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073 - Taste, See, Believe: The Devotional That Starts in Your Kitchen
17 Plays25 days ago
“What if breaking bread could break walls?”
In this deeply inspiring episode of Vulnerability Muscle, Reggie D. Ford sits down with Jared Morse—former Vanderbilt football player, devoted father, seminary student, and author of the groundbreaking Taste and See cookbook devotional. Jared’s story is a masterclass in using everyday practices—like cooking, fasting, and conversation—to deepen spiritual connection, foster vulnerability, and build authentic community.
From childhood memories at the community pool to backflips off the high dive, to powerful moments of transformation through prayer and service, Jared shares how his passion for Jesus and love for food merged into a ministry of meals. He opens up about the spiritual discipline of fasting, the radical hospitality of Jesus, and why he believes food can be the most accessible form of evangelism. And just wait until you hear about his banana bread—allegedly the best in the world.
This episode isn't just about recipes—it’s about rethinking how we nourish our bodies, relationships, and souls.
Listen in and be inspired to invite someone to your table, cook with intention, and taste what faith can truly be. Whether you're a foodie, a believer, or simply someone seeking deeper connection, this conversation will feed you in ways you didn’t expect.
Contact Info:
- Guest: Jared Morse
- Taste and See Cookbook Devotional available on Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and Etsy - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBBQP7R8?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_AX7FZ9WV7BSSFXCPJCBN&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_AX7FZ9WV7BSSFXCPJCBN&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_apin_dp_AX7FZ9WV7BSSFXCPJCBN&bestFormat=true&titleSource=true
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jmorse97/
- LinkedIn: Jared Morse - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-morse-cpsp-5b3a9576/
Host: Reggie D. Ford
- Website: https://reggiedford.com
- Socials: @reggiedford on all platforms
Key Quotes/Takeaways from Jared Morse:
- “Breaking bread reminds me that the people you’re with are more important than what you’re doing.”
- “When you fast, you’re telling your body: ‘I’m in control, not my flesh.’ That’s spiritual discipline.”
- “The cookbook was written to invite people closer to Jesus—sometimes through banana bread, sometimes through Scripture.”
Recommended
Transcript
Narrative-Style Cookbook Format
00:00:00
Speaker
There has not been a cookbook that was actually written the way this one is. I do my recipes completely different than what anybody has ever done before. Let's go back to biblical times where you would literally like break the bread and that would be kind of like the the start of the meal. Few times will you offer someone free food and they will turn it down, especially when it's a bread or a dessert.
Introduction to 'Vulnerability Muscle' Podcast
00:00:28
Speaker
Like they may turn down broccoli, Welcome to Vulnerability Muscle, the inspiring podcast challenging norms and helping you redefine vulnerability as a strength. I'm your host, Reggie D. Ford.
00:00:41
Speaker
Each episode of Vulnerability Muscle dives into a variety of topics such as mental health, social issues, and mindset shifts. We explore the power of vulnerability and fostering meaningful connections.
00:00:54
Speaker
healing, building resilience, and promoting personal growth. Sometimes these conversations are uncomfortable, but good workouts often are. So join us and flex that vulnerability muscle. Welcome to Vulnerability Muscle. I'm your host, Reggie D.
Jared Morris and His Cookbook Devotional
00:01:10
Speaker
Ford. And today with me, i got my brother, my former teammate, a man who I'm looking up to right now, and I can't wait for y'all to hear his story, but Jared Morris. Jared, how you doing, bro?
