Trusting God With Hospitality

We are called to be hospitable, so how do we stop relying on ourselves and trust God with hospitality? Tune in for thoughts as well as some hospitality tips this week.

Mentioned resources:

Rosario Butterfield - The Gospel Comes with a House Key

Study from NIH - Breaking Bread: the Functions of Social Eating

Study from Cornell University - Eating Together at the Firehouse: How Workplace Commensality Relates to the Performance of Firefighters

Business News Daily - How Eating Together Benefits Co-Workers

John Mark Comer/Practicing the Way - Eating and Drinking - Practicing the Way

National Day Calendar

@thisistrustworthy

trustworthypodcast.com

Email us listen@trustworthypodcast.com

Transcript

0.000000 2.840000 Is God trustworthy?
2.840000 5.000000 Hi, I'm Sarah.
5.000000 7.000000 And I'm Mary Beth.
7.000000 9.500000 Join us as we seek to answer this question
9.500000 12.300000 through whole-hearted conversation.
12.300000 14.800000 Discover the wit and wisdom that comes
14.800000 18.400000 from being anchored in Christ and connected to one another.
18.400000 21.400000 This is trustworthy.
21.400000 34.400000 [music]
34.400000 38.900000 On today's episode of Trustworthy,
38.900000 43.900000 so God is commanding us to sit down and break bread
43.900000 46.900000 and have conversation with people.
46.900000 48.400000 It gave me a sense of belonging,
48.400000 50.100000 saying like, "You're one of us.
50.100000 53.100000 We're welcoming you and to just our daily life."
53.100000 63.100000 [music]
63.100000 65.600000 Well, hello there, Mary Beth.
65.600000 69.100000 Welcome back to Trustworthy Land, Sarah.
69.100000 70.600000 I'm so happy to be here.
70.600000 72.100000 What are we going to talk about today?
72.100000 74.600000 We're going to talk about hospitality.
74.600000 79.100000 We decided to take a little lighter topic
79.100000 84.100000 in this episode, as the last episode we covered was heavier.
84.100000 90.100000 Just like the ebb and flow of the ocean and our logo,
90.100000 92.100000 do you see how I'm making some connections here?
92.100000 93.100000 I like it.
93.100000 95.100000 Sometimes life is light, sometimes it's heavy.
95.100000 96.100000 That's right.
96.100000 99.100000 So hospitality, what is that?
99.100000 105.100000 I love words, and so I like to look them up in the dictionary.
105.100000 107.100000 It's a good place to go to.
107.100000 108.100000 It is.
108.100000 113.100000 So the definition of hospitality from dictionary.com
113.100000 119.100000 is the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers,
119.100000 124.100000 the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests
124.100000 130.100000 and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way.
130.100000 131.100000 That's awesome.
131.100000 135.100000 I love just hearing that the definition makes me feel welcome.
135.100000 138.100000 It warm, friendly, and generous.
138.100000 144.100000 So hospitality is something that we were thinking of discussing
144.100000 149.100000 because for a few reasons, you actually mentioned this a couple of episodes ago.
149.100000 150.100000 Two degree.
150.100000 151.100000 Oh yes, the meal planning.
151.100000 152.100000 Yeah, yeah.
152.100000 153.100000 Don't worry.
153.100000 155.100000 This is not a meal planning episode.
155.100000 157.100000 Don't tune out.
157.100000 161.100000 Well, it's also one of the things that we are called to in Scripture
161.100000 163.100000 is show hospitality.
163.100000 168.100000 So when I think of hospitality or when you think of hospitality
168.100000 175.100000 in this day and age, sometimes that might evoke some perfection
175.100000 181.100000 stumbling blocks in our mind, this age of social media stress.
181.100000 182.100000 Yeah, anxiety.
182.100000 183.100000 Yeah.
183.100000 188.100000 I mean, there's in my, at least in my algorithm of my social media feeds,
188.100000 195.100000 it is often what I would call over the top high cost,
195.100000 200.100000 high investment, picture perfect parties and elaborate tablescapes,
200.100000 205.100000 and all these things which so am I going to have to share my Pinterest boards
205.100000 208.100000 for this because do you have them?
208.100000 209.100000 Of course, nice.
209.100000 212.100000 So yeah, it's not that those things are bad.
212.100000 214.100000 I definitely have Pinterest pages.
214.100000 215.100000 Please don't look them up.
215.100000 220.100000 But we're not talking about living up to this unreachable expectation
220.100000 224.100000 of perfect hospitality and making sure everything is Instagram worthy.
