April 2, 2025 • 30 mins
Hospitality is more than hosting—it’s a biblical calling to welcome others with love and generosity. In this episode, Kristin Fitch explores the essence of Christian hospitality, revealing how it strengthens faith, deepens relationships, and transforms communities. Learn why hospitality isn’t about entertaining but creating a space where people feel safe, seen, and valued. Through scripture, personal insights, and practical wisdom, discover how opening your home and heart can reflect God’s love and bring more joy and connection into your life. Tune in to embrace hospitality as a spiritual practice and take simple steps to build authentic community today.
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Takeaways:
✅ Biblical hospitality is an act of faith and generosity, not just entertaining guests.
✅ Welcoming others into our lives is a divine command that fosters deep, meaningful relationships.
✅ In today’s fast-paced world, many view hospitality as stressful instead of seeing it as a joyful expression of love.
✅ True hospitality requires intentionality, an open heart, and a willingness to serve others, regardless of personal comfort.
community building, Biblical hospitality, Christian women podcast, faith and purpose, spiritual growth, inviting neighbors, practicing hospitality, nurturing relationships, love and generosity, encouragement for women, hospitality tips, connecting with others, sharing meals, building friendships, faith-filled conversations, welcoming strangers, loving your neighbor, creating connections, community in Christ, hosting gatherings
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hey.
Hey friends.
Welcome back.
This is part two of my threepart series on community.
This episode is Talk.
We're going to talk aboutBiblical hospitality.
What is that and why are wecalled to do this and why will it
actually enrich your life forthe better?
Why will it actually bringyour heart such fullness and open
(00:21):
up yourself to just love and generosity?
Hey friend, are you cravingdeeper faith, renewed purpose and
more joy in your everyday life?
Welcome to Faith Fueled Womanpodcast that helps Christian women
grow spiritually pursue God'scalling and embrace the abundant
life he has for you.
I'm Kristen, an encourager,mentor, entrepreneur, wife and mom,
(00:42):
here to uplift, equip andinspire you with faith filled conversations
and Biblical wisdom.
Subscribe now so you nevermiss an episode and join our faith
filled community for more encouragement.
So I want to start off withthis quote by Jen Schmidt.
In the book Just Open the Door.
She says hospitality is different.
Biblical hospitality offersour best to him first, understanding
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that our best to others willthen fall in place.
And it says the posture weassume in hospitality is one that
bends low, generously offeringour heart to another despite whatever
interruption to our own plansor comfort.
She also says God tells us towelcome and love the stranger he
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is, which is God instructedhis people to give up their time,
energy and whatever meagerpossessions were on hand, demonstrating
hospitality to travelingstrangers by feeding and housing
them after an exhausting journey.
In the New Testament,hospitality is said to be a distinctive
mark of the Christian church.
Early believers took seriouslythe command to use their homes as
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a place for extending grace to others.
And then she goes on toexplain, paul says in Romans 12:13
pursue hospitality.
The verse doesn't suggest thatsome people have the gift of hospitality
while others lack it.
No, we're all meant to be inthe habit of pursuing hospitality.
It's a command to love otherswell in a tangible way.
(02:07):
And she later in the bookexplains that we're talking about
hospitality, not entertaining.
Entertaining is fine, but thatis different.
Hospitality is opening ourhomes, welcoming people in so they
feel safe, safe andcomfortable and that you're providing
for them.
Just love and grace in an openplace to come together.
(02:29):
And let's see, one thing Ilove and this is really I was going
to share it later, but I'mafraid I'll forget.
So he talks about, you know,for a lot of us, welcoming people
into your home can be awkwardor difficult.
And it were not to say thatyou have to welcome people into your
home.
You could meet people forcoffee, you could set up a Meetup,
(02:51):
right?
Like an event.
You could meet at the park andhave a picnic.
Right.
It's welcoming people in tocome together.
It doesn't mean it has to bein your home, although I would encourage
you to try doing that, whetherit's a group of 2 people, 5 people,
10 people, or whatnot.
And so in her book, she'stalking about having people in.
(03:13):
But what I love is her and herfriends kind of came up with this
thing where they want to seepeople, but they wanted a little
warning.
And so here's what it says inthe book.
