We are all made with a longing for beauty and loveliness.  Whether it’s what we traditionally call art, or what we create in our homes, all loveliness is meant to point us toward God.  We can seek and create beauty in:

• Food and drink

• Art we observe

• Art we create - coloring pages to candle making

• Home decor

• Music

• Creation

• Anything that utilizes our senses

 

God designed US with senses that reflect His nature, and He designed creation to FILL those senses.  The enjoyment of beauty can have a powerful place in our relationship with God!

  Our lives of obedience are lovely to God.

Philippians 4:4-9 is a beautiful picture of how rejoicing in God shapes how we think and live!  As we know Him and rejoice in Him, God’s peace “guards our hearts and minds,” and it transforms our life and testimony.

It’s important to note: Our worship is tied to obedience and repentance.  We may need to grieve where we have wronged God, in order to fully worship Him.  

We can use beauty as a form of worship.

Whether we sing, create art, create loveliness in our homes, or even prepare a meal that is  delicious, we can use beauty in our everyday lives to glorify God!

 

*FIRST we find Him, though.  Beauty isn't a mystical, ethereal things we pursue.  We find true beauty as we find truth.  We find truth in Christ, as we “feast” on scripture.  

 

Then we might spend time with God as we enjoy lovely music (make sure it is truth-rooted, not just beautiful!) ,Bible journaling/art, designing our homes, and even movement! But maybe the sweetest way we can beautifully worship God is by practicing “Defiant Joy” - as we keep coming back to Him and seeing Him in the midst of hard places in everyday life.

 

A great principle we can remember comes from 1 Corinthians 10:31 - “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 

All loveliness originates and culminates in Christ - and that is ultimately where we will experience truth, joy, and beauty. 

 

We can buy beautiful Bibles (and I do love mine), and make scripture art, and create the coziest corner and morning routine for reading our Bibles.  But ultimately, we do any of these things to find Jesus.  Ultimately, we don’t NEED any of these things - we only need Christ.

Perhaps Robert Murray M’Cheyne said it best: “The truest, purest joy flows from a discovery of Jesus Christ. He is the hidden treasure that gives such joy to the finder (Matt. 13:44).” - Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Letters to a Soul Seeking Christ 

Matthew 13:44-45 - the kingdom of heaven - a treasure worth selling all we have, and a pearl worth getting rid of everything we own.  This will shape how we approach what we do have, next episode.

Mary and Martha created a lovely environment for Jesus - Mary literally “welcomed Him into her house.”  This was a good thing!  Mary “listened to His teaching,” and Martha “was distracted.”  Ultimately, we offer God our best worship when we give Him our full focus. Whether we are enjoying the beauty God created in nature, or creating loveliness ourselves, ultimately all beauty should draw us, and those around us, to worship the God who made all things that are lovely.

 

In the next episode, we’ll dig into how we create beauty in welcome, in a way that has eternal purpose.

 

Find full shownotes here.

RESOURCES

• Episode 13 - Salted Honey - the Words We Eat and the Words We Speak

• Some of my Bible study resources that add loveliness to routine :)

• Ways to Engage With the Bible Artistically

• Art and Music: A Student’s Guide by Munson, Drake and Dockery

• Five Ways to Use Art to Deepen Your Faith, by Laura and Jason VanDyke of God’s Fingerprints

• Embodied Prayer, Celeste Snowber Schroeder

 

Salty and sweet are flavor profiles that play well together, both in the culinary world and in a spiritual-relational aspect.

It’s important that we speak the truth, and that we speak it in love.  Both are needed.  So how do we do that?

 

We need to be feasting on truth - eating the words, so to speak - that the Lord gives us to know what is truth.

 

“The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the instruction of fools is folly. The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips. Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” - Proverbs 16:21-24

 

As we know and love God through His word, our palate is developed for truth, our discernment grows, and our ability to speak truth lovingly is increased.