00:01:23
Speaker
I'm good. I'm good, Reggie. it's yeah It's a wild time in life right now, but it's all good. Okay. I want to hear about that. ah I want to give a ah little bit of background. So Jared and I played football at Vanderbilt together. And since then, we've both become authors. So I wrote a book, Perseverance Through Severe Disfunction. And today we're going to talk about Jared's book,
00:01:50
Speaker
which is a a cookbook devotional, which I'm really excited
Jared's Journey from Alabama to Cookbook Author
00:01:54
Speaker
to learn about. And so, ah Jerry, you want to give a little bit more about your background, what you've been up to? Yeah, ah well, grew up in Alabama, played football at Vandy with you. The 2010 to 2014 was the years I was in college. ah I think currently still most successful senior class in Vanderbilt history. It may have been the class after us that ended up hitting that, but we had that those real good years. ah
00:02:20
Speaker
And then man, after that, I stayed in Nashville. I ended up getting plugged into a local church here called Crosspoint, uh, started serving, started leading a small group. And that's really where kind of this whole Genesis of the cookbook started was, uh, that small group through Crosspoint because I used to cook for them every week when they would come over. And was just my way of showing love, my way of, uh,
00:02:46
Speaker
giving back and I loved every second of it. So, uh, from there, just evolved into this, this awesome thing now. Oh my goodness, man. I want to read something that you sent over.
Cooking, Ministry, and Gospel Connections
00:02:58
Speaker
You said,
00:02:59
Speaker
You are an avid cook on fire for Jesus when thinking about a way to spread the gospel and reach people that you may not otherwise. An open invitation to break bread together is the best way to do that.
00:03:12
Speaker
You got a passion for pouring into other people and a unique way of breaking down walls through conversation to allow the Holy Spirit to do only the work he can do for them.
00:03:24
Speaker
You're only 33. Are you still 33? 33. I'll be 34 in like two weeks. Oh, man. Happy early birthday. 33 years old. You're also embarking on a journey into seminary through Asbury.
00:03:37
Speaker
i need to know about that. and And one day we'll get your doctorate to work ah toward being a professor and devoting your life, preparing others for the field of ministry. Man, you got some stuff going on. And I also read that you wrote a children's coloring book or you have a children's coloring book, too.
00:03:54
Speaker
Yes. was That was a passion project as well. So, yeah, it's been it's been a very busy couple of years. ah Throw in a couple of kids who, you know, one of them may randomly pop in here in a second. Who knows?
00:04:09
Speaker
ah They like to do that. And then we've got our third due in March of this year. So, yeah, it's, know, life is wild right now. Oh, my goodness. I can hear. I think I heard a little little little body out there screaming.
00:04:25
Speaker
It's almost nap time, so it always like real high and then crash. I got you. Well, listen, this this conversation, it's it's not about having the answers. It's about presence, invitation. It's about vulnerability and shared humility. humility um And I want to start with some questions that I ask every guest. And so you can ah feel free to answer with the first thing that comes to mind.
00:04:53
Speaker
What comes to mind when you hear the word vulnerability?
Childhood Community Pool Memories
00:05:00
Speaker
Openness. I like that. We can have an opus open conversation today. What do you do, Jared, to center yourself if you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed, maybe even depressed?
00:05:12
Speaker
Pray. That's that's that's the go-to is start having a conversation with Jesus. it'llgo You'll always start feeling better. And then lastly, what is one of your favorite childhood memories?
00:05:29
Speaker
Man, favorite childhood memory. Wow, I was not prepared for that one. It's usually a difficult one, but I think you can pull something. Well, the first the when when you said childhood, the first image that came to mind was our pool.
00:05:46
Speaker
I didn't have a pool growing up in my backyard, but there was a ah Golden Springs community pool that had a high dive. one of the only high dives in the area. And I used to love, man, i would do backflips off that thing. i would do gainers. I would do like crazy stuff. And so like summers at the pool with, with my family. Oh, cause we would like work in the morning for my grandmother, get there in the afternoon. my cousin was a lifeguard. We just lived at the pool this one summer. Like that, that was a, a whole summer of just like awesome childhood pool memories. Yes, dude. I'm just imagining you at your peak D Lyman body weight doing backflips off a high dive. Oh yeah.
00:06:39
Speaker
Dang, bro. Like that. um but I bet that was a lot of fun, man. Um, that's cool. I like that. And and so you said you grew up in Alabama, right? What part Alabama? Oxford, Anniston, they're kind of like the same area. It is right in between Birmingham and Atlanta.
00:06:55
Speaker
Okay. Okay. Right on I-20. It's like three and a half hours from Nashville. Yeah. Yeah. So has, has faith always been a part of your life even growing up?