Julie said, handle drop ins.
I'd love for you to pop in,but send me a broom and bra text.
It says, first enough time tosweep and get fully dressed.
And I love that.
(03:34):
Right.
If you, if you know the people.
Well, I get it.
You're not going to tellsomeone you've just met to give you
a broom and bra, you know,like, heads up.
But she says instead of merelybeing willing to open our door, do
we also need to sometimes walkthrough it and reach out to people
who might not accept the invitation?
Should we go to them ifthey're never.
(03:54):
If they never venture out to us?
And she said, because maybethere's an invitation waiting to
be received at every door,even those we'd never expect.
And I was listening tosomething that Jenny Allen, she's
an author and she's inministry, said today, actually on
her Instagram, it was a clipof her talking at an event.
(04:15):
But she says basically she'stalking about people used to bring
casseroles over to each other.
And she said, that's how weused to live.
And she goes on to say, that'show we used to take care of people.
He says, now people call thatan interruption, an inconvenience.
They don't want to impose orbother people.
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But she says this is probablyone of the most important things.
We've set such boundaries withall of our relationships.
We don't know what it lookslike to love each other anymore.
And she says, we've got to getto know our neighbors.
The need of helping otherpeople facilitates connection.
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And she goes on to tell thesepeople, I think she was talking to
young people, which is whatshe's usually.
She's at college campuses andthings like that a lot.
So often they're younger people.
And she says, knock on a doorthe rest of your life, you guys.
This is what we're talkingabout with hospitality.
Hospitality and also just.
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It's the getting to know yourneighbors, being part of A community.
Now, I live in a neighborhoodin Virginia beach where I do know
my neighbors.
I mean, I don't see them everyday, but we have group text messages.
We do get together in eachother's houses on occasion.
We bring each other Christmasor, you know, Hanukkah or whatever,
keys or goodies.
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If we have leftovers, we knockon the neighbor's door and drop them
off.
We say hello and talk outsidefrom the, you know, on the front
driveways.
And I have very close friendsin my actual neighborhood.
Not necessarily all, only myport, but this is what I'm talking
about.
What does it take to havebiblical hospitality?
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It means opening your frontdoor and saying hello when you're
walking down the street sayinghello to the people you walk by.
It's knocking on new neighborsdoors and welcoming them and giving
them your information and say,if you need anything, let us know.
It takes going back to a wayof living that for many of us might
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not be familiar.
And maybe you live in a townor on a street or in a city that
doesn't feel very friendly.
That doesn't mean we shouldlet it change our hearts in our ways
to become like the place orthe city.
It actually means that ourbiblical hospitality, our biblical
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invitation and welcoming ofpeople into our lives will have a
bigger impact.
It will let people know, wow,this person, this family, this neighborhood,
this community is different.
There's something differentabout them because we're more Christlike.
Okay, so that's the first thing.
(07:01):
And then I want to share withyou a couple things that are from
the book Love Lives Here byMaria Goff.
And she says if God is clearabout one thing, it's this.
What is good, true, right, andjust will last.
Everything else won't.
God points us in the directionof these things and whispers, go,
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love, serve, help, clothe and feed.
Sure, go to India if that'swhere he leads.
But if you're not sure, goacross the street.
While you're waiting for moreclarity, don't get stuck getting
ready.
Go draw a 100 foot circlearound yourself and go love everybody
inside of it.
Figure out what you'repassionate about, what you're good
at, and what will outlast you.
And then do a ton of that.
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Marcus being ready to be usedby God and the people around him.
And then she goes on later tosay, okay, let's see, I think the
world needs more peoplecovered in balloons.
Love and laughter heals oursoul and warms our hearts.
No matter who or where youare, all of this was a good reminder
to me that inviting peopleinto our lives doesn't start with
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worry and stress.
It starts with a desire for connection.
Hospitality is always a matterof the heart.
It's not the condition of our homes.
We always felt like it wasimportant for our kids to have great
table manners.
In fact, for years wepracticed them.
We called it our Good manners Night.
The boys would pull out chairsfor the girls and napkins were placed
in laps.
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We got silverware where itbelonged and used several forks in
the correct order.
But then she goes on to say,good Manners Night was always followed
a few days later with bad manner.