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.” - Psalm 119:103-104

As Christ-followers, we have the job of glorifying Him, of pointing others to Him, with our words.  Therefore, our words need to be truth-rooted and love-driven.  By necessity, those words will be different from the language of the world.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:13-16

We have to live THE truth, and we also have to speak it.  

 

It’s important to note, our job as Christians is not just “be nice.”  All we say should be truthful and should point to Jesus.  AND it should be kind - in the eternal sense.  In a world where we have elevated niceness to a near-religion (or at least elevated affirmation of all opinions in such a way that we are unwilling to cause disagreement if it might cause offense), it’s important to have a biblical understanding of God’s call for us: truth, and love in the eternally-focused sense, are more important than “nice.”

 

Colossians tells us to, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” - Colossians 4:5-6

 

And yet, speaking the truth IS the loving way to interact with those we care about - and God has called us to care and to speak.

 

Jesus told His followers they would experience not just offense, but persecution.  And yet, He still said, “follow me.”

 

When it comes to saying hard things, to speaking the truth from a place of love, I think we’re called to be both sweet AND salty.  

 

In your kitchen this week, try a little honey on your cheese, Tajin on your papaya… maybe even salt on your watermelon.  Or come visit our little coffee shop at Camp Bethel and I’ll make you a salted honey tea latte.  ;)

 

Find the full show notes here (and download the free scripture art!)

 

Resources:

• See episode 11 and episode 12 foe more on studying the Bible.
• Revive Our Hearts - Seasoned With Salt
• Grace To You - Commentary on Colossians 4
• Got Questions - Why do we “Let Our Words Be Seasoned…”

 

 

These recipes are on my to-try-list:

Orange Almond Honey Cake from May I Have That Recipe

Orange Salted Honey Cake (oh my!) from The Cake Blog

Gluten Free Honey Cake from At the Immigrant’s Table

 

 

Lizzy was really honest when she shared that sometimes she finds herself bored with a passage of scripture, or unmotivated to read at all.  In this episode, we’ll explore some ways to read the Bible and really love it.  As we fall in love with God through scripture, we’ll find ourselves WANTING to read more, too!

 

Highlights:

 

• Read to know and love God.

• Pray and ask Him to help you crave, understand, and love the Word.(See 1 John 5:14 and Deuteronomy 11, especially verse 22).

• Watch the Word for the hope you’ll find in Him (see Ephesians 1:17-18 and Psalm 34)! 

• Check out John Piper’s video “Do You Enjoy Reading the Bible” (link below) - WOW!! 

• Read to understand.

• Try reading (and writing in) a real Bible and a journal. 

• Try different translations (I love ESV and NASB). See below for resources for how to choose a solid translation (see Jeremiah 33:3).

• Try using study guides such as a concordance, Bible dictionary, or a Hebrew-Greek Bible

• Try listening to the Bible.

• Try taking notes.

• Don’t rush: Try meditating on a small passage of scripture (see John Piper’s “Look at the Book” series and “How to Meditate on a Verse” - link in shownotes). See also Joshua 1:8!

• Learn about the literature of the Bible by studying genres, authors, and looking for themes.  Learn about things like descriptive versus prescriptive writings.

• Read to Be Changed. (See Hebrews 4:12!)

• God wrote the Bible so that it might be a tool He uses to change how we think and how we live.  Want to really grow? MEMORIZE scripture (see Psalm 119:9-16).

• Read often.

• The more often you read, the more familiar the order, themes, stories and names will become.

• Use a tool like a sermon, study, podcast or even movie to JUMP START REAL STUDY.  Don’t settle for someone else’s version of the Bible, but let it spur you on to dig deep.

• Set a time - the same time each day - and put it on your calendar.  

• Sometimes setting the environment helps; try setting up a Bible study basket and using scent and/or sound to enrich your experience.

• Read the whole Bible.