224.100000 227.100000 That's not what true hospitality is.
227.100000 230.100000 Although can I, can I have a true confession?
230.100000 235.100000 I have a really beautiful picture of a very beautiful fruit tart
235.100000 239.100000 that I made during the pandemic.
239.100000 242.100000 So let's just like qualify that.
242.100000 243.100000 Yeah, yeah.
243.100000 248.100000 Yeah, the amount of time and the effort that were put into this tart
248.100000 255.100000 might not be something that I would be able to do now that it's regular life again.
255.100000 260.100000 So if the picture of the fruit tart does make it to Instagram,
260.100000 263.100000 there will be a large disclaimer.
263.100000 266.100000 Oh, I did that during the pandemic.
266.100000 270.100000 I made a caramel cake that was on the cover of a magazine that I like.
270.100000 273.100000 But there was a cake that I made during the pandemic.
273.100000 278.100000 And I even got out my grandmother's silver to pose in the picture
278.100000 280.100000 to make it look just like the cover.
280.100000 283.100000 So yeah, wow, we're not here to say all those things are bad.
283.100000 286.100000 We're just saying that's not how it is like that.
286.100000 287.100000 And it's okay to do that.
287.100000 294.100000 Now just to be fair, we're also not in the industry of catering and providing.
294.100000 297.100000 So, so I do have friends that are.
297.100000 300.100000 And it is that's their art.
300.100000 301.100000 I mean, it is an art.
301.100000 303.100000 And it's their work.
303.100000 304.100000 It's a hard to hack.
304.100000 305.100000 It's their work.
305.100000 306.100000 Exactly.
306.100000 308.100000 That's what God has called them to do.
308.100000 309.100000 Okay.
309.100000 316.100000 So I would say Sarah that you are more naturally gifted in hospitality than I might be.
316.100000 317.100000 Thank you.
317.100000 319.100000 I am a southerner.
319.100000 325.100000 And I was remembering all these parties and events that I went to growing up in the South.
325.100000 328.100000 And they were always amazing and everything was beautiful.
328.100000 332.100000 So there are women who are just more naturally gifted to it.
332.100000 337.100000 So Sarah, thank you for leading the way and your natural gift of hospitality.
337.100000 340.100000 Oh, well.
340.100000 343.100000 Thank you.
343.100000 345.100000 I'm not sure how to react to that.
345.100000 346.100000 Just speechless.
346.100000 351.100000 I was speechless because.
351.100000 355.100000 You heard it here.
355.100000 358.100000 First folks, I had nothing to say.
358.100000 361.100000 But no, like there is there can be a stigma on both ends of it.
361.100000 363.100000 So for me, who maybe it's I'm not crafty.
363.100000 364.100000 I'm not artistic.
364.100000 369.100000 It doesn't come naturally to create these beautiful experiences for people.
369.100000 375.100000 There might be a stigma for me of how am I supposed to show hospitality if this is not my natural bent.
375.100000 380.100000 And so for you, why don't you talk about what are your maybe struggles with hospitality?
380.100000 385.100000 To be frank, which I'm not frank, I'm Sarah.
385.100000 393.100000 But to be straightforward, I struggle with the sin of comparison.
393.100000 402.100000 So when I am going to host an event, I sometimes feel that it's not going to measure up.
402.100000 411.100000 The other thing is that I also sometimes compare myself to myself.
411.100000 418.100000 When I was younger and single, I used to throw some pretty awesome parties.
418.100000 421.100000 But that was all that I had.
421.100000 423.100000 I mean, I was working and creating parties.
423.100000 428.100000 Like I didn't have a family, children, other things.
428.100000 433.100000 Sometimes I compare myself to other people.
433.100000 438.100000 Sometimes I compare myself to myself in the past or different seasons of my life.
438.100000 451.100000 And that is almost more dangerous, which I think we could probably have another whole episode about seasons of our life and the expectations that we have of ourselves.
451.100000 462.100000 One of the other things that I find difficult with hospitality is just doing it.
462.100000 465.100000 So I can fake a million reasons I'm too busy.
465.100000 467.100000 I don't have time.
467.100000 477.100000 Oh, I'm really going to have to like clean up my kitchen or vacuum or clean the bathrooms or do all this stuff just so people can come over.
477.100000 483.100000 And sometimes that stops me. Sometimes I feel like, well, I don't know if anybody would want to come over.
483.100000 488.100000 I feel like back to that self-esteem when I was in high school, what if nobody likes me?
488.100000 492.100000 What if nobody wants to come to my party?