Faith Journey and Spiritual Commitment
00:07:05
Speaker
Yeah. We grew up in church. My brother and I had a conversation about this not long ago, ah because he was joking around about how, cause he has four kids, but his are all older. His oldest just turned 12.
00:07:18
Speaker
And he's like, I just continue to realize how little I know and how much I am just like fumbling my way through this whole thing parenting wise.
00:07:28
Speaker
And he was like, at least our mom kept us in church. Like if, if nothing else, yeah if she did nothing else, right. That's the one major thing that she did was keep us in church. So yeah, man, I mean, my uncle was my youth pastor. We would go every Wednesday. We'd go every Sunday. It was just a common thing. We would go to,
00:07:48
Speaker
summer camp that was Christian based every year. Most every year we did like summer mission trips, usually just in the States. We didn't go venture outside the States at a young age, but Yeah, I mean, got saved when I was eight.
00:08:05
Speaker
And that's kind of part of the story is I got saved at eight, but I didn't really, I would say, start following Jesus, like make him my Lord until after college. That's where I really started walking with him and making him a part of my daily life.
00:08:19
Speaker
Was there anything that sparked that? I do think it was me taking the step to being a small group leader and me taking the step to get more involved in church. I think that's really where it started. ah And then even before that, the thing that I'd say pushed it really big forward was getting to my Bible every day.
00:08:41
Speaker
I think that's one of the bigger things that people disregard and don't realize how valuable and powerful that can be for a believer is getting into the word.
00:08:51
Speaker
And you know you hear your pastor say it all the time, but it's like, oh, I've got i've got other things and people don't make time for it. When I finally made it through the whole Bible, like myself, just on my own volition,
00:09:04
Speaker
reading through it, that, that sparked a big, a big movement
Significance of Sharing Meals
00:09:10
Speaker
for me. Wow. That's powerful. And it speaks to, to your commitment and devotion and to, to get through the Bible on your own.
00:09:18
Speaker
ah that takes a lot of commitment and it it has sparked something in you that has opened up doors that has changed people's lives. And I may, I'm really interested in, in learning how you've taken All of what you've learned, plus this passion for cooking and put it into this book.
00:09:37
Speaker
You talk about breaking bread. what does What does that mean to you and where has that been ah example ah modeled in your life, I guess? Yeah. I mean, yeah you use the, to I use the term breaking bread as just a broad saying that people have of just sharing a meal together. ah that is, I mean, it does go back to biblical times where you would literally like break the bread and that would be kind of like the, the start of the meal. You go to any good restaurant, they're usually going to give you bread at the beginning. Uh, sometimes you get too full on it and that's okay because it's that good.
00:10:15
Speaker
uh, Yeah, I mean, again, it very, very few times will you offer someone free food and they will turn it down, especially when it's a bread or a dessert. Like they may turn down broccoli, but a lot of people don't like broccoli. Yeah.
00:10:41
Speaker
Very few people are going to turn down a chocolate chip cookie. Very few people are going to turn down a freshly baked loaf of bread. And so when you pour into somebody, they're naturally going to, I'd say, be a little more open to having a conversation with you. And you know, you talk about childhood memories. A lot of times people's top childhood memories are like a Christmas Eve yeah dinner that they have or a Thanksgiving dinner where the family comes together. And you're, you see so many times in the Bible too, like the only miracle in all four gospels is Jesus feeding 5,000 people.
00:11:15
Speaker
So it's a meal that that's the only one that's recorded in all four. So there's something behind feeding others that is, is very biblical and really powerful.
00:11:26
Speaker
Was that something that was ingrained in you or did you learn that that food and and a meal together could be a part of ministry? I'd say it was learned.
00:11:39
Speaker
It was probably osmosis from a young age, but. the The love from me personally to that small group and to so many others that I've cooked for and the open conversation and dialogue that happened afterward, it it does, it feels like ministry.
00:12:00
Speaker
And you can see that even in some restaurants around Nashville that, you know, there are churches now that are helping sponsor like not only soup kitchens, but like coffee shops and and bakeries because they know you know,
00:12:16
Speaker
It's such an awesome avenue to touching people's hearts. Yeah. I think about like for Christmas, like we're we're in the season, right? And ah i I didn't really want anything. I haven't wanted anything for Christmas in a while. But the thing that has been a desire of mine is to to have my loved ones together for a meal that I prepare for them.
