse of her full yet beautifully devoted life here in Dayton. If you attended If:Dayton 2019 you probably enjoyed a yummy soup made by Rachel.

Rachel is a gentle friend with a kind heart that loves completely. She is a dedicated wife to Ben and leans into adventure with him on the hiking trail and in life. She homeschools her 6 littles teaching them life through the ways she lives hers. As a military family they understand transitions and also long for deep connections where ever they are. She is a creative who delights in beauty and seeks out the beauty in others. You can find Rachel serving in different ways around the community with her family.  One of the most beautiful ways she has served this year is by recognizing her limitations and trusting the Lord with her family’s rhythm of life. You can catch her writing and wisdom as she shares what the Lord is teaching her on Facebook and at Grace Mama, Grace

Now from her own words see the impact If:Table has had, not just in her heart but in her family as they gather around the table. 

  As I set my family’s Thanksgiving table, I was overwhelmed by the impact of the If:Dayton table this past year. And it’s not just the eucalyptus arrangement and neatly folded cloth napkins. The impact is not even found in the glittering gold plates, that caused my six-year-old daughter to melt into breathy awe as her eyes flutter in delight. It was the most beautiful Thanksgiving table that I’ve ever arranged by myself. Oh, the beauty is certainly part of the impact of IF:Dayton in my life. I cherish the appeal of creating, gathering, displaying art filled beauty that lends an outward glimpse of the eternal significance of the table and gathering together. My three young daughters excitedly set the table and lit the candles, carefully scrutinized the napkin placement, while my eldest son arranged wildflowers in a vase. They stepped back to admired their work, imitating me with captivated smiles. I am awed by the realization that spending time setting the table with care and attention for the ones I love is an extension of my deep love for them. 

The beauty of the table beckoned us and we leaned into it.

  In the seasons of exhausted motherhood to many Littles, there were no charcuterie boards of carefully spilled out meats, cheeses, and crackers. In those seasons, there were plenty of crumbs,toddler-strewn food, mismatched plates, burnt apple pies, and rejected green bean casseroles. Looking back now, I realize that even then those feasts were just as beautiful as if there were glittering gold plates and flickering candles. 

You see, the true and abiding beauty of the table shines through the people sitting around the table not just the table itself.

 Thanksgiving offered a national pause for the purpose of gratitude and for that I am grateful. But what I have longed for is the intimacy and connection of gathering in my family’s daily life – not just at a Thanksgiving feast. I yearn for a daily and weekly routine of respite in the midst of busy lives. When I experienced this at IF:table, I purposed to bring  this posture around the table to my home for the sake of my family. So, slowly, we have been creating space for family meal time, whether the meal is special or routine. On some days we set out leftovers but still we set the table and create space for our hearts to connect.  Out of this intentionality we have a  new tradition of family breakfast on Sunday mornings. It has become a much anticipated and treasured time around the table in our home. We talk, we laugh, we correct manners, we discuss the schedule, and, most importantly, we pray together.

  This year our Thanksgiving table facelift did not stop on the surface; our family prayer time is fresh, new, and thriving, too. Around the If:Table, I have had the honor of praying with women that I admire and respect. Their prayers are full of devotion and surrender to the Lord, the Word breathed fresh with authenticity. There, I am surrounded by the women I want to emulate, a love and devotion to the Lord that I desire. At home I began to pray, in my stumbling way, authentically and vulnerably in front of my family at mealtime rather. No longer could I be satisfied with the rote child-like prayer we had always prayed together.Bringing my family  before the throne that first day, I felt shaky, raw, and imperfect; feeling the  surprised stares of my people did not deter me. It shouldn’t have felt like an act of bravery, but it did. It also invited my husband and children to do the same over our family, our friends, our city, our meal. Today, my husband prays as he has never prayed in our 16 years of marriage, and my children follow suit, and daily I bask in the glow of this miracle from God.

    At this year’s Thanksgiving table, my family reaped a harvest of seeds sown by faithful women I barely knew last year. They opened their homes and invited me to their table, obeying the same beckoning to sit at the table to meet Jesus through each other.  

We are so excited to start a new series introducing you to the women that grace if:table every month and their stories of beauty and redemption. 

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. —Acts 2:42 

 For our first introduction I’d Like to present you Anna Collier, here’s a little glimpse of her full yet beautifully devoted life here in Dayton. If you attended IF:Pray she led us in worship and helped our hearts prepare for prayer.

Anna is Married to her best friend Kristopher. They currently leave in a 1920s fixer upper where she homeschools her 5 earth side kiddos ranging from ages 1to11. She also is mama to 3 heavenly babies: a stillborn son  named Johnny, and 2 miscarried little ones in Heaven with Jesus.

Singing is one of Anna’s passions, especially when she is worshipping her King! Because of the gift of singing she also directs a christian homeschool theater group, Stage LeFters. She loves the opportunity to invest in her students, to build them up in confidence unto whatever calling the Lord has for them. In her spare time she runs  a small business called Earthside Treasures. She’s a master at hunting, repairing, cleaning and selling vintage housewares and other lovelies.

When you first meet Anna you feel heard, seen, and cared for in her presence and attention as she converses with you. It is no wonder she is  also a certified labor doula. She is a loving companion and helper to women and families as they birth. She has worked as a donation based doula in our area for almost 8 years and also as a volunteer bereavement doula for 6 years.

Now from her own words her first impressions of IF: Table and how IF:Gathering 2019 reminded her that she serves  the extraordinary and gracious God who invites her to find her life in Him.

My first impression of the Dayton If:table was the wide variety of women. I have met women of different ages with different styles and backgrounds, of different ethnicities, from different Dayton area cities, and from varying churches. Although I was new I felt at home, our mutual faith in Christ uniting us and making us sisters and not strangers. I loved the structure of discussion, we are invited to participate and share what the Lord is doing our lives. For me, the most encouraging aspect of if:table is that the women really want to go deeper in their conversation and in prayer together. I am reminded at the table that each one is walking through something and by taking time to pray for one we don’t feel alone but supported.  

If:Gathering this year could not have come at a better time for me. My biggest takeaway was that it doesn't matter how ordinary or how imperfect I am when I serve an extraordinary God who is gracious. This beautiful and reminder is what it is really all about, isn't it? I mean, what does it mean to be a Christian? It means that  when we surrender ourselves and give ourselves away then our life is found IN HIM! I also learned a lot about my relationship with God and my relationship with myself at If:Gathering. It prompted growth in me and I know that God was working through all of the men and women who served to make If:Gathering happen here in Dayton.I have already gone through my planner and marked If:Table for the coming months. I have also set aside the first weekend in March for IF: Dayton 2020 featuring the If:Gathering. Moving forward, I hope to remain a regular face at the tables and help make other newbies feel welcome. I hope to come alongside the leadership of IF:Dayton in serving the women of Dayton, through the gifts the Lord has given me. 

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11-12 NIV

Every June we get together to celebrate the team of volunteers that helps put on the If:Dayton gathering in the winter. It is hands down one of my favorite dinners. I love being able to highlight the way that I see Jesus in sthem. I love to acknowledge their hard work and then build them up with truth that speaks to their gifting and beautiful love for others.

I encourage you this week to send that card, send that email, leave a voice mail, send a text, or meet up in person. Tell each other how you are the seeing the Lord at work in their life. Tell them what you love about them and how their love for the Lord spurs you in to do good as well.