7 way's to be hospitable outside of the home

 For those people who do not have their own home or do not have enough space to host people here are seven ways to be hospitable outside of the home setting.

1. Making and delivering a meal or fresh baked goods for others/tired moms/ elderly or sick.
2. Hosting a shower/party at a public place/church.
3. Making a meal for pot luck dinners at church.
4. Taking friends out to eat.
5. Inviting friends for a picnic in the park.
6. Car pooling for work and other events.
7. Financing  missionaries to stay at a hotel.

Be creative and use the resources that you  have for God's glory! Hospitality is a more of an attitude then anything else. You can have all the space and resources in the world but if you lack the willingness for God to use you at any time to be kind and generous to others then all those resources are wasted in vanity.

Hospitality Pt.3: "One of the family" style

The "One of the Family" style of hospitality is informal and laid back. This style is usually associated with family dinners,  backyard BBQ's, picnics, reunions and buffet style meals. It's truly the art of making one feel at home. For some families this is the only style they know and if you are invited to their home for dinner there are a few things you should know.

• Don't expect to get waited on. If you sense the family style is present, get up and help yourself.
• Ask if you can bring a dish to pass or just bring one.
• A hostess gift may not be expected and may even make the hostess feel uncomfortable excepting.
• Try to jump in and help the hostess with any preparation for the meal.
• Always help with clean up.
• Always show your appreciation with a big "thank you"!

The objective of this style is the feeling that you are one of the family. The worst thing you can do is to expect to be treated like a "guest".....yeah, been there, done that..... Believe me, you don't want to make my mistakes!  The key is to expect nothing from others, give freely to all, and you will never be disappointed!:-)

Test: Do You have God's view of Government?

 *To see if you have God's view of government, take this simple test and write your answers on sheet of paper.

1. It is not God's will for President Obama to be in office. True or False?
2. As Christians we have special permission to resist the governing authorities. True or False?
3. We need to stand against the " power" that the government when it is seems to be getting out of hand. True or False?
4.We are commanded to fear God. True or False?
5. We are commanded to fear the government. True or False?
6. President Obama is God's servant for our good. True or False?
7. President Obama's agenda is a part of God's overall sovereign plan. True or False?
8. God will pour out His wrath towards them that do not submit and respect to their authorities. True or False?
9. Complaining about taxes is justified for a Christian because God wants us to be good stewards of our money and the government keeps taking more then their fair share. True or False?
10. Paying taxes is optional for a Christian when it comes into God's work. True or False?
11. Calling our president  just by his last name "Obama" is disrespectful. True or False?
12. President Obama needs to earn my respect before I have to give it to him. True or False?

*Now, grade yourself with this answer key:

1. False
2. False
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. True
7.True
8. True
9. False
10. False
11. True
12.False

* These answers are from God's Word. Read Romans 13:1-7

1. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have instituted by God. 2. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4. For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sward in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Hospitality Pt.2:" Be our guest "mentality

First of all, I feel that I should tell you that I'm not the perfect hostess nor am I the most gracious guest. In fact, my mistakes and misunderstandings of hospitality have been used more then anything else to teach me what not to do. My purpose in writing these articles is to help other woman to avoid making the same unintentional offenses that I have made. I just wish that I would have learned these lessons earlier....it would have saved   many others from being offended by my actions and myself much grief and embarrassment.
There are two basic forms of hospitality in the USA that I am aware of....(there are probably more but I just haven't discovered them yet). The first is what I have titled "Be Our Guest" style. The second style is what I have titled "one of the family" style (part three will explain). The "be our guest" style is based on a high respect for ones guest/'s and with that comes certain rules or proper etiquette. For example, guests get served first. If you have seen "The Beauty and the Beast" they sing a song called " Be our guest". One of the lines says...." tie your napkin round your neck sherry and we provide the rest. Soup du jour, hot hors d'oeurvre's, why we only live to serve...." and "For the company its never second best..." Anyways it's a great song, it shows how a guest should be treated simply because their your guest!
For the Hostess:

• You should always honor your guests, whether they are a child, your family, friends or a dignitary. It is simply the right thing to do.*(1 Peter 2:17)
•  Meals should be kept with your guests tastes and dietary needs  in mind. 
• As hosts, your family's manners should be kept at a higher standard. 
• The old saying "the customer is always right" also applies to your guest as well.
• If they have a need, provide it. *(Proverbs 21:26)
• If they break something, forgive it.  *(Matthew 5:7)
• If they want to sleep in, let them. 
• Never ask or expect your guests  to set your table, do the dishes or help you prepare the meal. Guests are guests, not the hosts and certainly not kitchen help. If they do ask and insist on helping you, let them, but never expect it. *(Acts 20:35, 2 Corinthians 9:7)
• When it comes to correcting/disciplining your children, do so as descretly as possible. Never yell at or spank the child in hearing distance of your guests. Or at least not in the same room. This can make your guests feel very uncomfortable....yeah, Ive been there when the room gets deathly silent and no one knows weather to feel bad for the child or  ignore the awkward situation.