00:12:41
Speaker
So this year we did Creole Christmas. and That was a recommendation from my sister. She really wanted that. And, you know, the crab legs, the gumbo, the shrimp, like we did it.
00:12:52
Speaker
And it was it was amazing. And I just, you know, I really enjoy the company. I didn't I didn't the things like that are so fleeting, ah the materialistic things, they don't bring me as much joy as they probably used to. um But the the time with other people and spending that time and breaking that bread is so meaningful to me.
00:13:17
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. It almost like when when you're when you're having. When you're having a good meal with good people, time feels like it almost stops. Yeah. That's where it starts to feel like this is this is more spiritual than yeah people will recognize.
00:13:36
Speaker
Absolutely. Absolutely. And there's something about, I think like... the the the the using our hands when we when we use our hands collectively like whether it's holding hands to pray whether it's you know grabbing and passing it's like these are these are ways of spreading energy to ah other people and during that time when there's so much ah i mean if if you're lucky enough if you're fortunate enough to be filled with joy to be filled with merry and cheer um you can spread that throughout your family or throughout their your loved ones and that was something that
00:14:12
Speaker
I really experienced this year, probably more than any year in the past, which is which is really amazing. um So was this the first year that you were the one who did the majority of the cooking? No, um I like to cook a lot. And so I would say it's not been consistent with the holidays just because, you know, all of my siblings are adults. And so they they do their things with their respective families and things like that. But ah this time it just felt like like things lined up and people were able to attend and it just was safe and comforting. And yeah, it was good. So, yeah, was it was a good time. It was a good time.
00:14:54
Speaker
ah did I see somewhere that you volunteered to play Santa? I did. Yeah. I did that during college, actually. Yeah. Yeah. yeah I did that during college.
00:15:04
Speaker
How was that experience for you? Yeah. Great. I mean, anytime you get to see kids running around in a massive gym with brand new toys that they got, it's it's fun. And when I when i need to get Goofy. I can get goofy. I can be serious when i need to be serious.
00:15:24
Speaker
ah You know, but I can play a part if I if I need to. I can be a little bit of an actor. And ah Ryan Fowler was my elf.
00:15:38
Speaker
Now that you say that, I think I remember a picture of this. And so it's bringing back some memories now. Oh, man, that is funny. Yeah. So that was, that was through, i think that was through the, I know it was through the school. I don't know exactly who put it on, but when they asked for a Santa, everybody threw my hat in the ring because of, you know, 315 pound D lineman had a pretty sloppy body back in college. So.
00:16:04
Speaker
Yeah. But I'm curious how that works with like with your passion for cooking and all of that weight that you needed to play the sport that we played. ah And then that post athletic life dropping that that weight, but cooking your food to like, did you have to change anything and how you looked at the food, how you prepared it? what How did that work for you?
00:16:27
Speaker
Well, the the good thing for me was that I didn't really get into cooking until after college. Okay. So it wasn't like I had this prior cooking mindset around food that I had to change.
00:16:43
Speaker
My eating habits were really bad because I could literally just eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and I didn't care. ah I had to stop that after I got out of college and I didn't make it to the league. I probably should have been more in tuned with my health and nutrition even during college.
00:17:01
Speaker
But, you know, all that to say, no, there wasn't a big mindset shift for me. After college, I dropped a bunch of weight really quickly. And then I started working for an actual like nutrition and fitness coaching program. I did that for four years. so I got really well versed. I became like a certified personal trainer, certified nutritionist.
00:17:19
Speaker
And I did that for a few years. So food really kind of became just like fuel for me. I didn't care too much about the taste. But at the same time,
00:17:31
Speaker
I still loved flavors and loved cooking and loved eating. So I would be able to like turn my mind off to not care about the flavor and just like eat for fuel during the week. And then during the weekend, I would allow myself some fun times to have like the really good flavors and,
00:17:49
Speaker
I'm a big sweet tooth guy, so I would have some dessert on the weekend too. But during the week I was, I was pretty strict. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. That's, I think the same for me and totally
Reggie's Experience with Fasting
00:18:01
Speaker
different. We're playing different positions, different body types, but in college just ate whatever I wanted. Yeah.
