Author / Speaker

Laura Piraino
At the Table with Ruth

Laura Piraino and her family visited the charming southern town of Franklin, Tennessee, on vacation, and afterwards, Laura’s husband felt like God put the city on his heart as their next home. “We put two suitcases and two cats in the back of a car and left our house and moved to Franklin,” Laura says, adding, “I feel like there’s times in life where you have to just leave it all behind to pick up the new thing God has for you.”

That was five years ago, and Laura has since picked up an array of new things that feel divinely orchestrated. For one, living in Tennessee has given the author and speaker time to double-down on her passion for studying and relaying biblical truths. “I love digging into God’s Word and finding treasure and then sharing that with other people,” says Laura, who regularly hosts Bible studies in her home. “I love seeing other people connect with what God’s saying to them. It brings me great joy.”

Following the death of her father, the former elementary and special education teacher was seeking a professional change and decided to enroll in Bible school online, where she eventually was ordained and later became an associate pastor at a church. “That set my life on a different trajectory,” Laura reflects.

That fresh vocational path involves writing, which led to authoring her first book, Unshakable God, in 2020. Now, Laura is serving up a brand new Bible study series called At the Table, with the first volume, At the Table with Ruth, debuting in the fall of 2025.

Tailor-made for women’s Bible studies and small groups, At the Table with Ruth introduces a six-week study that includes a workbook, video teachings, recipes curated by Laura’s daughter and sample table settings that make gatherings simple and accessible as women enjoy savory food and an in depth study of Scripture.

“I appreciate the gift of hospitality, but even more than that, I love it when other women serve alongside me, and we’re all using our gifts in the way that God’s called us to,” Laura shares of what she hopes to facilitate with this one-of-a-kind study. “Really, it’s a picture of the Church.”

At the Table with Ruth explores the brief book of the Bible that focuses on one of Scripture’s most loyal, devoted and hardworking heroines. “I love how Ruth’s story points to Jesus and is so prophetic in nature,” Laura says. “I relate with Ruth. She’s me. She’s the girl I’m sitting next to in Bible study. She’s the average girl, and God uses her in such a powerful way.”

As Laura gathers women around the table, she wants them to recognize themselves in Ruth’s evolution. “God wants to grow you wherever you are,” she says. “You can be Ruth in the desert; you can be Ruth on the gleaning field; or you can be Ruth at the wedding.”

Laura hopes At the Table with Ruth will serve as an invitation for women to pull up a chair, grab a plate and prepare their hearts to be shaped and molded through conversation and community, creating a unique experience that fully engages all the senses.

“As women, we gather best around the table. We love to create. We love beautiful spaces, and we love good, healthy food,” Laura offers. “I feel like this Bible study is really a picture of what God created us to do — sit at the table with Him and bring others to the table as well. It’s His heart for us. That’s where He is taking us in eternity…to a table that is spread with beautiful food where we’ll worship Him forever.”