• As you work through all the parts of scripture, you’ll start to see the threads running together (listen to Jennifer Booth on episode 11 about her Star Wars epiphany!).  The Bible is one story, pointing forward and backward to Jesus and His glorious work!

• Check out one of many one-year Bible reading plans - I love the M’Cheyne plan available at The Gospel Coalition or the YouVersion Bible App.  For some of us, a checklist helps us stay focused and motivated!

• Read with a friend. (See 1 Timothy 4:13.) 

• When we study together, we have accountability.

• We can find deeper understanding when we study together.

• It’s always a good idea to seek out someone older/wiser to study with!

• If you use the YouVersion Bible app, try the feature where you can share with others.  

• BUT EVEN BETTER: Meet in person!  

 

Here’s my prayer for each of us - Ephesians 1:13-21:

“In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.  For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,  do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”

AMEN!!!!

 

Resources:

How to Read the Bible and Understand It (episode 11 with Jennifer Booth)

Redeeming Productivity by Reagan Rose (affiliate link)

My favorite leather wrapped journaling Bible (or this more budget-friendly journaling Bible!) (affiliate links)

Which is the Most Accurate Translation of the Bible from Got Questions

Why Are There So Many Bible Translations, and Which is the Best? from Got Questions

YouVersion reading Plan: How to Love Reading the Bible

John Piper: How to Meditate on a Verse

Hebrew Greek Keyword Study Bible (affiliate link)

Interlinear Bible (affiliate link)

Do You Enjoy Reading the Bible? From John Piper

 

In this episode, we talk with Jennifer Booth about ways to read the Bible and really get it (in other words, how to love it and learn from it!).  A few highlights:

 

Jennifer came to know Christ as her Savior at an early age, but it wasn’t until she was an adult and really began to read the Bible with consistency, that she grew in knowledge and intimacy with Jesus.  A long-standing love for Star Wars made her realize that reading the “original story” makes the clues, characters, and dialogue come to life; knowing the back story makes the future enjoyment so much deeper.  It’s the same with the Bible; the more you read every part, the more what you read has richer and deeper meaning for you.

 

• The Bible is one story, beginning to forever, that all speaks to Jesus.

• The more of the Bible you know, the more reach your understanding it is.

• We read the Bible to know God more deeply; it’s about a growing relationship, not just a body of knowledge.

 

Jennifer calls herself a “faith mentor;” she’s committed to growing in knowing Jesus, and passing along what she learns to others.  While the Bible tells us not all women are called to “be teachers (1 Corinthians 12:27-31),” all are called to disciple other women.

 

A few tips for really applying our biblical knowledge in loving women:

• Ask God for wisdom, and ask Him to show you who needs you.

• Listen and look: be aware of who’s around you and what they need.

• Look for natural connections with other women.

• Pray for the women God brings into your life.

 

God has called us all to disciple, and therefore we all have something to offer.

If we feel we don’t have the time or the wisdom, we may need to do the work of clearing our calendars and growing in our wisdom and knowledge of God through the Bible.

Your study and your serving may look different in different seasons of life.  Keep growing and keep praying!  It’s never too late.  At age 52, as a stay-at-home-mom turned empty nester, Jennifer is in seminary to make herself more available to God’s work through her.

 

Who is around you, whom God is calling you to walk alongside in this season?  

What growing do you need to do to offer all you have to His calling? 

 

Resources:

Live It Out Episode 186 - The One Thing that Makes Reading and Understanding the Bible More Meaningful

Live It Out Episode 173 - Is Your Phone Keeping You From Spending Time With God?