For the Invited Guest:

• When you are the guest you too should be on your best behavior.
• When you are first invited be sure to ask if she would like you to bring a dish to pass. *(Matthew 10:8)
•  Don't expect to be treated like royalty, ask your hostess if she needs help in the kitchen. *(Proverb 11:25)
•  Be mindful of where your children are and what their up to. 
• Be thankful to the Lord and show your appreciation to your hostess with either a verbal thank you, thank you note, hostess gift or all three. *(1 Thessalonians 5:18, Ephesians 5:20)

For everyone:

• "Treat others in a way that you yourself would like to be treated !"....this accompanied by love covers a multitude of sins.

I realize that what I have written is nothing new, just reminders, but don't we all need reminders of what is good and proper once on a while?

Hospitality Pt.1: A basic overview

 1 Peter 4:8-10
8."Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:"
Romans 12:13
"Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality."
Websters dictionary 
hospitable- liking to have guests in one's home and treating them in a warm and generous way.
hospitality- a generous and friendly way of treating guests.

When having dinner/overnight guests a few things to think about would be..

1.To put your guests needs before your own.
 A. Ask them ahead of time if they have any food/pet allergies so you can plan a proper meal/'s and if needed, put  kitty/buddy away during the duration of hosting your guests.
 B. Their privacy. ( Having a separate guest bathroom, properly laid out guest bedroom and proper window treatments that they can put up or down to their liking etc.). If you are giving up a kids bedroom or the master bedroom for your guests, make sure the owner/'s of the room have taken out their necessary items for the duration of the guests stay. Going in and out of the guests bedroom to retrieve clothes,trinkets,books, etc. is a big no no! You want your guests to feel like that room belongs to them. If they feel they have no privacy they will feel uncomfortable. Your job as hostess is to make them feel as though they are home but with all the extra privileges as an honored guest.
C. Their comfort. If you don't feel comfortable sleeping on the bed or couch that you are planning your guests to sleep on, then fix the situation. Simply treat them the way you would want to be treated. Be sure to tell them where the dial is so they can turn up/down the heat/air if needed. If you have 400 thread count sheets...use them. And in cold seasons have an extra throw blanket or afghan on the bottom of the bed.
D. Good and honorable treatment properly due to a guest.  There are two basic methods/attitudes of hospitality to be aware of. I call them" The Be Our Guest" mentality and the "One Of The Family" mentality. I will be addressing both in Hospitality Pt.2 and 3.

2.A basic Guest Room check list...

• Clean and tidy bed room
• Fresh sheets
• Bed side table complete with lamp, digital alarm clock and coaster
• Dresser  and/or closet space
• Nightlight for optional use. Also the hall leading to the bathroom should have nightlights on all night long.
• Mirror
• Box of tissues
• Small trash can
• Freshly folded bath and face towels
• Drawable widow treatments for privacy
• Bench or chair
• Last but not least a Bible. If just about every hotel room bed side table can have a Bible in the top drawer, then so can yours.

A wife's calling

My last posting, I'm ashamed to say, was written more then two months ago. My faithfulness in blogging has weakened because of my own struggle with guilt or more accurately described as a feeling of hypocrisy. Here I have a blog with the intent to encourage wives and even single woman to be keepers of the home. To take pride in taking care of family and household needs. Now it looks as though I will be entering into the work force.  I will explain.  My brilliant husband, Erik,  was  asked to consider becoming dean of KSBT (Keystone School of Biblical Theology) several months ago. When he came to consider this position on a serious level, he mentioned to me that if he did accepted it he would want me and no one but me to be his secretary. I said no of course. " I am a house wife and have no desire to work....outside of the home anyways". To be frank I really thought he was either trying to tease me, knowing full well I'm grossly under qualified, or merely trying to be polite by asking me. But when he insisted that he was serious and wanted me to go to the office with him and be his assistant, my first reaction was something of a Moses plight. " Erik, are you crazy? You know cant do that! I cant type, I hate computers, I love being a housewife, its what I was called to do........no! " But saying no to Erik is loosing battle. As much as I tried to, Erik wouldn't take no for an answer. Instead, he used his big brown eyes and encouraging words to convince me that I could this. I walked away from our discussion so encouraged in the Lord, excited to work with him at KSBT and totally convinced that a wife's calling isn't to be just a housewife for him but rather to be their husbands helpmate and truly help them in any capacity that he desires her help.  If he wants her to be by his side, helping him with his work, or busy preparing sumptuous meals at home then that is exactly what she is "called" to do. I fully intend to continue to "keep house" for our small family of two. But I also intend to work in Erik's new office by being the helpmate to him that he desires me to be. With Gods grace I will be more of a help then a hindrance in the office. My office skills are sorely lacking but....with God ALL things are possible! I'm happy to say that though many changes will be taking place I will be continuing this blog. This is a passion of mine and I apologize for my inconsistency. Using this blog as a means to encourage christian woman to love God, their husband, family and home is something I know God would have me to continue with. God bless you all!