Sight.
There'd be no rolls, noutensils, and lots of sloppy joes
and spaghetti eaten with barehands just for fun.
It's great to know all the manners.
But Jesus didn't ask hisfriends to just be polite with him.
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He wanted them engaged.
We wanted the same for our kids.
And then later, she says, wedon't always get it right around
our table.
And you won't always get itright around yours.
But we still meet there.
Keep meeting around yours, too.
Be with each other.
Do it often.
Do it intentionally.
Be there together, fully,completely, sacrificially.
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And don't forget to bring afew balloons.
You may not end up with a starunder your plate, but you'll have
a have the aroma of lovearound your table.
How beautiful is that?
But once again, we're justcalled to welcome people in.
We're called to do life withother people.
And we're called to just openthe door, as Jen Smith says in her
(09:30):
book.
And let's see.
Okay, and then in the bookSaver by Shauna Nyquist, she says,
but entertaining isn't a competition.
It's an act of love.
If you let it be, you cantwist it into anything you want.
A way to show off your house,to compete with your friends or.
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Or to earn love.
Love and approval.
She goes, or you can decidethat every time you open the door.
It's an act of love.
You can decide every timepeople gather around your table.
Your goal is nourishment, notneurotic proving.
You can decide.
Don't you love that?
And let's see.
(10:12):
In Jen Schmidt's book, I alsowanted to share this.
It took only one personwilling to unveil her story first
to find out it didn't serve asa noose.
It became instead a bridge, Avisible gift to all those wondering
if they were the only one.
That's become my hostingphilosophy behind what's now come
to be known as my come as youare nights.
(10:32):
First one I hosted I did, sortof accidentally.
It started out as a gettogether for young moms from our
church, but I'd overloaded myschedule that week and I was exhausted.
When will I learn thatactivity doesn't equal maturity,
but that a busy life's life isnot a badge of honor?
Still, I knew I wanted togather with these sweet ladies and
share a bit of my heart, but Ididn't want the pressure of deep
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dive cleaning or any cleaningfor that matter, except the bathroom.
That's a must.
Nor did I want to put my cuteboots or fix my hair.
And honestly, the thought ofchasing the web for some great recipes
to test out was a deal breaker too.
I had nothing to prove.
So here was my humbleinvitation as their church mentor
mom later on.
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It's a section called Come asyou are and she says I was throwing
the expectation of perfect outthe window.
Come as you are with whateverclothes you'd ordinarily put on after
a long hard day of work.
I'm assuming that sweatpants,PJs, no shower, doesn't matter.
And she says when I talked tothe lady separately, I inserted bra
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optional.
And let me just caveat this.
So she's talking about havinga group of women over when it just
wasn't happening, right?
And she's like, I.
I want to do better.
I want to have people over.
She says, you can bring foodif you want, but don't have.
You don't have to.
All failed Pinterest recipes welcome.
No using stoves allowed.
Half eaten bags of chips encouraged.
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And if you don't bringanything, that's perfect too.
Unless your love language ishomemade chocolate chip cookies,
then go for it.
They hate to rob you of that blessing.
Ha.
And that's exactly how they came.
And slippers and sweatpantsand teachers and tanks with unwashed
hair and unwashed hearts.
And it started something sobeautiful we never wanted the night
to end.
After food and coffee andsweet tea and sodas and gathered
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everyone in the family roomand we snuggled on sofas as well
as on the floor.
I brought out every pillow andfuzzy blanket I owned, even bought
a few extras for good measure.
And I spread them out foreveryone to grab.
I wanted this to be a safehaven for open conversation, and
being cuddled up in a cozyblanket is a perfect start.
It helps rip away the pretenses.
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Gift of hospitality is meantto create more than just warm, welcoming
spaces, but one that ensures safety.
And here's pretty Much what Isaid, maybe it'll help you as you
think about hosting these kindof gatherings yourself.
One of greatest gifts you cangive one another, ladies, is your
imperfection.
Your stories are gifts we must share.
We must wrestle past the finedeep, dive into real life, let go
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of others expectations andallow our authenticity to bond our
community.
As Christians, we're not verygood at this.
We're happy.
Sharing the hope, glory andgrace of Christ.
To share our struggles is difficult.
