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Wel­come back for our chap­ter 7 dis­cus­sion on Prac­tic­ing Hos­pi­tal­ity: The Joy of Serv­ing Others by Pat Ennis & Lisa Tat­lock. This is part 7 of an eight week dis­cus­sion on this book. Past chapter summaries can be viewed here: part 1, part 2, part 3,  part 4 , part 5 & part 6.We are so glad you decided to join us! I Even if you are not par­tic­i­pat­ing in the study, I encour­age you to keep reading. Chapter 7 focused on Hospitality & Culture.

SUMMARY

Understanding culture is important to hospitality because Scripture clearly teaches the priority of including the stranger or alien in our hospitality endeavors (Ex. 22:21; Lev. 19:34; Deut. 10:12-21; Ps. 146:9; Heb. 12:2). The nations of the world are coming to America. In fact, in many cities of America, internationals outnumber Caucasians. You do not need to go to a foreign country to be confronted with different cultures and peoples needy of the gospel. We have immigrants, students, and those who are here on business purposes surrounding us if we simply look around.

When international students come to our country, for example, nearly 90% never enter an American’s door!  They are new to our culture, surroundings, and experiences, and need love and compassionate people to befriend them and guide them in the process. Many come from closed countries…most are the brightest and best representing their country. Could we make an impact that could result in the spread of the gospel to the nations?

“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). Paul communicates the importance of adapting our methods of communication to fit our audience in a relevant way for the sake of the gospel!

“Hospitality is missions. Hospitality is a tool you can use to love people and make ‘disciples of all nations’ of the world (Matt. 28:18-20). Consideration of culture is a key element in practicing hospitality as you endeavor to model Christ’s love – so ‘that they may be saved’ (1 Cor. 10:33).” (page 200)

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Wel­come back for our chap­ter 5 dis­cus­sion on Prac­tic­ing Hos­pi­tal­ity: The Joy of Serv­ing Others by Pat Ennis & Lisa Tat­lock. This is part 5 of an eight week dis­cus­sion on this book. Past chapter summaries can be viewed here: part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4.We are so glad you decided to join us! I Even if you are not par­tic­i­pat­ing in the study, I encour­age you to keep reading. Chapter 5 focused on Hospitality & Your Home.

SUMMARY

What is a home? Is the opening question of this chapter. From a Biblical perspective, a home is to be a place of refuge and a center for evangelism.

1. The Home as a Place of Refuge

“Refuge, by definition, means a ‘shelter or protection from danger, trouble, etc.; anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief or escape.’” Our homes are to be places of refuge and protection first to those who reside there and secondly to those we welcome into our homes through hospitality.

According to Scripture the Christian home is to be a place of: refuge for those who have done wrong (Num. 35:6, 11-15); safety (Num. 35:25-28); security – a stronghold that is safe from the hostility of the world (2 Sam. 22:3); and a place of refreshment to those who communicate the gospel (Luke 10:38-42; Acts 9:35-10:23).

One lady shares “her husband taught her that she does not need to leave her front door to be ministering. As she prepares a nice meal for her family and makes her home a haven, she is truly ministering to them.” Many other examples are given of ladies who freely welcome in individuals and families according to the sphere of influence God has placed them in. The key here, I believe, is to prayerfully seek out and ask, “who around me needs a place of refuge?’

2. The Home as a Center for Evangelism

The church of our generation has centralized all programs of evangelism and outreach to happen within the church setting, with the use of all their professional materials and methods. According to Scripture, “you find that the home, not the church, served as the center of evangelism in the early expansion of Christianity.Michael Green writes, ‘One of the most important methods of spreading the gospel in antiquity was the use of homes.’”

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Guest post by Ann Dunagan from The Mission Minded Life, author of The Mission-Minded Child & The Mission-Minded Family.

Mission-Minded Hospitality – Highlights from Elisabeth Elliot’s Childhood

(An excerpt from The Mission-Minded Child)

Elisabeth Howard was raised as a mission-minded child. While growing up, her father (Philip E. Howard Jr.) led the family in daily times of prayer, which included singing hymns together (including every verse) and reading the Bible. Elisabeth’s parents viewed hospitality as a “matter of obedience” and believed “it was important for their children meet Christian men and women from all walks of life, to hear firsthand their stories of the faithfulness of God, and to enjoy the privilege of asking them questions.” The family’s hospitality (especially towards other missionaries) was often expected by their church; however, instead of feeling the weight of such an obligation, Elisabeth’s mother, Katherine, told young mothers, “You don’t understand what you’re missing out on. You’re missing out on some wonderful things!” Of the six children in her mission minded family, Elisabeth and four of her siblings became missionaries.