492.100000 502.100000 Overthinking how much work it's going to be or if my house is clean enough to receive guests or are people going to show up?
502.100000 511.100000 Stops me and sometimes it takes me a little while to sort of like get over that hump of actually putting myself out there.
511.100000 513.100000 Like, okay, I'm going to do this.
513.100000 519.100000 How about you? What are some things that sort of bring up frustration for you around the idea of hospitality?
519.100000 528.100000 Opposite to what you said, I don't care if people see the mess in my house, which you know firsthand because you come over for a small group every week.
528.100000 535.100000 There are dishes in the sink. My struggle is more, I don't know, I tend to be a little Martha Martha, right?
535.100000 557.100000 We have to hustle around and make sure everyone has everything and I'm worried about the details of the flow of, is this food at the right temperature and all the things instead of just enjoying the people and making sure that there's connection happening with people, not all of the details of the event.
557.100000 568.100000 Yeah, so I think I get to caught up in thinking I don't know how to execute this very well while also connecting with people.
568.100000 570.100000 That's the that's the hump for me.
570.100000 572.100000 It's how do we do both at the same time?
572.100000 576.100000 What does the Bible say about hospitality?
576.100000 582.100000 God has called us to it and he will be faithful in it.
582.100000 591.100000 There is a pastor called John Mark Comer, who some of you may know of and he has an organization called practicing the way.
591.100000 593.100000 I highly recommend you check it out.
593.100000 603.100000 One of the things he teaches on is the importance of hospitality and so I'm just going to read a couple of sentences from how he explains it.
603.100000 623.100000 The table is a very ordinary place so routine and every day it is easily overlooked as a place of life changing community by setting a table and sharing a meal we provide the context for which people feel loved where people feel heard a place where God's spirit can move the practice of eating and drinking is central to the kingdom of God.
623.100000 630.100000 Jesus ate with the lost Jesus ate with community Jesus ate with God.
630.100000 640.100000 That also reminds me of just there's so many examples in the New Testament of how one of the Old Testament to really of how hospitality is demonstrated.
640.100000 641.100000 Let's take a look at it.
641.100000 647.100000 It may be some different things that we can learn from scripture about what true hospitality actually is.
647.100000 656.100000 I think of the early church and how they broke bread together in their homes and they were truly living kind of life and life.
656.100000 663.100000 And it's something that scripture tells us Paul tells us be hospitable to one another.
663.100000 665.100000 Yeah, Romans 12.
665.100000 675.100000 Paul is writing in this section starting at verse 90 talks about love must be sincere and all the things to do if you're going to be loving one of the things in here is.
675.100000 680.100000 Share with the Lord's people who were in need practice hospitality.
680.100000 682.100000 That's pretty clear.
682.100000 688.100000 And first Peter 4, 1910 offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
688.100000 696.100000 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.
696.100000 707.100000 And of course there's Hebrews 13 too don't forget to show hospitality to strangers for some of you who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
707.100000 721.100000 If hospitality is a command but also I think a gift and enablement enabling whatever the right terminology is equipping there you go.
721.100000 728.100000 What does that mean for daily Christian life we know we're supposed to be doing it.
728.100000 735.100000 How does God show up in that always think about the trustworthiness of God.
735.100000 741.100000 God is telling us in his word that we need to be hospitable.
741.100000 743.100000 There are reasons for that.
743.100000 750.100000 He's not just saying this arbitrarily like oh get together and break bread.
750.100000 764.100000 He's saying it because it is good for us that we've discussed this before that we come to understand who we truly are by telling our stories with other people or two other people.
764.100000 769.100000 So again the Trinity the father son and the Holy Spirit speak to each other about who they are.
769.100000 777.100000 So God is commanding us to sit down and break bread and have conversation with people.
777.100000 782.100000 That is so that we can more fully understand who we are in him.
782.100000 792.100000 And it also gives us an opportunity to love others with the love of God and to be loved by God through others.
792.100000 794.100000 Yes it's for our good.
794.100000 796.100000 It's very much for our good.
796.100000 801.100000 There are lots of things that God commands us to do and restricts us from doing.
801.100000 807.100000 Hospitality is one of those things that we are instructed to do and it is a benefit.
807.100000 818.100000 God doesn't give us these instructions to be spiteful or whatever the negative connotation might be.
818.100000 826.100000 I mean I think we can both think of times in our life where we have experienced or given or received hospitality.
826.100000 831.100000 And the only thing that comes out of it is good for us and for the people around us.
831.100000 833.100000 Just only good.
833.100000 834.100000 Yeah.
834.100000 840.100000 I can actually think of a couple times that really really stand out in my mind.