Yet sharing our mess unwrapsthe hidden gem of our message.
When we tear down walls andacknowledge our need for grace in
our hard moments, his name is elevated.
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Jesus used stories to connectwith us through his throughout scripture.
Sharing your stories can pointto him.
How good was that?
Okay, and I wanted to sharewith you another scripture and then
I also want to share with youa handful of ideas of how we can
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extend an invitation topeople, how we can create more connections
with others, build community,and how we can practice more biblical
hospitality, you know, in realtangible ways.
Okay, so for scripture, okay,it's Hebrews 10, 24 and 25, and it
says, and let us consider howto stir up one another to love and
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good works.
Not neglecting to meettogether, as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another,and all the more as you see the day
drawing near.
But look at what it said inthe middle.
Not neglecting to meet together.
Friends, we are meant to livein community.
And I think I started to saythis earlier, but there was.
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There's two things that wewere for sure designed for.
And it's community, right?
Connection with others.
And it's connection with God.
Right?
That's why no matter what wedo to achieve, to strive to get a
bigger award, bigger paycheck,whatever the thing might be, we don't
feel fulfilled when we hit it.
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We feel fulfilled when we feelconnection in love with, you know,
doing life with other peopleand having a connection to our hot.
The higher power, right?
The person that createdheavens and earth.
And so it's just so importantto remember that context.
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And so here are a couple waysthat we can all live out this act
of loving our neighbors, youknow, in our own lives and having
more hospitality to havingwhat we're called to do, which is
to open our hearts and homes.
And actually Romans 12:13really makes us clear.
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Sometimes you see the firstpart of the scripture and sometimes
it's just the short part, butit says share what you have with
saints so they will lack nothing.
Take every opportunity to openyour life and home to Others.
It's one of my favoritescriptures because that one statement,
take every opportunity to openyour life and home to others.
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It is a call in Romans for usto open our doors and to open our
hearts.
Yes, to do life with eachother, to be vulnerable with each
other, to be accepting of eachother, and to give each other grace,
race.
We are not there to judge or condemn.
We are there to love one another.
We are there to show themlove, kindness, and to share what
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we have with them.
Okay, so here are a couplethings we can do to love our neighbors
better or well and show more hospitality.
One is invite people into yourlife, even if you're shy, even if
that's hard for you.
Brainstorm.
Come up with ideas.
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There are so many books on this.
I'm happy to recommend somefor you.
You know, I talked about findyour people.
There's a book called Tasteand See, which I'm going to share
something from in a little bit.
One's called Just Open the Door.
There's another one called theSimplest Way to Change the World.
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And these are all ones I own.
Love lives.
Here's a great one.
There's another one called theTurquoise Table.
It's a lovely, beautifulconcept where the author starts.
She paints a picnic table,aqua and puts in her front yard.
And so she regularly invitespeople into her front yard for coffee
in the morning, teas in the afternoon.
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But it's a way to stand aninvitation to people without having
to open your actual home.
Some of us might not want toentertain in our homes, but we can
have a backyard barbecue.
You can meet for coffee at acoffee shop.
You could go on a walk with awoman or a group of women or a couple.
Okay, so the first thing isinvite people into your home and
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be intentional about it.
This does not happen by accident.
And there are friends of mineand myself that we tend to be the
people that invite people in.
And we have friends that don'tdo that.
That's okay.
But we're all technicallycalled to show hospitality.
So figure out for you what works.
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What are you able to step outof your comfort zone and do?
The next idea is start up aconversation with someone.
Start being the person thatlooks people in the eyes and smiles,
says hello, gives them acompliment, or says, hey, you know,
I keep seeing you at thecarpal pickup line or at church in
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the coffee area, or we keeprunning into each other on our.
Our daily walks, whatever itmight be, and just say, hey, you
know, I.
I just wanted to ask you aquestion or Maybe invite a group
of neighbors over for a Bible study.
Maybe invite them over formorning coffee and pastries.
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Like I said, it doesn't haveto be in your house.
It could be in yourneighborhood, at your local park
that's in your neighborhood.
Make a new friend.
Yes, it's hard, and yes, I get it.
It's.
It's a lot harder as an.
As an adult and.
Well, I mean, it is and it isn't.
