Church in the Kitchen

“Church in the Kitchen” is where the imagined Praise Anyway album lightens just enough to breathe joy into the journey.

After the heartbreak and healing explored in earlier tracks, this song celebrates the ordinary, sacred spaces where faith lives loudest—not on a stage or in a cathedral, but in the quiet, faithful rhythm of everyday life.

This song is a throwback to the artist's joy-filled roots—warm family memories, laughter around the table, and the unspoken holiness of a mama’s hands. It’s a celebration of multi-generational faith, the kind passed down not just in sermons but in soul food, prayer over pancakes, and Sunday prep in slippers.

Inspired by the image of her mom—or another strong woman of faith—singing gospel while stirring pots, this is about how praise can fill the whole house before anyone even sets foot in a sanctuary.

Arc Overview

In the arc for the album through grief → healing → joy → purpose this track begins the offer of hope and invitation to the listener.

Lyrics

Verse 1
Coffee on, Bible open
Smell of biscuits in the air
She’s hummin’ ‘bout redemption
With rollers still in her hair

Ain’t no pew, ain’t no preacher
Just an apron and some grace
But when Mama lifts her voice up
The whole house feels like praise

Chorus
That’s church in the kitchen
Holy ground by the stove
She’s preachin’ with a skillet
Singin’ “Jesus loves you so”
No stained glass, no steeple
Just love poured out for people
And I learned to talk to God
Where the floor’s a little worn
That’s church in the kitchen
Where Sunday starts before the dawn

Verse 2
She’d lay her hands on sassy mouths
And bless our scraped-up knees
Taught us grace with every lesson
And forgiveness with her greens

There was gospel in her laughter
There was worship in her pies
She never wore a collar
But her prayers would touch the skies

Chorus
That’s church in the kitchen
Revival with cornbread
Hallelujahs in her humming
While she’s shakin’ out the bread
No choir robes, no preacher
But I’ve never heard God clearer
Than her humming “It Is Well”
While the rice was cooling down
That’s church in the kitchen
Where heaven kissed this earthly ground

Bridge (spoken or sung)
And now I hum when I stir the pot
I pray in the mess I’ve got
‘Cause Mama taught me faith is caught
In the little things

Final Chorus (with full gospel choir)
That’s church in the kitchen
Where grace wore an apron
And joy was fried with bacon
Where the Spirit moved unshaken
No stained glass, no pews to fill
But love that lingers with me still
It’s where I learned to walk with God
Through every season, every scar
That’s church in the kitchen
And it’s still church in my heart

Themes

• Everyday holiness
• Faith passed through family and tradition
• Honoring Black women’s spiritual legacy
• Celebration of joy, food, family, and worship intertwined