840.100000 846.100000 One is when I was young I got invited to a Christmas party.
846.100000 851.100000 This was a single woman and was able to host a party.
851.100000 854.100000 A Christmas day evening.
854.100000 856.100000 She did it every year.
856.100000 858.100000 Her house would be decorated to the 9s.
858.100000 861.100000 She'd have gorgeous Christmas trees in every room.
861.100000 862.100000 Multiple.
862.100000 866.100000 The food would just be so lavish and over the top.
866.100000 868.100000 You couldn't even eat it all.
868.100000 870.100000 Nobody could.
870.100000 872.100000 And there would be gifts.
872.100000 874.100000 She would have boxes of gifts unwrapped.
874.100000 877.100000 Gifts for men, gifts for women, gifts for children.
877.100000 880.100000 And you could go and you could choose a gift.
880.100000 886.100000 And the way it worked was once you came to her house on Christmas evening,
886.100000 888.100000 you were always invited back.
888.100000 892.100000 There was never a time that you couldn't just randomly show up.
892.100000 898.100000 And it was so much fun because after the Christmas morning rush, after the madness,
898.100000 903.100000 after this, there was still something else to look forward to.
903.100000 907.100000 And her generosity was overwhelming.
907.100000 912.100000 And I think of that definition that we read earlier from the dictionary.com,
912.100000 915.100000 a warm, friendly and generous way.
915.100000 921.100000 That made such an impression on me that some of those things I've actually recreated
921.100000 927.100000 in my own life, hosting a party, a Christmas party for some kids with Christmas trees,
927.100000 933.100000 more than one decorated and gifts for everybody and lots of food.
933.100000 939.100000 And that has been a huge blessing for myself and my family.
939.100000 946.100000 And of course for the people attending, but I don't know if they're getting as much out of it as we are,
946.100000 948.100000 because it's so much fun.
948.100000 954.100000 Well, it's more blessed to give than to receive, I think plays into hospitality as well.
954.100000 957.100000 There's a lot of it that all ties together.
957.100000 961.100000 I was thinking of examples in my own life where I've experienced hospitality.
961.100000 966.100000 And one of those that comes to mind is when I was single
966.100000 972.100000 and a part of a solid small group at my church at the time.
972.100000 976.100000 One of the things that demonstrated to me hospitality was
976.100000 981.100000 people who invited me in and asked for my help with things.
981.100000 985.100000 So I had friends who she's throwing her husband up a birthday party
985.100000 988.100000 and she said, "Hey, can you come help me set up for the party?"
988.100000 992.100000 So she's inviting me into their demonstration of hospitality.
992.100000 994.100000 I didn't have a house to throw a party.
994.100000 1000.100000 We're doing it at their house, but I was part of welcoming people and helping with that process.
1000.100000 1003.100000 So I think that kind of inviting in and saying,
1003.100000 1007.100000 it only gave me a purpose in that community of serving and helping,
1007.100000 1010.100000 but it gave me a sense of belonging, saying like, "You're one of us.
1010.100000 1018.100000 We're welcoming you and to just our daily life and our needs and kind of valuing me as a person
1018.100000 1021.100000 and me as part of their community."
1021.100000 1026.100000 And so I think that both of those are great demonstrations of hospitality,
1026.100000 1031.100000 though the warm welcoming party that you mentioned and that you can now carry on
1031.100000 1034.100000 to the next generation is a great example.
1034.100000 1038.100000 And then another example of how it can look a little different is just
1038.100000 1041.100000 inviting someone into whatever it is that is going on in your life
1041.100000 1044.100000 and giving them a sense of belonging.
1044.100000 1052.100000 That story that you shared reminds me of First Thessalonians 2.8.
1052.100000 1056.100000 We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God's good news,
1056.100000 1059.100000 but our own lives, too.
1059.100000 1063.100000 And I think that when we can invite people into our lives,
1063.100000 1072.100000 we are more able to show the love of God to them and to share the good news.
1072.100000 1076.100000 And it's also very good for us.
1076.100000 1088.100000 I was recently reading a study that was done and we'll put a link to this in our show notes.
1089.100000 1095.100000 They surveyed 2,000 people in the UK in 2016.
1095.100000 1099.100000 And again, this would be pre-pandemic, but they ask them,
1099.100000 1105.100000 "How often do you eat with someone that you don't live with?"
1105.100000 1115.100000 And the results were a little surprising, I thought, especially pre-pandemic.
1115.100000 1118.100000 And this is with the study.
1118.100000 1124.100000 As you would expect, most people did have meals with family and friends at least sometimes.
