Spencer Joseph might tell you patience is necessary in the kitchen and it will also help a person navigate the challenges of life.

Spencer H. Joseph is a foodie that enjoys his time in the kitchen to make family happy or to create a setting conducive to sharing the gospel. He has combined his two favorite things – cooking and teaching the Word of God – to create  “Cooking with the Word,” combination Bible study/cookbooks.

So far, he has four. Two delve into detail about the names of God. One explores the Armor of God. and the fourth covers the Fruit of the Spirit.

“I approached writing these books the same way we should reach others for Christ, by seeing and addressing the whole person,” he said.

Serving up encouraging words might be right in some situations, but if the natural man is physically hungry – or if he or she is a foodie – he might be more open to hearing the gospel over a plate piled with homemade bread and smoked brisket, according to the gospel of Spencer Joseph.

“Sometimes you’ve got to feed the natural man, first,” Joseph said.  “If I’m worried about where my next meal is coming from, I don’t want to hear you telling me I need Jesus. What I want is a hot meal, then I may be open to hearing from you.”

Sharing a meal has always been a way to build connections.

“Sitting at the dining room table builds connections and strengthens family bonds, an unspoken agreement to love and care for the physical, mental and emotional needs of each other,” Joseph said.

Even though Joseph doesn’t come out and say in his cookbook that Christians will be more inclined to practice patience by waiting for the brisket to smoke for 10 to 12 hours without opening the smoker, he does offer a great, simple smoked brisket recipe right before he writes about that particular fruit of the spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV). “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such there is no law.”

“We have been conditioned to get what we want when we want,” Joseph said. “Many of us have put all of our focus on our needs instead of placing our trust in the Lord.”

Other recipes in the Fruit of the Spirit cookbook are Mustard Batter Chicken, the recipe tied to his lesson on self-control, Preacher Man’s BBQ Sauce and Lemon-Pepper Honey Glazed Chicken.

Reading the recipes will make the mouth water. Joseph hopes it makes the reader thirst for more of the word, the water Jesus gave the woman at the well, a spring of life – and not just more Strawberry-Mint Lemonade – recipe included.