OUTWARD DISCIPLINE

HOSPITALITY

 

The practice of opening your home and life to those around you, as a representation of God’s warm embrace.

IDEAS FOR PRACTICE

  • Make room regularly at your dinner table and in your living room for friends, neighbors, and those in need of community.

  • Challenge yourself to extend invitations not just to your closest friends, but to those you’d like to get to know, those who are in need of care, those who don’t know Jesus, and those who are quite different from you.

  • Consider hosting a regular “Sunday dinner” or equivalent where you plan to cook well and throw an open invite to friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

  • If you are hosting dinner on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter or other holidays, let us know if you have extra room at your table for those with no family nearby. We love connecting folks to “family.”

  • Don’t shy away from hosting out-of-town guests, even if your apartment is small or your only bed is a pull-out couch. The gift of good conversation and company is often more valuable than you know.

  • Be ready to issue spontaneous invitations - when someone drops by near mealtime, when you are out with someone and about to head home, etc. This includes the mental preparation that your house does not need to be spotless or menu impressive to practice hospitality. A helpful adage: Entertaining can easily become a competitive sport; hospitality is a spiritual gift.

  • For families: Establish healthy boundaries around sacred “family time” once or twice a week so that other times are fair game for guests. Have conversations with your children about hospitality, how to welcome guests, and how to participate in serving as a family (taking coats, setting the table, engaging in conversation by asking the guest at least one question during the meal.) Invite guests into family rhythms like prayer before meals, bedtime stories, etc.

  • For couples + families: Do not ignore your single friends, or your friends who don’t have kids. It can become so easy to gravitate towards those who share our life-stage and/or our obsession with our children’s latest milestones. There may be a time and place for double-dates and family get-togethers, but those will happen more naturally than not. Be intentional about including those whose life stage differs from your own.