"One of the most important methods of spreading the gospel in antiquity was the use of homes."
-Michael Green
Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others has been one of the most refreshing reads that I have encountered, in quite a while. One of my absolute favorite aspects of this book, is that the authors, Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock, emphasize the importance of meeting one's family needs, before extending a hand to others. As they state,
" Our love, dedication, and other biblical character attributes manifested toward our family are a testimony to the world of God's powerful work in our lives." (p. 75)
Practicing Hospitality encourages women to remember the seasons of life, and to simplify when raising little ones. Instead of serving a four course meal, it may be easier to extend hospitality by inviting others for coffee and dessert.
Practicing Hospitality gives principles to help you to learn to include your children in inviting others over. Some ideas include: letting them stir the cake batter, setting aside a "to do" list for the little ones, and creating a craft with them to give to guests. These ideas are such an inspiration for cultivating a desire in little ones to extend hospitality as they grow older.
The most important concept that I gleaned from
Practicing Hospitality is to make ample time for prayer throughout the entire planning process. We can have the loveliest linens, place settings, and food, but without prayer, there will always be disappointment. When I extend hospitality, I tend to be a "Martha" rather than a "Mary" and I am thankful for the conviction that I need to refocus my priorities, in this way, for more fruitful hospitality. We ought to turn to Him for all of our concerns and desires, that He may guide our conversation, help us to relax, etc..
Keeping one's house in reasonable order, by establishing a weekly cleaning routine, can make it so much easier to extend hospitality spontaneously. This book gives guidelines to help make one's house more orderly. There are also guidelines for planning hospitality with one's spouse.
Practicing Hospitality contains sample menu plans for creating dinner, a side dish, bread (bread machine recipes), and dessert at the end of each chapter. It also gives recommendations for nourishing those on a variety of different diets.
One easier way to extend hospitality, that I have found, is to assemble casseroles, etc in advance, and reserve them in your freezer. Defrost the meal in your fridge before church, for example, and throw the ingredients in your bread machine, so you can have fresh bread when you return home. I also try to keep organic salad mix at home, which all makes for a nice meal. Then, if you encounter someone you wish to extend hospitality to, you have a complete meal ready. (Just cook the casserole.) Crock pots are terrific ways to have a ready cooked meal after a busy day. They also make it easy to be hospitable to others, at the drop of a hat.
One of my absolute favorite stories from
Practicing Hospitality was about a lady who took turns with nine other women, in hosting a Mom's Breakfast. These mothers ate a monthly breakfast at each other's houses, and would bring projects they were working on, such as hand sewing, crocheting, scrapbooking, etc.. They would nurse their babies, share wisdom, and fellowship together, while their children played together. Doesn't that sound like a wonderful experience?
I highly recommend Practicing Hospitality; it gives a biblical view of the joy of serving others.
Crossway Books kindly provided me with a free review copy of Practicing Hospitality.
