Hospitality. What do you think of when you hear this word? Is there an emotion that stirs a memory, perhaps? For me there is. Quite honestly, I believe the love for hospitality was passed down to me from my precious grandmother. At the time, I had no idea how God would use the simple act…
The Power of the Table
Like the sacramental use of water and bread and wine, friendship takes what’s common in human experience and turns it into something holy. — Eugene H. Peterson, Leap Over a Wall The Lord’s Table I find it interesting that the same kind of pull I have toward my table, Jesus Himself had toward a certain…
Hospitality: Ordinary Moments Matter
Editor’s note: Jesus told us to love one another. But, in this day with busy schedules and busier families in every home on our block, just meeting the neighbors can be a challenge. Kristin Schell decided to take Him seriously in a very unique way. She painted a picnic table turquoise and put it in…
Waking Up to God’s Goodness Around You
When my doorbell rang last August, Michelle was the last person I expected to be waiting on the other side. I’d only met her a few times in the four years we had lived on the same street, and none of those times had been particularly noteworthy. I made an effort in the beginning, dropping…
A Turquoise Table Christmas Story
Susan woke up one morning with leftover cookies from a big batch she’d made to welcome her son home from college for Christmas. After a few days with an abundance of cookies testing her willpower, she had to stop eating them, but hated to toss them in the garbage. In a spontaneous move, she…
Take This Bread
I haven’t baked bread since college, when I went through a brief but intense baguette phase, baking pan after pan of slim loaves, wrapping them in dish towels while they were still hot, cradling them like babies in the crook of my arm, arriving at friends’ houses and neighbors’ homes with still-warm, crusty, golden bread.…
Hospitality Jesus’ Way
Then He turned to the host. ‘The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be — and experience…
You Can’t Be What You Can’t See
Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. — Helen Keller During [a] frazzled time of life, I managed to squeeze in a conference in my hometown of Austin, Texas. I was drawn to the Verge Conference for people living out the gospel in community, which was exactly what…
Home: a Restful Haven
The Homiest Home My people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest. — Isaiah 32:18 NLT When you picture a homey sort of home, what comes to mind? A crackling fireplace, a warm meal, lots of laughter, and a comfortable bed? Perhaps you picture your grandmother’s home with all its…
Hospitality: Open the Door
Hospitality is the virtue of a great soul that cares for the whole universe through the ties of humanity. — Hospitality, Louis, Chevalier de Jaucourt1 Lori and Mike first came to my table on one of those frigid November evenings where the light had seeped out of the day well before dinner and entertaining was the last…
- 1
- 2