Jennifer’s Focus Bible Study Guide 

Jennifer’s Free Scripture Writing Plan

My interview on Jennifer’s podcast: Making Time for Friendship

How to Start a Daily Bible Reading Habit

How to Let Go of Your Fears and Host A Bible Study

Tools for Meaningful Bible Study

Find Jennifer online:

Jennifer’s Podcast Live It Out

Jennifer Booth Ministries on Instagram Jennifer’s Website

...sharing a “meal” can be as simple as rinsing fruit & plunking it into a bowl…

As summer winds down, grab one of these ideas and invite someone to enjoy all that is warm, bright, and easy about the season.  From the most simple to lovely and detailed, here are some ideas for fast, fun get-togethers to round off summer and nourish friendships... for the Kingdom.

 

3 Quick Tips for Last-Minute Summer Gatherings:

• The more you prepare in advance, the better. Planning ahead means less stress for you and better participation for those you’re inviting.
• The more you enjoy it, the more your guests will enjoy it.  Relax and don't sweat the small stuff!
• Remember, biblical hospitality has a purpose… Inviting others into fellowship as we fellowship with Christ. So the best preparation we can do is prayer! Then enjoy the time together.

 

Highlights:

1. “Garden Party” | Ice Cream Bar | Picnic at the Park 
2. Coffee and Dessert | Coffeeshop Date | A Walk with a Drink
3.  Snacks and Apps Potluck
4. S’mores Party | Popsicles on the Porch | Watermelon Night
5. Backyard Brunch | Waffle, Toast or Yogurt Bar | Picnic Breakfast 

Grab my free download "Five Fast Apps!"

 

Find my favorite breakfast and brunch recipes here.

And a few of my favorite breakfast picks!

• Breakfast Skillet with Turmeric & Kale
• The prettiest yogurt breakfast parfait is simple to make and lovely to serve.
• Have you ever made a dutch baby?  This version with salmon is so elegant but isn’t hard to make.

 

Here are a few fun summer recipes to try!

• Strawberry Mojito Popsicles - these are delicious and really healthy!
• These Blueberry Basil Popsicles are very simple to make and are really delicious.  If you want, you can add yogurt to the recipe for added protein!

Whether you love to make it fancy or you just want to keep it simple and casual, invite a friend or three and get out to enjoy the sweet days of summer!

Complete show notes are here!

 

Other episodes to listen to:

Modesty (It sets the tone for how we host!)

A Case for Biblical Hospitality

LET’S CONNECT:

Instagram

Facebook

Join the Facebook Community!

Pinterest

YouTube

 

What does it mean to be “kingdom-minded?”

 

Highlights:

Often we adopt the world’s short-sighted view of our homes, our gifts, and our relationships.  But God calls us to have a long-term view of these things; we need to view all our lives through the lens of His kingdom, and our calling to point others to His glory.

 

Scripture passages that can inform our thinking in having a kingdom mindset:

• Colossians 3:1-2 reminds us that we must remember our lives are “hidden in God,” and that we must set our minds “on things above.”

• Philippians 2:1-11 reminds us to humbly consider others “more significant” than ourselves.  Jesus Himself models this, the Father has exalted Him above all other names, and our lives exist to give Him glory!

• 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, 18 reminds us that our bodies are “jars of clay,” and our imperfection points to God’s power at work in and through us!

• Hebrews 12 reminds us that in light of the faithful who came before us, we can run with endurance, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith - and not grow weary or fainthearted!

• In Matthew 6 Jesus models for us how we are to pray (and therefore to focus our lives) - fully yielded to His purposes for our gifts, our work, and our relationships.

 

In Episode 8 we talked about modesty and we looked at Romans 12:1-2.  Our bodies - really our lives - are a living sacrifice.  We are not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so we could discern God’s will.  If you haven’t listened, I encourage you to go back and do so.  This is a foundational idea - seeing our whole lives as a sacrificial opportunity to worship God and point others to Him.

 

A definition of “kingdom-minded-ness” when it comes to living the inviting life:

Approaching our lives, our work, our homes and our relationships with the perspective that we are here to be salt and light, reflecting God’s glory and inviting others into fellowship with Him, with us.  