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Here’s an excerpt of an interview I did with my daughter (when she was 14 years old) about mission-minded hospitality. (An excerpt from The Mission-Minded Family)

From My Children’s Perspective: “Company’s Coming!”

–By Christi Dunagan, age 14

MOM: Christi, we have company over often, including many missionary families, and you are a tremendous help. From your perspective as my teenage daughter, and from a practical point of view, what does “Missionary Hospitality” mean to you?

CHRISTI: Well… it means I’ll have to do more dishes (without complaining), wash my sheets (making sure I’ve got matching pillowcases), clean my closet (usually two-feet-deep in clothes), straighten my little sister’s disasters, get rid of all my junk in the bathroom… and sometimes it’s got to be done really fast because usually our company’s coming any minute!

It means that after a “sit-down, nicer-than-normal” dinner, I’ll be in charge of keeping all the little kids quiet while the adults are visiting, and then, when it’s time for bed, I’ll “get” to sleep on the floor in my little brother’s room (with a smile)!

When people from Africa or India come over, they usually think my bedroom is like a royal guest house! It reminds me of how much I have to be thankful for and how much I usually take for granted.

Sometimes our visitors have never seen a dishwasher or a grocery store. One time, we all were laughing so hard with our Ugandan friend when he couldn’t figure out how a person could fit inside the little talking drive-through window at Burger King! (Our national friend was laughing harder than any of us!) Other times, village guests have stood watching in amazement through an entire washing machine cycle – with the lid up!

It can be interesting, and challenging, to hear exciting stories about how people have helped orphan children or about how missionaries have started Bible schools. It’s fun also to have special speakers from church stay at our house (like groups from “Teen Mania” or “Masters Commission”). Many times, ministers have really encouraged me to want to do something more for God with my life.

When we welcome others into our homes, especially other missionaries, it’s not just a lot of work… and an exercise in patience… it’s actually missionary training!

Christa's gift of decorating shines forth at the Valentine's Dessert

In light of our book study on the topic of Hospitality, I requested my dear sister, Christa, to share how the Lord has been using her in demonstrating hospitality as a single woman. She also includes some thoughts on how parents can encourage their daughters in this area. May this post encourage all young ladies out there to the great potential you have to impact the lives of others during this precious season! Christa blogs regularly over at Empowered Traditionalist.

It was our Valentines Dessert banquet, the tables were set, the candles lit, refreshments ready to be poured. I surveyed the dining room; there was three days worth of preparation in front of me. What if something goes wrong? Is the cheesecake too dry? Do we have enough drinks?

If you’ve ever entertained as a single young woman, I’m sure you can relate to the nervous panic attacks right before the guests arrive. Extending hospitality while single can be intimidating, but like any worthwhile skill, it just takes practice.

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Wel­come back for our chap­ter 4 dis­cus­sion on Prac­tic­ing Hos­pi­tal­ity: The Joy of Serv­ing Others by Pat Ennis & Lisa Tat­lock. This is part 4 of an eight week dis­cus­sion on this book. Past chapter summaries can be viewed here: part 1, part 2, and part 3.We are so glad you decided to join us! I Even if you are not par­tic­i­pat­ing in the study, I encour­age you to keep reading. Chapter 4 focused on Hospitality & Management. I was not able to summarize the entire chapter, due to it’s length, but here are some highlights.

SUMMARY

This chapter begins by emphasizing the importance of management to the successful extension of hospitality in practice. “Management skills are important for Christian women primarily because such skills are the key to extending hospitality with ease, enjoyment, and resourcefulness.” The authors continue: “Management involves organizing and planning all the details for each hospitality event. Organizing is the ability to arrange the various parts of your event; it implies that you are able to make decisions and accomplish tasks….Planning is the process of deciding in advance how to accomplish your tasks or goals.”

The end goal is to become “planners of generosity” with the help of three strategies:

1. Refuse Idleness – the opposite of idleness is diligence. The hospitable woman is willing to work hard as it takes consistent effort to maintain an orderly and prepared home. She is willing to pursue mentoring relationships with an older women if necessary to develop these skills. Above all, she is seeking to be faithful. She does not get consumed with undone tasks and give up, but rather makes a consistent effort every day to do her best for the glory of God.
2. Manage your home – Why is a managed home important? “Because a well-managed home views hospitality as a life-style – not just an event. You are living in anticipation that you will have guests in your home.” How can this be accomplished?

