Intentional hospitality.....

Chad recently shared this sermon from John Piper with me. I really fall so very short here. I have to say that I really do enjoy having having people over. We enjoy entertaining, we love to cook and eat! But these are planned events and on my terms. Who am I to have terms? I don't do well when people just happen to stop by. Just being honest here. It seems that for the most part my house is usually clean. Unless someone just stops by. And then it seems that it's a mess. But who cares? I know that I shouldn't but I do. It kind of goes back to that curtain thing, you know, if it looks good on the outside you don't have to deal with what's lurking behind that curtain. Why should I care what others think? I do have 6 kids at home all day;) But still I struggle here. My grandmother, Mamaw Maude was different - very. She truly lived a life of intentional hospitality. And again I fall short. I think I get my desire to have a clean house from her, hers was always clean. I mean she even bleached her coffee cups. She always had some type of cake sitting on the counter. "Mamaw why do you always have cake?" And her answer was simply, "someone might be hungry."Mamaw, why do you cook so much?" And again, "someone might be hungry". And I always knew that she meant someone other than family and friends. She meant anyone that might indeed be hungry. And I remember several times people that I didn't know stopping by, simply because they were hungry. Mamaw always carried cash, she also carried cash that Papaw didn't know about. She referred to this stash as love notes. But that's another story. "Mamaw, why do you always have so much money?" Her answer,"someone might need it." "Mamaw, why do you have so many sheets and towels?" Her answer, "someone might need a place to stay." And stay they did, people I didn't know, they stayed, they ate, they were warm and clothed, they had a little spending money before they left, and most importantly of all they learned of Christ. Sermons, you can listen on line or if you've been blessed as I have you can remember seeing them lived out. What have I done with both? Not much.......

Love you much!

In Christ,
Sandy