00:18:07
Speaker
And, um, I look back now and I think about like, I would go to the doctor sometimes and they'd be like, why is your blood pressure touching the ceiling right now? And it's like, I went to Wendy's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner like every day. Like, and, uh, so yeah, it was no wonder that, uh, you know, was just unhealthy, very unhealthy. And now like today,
00:18:31
Speaker
I'm on a three day fast. And so I knew like talking you was going to be a challenge and thinking about all this good food that you put in this cookbook. And I'm like, but that's that's a part of it. Like I'm challenging myself to do something difficult. And I think that's spiritual in a way. It's is's definitely spiritual to connect ah to yourself and understand where your limitations or temptations come from.
00:18:54
Speaker
And to endure through that. um So today's three, I think I'm gonna break it this evening. And so what's what sparked the three day fast? Man, I started doing this.
00:19:07
Speaker
Maybe earlier this year. um i did This is probably my third one this year. And it was mainly around health and just wanting to feel better. um You know, I think going back since I was since I first squatted in middle middle school, high school whatever, um i had always had like this pain, just like lingering pain in my IT band and knees.
00:19:31
Speaker
um And that stuck with me throughout. every forever. Um, and then I did this fast and I started eating vegan this year and all that pain went away.
00:19:42
Speaker
I could drop my hips all the way down to my heels without feeling that I could, you know I had more endurance. I felt just better. And and I attribute a lot of that to that fast. And it was you know trying to to be healthier and clean my body out a little bit. And so i'm I think it's something that I'm going to incorporate on a regular basis throughout my life at this point. But Yeah, man. it ah The first time I did it, I was i could smell a flower from across the street. like I could smell everything, every little ingredient.
00:20:15
Speaker
um it I haven't gotten to that point in these last two fasts. Maybe I'll go a little bit longer. But um yeah, you really start to you learn who you are when you are in that place. and so ah But I've enjoyed it a lot. And so, yeah, this is a challenge talking about food with you.
00:20:35
Speaker
That's so funny. No, I, uh, I've been for the past, maybe like four years, three years, I do a midweek one day, 24 hour fast. Yeah. And I just, no water, no food, no nothing. Just like mid, midweek reset. And it was much more of a spiritual thing for me of like, I'm going to, you know, intentionally slow down, but I am planning on shifting it this year to doing more like a time tithe.
00:21:01
Speaker
Okay. And like giving kind of 10% of my time back to God. And so I'm going to do that. Just like what you're doing, like three days, not only water first three days of the month. just yeah And i heard, I heard one pastor talk about it. He's like, you know,
00:21:18
Speaker
it's in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, when you fast. So it's not, it's not an if thing. It is a when. Like there is something important about the discipline of fasting, even if you do it once a year or twice a year. So there is something to be said for that. and part of what you're doing is you are, whether you know it or not, when you do the fast, you are kind of,
00:21:48
Speaker
spiritually telling your body, I have control over the flesh. yeah and so much of you know the most deadly sins and the things that people fall into from an earthly perspective,
00:22:02
Speaker
spawn from our flesh. And if you can control that and you can tell it, no, I'm in control. You do what I say instead of, cause some people say that, like, I felt like my body just like made me do this thing.
00:22:17
Speaker
And that, that's a dangerous place to be. So I think fasting is a really powerful way to rule or conquer, like yeah control our bodies.
00:22:27
Speaker
Man, that reminds me of I gave a talk earlier this year and I this was when I did the first fast. And so I was feeling it and I'm like, oh, my God, let me just go eat. Let me, you know, and then ah it just so happened that the talk that I was giving.
00:22:46
Speaker
was to an organization that helped women who were recovering from addiction, who had been either reentry from from prison or just like a lot of life that's happened to these women.