1124.100000 1127.100000 That was 93% of respondents.
1127.100000 1133.100000 But even so, 15% said they hadn't had a meal with another family member in the last six months.
1133.100000 1138.100000 30% said they hadn't had a meal with a best friend in the last six months.
1138.100000 1143.100000 And 45% hadn't had a meal with an old friend.
1143.100000 1149.100000 They also asked how often they ate with people other than immediate family.
1149.100000 1155.100000 Nearly 70% said they had never had a meal with a neighbor.
1155.100000 1157.100000 Wow.
1157.100000 1160.100000 15% never had a meal with a work colleague.
1160.100000 1164.100000 32% had never done so with a boss or a manager.
1164.100000 1170.100000 And 37% never had a meal with a community group.
1170.100000 1179.100000 As many as 65% felt that there was someone that they should make more effort to see or spend time with.
1179.100000 1183.100000 And 75% thought that was best done by sharing a meal.
1183.100000 1188.100000 So there's a gap there, and we know we need to do it.
1188.100000 1191.100000 And again, this is pre-pandemic.
1191.100000 1192.100000 So I think...
1192.100000 1195.100000 Probably even more exaggerated now.
1195.100000 1199.100000 Well, this is from a study that talks about the importance of social eating.
1199.100000 1202.100000 Historically, but also currently.
1202.100000 1211.100000 And just the positive effects that it has on our mental health, our physical health, our social networks, which, as we know,
1211.100000 1219.100000 the size of our friendship and social network has a direct effect on our health and even our life expectancy.
1219.100000 1222.100000 But definitely on our mental health.
1222.100000 1225.100000 I would say there is something...
1225.100000 1234.100000 The divine is the right word, but spiritual, at the least, that happens when you gather people around a table
1234.100000 1237.100000 and you're sharing a meal and you're sharing time together.
1237.100000 1246.100000 I even think there's a difference in eating at a physical table versus standing outside at a picnic or something.
1246.100000 1250.100000 There is something about sitting around where you're looking...
1250.100000 1256.100000 Looking people in the eye, you're sharing a meal together, and this shouldn't be surprising because God tells us to do it, right?
1256.100000 1259.100000 And he led the way and demonstrated how to do it.
1259.100000 1268.100000 But it is a gift, and it's something that we have moved farther away from, I would think, further away from in our society.
1268.100000 1276.100000 You'd also found some information on the actual benefits to people of sharing meals together.
1276.100000 1278.100000 And so it's not just us saying this.
1278.100000 1279.100000 There's some science.
1279.100000 1282.100000 There is actually science, yes.
1282.100000 1290.100000 I found a really interesting study by Cornell University that looked at firehouses in a large city.
1290.100000 1298.100000 And the research was found that the firemen, the eight meals together had a higher performance in their workgroup.
1298.100000 1308.100000 And even though they were cooperative with each other, the ones that didn't eat together, lower performance in the workgroup.
1308.100000 1315.100000 Also, there was some embarrassment when they admitted they didn't eat together as if there was a larger problem.
1315.100000 1316.100000 Yeah.
1316.100000 1319.100000 There is something about sitting at a table.
1319.100000 1331.100000 The research around eating together in the business world, companies eating together, having lunch at the same time, subordinates sitting across from managers and so forth.
1331.100000 1334.100000 There's something very egalitarian about the table.
1334.100000 1336.100000 Everybody's sitting together.
1336.100000 1337.100000 They're looking at eye to eye.
1337.100000 1338.100000 They're eating.
1338.100000 1340.100000 You're watching each other.
1340.100000 1344.100000 And I totally agree with that.
1344.100000 1349.100000 And I have in the places I've lived.
1349.100000 1356.100000 I always tried to have a light of chandelier, pendant, whatever over my table.
1356.100000 1360.100000 And the ability to turn off all the other lights around it.
1360.100000 1365.100000 So if you go to my house for dinner, we have a breakfast nook and we sit there most nights.
1365.100000 1368.100000 And I will turn off the lights in the kitchen.
1368.100000 1371.100000 And my son will tell you, "Hell's there."
1371.100000 1375.100000 Now the kitchen's clean because the lights are off. You can't see the mess.
1375.100000 1379.100000 But there's a warm light that's shining just over the table.
1379.100000 1383.100000 Just having the dimmed lights around you creates this oasis.
1383.100000 1394.100000 And it just really makes you feel like you're having this experience that's different and that you're part of something special.
1394.100000 1398.100000 So I'm definitely behind the sitting around at a table.