 

As we live our lives, we must begin from a place of awe of God, and then see every other part of our lives and relationships through that lens.  Does this sense of awe drive how you interact with others?

 

Let’s ask ourselves:

How has God called me 

• To use my body - my gifts, my abilities, my experiences for the sake of the kingdom?

• To use my resources, my work for the sake of the kingdom?

• To use my home for the sake of the kingdom?

• To invest in this person for the sake of the kingdom?

Want to read more?

Find Complete Show Notes Here

 

Resources:

Pastor Voddie Baucham on Matthew 6

Episode 8 - Modesty and the Inviting Life

Read about Why We Have to Live the Inviting Life

Four Ways to Practice Intentional Hospitality

 

LET’S CONNECT:

Instagram

Facebook

Join the Facebook Community!

Pinterest

YouTube

 

Modesty has its place in a conversation about living the “inviting life,” because that life is all about glorifying Christ with how we live, inviting others into fellowship as a means to fellowship with Him.

 

Highlights:

• All Christians are called to live the “great commission,” and all Christians are called to be modest. 

• We’re defining modesty as “a proper treatment, for a watching world, of the bodies God designed in His image, that actively and intentionally seeks to glorify Him in those bodies.”  

• Church leadership requirements include modesty (respectability) and hospitality!  See 1 Timothy 2 and 3.

• Romans 12:1-3 - Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable by God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds… 

• We as Christians are called to be radically different in a world that is obsessed with - and utterly confused in - identity.  We can’t be like, live like, behave like, or even dress like the world without Christ does.

• Beginning in Genesis and ending in Revelation, God shows us a beautiful connection between our identity as made in His image, to our need to cover the shame of our sin, to His providing not just the covering, but the redemption and “beautiful garments” we wear as the redeemed children of God and as the Bride of Christ.  

• How we dress, and how we use our bodies, should always glorify God.  

 

In this episode, we talk about not just how modesty affects what we wear, but how it looks in the practice of biblical hospitality.  It’s about way more than the length of our skirts, sisters!

 

Find the full show notes/blog post at Everyday Welcome.

Questions to ask ourselves:

1. Is my heart as I get dressed today to give glory to God or to give glory to myself?

2. Am I seeking fulfillment from my Heavenly Father or am I seeking the attention of someone else?  

3. Does how I am dressing or how I am using my body reflect all the character of God or does it draw attention to me?

4. Am I seeking to point others to the goodness of God or am I idolizing my so-called “rights” and “freedom?”

5. Am I seeking to create a place of comfort and welcome for others or am I looking to show off my abilities, talents, gifts?

 

"Living modestly is to proclaim what is proper, just like the orderly cosmos. 'Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!' (Psalm 115:1). Our true glory is only uncovered as we shout with joy about him." - source

Resources:

This is a fantastic article on The Gospel Coalition

Meggie Cotonethal for Desiring God

Garments of Splendor “Scriptures About Modesty Your Daughter Should Know”

Got Questions on Modesty

EXCELLENT article from David Mathis for Desiring God  on being above reproach as an elder

Looking for more?  

• Listen to the powerful testimony of how God redeemed Kim and her marriage beyond addiction and false religion.

• Learn three things you can do today to grow in the inviting life!

LET’S CONNECT:

Instagram

Facebook

Join the Facebook Community!

Pinterest

YouTube

 

 

In this episode, my dear friend Kim Russo shares her personal testimony of walking with Christ.  From a place of complete loss and hopelessness, God brought her to Himself in Jesus, to living a life that wholeheartedly embraces others in order to introduce them to her Savior.  Kim is honest and vulnerable, and I think we can learn much from seeing God’s faithfulness through hardship.  

