When I remembered that our topic for this mom's meeting was Hospitality, I thought about the Christmas tea that I had just participated in with my church. Candlelit tables filled with china and Christmas decorations. I tend to think that being hospitable would mean having my table set like that fancy Christmas tea, but in reality, my family pretty much ate toast for dinner Sunday night. Fancy dinners don't happen much around my table.
Hospitality is simply defined as "the friendly and generous treatment of guests, visitors, friends or strangers."
It doesn't say "having a table set to impress Martha Stewart. Having your base boards clean. Having your home spotless." It's based on our treatment of others - not the state of our home.
Ephesians 2:19 tells us that once we become a Christian, we are a part of God's family. And family is all about relationships. I was reminded that we need each other - and that's what hospitality is all about. It's so important for me not to become isolated in this stage of life. I need people to remind me of truth. When I am alone, I am quicker to believe those lies. "I'm not good enough. I'm not a good enough mom. I'm not a good enough wife. I'm not a good enough housekeeper. I'm not good enough..." But in HIM (Christ), I am enough.
We made these simple book page wreaths at our meeting. I pray the moms felt empowered and encouraged to open up their homes and their lives to others.
Any cardboard will do - but to make things easier, we purchased these cardboard cake circles for our base.
Each wreath seemed to take 35-40 pages.
Bend the pages loosely, like this.
Secure the folds on one end with dots of hot glue.
Glue the folded pages around the edge of the cardboard circle.
Continue with more pages, filling in the gaps of the previous rows as you glue.
To hang the wreath, I punched a hole in the back side of the cardboard and hung it on a nail.
You could also lean the wreath on a shelf.
Or attach it to a green wreath to make it more Christmasy.
Our speaker encouraged us to use our kitchen table as a meeting place. She mentioned so many memorable moments in her lifetime that happened around a table or during a meal. Jesus also did so much of his ministry around a table.
Wherever you invite people to join you, remember that it's all about relationships. We all benefit from having others in our lives. Our speaker's talk today made me excited to invite people to join me around our table. I am also making a point to invite more people into my life.
Jesus intended for us to lean on each other. Those times of isolation are so detrimental to my way of thinking. I've got to remember that In HIM, I am enough.
Hospitality is simply defined as "the friendly and generous treatment of guests, visitors, friends or strangers."
It doesn't say "having a table set to impress Martha Stewart. Having your base boards clean. Having your home spotless." It's based on our treatment of others - not the state of our home.
Ephesians 2:19 tells us that once we become a Christian, we are a part of God's family. And family is all about relationships. I was reminded that we need each other - and that's what hospitality is all about. It's so important for me not to become isolated in this stage of life. I need people to remind me of truth. When I am alone, I am quicker to believe those lies. "I'm not good enough. I'm not a good enough mom. I'm not a good enough wife. I'm not a good enough housekeeper. I'm not good enough..." But in HIM (Christ), I am enough.
We made these simple book page wreaths at our meeting. I pray the moms felt empowered and encouraged to open up their homes and their lives to others.
Any cardboard will do - but to make things easier, we purchased these cardboard cake circles for our base.
Each wreath seemed to take 35-40 pages.
Bend the pages loosely, like this.
Secure the folds on one end with dots of hot glue.
Glue the folded pages around the edge of the cardboard circle.
Continue with more pages, filling in the gaps of the previous rows as you glue.
To hang the wreath, I punched a hole in the back side of the cardboard and hung it on a nail.
You could also lean the wreath on a shelf.
Or attach it to a green wreath to make it more Christmasy.
Our speaker encouraged us to use our kitchen table as a meeting place. She mentioned so many memorable moments in her lifetime that happened around a table or during a meal. Jesus also did so much of his ministry around a table.
Wherever you invite people to join you, remember that it's all about relationships. We all benefit from having others in our lives. Our speaker's talk today made me excited to invite people to join me around our table. I am also making a point to invite more people into my life.
Jesus intended for us to lean on each other. Those times of isolation are so detrimental to my way of thinking. I've got to remember that In HIM, I am enough.
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