1398.100000 1406.100000 Yeah. There's, I'm sure, people could pull up scientific research about the effect of lighting on our experiences.
1406.100000 1408.100000 And life is all over.
1408.100000 1419.100000 Well, I think that these have been really good examples of being hospitable in our maybe abundance.
1419.100000 1425.100000 What about times when we may not have much, we feel like we can give or offer?
1425.100000 1431.100000 Oh, yeah. I mentioned when I was single and I felt like I couldn't really have people in my home.
1431.100000 1433.100000 Well, you know what? I could.
1433.100000 1438.100000 And I had a wonderful roommate who led the way for me in this.
1438.100000 1441.100000 She is a connector of people.
1441.100000 1445.100000 And we started.
1445.100000 1453.100000 She, I can't even say we, she started this group that we affectionately called WWFG.
1453.100000 1458.100000 Weakly Wednesday food group where it was a bunch of us.
1458.100000 1461.100000 We were, you know, 20 somethings at the time working.
1461.100000 1470.100000 And every Wednesday we would each bring one ingredient to contribute to a dish and we rotate people at people's apartments.
1470.100000 1474.100000 And we would just cook together and share meal together.
1474.100000 1481.100000 And it was always it was a reliable touchpoint of, you know, people kind of came in and out of.
1481.100000 1484.100000 And we would just come home one week. You can't come the next week, whatever it might be.
1484.100000 1486.100000 But it was a place of community, a place of fellowship.
1486.100000 1490.100000 And it was an intentional decision to say come into each other's homes.
1490.100000 1493.100000 We may not be able to cook steak dinners for each other all the time.
1493.100000 1497.100000 But we can bring some avocados.
1497.100000 1505.100000 How are we able to be or how can we be hospitable when we don't have much to offer?
1505.100000 1511.100000 I think of this story about the loaves and fishes and how this little boy had it.
1511.100000 1515.100000 The disciples brought it to Jesus and he just multiplied it.
1515.100000 1532.100000 There was a time in my life when I was not able to support myself and my son in the way that I would have liked to or needed to because the circumstances.
1532.100000 1540.100000 And so I was able to avail myself of the county assistance programs.
1540.100000 1544.100000 And I got some food stamps.
1544.100000 1549.100000 And I had a good group of friends that really helped me through some tough times.
1549.100000 1552.100000 And I wanted to thank them.
1552.100000 1558.100000 But I was dealing with reduced means at that time.
1558.100000 1564.100000 So I started cooking a meal and inviting my friends over.
1564.100000 1574.100000 And I could provide the food because I was a couponer and a sale flyer, aficionado.
1574.100000 1578.100000 So I did very well, stretching those food stamps dollars.
1578.100000 1584.100000 And I would usually roast a chicken and cook this big meal and they would just come.
1584.100000 1588.100000 And they might bring a bottle of wine.
1588.100000 1590.100000 You cannot buy food stamps.
1590.100000 1600.100000 One time my friend brought me a ginormous tub of all free and clear laundry pods, which you cannot buy with food stamps.
1600.100000 1608.100000 So anyway, all of that aside to say, those times are so special to me.
1608.100000 1614.100000 And I was back. I was living in a really small place.
1614.100000 1618.100000 We were very crowded around the table, really close together.
1618.100000 1622.100000 Once you got in, you couldn't really get out.
1622.100000 1624.100000 But we were together.
1624.100000 1632.100000 And the stories and the laughter and the camaraderie is something that I will cherish for my entire life.
1632.100000 1640.100000 I'm so thankful to God for just blessing me. And I believe my friends too, with those memories.
1640.100000 1648.100000 I love that. When it is what you're saying about the lows and fishes, that God can take whatever it is we have.
1648.100000 1656.100000 And multiply it, use it for his glory. It doesn't have to be over the top. It can be whatever we have.
1656.100000 1662.100000 And maybe the multiplication is just the fact that other people come and contribute as well.
1662.100000 1664.100000 That can be God providing.
1664.100000 1670.100000 The benefits are multiplied in your relationships with each other.
1670.100000 1679.100000 And who even knows, like down the road, how that carries out in each of your lives, those of you who gathered there that are now doing different things in different places?
1679.100000 1689.100000 I think this is a good time to segue into some practical mechanics of how we can be hospitable.
1689.100000 1695.100000 You mentioned your humble offering could be multiplied by what people bring.
1695.100000 1703.100000 So one of my favorite ways to host a party, or a dinner party, is a theme party.
1703.100000 1711.100000 I set the theme and then I ask people to bring things that correspond to the theme.