 

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” - Hebrews 10:23-25, ESV

 

Sometimes, we may be in a place where we can’t see through the darkness that seems to overwhelm us.  Other times, it may be someone we love who is in such a place.  But God is faithful, and all who yield their lives to Him will see the fruit of His work!  It might be a matter of throwing up our hands and saying, “Help!”  It may be that He has done mighty works and He is calling us to speak up about His goodness and faithfulness.  Kim reminds us that when He calls, we have to respond… and we cannot let fear of anyone else’s opinions hold us back.

Key points:

• Without Christ at the center, every “beautiful” thing leaves us empty.
• We often seek to control our lives, and without Christ, we’re left longing.
• Sometimes God allows us to lose everything in order to awaken our longing for Him.
• God often uses the “hard words” of those who love Him to draw others to Himself.
• When God is calling us to do something and we don't do it, we are often fearing man more than fearing God.

Want to go deeper?

Read “Loving My Husband While Waiting on God” on the blog 

Read “Offering Hospitality to Our Husbands” 

Read “How to Let Go of Your Fears and Start a Bible Study”

Listen to “3 Things to do Right Now to Grow in the Inviting Life”

 

Resources mentioned:

America’s Keswick Christian Addiction Recovery

The Testimony Project (Truthseekers Bible Study)

Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin (the book we began with in our women’s study)

Waypoint Gap Year at Harvey Cedars Bible Conference

 

* As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This page may contain affiliate links for Amazon or other companies. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.  I only recommend items I personally love or believe will benefit listeners, and I treasure being able to support small Christian-owned companies.  Please don’t spend any money on a product unless it fits with how God is leading you to live to honor Him!

Find Kim online:

Instagram

Facebook

Read the complete show notes here on the blog!

LET’S CONNECT:

Instagram

Facebook

Join the Facebook Community!

Pinterest

YouTube

 

But… do I have to feed people?  

 

Just in case, on today's episode, I’m sharing some recipes and ideas for hospitality!

 

When I say, “hospitality,” I know that’s the question that overwhelms some of us.  We have lots of hangups around hosting, and the idea of having to cook or prepare an elaborate meal could stop us before we ever get around to inviting.  So DO we have to feed people?  The short answer is…

No.  But it’s sure a nice way to connect, to open hearts, and to share an act of love with someone!

 

Food is given not just for our sustenance, but for our enjoyment.  When God created us, He made us with all the senses to see, smell, touch and taste food - and we can share that blessing with others.  He also made food to nourish us, and when we feed someone, we get to physically nourish them, too.

 

Food is an earthly experience that reflects our eternal existence, made in the image of a creative God.

 

“God never meant man to be a purely spiritual creature. That is why He uses material things like bread and wine to put the new life into us. We may think this rather crude and unspiritual. God does not: He invented eating. He likes matter. He invented it.” - C. S. LEWIS, Mere Christianity

 

Did you ever notice that several times in scripture, Jesus shares a meal with and/or feeds people?

 

• In Matthew 14 and 15, He and the disciples feed a crowd of over 5,000, then 4,000

• In luke 19, Jesus joins Zaccheus at his home for dinner

• In Luke 10, Jesus dines at the invite of Mary and Marth

• Jesus celebrates the biblical feasts/meals with His disciples throughout His time with them

• In Luke 21 after the resurrection, Jesus feeds the disciples breakfast on the shore

So I’m thinking if our Lord fed people, we can, too!

 

Sharing food - whether it’s a snack or a full meal - doesn’t have to be daunting.  I believe you can find a bite to share whether you’re single and in a tiny apartment, a mom of multiple kiddos, or a retired person on a limited income… it’s about simplifying, being creative, planning ahead, working with what you have, and being intentional for those we invite.

 

We may have some hold-ups, though, that we think prevent us from hosting with a meal.  Maybe you’d say, “I’m not a cook,” “I have no time,” or “I’m on a tight budget!”  Maybe you’re intimidated by people who are picky or have allergies or food preferences or sensitivities.  There are answers to those valid concerns!

 

• I’m NOT a cook
• I’ve got no time
• It’s hard to feed people who are picky/have allergies

Find ideas for all of these hold-ups on today's episode!