• Get organized – Take small steps. One room at a time. Create storage spaces. File, throw or give away items as needed.
• Establish a weekly cleaning schedule – For me this is Wednesday mornings. One week I do a basic cleaning of the downstairs as I see necessary, and on the opposite week I do a basic cleaning of the upstairs. This keeps it very management in this season of my life. Mondays is laundry day. Find a routine that works well for your family and stick to it!
• Identify daily cleaning chores
• Problem solve for your organization challenges – what areas do you struggle with and how can you solve these problems?
• Keep the pantry stocked – keep a quick meal ingredients on hand, including beverages and dessert.
• Prepare in advance for guests – What items might you need on hand for overnight guests?
  
• Straighten up before going to bed – take 5 minutes to walk around the house and make it generally picked up. This has helped me significantly! Involve your kids in the process before bed, if possible.
  
• Understand that orderliness, not perfection, is your goal.
• Have a proper perspective on possessions. “The purpose of organization is to prepare your home and possessions to be used and enjoyed by your guests – not to preserve them.”

3. Prepare for graciousness – Management is a tool to help facilitate a gracious environment for your guests.

The authors go on to share many further ideas about being prepared for hospitality which would make this post extremely lengthy to share. If you haven’t read it, I would encourage you to pick up a copy! I will continue by highlighting what stood out to me from this chapter.
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Wel­come back for our chap­ter 2 dis­cus­sion on Prac­tic­ing Hos­pi­tal­ity: The Joy of Serv­ing Others by Pat Ennis & Lisa Tat­lock. This is part 2 of an eight week dis­cus­sion on this book. For part 1, visit here. We are so glad you decided to join us! I will once again start by giving a brief recap of the chap­ter fol­lowed by a few dis­cus­sion ques­tions which you can use to lead in shar­ing what stood out to you in this chap­ter in the com­ments below. Even if you are not par­tic­i­pat­ing in the study, I encour­age you to keep reading…Chapter 2 focused on Hos­pi­tal­ity & Strangers.

SUMMARY

This chapter highlights both the Old & New Testament commands to practice hospitality. Romans 12:13 says, “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” The very core of understanding this biblical command  is understanding that this command is a practical way to visualize our love for God and for His people. Our foundation for practicing hospitality must be found in the truth that God’s remarkable grace has been demonstrated to us (Romans 1-11), and thus we should witness our transformed lives by showing brotherly love to others.

Hospitality is:

• Proverbs 14:31 – a means of honoring and loving Christ by meeting the needs of the poor
• 1 Peter 4:9 – to be practiced without grumbling or complaining, or thought of reward.
• Hebrews 13:1-2  – literally “a love for strangers” – treating fellow believers (Rom. 12:3, 1 Tim. 3:2), widows, orphans (1 Tim. 5:1-16), unbelievers (Luke 5:29), the poor and needy (Luke 14:12-14), missionaries (Matt. 10:9-11; Luke 10:7-16), foreigners, immigrants, refugees (Gen. 18:1-22; Lev. 25:35), and even enemies (Rom. 12:20) as if they were your very own family.
• Proverbs 19:17 – helping the poor, understanding that the Lord will repay you!
• Meeting the basic needs of others – and can include preparing food, providing lodging, giving physical protection, sharing material possessions, offering a place of rest, extending love and encouragement, sharing the gospel and spiritual teaching or encouragement.

The authors then proceed to give four points in summary of the Old Testament understanding of hospitality:

1. Hospitality was viewed as a duty – considered a responsibility or obligation.
2. Hospitality was offered sincerely, earnestly extended from the heart.
3. Hospitality was inclusive of all people – friends, strangers and enemies.
4. Hospitality was mutually respected, meaning that guests reciprocated the hospitality with a permanent and loyal friendship.

Do you and I view hospitality with the same kind of commitment?

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Welcome to our chapter 1 discussion on Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others by Pat Ennis & Lisa Tatlock. This is part 1 of an eight week discussion on this book. We are so glad you decided to join us! I will start each week by giving a brief recap of the chapter followed by a few discussion questions which you can use to lead in sharing what stood out to you in this chapter in the comments below. Even if you are not participating in the study, I encourage you to keep reading…Chapter 1 focused on Hospitality & Character.

SUMMARY

Purposefully developing Christ-like character is extremely important in order to fulfill the biblical command of hospitality. The Word of God is our standard that should challenge us to cultivate a lifestyle that conforms us to the only Person who exhibited character in its purest form – Christ Jesus.  “His standard of femininity [and masculinity for that matter] is a quality that, from a biblical perspective, has little to do with appearance and everything to do with character.”

The authors then proceed to make a word collage of character qualities of what a person of character who desires to practice hospitality might look like.

A Person of Christian Character who Practices Hospitality is….

H – Humble
O – Obedient
S – Sincere
P – Prayerful
I – Interested in Integrity
T – Trustworthy
A – Adopted into God’s Family
L – Led by the Spirit
I – Instrumental in Producing Righteousness
T – Thankful
Y – Yielded

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