There’s just something about a table full of friends that makes me happy. I am not the fanciest hostess but I believe hospitality makes the biggest impact.
Your home can be perfect, your table setting straight from Pinterest, and you can make the most incredible food, but if you do not make those who enter in feel loved, then none of that stuff matters.
Here are some things I like to do for friends, and family. I like to bake them homemade bread. Fresh eggs for breakfast and ice cold sun tea, served in the afternoon heat. I usually smoke a brisket or make a big pot of chicken spaghetti. These things are easy for me and they are my signature. Signed on our time together, as a memory we share with our guest.
Clean sheets, towels, and a tidy bathroom, with a basket of things they may have forgotten. The littlest things out of the dollar bin, can say…”I’m prepared for you and I’ve thought about your stay here.”
…and finally I remember the words from a dear older lady, who told me to always have your front door and entrance clean. A few decorations are nice but not necessary. This is the first thing they see. Greet them at the door, with your smiling faces because this will tell them, “we want you here”.
“If I speak in the tongues of men or angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”
1 Cor. 13:1
Hospitality has to have love or we waste our time and energy striving for perfection instead of focusing on the people. That’s why we need to find the line between serving people or serving our home. I like this quote from John Piper…
“Therefore when we practice hospitality, here’s what happens: we experience the refreshing joy of becoming conduits of God’s hospitality rather than being self-decaying cul-de-sacs. The joy of receiving God’s hospitality decays and dies if it doesn’t flourish in our own hospitality to others.”
Here’s something that made a difference for me….Pray for those coming into your home. Pray they feel the presence of the Lord within your walls. Now I mean, pray for each one coming by name and make it specific to them. Are they experiencing loneliness? Are they struggling to make ends meet? Maybe they are new to town? Hey, they may just need a refreshing break! When I started doing this intentionally, instead of just..”Bless my guest”…I saw a shift in how I thought about them. I thought about what their time in our home might be like, as God does a work in them..and maybe He will use us.
Now men, don’t tune this out thinking it’s only for the ladies. Men need time with other men. Men like to do stuff…so my husband practices hospitality by setting up targets and shooting. He also pulls our ranching lifestyle into ministry. He takes others along horseback, when we work cattle. Hey, we need all the help we can get! So even if someone is new around cattle or they are seasoned hands, this is where so many men have opened up and talked to him. It’s given him opportunities to share Christ, pray, or just listen. So many of our cowboy friends do this and the stories are endless!
How can I do this at my church? I want to use a couple of ladies I know as an example. Both of these ladies have lost their husbands. Both of them rancher women, who’s husbands were tough rugged men. They haven’t sat around and believed their mission was over. They are there nearly every Sunday, willing to do whatever they can to help. Dixie is one of those ladies. She’s a boss at welcoming new comers! Many times her name has been mentioned to us with these words, “Dixie made us feel so welcome”. She also helps cook for our college kids and helps our finance team.
The other lady is Sissy. She helps lead the college group and every Sunday, looks for someone to take to lunch. Often times, it’s college kids but she is receptive to look around for anyone who may need a friend. I love this about these ladies and there are several more I could mention.
In a small congregation, it’s easy to get to know people but it does not beat the one on one time of practicing hospitality with each other. You don’t have to have money to do this. You can throw a picnic together and use the tailgate of your truck. You can put something in the crock pot the night before. You can even do dessert and coffee.
Check this out….
“Romans 12:13 says, “Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality.” Literally it says, “Pursue hospitality.” And the verb implies continuous action. So the command in Romans 12:13 is that hospitality not just be a once a year thing at Thanksgiving or Christmas, but a constant attitude and practice. Our homes and apartments should stand constantly ready for strategic hospitality—a readiness to welcome people who don’t ordinarily live there.”
John Piper
Right now, we need Godly hospitality more than ever…virtual lives just won’t do. If you’d like to read John Pipers article in its entirety , please click the link. I encourage you to do so…it’s so good ya’ll.
What are some ways you can practice strategic hospitality? I always love hearing from you and thank you for reading….. Love ya’ll, the cowboy pastors wife.
P.s….special thanks to Shirah Ortiz for the sweet picture!
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