“Food cannot take care of spiritual, psychological and emotional problems, but the feeling of being loved and cared for, the actual comfort of the beauty and flavour of food, the increase of blood sugar and physical well-being, help one to go on during the next hours better equipped to meet the problems (p. 124).”

― Edith Schaeffer, The Hidden Art of Homemaking

 

FULL EPISODE NOTES ARE HERE.

 

Want a printable list of some of my favorite recipes for hosting?  These are some of my favorite easy recipes for feeding in a hurry, with a crowd, on a budget or with food sensitivies.

 

Grab it here!  

Resources:

Flourish E-book

Greek Burger bowls

Egg Roll Bowls

Breakfast Soup 

Breakfast Recipes Page

Cheese Board

Edit Schaeffer, The Hidden Art of Homemaking

Even while we are being good stewards of our time, being interruptible is one of the best ways we can live the inviting life.

 

Having a new puppy has reminded me pretty blatantly of what it means to be “interruptible,” and I think this character quality is one of the hardest, and most vital, parts of living the inviting life.

Being “interruptible” is having a mindset that says, “yes, my time and goals are important, but kingdom-focused relationships are more important.”  Our ability to pause for connecting with others is closely connected to our trust in God and our determination to be people who love Him and love others for His sake.

Being interruptible is rooted in:

• Trust in God’s sovereign provision

• Confidence in our calling as Jesus-followers

• Holding a plan - with open hands

 

Throughout the gospels, there are examples of Jesus Himself being interruptible as He went about His ministry. In the gospel of Mark, chapters 5-6, we see some pretty good examples of how He handled interruptions.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks…It is a strange fact that Christians and even ministers frequently consider their work so important and urgent that they will allow nothing to disturb them. They think they are doing God a service in this, but actually they are disdaining God’s ‘crooked yet straight path.”

As we go about our days, let’s challenge each other to remember, “The God who is sovereign over our salvation is sovereign also over our schedules, including all the interruptions.” (Source) 

Sometimes, interruptions are God’s provision for us for fellowship, mutual growth, and teamwork in Kingdom life!

 

Here are some ways we can truly be “interruptible” as Christ-followers living the inviting life:

• Make regular time to get away with God!

• We need to nourish our bodies and our souls to be prepared to serve others well.

• Be fully present.

• Don’t check your watch or phone.  Make eye contact, and really listen.

• Try “active listening;” lean in, ask questions, repeat things you’ve heard, and ask clarifying or further leading questions.

• Make the conversation about them, not you… and then if the opportunity is there, point the conversation back to truths about God!

• Be bold and intentional: Ask if you can join each other  in prayer or offer to pray for the person if the timing is right - this takes the conversation to the One who can interact effectively!  But even if not, be praying “without ceasing” for God to bring you opportunities, and make you sensitive to them, to be interrupted for the sake of the inviting life.

“What if we learned to experience interruption differently? Rather than viewing all outside interruption as the enemy of productivity and creativity, what if we viewed our lives as communicative vessels for the sake of the other? If we open ourselves to embrace a theology of holy interruption, we may usher in newness, revelation, life, and story to inform our work and craft and life in ways that otherwise would simply not be possible.” (Source)

  Want more Everyday Welcome?  Keep listening!

• New here?  Listen to Episode 1: A Biblical Case for Hospitality.

• Other mentioned episodes: Episode 4: Hard Hospitality | Responding to “Pride” with Humility.

 

RESOURCES:

A Grace Filled Beginning: Free Biblically-Based Planning Course

Joseph Tenney: Interruption is God’s Invitation

Scott Hubbard on Desiring God: Plan to Be Interrupted (The above Bonhoeffer quote is mentioned here, also.)

LET’S CONNECT:

Instagram

Facebook

Join the Facebook Community!

Pinterest

YouTube