1711.100000 1721.100000 This can be fun. And by the way, if you have trouble selecting a theme, there is a website that we will link in our show notes.
1721.100000 1724.100000 Boy, we're going to have a lot of links this show. That's okay.
1724.100000 1726.100000 We're giving you lots of resources.
1726.100000 1737.100000 But it's the National Day calendar. So every single day in the year has something that is a multiple day or a dog day or whatever.
1737.100000 1738.100000 Exactly.
1738.100000 1745.100000 So one of the favorite ones that I threw was a blue, doodle frozen middle party.
1745.100000 1747.100000 What does that mean?
1747.100000 1753.100000 Exactly. Well, I'm going to tell you, it was like National Blue Jeans are Wear Blue Day.
1753.100000 1758.100000 And it was National Doodle Day. And it was National Frozen Food Day.
1758.100000 1763.100000 And it was National Middle Name Day or something.
1763.100000 1770.100000 So I told everybody Wear Blue. And when they got to the house, I had them put on a nametag with their middle name.
1770.100000 1777.100000 And so we all had to call each other by their middle name, which was interesting because them of us had the same middle name.
1777.100000 1784.100000 And we laid a dictionary and that's the doodle. That's the doodle.
1784.100000 1787.100000 And we had a frozen ice cream bar or something.
1787.100000 1802.100000 But it's a really great way to come up with a party. And by the way, a theme party really helps people feel comfortable because it's an automatic conversation starter.
1802.100000 1808.100000 So if you sometimes struggle for what to say to people, you can talk about the theme.
1808.100000 1811.100000 And it makes it a lot easier to be done.
1811.100000 1815.100000 Numbat day banana pudding whipped cream.
1815.100000 1819.100000 You pick a date and then you look at the calendar.
1819.100000 1824.100000 And that's the what you announce to people. There you go, folks. There's a freebie for you.
1824.100000 1831.100000 I was just thinking back to the statistic you read earlier from the UK study about people not eating with their neighbors.
1831.100000 1841.100000 And I can just think even this week I was having a conversation with a husband about a neighbor that we need to invite over for dinner.
1841.100000 1849.100000 And stepping out to those people that are immediately in your vicinity sometimes is the hardest.
1849.100000 1853.100000 It's the hardest place to live in history of hospitality for whatever reason.
1853.100000 1862.100000 I was also thinking about my boys who are five and seven are way more spontaneous than I am in my middle age.
1862.100000 1864.100000 Because they have zero responsibility.
1864.100000 1866.100000 And they're also five and seven.
1866.100000 1870.100000 And their prefrontal cortexes have another 20 years to develop.
1870.100000 1873.100000 But it's good. It's good for me. I used to be a spontaneous.
1873.100000 1879.100000 But I was just thinking about they always just want to at a moment's notice, like go play with their friends or go do this.
1879.100000 1890.100000 Go to that. And so I think another way to invite people in and demonstrate even just open the door to hospitality that it might not be a meal initially.
1890.100000 1903.100000 It might just mean that the relationship building is taking the five seconds to text that mom in the neighborhood saying, hey, my son's been talking about wanting to play with your son for a while.
1903.100000 1912.100000 Let's pick a time and make it happen. And that can lead to after that play date. It's like, hey, why don't you all just come over.
1912.100000 1924.100000 We're going to cook burgers this weekend. Just small things that if if the party feels overwhelming to right now start small start with kind of stepping out in those ways collaborative dinner.
1924.100000 1932.100000 Hey, I'm cooking whatever tonight. Do you want to come over and bring whatever you're cooking. We'll have it all together.
1932.100000 1939.100000 I'm realizing as I just said, those examples that some of my neighbors are probably listening to this. So now I am going to have to.
1939.100000 1943.100000 Yeah, you're going to get to the accountability. You're going to have to follow through on this.
1943.100000 1947.100000 Oh, no, it's a good thing. It is a good thing.
1947.100000 1959.100000 In our modern society, we're very insulated. And it's very hard to take a step and invite somebody.
1959.100000 1969.100000 Well, what if they say something that's uncomfortable or what if they're different than me or what if and all these things.
1969.100000 1985.100000 So we've read and talked about the book, the gospel comes to the house key written by Rosario Butterfield, who tells the story about her coming to Christ by being invited repeatedly by a family dinner.
1985.100000 1992.100000 And she she was far from Christ, but she was close to them. And they just kept inviting her.
1992.100000 2008.100000 And it's a pretty interesting story. And she's a really beautiful example of having received hospitality, then turning around and living a life fully devoted to the Lord, which definitely changed the trajectory of her life.
