Hospitality. My mom taught it to me. No one was allowed to leave her house hungry. There was always a hug, good food and plenty of fresh well water at mom's house. Everyone loves to go there, because they know that somehow you'll feel better when you leave.
So, how do you practice hospitality, when your house isn't always clean, or you are on a limited budget. Same as any other obstacle in your life, surrendering any situation to God and ask for more faith.
There are countless stories in the Bible of hospitality, most notably with that hero of faith, Abraham. In the desert, hospitality is not entertaining. Hospitality is survival. There are few places to get real refreshment when you are out in the middle of nowhere without an oasis in sight. It was an opportunity to show others not only water from your well, but the water of life, Jesus Christ.
Sometimes, ever wanting to have the hospitality that my mom practiced, I invite people over and Karl always wonders how we will feed everyone. You can't really point to any kind of miracle, but the food always stretches and everyone is always happy. Somehow, the practice of opening up our home to those in need of fellowship and hospitality is like surrendering a lunch basket with 5 loaves and 2 fish in it to Jesus. He is the one that makes it all happen.
The picture of Michael is from a Pampered Chef kitchen show in my house last October. I'm having another kitchen show on Monday night. So how is this practicing hospitality? Well, I've been able to invite some people into my home that may not have come otherwise. Also, I've been able to talk about healthy eating with the consultant who is doing the cooking show.
Food is found in the Bible. In fact, Jesus is said to be standing at the door of our hearts, and wanting to come in. To do what? Revelation says he will come in and eat with us. He wants us to practice a little hospitality with Him. He wants to refresh us with the Water of Life, the Manna from Heaven and the Fellowship of Heaven.
3 comments:
What a beautiful post!! :o)
I agree with trailady. A very nice post. You write very well. I have a question though. I was raised adventist. I believe none of it now though. What if you don't believe the bible at all anymore? The whole Jesus standing at the door, the whole miracles in the bible, the whole manna from heaven thing. I don't believe the bible anymore. It is simply a history book to me. And fallible, as all history books are ( look at the history books concerning native americans, not so correct, very one sided.) Yet I feel as you do when it comes to opening my house to my friends. To be hospitible is an art. I guess pagans can be nice people too.
I have found no peace in christianity. No peace in your christian god.
I don't believe the bible. It is contradictory. If you can't believe all of it, if all of it doesn't ring true, then you can believe none of it.
Aside from everything else that has brought me to this point, is the death of my father. His body is alive. He breathes. His heart beats. But parkinson's disease has taken him from us. He is in there somewhere. I think the very last convincing factor in my new found atheism is my father. The bible says to ask and you shall recieve. To come before god boldly. Yes, I know my bible very well. The same lessons were shoved down my throat that you swallowed. God says he will protect his people. And tells us to come before him boldly. To ask and we will recieve. I know in my heart that my mom asks god every day and every night to take this away from him. And every day and every night he sits at the dinner table, head bent over, drooling in his food, asleep at the table. A shell of the man he used to be. Some days he doesn't even know who my mom is and wants to know where his wife is. They have been married over 50 years. She asks. She pleads. God does not hear. Because there is no god. If there were a god he would heal the most faithful of all his servants. And if not heal, at least be merciful. Let him die in dignity. Why make him and my mother suffer like this. I can't believe in a god that would allow this for such a faithful believer. Go ahead say that bad things happen because we live in a sinful world. Shit happens. Shit happens because there is not god.
Karl keep his safe distance from me. And for good reason. Maybe someday you should ask him why. It very hard to listen to the religious vomit that spews out of Christians mouths when you know what you know about them. Its very hard to buy their jesus rhetoric. Christian vomit. Thats what it is to me. So vile that your body must expel it. Then simply clean it up and never look at it again.
I do not know you Sharon. You are Karl's wife, and you have a very public website. You are simply a sounding board. I'm sorry if I have hurt you. I probably owe you more of an apology than I have given. And your father-in-law was once a very important person to me. More important than I think he will ever know. I would do anything for him. There have been many times I wondered what it would be like to be his daughter-in-law. I guess in a lot of ways you took my place. Maybe thats where some of this is coming from. Thank you for listening. Thank you for being a sounding board. I guess sometimes thats all we need.
I really do wish you and Karl everything that is good.
And Michael looks so much like Kristian. Makes me smile.
Your pagan friend, Barb
Fallenangel,
I hope I'm not way out of place here. I can only theoretically understand the pain you are suffering with your father. But I have experienced pain for many years, so I'm not a novice. Pain from religion, pain from SDAs. Many of us have--you are not alone. Many of the people you've seen with sadness all over their face are suffering from religion and God, too. I've been there, just like we've all been there. The SDA church has failed and until we admit it, we won't get help. I couldn't admit to it until I broke down and got out of it for many long, hard years. Now I can see better. Now I can go back into the burning building to help others. Now I believe in the SDA church like never before.
I've found that the Bible tells of real people who made mistakes and really botched it all. Some of them were leaders and were supposed to set a good example. But the god of the Bible never gave up on them. He wrestled with them to the very end. I know this because He didn't let me go. And in the end, we wrestled. When the wrestling was finished, I felt better. I was like Nebuchadnezzar looking to heaven after a long spell of craziness, and thankful to be humbled. Thankful that God was there.
You are suffering. We all need to suffer. Its good for us. One day, I think you will understand why, and be a much wiser child of God.
Very respectfully,
David
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