00:22:59
Speaker
And i it helped me so much to um empathize with their plight of you know having these these temptations that are harming their bodies or that were harming their bodies. And um things that they they their bodies, their flesh ah fed into. And um it made me stick to my commitment because if, you know, they are suffering so much from their trauma and their past and and have this inability to break this habit or break this addiction, then I wanted to be an example of that.
00:23:38
Speaker
And I didn't tell anybody at the talk, but like it it meant something to me, to be to feel like I was suffering in my body in a way, but know that I can overcome that.
00:23:50
Speaker
And so that that meant a lot to me. And I have so much respect for those women. I mean, like, I got to to meet with them multiple times and lead them in workshops and things like that. And just to see the amount of knowledge and in in power that they possess was, man, it's going to move me to tears right now.
00:24:10
Speaker
um To hear mothers, you know, hear mothers talk about how their lives have changed. Taking them in in different ways and different directions and what that's done with their relationship with their children. It of those things that you just like you count your blessings and then you hope for the best for others as well. And and I think I want to get back to to your book and and what you hope for with your book. I mean, you're building community, you're building connection, you're breaking down walls.
00:24:39
Speaker
ah Tell us what people can get from the cookbook side of it, but also the devotional side.
Innovative Recipe Format
00:24:46
Speaker
Well, the cookbook side is unique because, you know, I, I can't say this unequivocally a hundred percent, but 99% of me believes that there has not been a cookbook that was actually written the way this one is.
00:25:02
Speaker
I do my recipes completely different than what anybody has ever done before, based on what I have researched. Um, In traditional recipe cooking, they would have the ingredients on one side and then the instructions on the other.
00:25:20
Speaker
And that's how every recipe is these days. You've got your list of ingredients and then you've got your instructions on what to do. And I never understood it. I do now as to why it started that way. The reason it started that way is because everybody previously would separate out all their ingredients first, and then you would start cooking. So then you wouldn't have to think about how much of this thing do I need because it's already separated, but nobody does that anymore.
00:25:46
Speaker
Like nobody does that. we yeah we We try to use less dishes or we're hurried and we're in a rush. And so what people do is they read the instructions and then they have to go back and look, well, how much of how much of this butter do I need?
00:25:58
Speaker
How much of this do I need? And so you're constantly going back and forth between instruction, ingredient, instruction, ingredient. People lose their place. And I would always get frustrated in write in reading recipes.
00:26:11
Speaker
So I write mine as a narrative to where... it's a constant string of thought and it's done in the order that it needs to be done in And so you start with step one and then if there's an ingredient, there's an indentation and it's bolded so that that way when you're shopping, you can see very easily what the ingredients are and how much of it you need. So you still get that aspect, but now you're doing everything in a very simple flowing sequential order. And it is exponentially easier to do a recipe in that way, in my opinion. And so after even having the cookbook at my house now and having gone through a few recipes myself,
00:26:53
Speaker
i I never want to do a recipe another way. It just truly makes so much more sense when you do it this way, in my opinion. So that's something that people will get from the cookbook is a brand new way to actually see recipes written and a brand new way to think about how a recipe could be written of your own one day if somebody wants to like.
00:27:14
Speaker
I like that. i like that because I definitely am am the like, how much of this do I need? I'm i'm going back and forth. So I appreciate that. What type of what type of dishes are in the cookbook?
00:27:26
Speaker
Uh, everything, entrees, apps, desserts. I'm more of a baker than anything else. There's a lot of desserts in there. Uh, I, I've got a few family recipes. Uh, had a grandmother who was a very good cook, a very good baker, I should say. And I mentioned this in the book that i truly believe it's the best banana bread that anybody will ever have. And people usually see that as fighting words because banana bread's a,
00:27:54
Speaker
pretty touted prideful, uh, recipe that people have. But my uncles also owned a bakery in the past. dang And they said that that recipe is the only one that would sell out every single time. And they tried over a hundred banana bread recipes. And they were like, that's the one that we always would come back to. It was the best. And so I've got like a professional baker telling me this and I've tasted it myself. And I mean, it is like,
00:28:21
Speaker
It's like that. Okay. It's good. i got theana breadt I've got a cheesecake in there. I've got a couple different ah cookie recipes. And then I've got like this thing called a pitivier, which is lamb wrapped in.