2008.100000 2012.100000 So if you're familiar with that book, great. If not, it's the link is in our show.
2012.100000 2019.100000 Here you go. We got lots of resources. What's the resources today resource heavy to recap.
2019.100000 2027.100000 We now know what hospitality is. We know that we are instructed to do it. And it is good. It is for our good for the good of those around us.
2027.100000 2035.100000 What should people do now this week to show some hospitality? That's good. Well, the easy one would be to invite someone over for dinner.
2035.100000 2044.100000 Also, I think hospitality can be being a good guest when you go to someone's house. You talked about being invited to help out with something.
2044.100000 2057.100000 I think when we're invited somewhere, it is showing hospitality when we come reasonably on time, not going to go any further into that as I've struggled with time.
2057.100000 2074.100000 We come on time and we maybe bring something or ask what we can bring or host gift and then just be present at the party, be present at the event, put your phone away when you're with someone, be with someone.
2074.100000 2084.100000 I think that's probably one of the biggest ways we can show hospitality to be kind and generous to friends and family and strangers.
2084.100000 2100.100000 And then the other thing I would say, if you don't have a place to eat with friends, then get a blanket or a bed sheet and pack a picnic and invite your friends to the local park.
2100.100000 2107.100000 If there's a pavilion, great. If there's a picnic table, great. If there's not, just put a blanket down.
2107.100000 2123.100000 And everyone can bring something again, it could be, hey, we're having a picnic. Can you bring bread? Can you bring lunch meat? Can you bring cookies and everybody shows up or everybody packs a lunch and eats together?
2123.100000 2131.100000 Quick shout out to my husband here for those of you who might have food allergies and restrictions.
2131.100000 2139.100000 He often has to bring his own food to events and people will offer to make him things and we're like, it's just easier if he just brings his own.
2139.100000 2150.100000 That does not prohibit him from connecting with other people. So I would say watch out for those things that are those easy roadblocks to say, well, I'm not going to be able to eat anything there or well.
2150.100000 2166.100000 It would be easier to stay home, not go. It'll be awkward to invite those people. There are lots of hurdles and maybe we should call them excuses of reasons why we are not engaging in hospitality.
2166.100000 2178.100000 The challenge I would offer is identify one of those hurdles this week in your mind that is preventing you from showing hospitality, jump the hurdle, do it.
2178.100000 2191.100000 Yeah, so to help you jump the hurdle, we will be posting on our Instagram at this is trust worthy. Some resources for y'all this week.
2191.100000 2202.100000 Can I say y'all is that okay? Everyone can and should say y'all say okay. Great. I live in the south for a year and a half, y'all. I have family there, y'all.
2202.100000 2222.100000 Okay, y'all. So check out our Instagram at this is trust worthy this week and we will be putting some resources in there for you from our very own kitchens, couple recipes as well as some cookbooks that we like to reference and some other ideas.
2222.100000 2243.100000 And please email us at listen@trustworthypodcast.com and tell us what your favorite things are to either make or themes that you've used or ideas that you have for extending hospitality and tell us your stories.
2243.100000 2252.100000 And if you did this, if you jumped the hospitality hurdle this week, tell us what the result was. So I'm getting excited about that.
2252.100000 2262.100000 And you can tag us if you want to make your own post on Instagram, tag us at this is trust worthy and we might re-post you.
2262.100000 2277.100000 For those of you who aren't social media savvy, just ignore what I said, it doesn't matter. You can just email us. But yes, there are way more resources than we could cover here for things to help us along as we demonstrate hospitality.
2277.100000 2282.100000 And so we'd love to kind of hear what y'all do as well.
2282.100000 2292.100000 All right, thank you so much for listening. We will see you. Now I guess we won't see you. You'll hear us next time. We will talk to you next time.
2302.100000 2316.100000 First Thessalonians 2.8. We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God's good news, but our own lives too.
2316.100000 2325.100000 Thank you for listening to this episode of Trustworthy. Believe it or not, we are getting close to the end of our first season.
2325.100000 2335.100000 Mary Beth and I want to answer your questions. Please send any questions you might have about any of the topics we've talked about or just whatever.
2335.100000 2348.100000 To listen at trustworthypodcast.com. In our last episode, we will be answering your questions. Until next week, this is Trustworthy.
2348.100000 2377.100000 Hey y'all, Mary Beth here. Sarah and I are so glad that you chose to listen to our podcast. And while we think that we're awesome friends to have, we just wanted to clarify that we are not mental health professionals and want you to know that this podcast should not take the place.
2377.100000 2380.380000 not take the place of any paid professional advice.