Our theology is best expressed in our hospitality. What do you think about this quote? What does our hospitality say about us? In today's podcast, I'll be talking about hospitality. It is another way we can connect with others and here at face society it's all about the art of connection. Hospitality. It is both something we do and a gift some possess. You know those people that are both warm and welcoming and have a home that is so inviting. It isn't that everything is perfect, but that these people have the gift of making their home come together in such lovely ways that I don't even imagine. I can't even imagine, but like those pinterest crafts I attempt to copy. We can all be hospitable offering hospitality just as we all have gifts. We can sing songs, doodle or draw and some are more gifted in these areas than others. We each have gifts unique to ourselves that contribute to our world in ways that are beautiful, but even in these areas where we may not be gifted or we may not excel, we can learn and use these things. Hospitality, I believe is one of them. Hospitality, it's defined as the friendly and generous reception and entertainment have guests, visitors or strangers, and in this definition even I can practice hospitality. My home is never super neat and tidy. My place mats, if I remember to use them or a mismatch with one or two that should have been washed before being placed out for guests, but no worries. I just turned it over and let a family member used the dirty one. If I remember, I'll get fresh flowers, do a quick vacuum and a cursory dusting, tidy up a bit, the powder room and prep, whatever foods that will be offered. I follow some lovely ladies on Instagram who are amazing and the creation of their banquet type title tables. They're truly gifted ladies and I admire their that gift and how they operate in it. I gather ideas from these ladies but also cut myself slack because this is not a natural or a gifting area of mine hospitality, but I opened my door to friends, acquaintances, and loved to entertain with theme parties and as hospitality is defined, I am hitting the mark. Hospitality doesn't always have to look all pretty, but she'd always fulfill a need for companionship, fellowship meeting, deep heart needs. Hospitality opens the door for connection and we can be hospitable everyday by being engaged in the moment with a person we are with listening, hearing, loving. This to me is being hos hospitable. It's offering hospitality. Offering hospitality is more of a mindset than a setting of a table. I think that we can offer hospitality as traditionally in our home, but outside our home as well. Hospitality is most often opening up our home for others to come enjoy a meal and in and enjoy some companionship, but I think it doesn't need to be limited to this. We can practice doing one thing for one person that we wish we could do for everyone. I believe this is offering a hospitality. Perhaps it's visiting a lonely neighbor down the road. You know the one that you just never see come out very often. Sometimes their papers collected the end of their driveway. Reaching out to them in hospitality could do wonders, or perhaps hospitality is inviting a friend who feels left out or forgotten. I can't tell you how many times throughout my life I never quite felt like I fit in somewhere and then God bless a woman who would reach out to me and hospitality, inviting me in. So hospitality I believe is a mindset and heartset as much as having a beautiful home and a beautiful table set for people to come and enjoy. Perhaps hospitality is seeing a homeless person and inviting them to join you for a diner dinner and give them a meal regardless of what they might do after. Because this is a no judgment zone. We want to just offer hospitality. It's a unique way to approach life because it offers a kind and safe place for others to recline for awhile. Most often in our home, but always in our presence. Those who join us can be our neighbors. A Study Group of book club or any group where they might meet in our homes so we can offer hospitality or it may be that we meet with a friend for a coffee or walk offering our hearts and our listening ear. I believe his hospitality to and as we do open our homes in our lives and hospitality, people can then let their guard down when they are around with around us. Trust begins to build and they feel safe to share their lives, both the pain and the joy that comes in their lives. As connections are developed and community grows in the offering of hospitality, and we don't need to create an attempt to explain a way suffering, but we can offer that a safe place for those who are suffering. This is hospitality to how well do we live. Broken and open and honest. Is Our door open to our inner life wide open walls, broken down, living raw and authentic and honest and vulnerable. This is the call that Ann Voskamp says to us. Have you ever just wished you would be invited in to be a part of a gathering? Hospitality invites. It has the power to leave us vulnerable, approachable facade down and authenticity lived full on. The fruit of hospitality is manifold. With hospitality. We are creating a community community of living loved even in the midst of pain or suffering. If we each risk being vulnerable, living broken, as Ann Voskamp says, and living authentic, being genuine, then we can make a huge impact and a huge difference in the lives of others. And guess what? Along the way, our heart doesn't ache as much either what we believe is lived out in our actions. It begins with our thought life, our mindset, so what we believe is lived out in them in the actions of our lives. Hospitality is one thought to set our minds on and grow in love. Hospitality is one way we can get out of our own way and live life and community and connection. We can reach up, reach out our hands and love. We can walk over to that hurting person. We can invite them in and sure along the way if we want to, we can learn how to make our table more beautiful, our food presentation more appealing from those who are gifted with hospitality. It is a gift for some one that I just acknowledge and and revel in and it is a skill that the rest of us can learn or copy. Today's call to action. We can practice doing one thing for one person that we wish we could do for everyone. Let's make a difference. Let's offer hospitality to one person, then the next one, then the next one that comes along our way. Let's live our theology out loud for the world to see. Let's live what we believe, demonstrating that connections are an art to be practiced and community. I think that he cultivated where each of us can belong, live, loved, and experienced what it is to be beloved for the next seven days. Let's look out for ways that we can open our home in hospitality ways. We can extend hospitality outside her home. I would love to hear how it goes. Follow face society on Instagram or facebook and let me know our community would be encouraged to hear from you. For now, this is Sandra Vernon with face society.