00:28:38
Speaker
puff pastry with Camembert cheese in the middle. And it's like fancy, fancy. I've got some entrees. I've got bacon wrapped oysters, a lot of breads. So i do like pretzels from scratch, a focaccia bread that is impossible to mess up and it's scary good. So again, like a lot of baked stuff.
00:29:00
Speaker
it's It's all good. It's all fun.
Community and Creative Process in Cookbook
00:29:02
Speaker
i had, and what was really fun is like, I got to live out this kind of idea that I had around taste and see when I did the recipes, cause they're all my recipes.
00:29:12
Speaker
I wrote them all myself. I tweet them all myself. And as, and after I finished the devotional aspect, I talked to a good friend of my wife's who did our wedding photography. She's a professional photographer.
00:29:25
Speaker
And so she came over every week and I would cook like three or four recipes at a time. And then she would take pictures of them and those are the pictures I use for the book. But then we would just gorge and just eat all the food. And so we were kind of living out this idea around taste and see, which is like you get together once a week with a group of people and you cook and you eat and you have fun. And I got to do that while taking the pictures and preparing it. So was really cool.
00:29:48
Speaker
Oh, that sounds so fun. That sounds amazing, man. I should have got invited to that. I should have had some of that. Are you still in Nashville? I am. Well, hey, man, standing in wait. There's an open door policy at the Morse House. Let's do it. We'll get together.
00:30:03
Speaker
Yeah.
Devotional Aspect of Cookbook
00:30:04
Speaker
And tell me about the devotional side of it. What do what can people expect from that? Yeah, so the devotional is set up in a way where it's it's almost like an introduction into developing a discipline around being consistent with something.
00:30:21
Speaker
It's not like you have to do it every day. It is a year-long devotion, but there's only 48 devotions. It's once a week. It coincides with the recipe. So it's like a good opportunity to begin to get together once a week. But each month has a specific theme, love, forgiveness, redemption, all kinds. I don't know them all off top of my head. I probably should. ah But each month has a theme and then each theme has individual verses that go along with that theme.
00:30:55
Speaker
And ah so friendship is one of them. And one of the verses is, you know, love has no, love has no better than a friend who gave up his life for another.
00:31:05
Speaker
and That's not exact, that's not verbatim, but that's one of the verses in the Bible. And so I do a lot of exegesis on it where it's like diving into the words, ah looking at what the Greek actually meant and how that can can of kind of be translated into today's messaging. But it's very much, ah a focus on how can you understand what the scripture is saying more and then how can you better apply that to your life and how can you kind of live this aspect of the Bible out in your daily walk?
00:31:38
Speaker
I'd say that's kind of like if I was to sum up what the devotion aspect of it ah of it of it is, that's what I would say. And then the ultimate goal from that, ah because you're helping individuals in their own journeys, but then collectively, what do we get from following the devotions?
00:31:58
Speaker
Well, I think that answer would depend on the person that is reading through it. So I kind of thought about it from a twofold perspective.
00:32:10
Speaker
On the one hand, you would have somebody who's already a believer. that likes the idea of having some new recipes, likes the idea of maybe bringing the family together. So like think of the primary chef of the home. This is like the once a week intentional time to get together, have a meal, which may not be consistent right now. And hey, you throw in a devotional aspect so you could talk about what you read at the dinner table.
00:32:35
Speaker
So that's kind of the one avenue that I was thinking about of like, you know, head chef or leader of a small group. do the devotional and talk about it and everybody collectively get to know each other better, but also get closer to Jesus.
Devotional's Role in Faith Engagement
00:32:49
Speaker
Like that's the primary goal of any devotional, like get closer to Jesus. If you're closer to Jesus at the end of it, then mission accomplished.
00:32:56
Speaker
But then on the other hand, i i definitely hope and believe that, you know, at some point, who knows when there will be a nonbeliever who sees it and thinks, you know, that's cool. And then looks at some of the pictures and looks at the recipes and says, I haven't seen something written like that before. I'm going to give these recipes a try. And the door is just opened because of the food. And then they actually give their life to Jesus.
