By Jennifer Crouse

Hospitality: another favorite topic of mine.

I've probably said every chapter of Lauren Winner's Mudhouse Sabbath is my favorite so far. Let the pattern continue.

The Hebrew word is "hachassat orchim" and literally means "the bringing in of guests" (Winner 44).

My mom has always been great at having people into our house and making sure they feel at home. Most of my friends have said this if they've had the chance to come to the Crouse house. Glasses are always filled, tummies are stuffed and people walk out feeling genuinely cared for. Thus, I feel like hospitality has been modeled for me consistently since I was young.

However, I also remember learning about hospitality again from women in college. The way they discipled me (whether informally or not) was by bringing me into their home.

Titus 2
These principles were not taught sitting at a coffee shop. I learned them over piles of laundry, sitting on countertops as dinner was prepared, and while filling up dishwashers in others' homes - all with the soundtrack of screaming kiddos playing in the background.

Their hospitality was not always "pretty".  But it was real. And it was good.

I love this quote from Lauren. She says, "having guests and visitors, if we do it right, is not an imposition because we are not meant to rearrange our lives for our guests - we are meant to invite our guests to enter into our lives as they are" (Winner 50).

But my house isn't clean, there's laundry strewn about and what if they open THAT closet?

Who cares?

In Columbus, I loved going over to Preston & Laura's house. One time I clearly remember sitting on their couch, looking around and asking myself, "What is it about this place that I love so much?"

For me, it was that I knew I could run to the kitchen and grab my own glass of water, I could help tuck Grace & Fisher in bed, and I could sleep over if it got late and I was scared. Even five nights in a row.

Did it matter if there were dishes in the sink? No.

Laundry in the kids' rooms? Nope.

Toys in the living room? Not a bit.

They were genuine people living REAL lives and invited me in.

"In the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, we find another resource for hospitality. The Trinity shows God in relationship with Himself. Our Three-in-One God has welcomed us into Himself and invited us to participate in divine life. And so the invitation that we as Christians extend to one another is not simply an invitation into our homes or to our tables; what we ask of other people is that they enter into our lives" (Winner 47).

Imperfect people don't want to go into perfect homes. They want the transparency.

"Contribute to the needs of saints and seek to show hospitality." (Romans 12:13)

Contribute.

Seek.

Those sound like commands to me. Not suggestions. So if we are commanded to do this, the question is: are we?

Okay, maybe we are. But, how are we?

1 Peter 4:9 says, "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling."

Are we doing it without grumbling before and after they arrive? Is it our JOY to bring people into our lives?

For the past 2 years in Israel, we have had the chance to go to the home of a lady named Hadijah who lives in the desert. With little warning (except that of our tour guide sprinting 10 minutes in front of us to warn the way), she welcomes all 50 of us into her tent. Instantly all of the attention turns towards us, the people who entered their home.

The young women get the fire started, mix the wheat, flour and water, get the tea and begin to prepare a drink and snack for all of us.

You can't survive alone in the desert.

She knows this. They are used to people coming into their homes with needs. In fact, we learned that if they see someone walk by their tent that is alone - they will literally chase down the person and insist that they stay for a little while.

You can't survive alone in the desert. You need people.

When's the last time I've ever chased someone down to bring them into my home?

Shoot, usually I scurry out of church on Sunday to get on to my list of things to do.
Or I speed home after work to "turn off" because "I deserve it."

I don't beg people to let me have them over.

Lauren tells the story of a family who "so often [do they] have guests for dinner that when they are guestless, eight year old Julianne asks, 'Mommy, why is no one in the guest chair tonight?'" (Winner 42)

She goes on to say "... it is a part of what the church is supposed to be: a community of people practicing hospitality" (Winner 43).

Acts 2:40-47 "...the believers were distributing needs, bringing people into their homes, and giving generously to any who had need."

Freely I receive so freely I give.

Seek. Contribute. Do it joyously.

Ideas on hospitality? Here's some I've heard about:

• Darcie's parents had potluck dinners where families from church would come over with some kind of contribution and they'd all eat together.
• I think it was them also who invited different people over each week after church.
• Take food to new moms.
• Another friend is considering being a home for women who have been involved in sex trafficking.
• Another friend's parents had a spare bedroom where a Young Life leader or other intern type could live with them.
• Eat with your neighbors.
• Invite the homeless over for dinner.

I don't know what else. But I know we are called to bring in guests.

So let's do it.

After receiving a degree in Communication, Jennifer moved to Columbus and served as the Guest Relations Coordinator for Pine Cove Crier Creek.  Jennifer now resides in Tyler, Texas, and serves as the Associate Director of Pine Cove's Forge program.  Her heart is to see women in the Body of Christ develop purposeful, discipleship-based relationships with older women so they may walk through life together. She loves drinking a good cup of coffee, meaningful conversation with friends, running outdoors, or any combination of the above!