5 Tips for Great Hospitality

1)   Make sure your heart is prepared.

·         Spend time praying for your guests.

·         Remember: Hospitality is about meeting the needs of your guests, not your own.

·         Don’t make hospitality a duty. Remember: It is about opening your heart. Do it out of love.

·         Schedule in some time before your guests arrive to just relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

2)   Make sure your home is prepared.

•     Declutter
• Always have a few toys, coloring books, and children’s movies on hand for young guests.
•  Light candles! Just check first to make sure that nobody has any sensitivities to scents. I usually stick to using scents like vanilla, cinnamon, or something fruity.
• Keep a guest book for visitors to sign.
• Play some soft relaxing music.

3)   Have fun!

•             Relax! Be yourself!
•       Take the time to sit and talk with your guests. Don’t be rushing back and forth between them and the kitchen.
•       Listen to your guests.

4)   Plan ahead!

•        Decide what you will be serving before the day of the get together.
•        Go shopping and purchase the food and decorations that you need 1 or 2 days before the event.
•        Check with your guests to see if they have any special needs such as food allergies, a special diet,  or any sensitivities to flowers and scents. As someone who has food allergies, I know that it can be very frustrating when you go to someone’s and aren’t able to eat what they are serving or have an asthma attack because the candles upset your allergies.
•       Serve tried-and-true recipes!

5)   Be inventive!

•        Being hospitable doesn’t necessarily mean inviting people over for dinner, try to be creative in the ways you share God’s love with other people.
•        If you are like me and don’t feel comfortable inviting people to where you live, invite them to join you for lunch or dinner at a favorite restaurant.
•       Plan a picnic and have your friends meet you at the park on a nice day.
•       Sit down and write a card to send to a friend when they come to mind, or send them a text to let them know you are praying for them.
•       Host  a block party! Invite your neighbors, pull the grill and tables out onto the front lawn.
•       Have a progressive dinner! During a progressive dinner, guests move from one house to another for different courses. For example, drinks and appetizers at your house, soup at someone else’s house, salad, entrée, dessert, etc. 

A Heart of Hospitality

Hospitality is a topic that it is hard for me to write about. I am an introvert, and because of it I would rather spend much of my time by myself. But after this past week and reading Willing to Walk on Water by Caroline Barnett, I am beginning to realize that I need to look for more ways to serve others.

Of course, at the same time, I am struggling with the fact that I already feel like my life revolves around serving others. In other words, my heart is not where it needs to be when it comes to hospitality.

I am learning that hospitality isn’t just about entertaining others with dinner parties and barbecues. The Lord is working on my heart to show me that true hospitality is about opening my heart and my life as well as my home to other people and finding ways to serve others.

As I am learning more and more about modeling my life after Christ’s life, then I also have to look to Him in the area of hospitality and Christ was the ultimate host. Time after time in the Gospels we see Christ opening His heart and His life to other people. Even though He didn’t have a home of His own, we see Him inviting people to visit Him where He was staying. He fed thousands of people multiple times.  He offered healing where needed and took time to talk with people. He met the needs of the people.

As Christians we are called to receive others as we are received by Christ.

We are called to have a heart of hospitality.

Some Scriptures on hospitality:

“Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister to, and to give his life for many.”--Matthew 20:28

“We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not please ourselves. Let everyone of us please his neighbor for his good to edification.”--Romans 15:1-3

 “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save.”--Luke 19:10

“The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall also be watered.”--Proverbs 11:25

“A new commandment that I give you:  that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men shall know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.”--John 13:34 & 35

“Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” --1 Peter 4:9 (This is the verse that really convicts me because many times I serve others, but I do it with the wrong attitude and so I 

do it grudgingly.)

Dear Abba,

I have failed you in the area of hospitality in my life. I struggle with opening my heart and my life to others. I fear being rejected and have many other fears in this area, but I know that You have called me to have a heart of hospitality. I ask that You show me how I serve others and how to open my heart and my life to them.

Amen

A Week of Hospitality and Willing to Walk on Water by Caroline Barnett

Before we talk about the book of the week, I want to tell you that I am devoting this week’s blog to the topic of hospitality. Over the weekend I attended a ladies’ retreat that our church sponsored and the topic of the discussion was hospitality. The book I am reviewing today also touches on hospitality from a Biblical perspective and that is where we are headed this week. I’m not Martha Stewart, but I am learning that hospitality doesn’t mean setting the perfect table and serving gourmet dishes. Hospitality is about sharing God’s love with others by welcoming them into our hearts, our home, and our lives. So let’s get started on this journey…WELCOME TO OUR WEEK OF HOSPITALITY!

Now on to our book….

Willing to Walk on Water: Step Out in Faith and Let God Work Miracles Through Your Life

Usually when I write a review I  write about the book and then I write about my view of the book (what I like or don’t like about it). Today I’m going to do this a little differently. Today I want to introduce you to the author of the book before discussing the book. The reason for this is because Caroline shares a lot about her life in the book and the church that she and her husband minister to.

Caroline Barnett is married to the founder of the Dream Center in LA Matthew Barnett. She has a passion for inspiring women to find their God-given cause. She and her husband minister to thousands of people at the Dream Center through a wide range of outreach ministries—from a food truck ministry (which she started) to Project Prevention, which is a program designed to help impoverished families stay together. 

In Willing to Walk on Water, Caroline talks about how each of us has a God-given purpose and how our purpose can best be found we are using our talents and our passions to serve the people around us and work to make our world a better place. She shares how through her experiences at the Dream Center God has not only changed her and her life, but how He has worked through her and others at the Dream Center to change the lives of thousands. She shares how even when we feel unworthy or when things seem impossible if we simply step out and trust God He can work miracles in our lives.

I loved this book! Caroline’s stories of people at the Dream Center and their lives had me laughing and crying, but even more they moved me, they stirred in me a desire to go and serve. I can quote Bible verses about how we are supposed to go out and share the Gospel and serve those in need, but so many times I hold back from fear.  This book has reminded me that I have a calling and that calling is to serve others, and I have to give that fear to God and step out of the boat. I have to be willing to “Walk on Water” and do what the Lord is calling me to do.

Thank you, Tyndale, for allowing me to read and review the book. I received my copy from them, but if you would like to purchase a copy like on the link to the my Amazon affiliate store below.

If you would like to read a chapter before purchasing,  a link to chapter one is attached.

Willing to Walk on Water