00:33:21
Speaker
Like that would be. That's the invitation. yeah's Yeah, absolutely. like And that's not on me. That's where i can take a step back and say, Holy Spirit, have your way. Like, you know, do what only you can do.
00:33:34
Speaker
But those are kind of the two mindsets around the devotional and why I thought it was such a cool pairing. Wow. Wow. That's pretty cool, man. I can't not i cannot wait to to read it, to use it, and ah see what you got cooked up over there because I'm excited about that. Excuse me. But ah before we close out here, I want to go to a segment that's just fill in the blank.
00:33:58
Speaker
And so we're going to read a sentence and you fill in the b blank. Okay. Vulnerability and my faith looks like b blank.
00:34:14
Speaker
Vulnerability and my faith looks like a transparent conversation between me and Jesus.
00:34:23
Speaker
Community has taught me blank.
00:34:27
Speaker
Community has taught me how valuable it is to give back more than expect from.
00:34:37
Speaker
When I don't know the answer, I blank. When I don't know the answer, I pray and i read the Bible. Yeah. Breaking bread reminds me that blank.
00:34:53
Speaker
Breaking bread reminds me that the people you're with is more important than what you're doing. That's powerful, man. Jared, I've enjoyed this so much and I wish we had more time to talk, but we definitely going to get up together and just. Yeah, we could do segment two if you want to. Yeah, for sure.
00:35:12
Speaker
Jared, where can people connect with you, find the book, find your coloring, the coloring book and all of that? Uh, well, I can send you some links if you want to put those in the show notes, obviously. Uh, uh, my coloring book can, both can be found on Amazon is the easiest way to say it.
00:35:32
Speaker
Uh, the coloring book, there is also an Etsy page where you can actually just download the PDF and then you don't have a single usage of the pictures. And again, that's like completely separate conversation.
00:35:43
Speaker
That's not even a part of the cookbook. But that was another fun idea. And then, man, the devotional is everywhere. Like you can get it on Walmart, Target, Amazon, Barnes and Noble. Got the name of it again. ribook So the name is Taste and See Cookbook Devotional.
00:36:01
Speaker
And I've got I have been off of social media for the last three years. I got back on just to try to do a little marketing push for the book.
00:36:12
Speaker
I will probably be off again pretty soon. ah It's just honestly for me, i I get more out of being off of it than I do being on it. Yeah.
00:36:24
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. But you know, I've got an Instagram, I've got a Facebook and my Instagram, I started kind of pushing some pictures and pushing some stuff on the book. So you can see kind of some snippets there.
00:36:36
Speaker
i posted the first recipe on my Instagram. It's a brownie from scratch recipe that is like awesome. i I had to start with chocolate. I'm a chocolate guy. ah But yeah, I mean,
00:36:49
Speaker
All the social media. I have, I do not have a TikTok. I've got Instagram. I've got Facebook. I've got LinkedIn. LinkedIn has a link to the book page and the Etsy page. So you can get either one of them there.
00:37:02
Speaker
LinkedIn, I have to keep for work. So I will be on that one, but the other ones I'll be off pretty soon. What I'm hearing is, y'all, Jared doesn't want to be on social media. So when you try these recipes, you take your own picture, your own video, and you share it. You share his name and everything. So, ah man, this has been great. I appreciate you. Thank you for who you are and all you do. Cannot wait to check out the book and to continue to follow your process, your journey throughout life, man. Thank you for being who you are.
00:37:33
Speaker
All the things that you could be doing, all the places you could be. i appreciate you being here with me embracing vulnerability. I appreciate it brother.
00:37:43
Speaker
Thank you for joining us in another episode of Vulnerability Muscle. If you've enjoyed these conversations around vulnerability, please consider leaving a review. Your feedback not only motivates us to continue to do the work that we do, but it allows other people to witness the power of vulnerability. Share your thoughts.
00:38:01
Speaker
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00:38:16
Speaker
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00:38:27
Speaker
Sometimes it's uncomfortable. but most workouts are. So keep flexing that vulnerability muscle.