Gaining a heart of wisdom
Across the miles they drove, journeying four hours north on washboard roads until they reached this country hill. “We want to talk about the conference,” they had said on the phone. “We can fill you in on the details in person. The more you know about us, the easier it will be for you to… Continue reading Offer The Priceless Welcome And Genuine Hospitality Of Friendship
We laughed at his European knickers and the idiosyncracies of his speech and manner, but it was the early 80s! Any sort of multi-media education was sufficiently novel to meet with appreciation—especially at a conservative Christian college. Therefore, Francis Schaeffer's How Should We Then Live? video series left its mark on my brain. "How Should… Continue reading When the Question You’re Asking is, “How Do I Respond to this Mess?”
Spring is officially here, and it's time to begin planning my annual dinner for the women of my church. Trust me, I'm no hospitality expert, but I try to make it special for them with a pretty table and a scrumptious dessert. One year I made a turkey dinner, another year it was chicken cordon… Continue reading What is Biblical Hospitality? Rediscover the Powerful Practice of Simply Making Room
We were new in church and new to the area, and our little three-bedroom fixer-upper was situated in a part of the universe in which it didn’t matter that we had been born and bred in Maine. We had not been born and bred in this part of Maine, and we had the accent (or lack of same) to… Continue reading People Who Are Cooked for Feel Cared For: 4 Helpful Hospitality Resources
This summer, I am learning to bake, prepare meals, and can our garden produce on a much smaller scale than ever before. A batch of whoopee pies makes about two dozen. That's approximately one picnic's worth in the days of four sons living at home, but an endless (and overwhelming!) supply for this empty nest.… Continue reading Why Does Feeding People Make Us Feel So Happy?
My schedule is undergoing a radical transformation as I learn the choreography of a different life. For twenty-one years, I have read stacks of books, supervised science experiments in my kitchen, and attempted to explain why math rules hardly ever change while spelling rules hardly ever stay the same. Homeschooling extended my stay-at-home mum role… Continue reading How Will You Respond to the Call of a Gathering God?
On Monday night, a crew of wonderful women landed at my house for chili and chowder--or chowdah if you're from around here. Our last pre-COVID gathering had been in February, and while we've been worshiping weekly in our lawn chairs under God's blue sky, I was beginning to miss our closer sharing of the truth… Continue reading There Is Wisdom in Listening to the Lack
When we moved to Mid-Coast Maine, we set ourselves a goal of inviting someone new to dinner every month. We gathered around crock pot roasts, mashed potatoes, home-canned green beans, and usually a pie for dessert. The elderly couple we invited for August was a delight: we talked books, they filled us in on local… Continue reading Vibrant Hospitality: Opening the Window of Relationship
"So who's mentoring whom here?" my friend asked with a mischievous grin. Good question! When friends challenge one another with shared books, Scripture reading, and transparent prayer, everyone is sharpened and restored in a way that uniquely shows the love of God. Janice Peterson calls this "spiritual friendship," and has reached back into her long… Continue reading How to Do the Hard and Holy Work of Faithful Friendship
For all its challenges, moving into a fixer-upper six days before the birth of my oldest son was what set my face like a flint in this direction: We will not wait for perfection. We will welcome the world into our home. Hanging off the northeast corner of the U.S. mainland, we’re not on the… Continue reading Around the Table. Around the World
Living Our Days 