It is because you have to putin more time and maybe you have more
commitments.
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In the next part of thisseries, we're going to talk more
specifically about friendshipand making adult friends.
Talk to the person sittingalone at an event.
I was just at the soccerdinner for high school varsity soccer
and JV soccer, and I talked toseveral parents there that I've never
met before.
It's because I was willing tobe uncomfortable for a minute to
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just say, hey, I'm so and so.
Right?
And my kid is so and so.
Who.
Nice to meet you.
You know, we strike up a conversation.
Some of them, I won't see muchbecause their son might be in jv,
so they play games differentnights, but they don't know anybody
else either.
And they feel moreuncomfortable than I do because my
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son's older and I know a lotof the people at the event already
because I've been there anddone it before.
Okay.
Be vulnerable.
Be open.
Go say hello.
Give others what you need.
When you feel awkward, youfeel uncomfortable, you feel like
you don't have a friend.
The way that we get thosethings is by being the friend, by
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being more friendly, by beingopen hearted, by being willing to
cross the aisle or the tableto say hello.
Okay.
Bring someone cookies, acasserole, like Jenny Allen said,
a note.
Garden tomatoes.
When you have extra produce inthe summer, bring them clipped flowers
from your garden.
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You don't have to spend money,but you can let someone know, I was
thinking about you.
This works really well forfriends of yours, if you have some
friends, but also forneighbors that you regularly see
them coming or going.
Maybe you don't knoweverything about them, but you know
enough that maybe they were onyour heart.
Maybe you saw them and itlooked like they were having a hard
time working on their car orthey were getting home late every
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night recently.
Whatever it might be, just goand check.
Show a gesture of kindness tosomeone and keep doing it day in,
day out, or at least weekendand week out.
Okay?
So there's so many ways for usto do this.
And if you still feel likethis is just a lot for me.
Then talk to a couple people,you know, close friends or acquaintances,
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and say, hey, I'd really liketo start something, right?
Maybe it's just monthly tostart with.
It could be a book group, youknow, club.
It could be a dinner club.
It could be just meeting forcoffee, meeting for a walk.
But become brave not onlybecause God's calling us to do it,
but also ask someone else tobe your co pilot or your co conspirator
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to bring people in to invite others.
Maybe you need someone else tohold your hand, if you will, to.
To extend the invitation.
That's okay.
Start it with another personor a few other people, right?
Much like Ecclesiastes 4, ninetalks about two are better than one.
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Well, do it in a group.
That's absolutely okay.
Okay, so I think, oh, and thenI wanted to share with you.
Sometimes food, right?
Or coffee or whatever it mightbe puts everybody at ease because
there's something to do withour hands.
And everybody, for the mostpart, likes food.
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Now I get it.
Sometimes our events revolvearound really unhealthy food all
the time.
There's no healthy options.
And I get how that can be astruggle for some people.
Or you have somebody thatmaybe is gluten free or vegan.
I get all that.
But if we can just set thatdown for a minute.
In the book Taste and See byMargaret Feinberg, she starts out
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the book kind of describing aseason where they've been busy and
a couple had invited them overfor dinner and they're worn out and
probably kind of feeling like,oh, I wish we could have just canceled.
And then she goes on to saywhat transpires as they showed up,
or what can happen when mealis served, the aromas fill the room
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and whatnot.
And she goes on to explainwhat happened on one particular night
and what hospitality actually means.
Let's eat and get out of hereas quickly as we can, I whispered
to Leif as we unbuckled our seatbelts.
Red grew with each step alongthe cobblestone path.
But there was no going back now.
Leif stopped short of the doorand looked at me as if to say, go
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on, dear.
You got us into this.
My best hope was to get theevening over with so I could return
to bed in my pajamas.
I gripped the door knocker,counted to three, and forcibly transformed
my Grimm grimace into what Ihope to be a believable.
He says.
The door swung open.
Matthew and Ashley envelopedus in hugs as if we were prodigal
children returning home.
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The air around us rearrangedand with it, our attitudes.
Leaf and I found a home thatnight, against our wills, no less.
These many years later, Istill can't explain how it happened.
Maybe it was a soothingflicker of candlelight or the broken
in couch that swallowed us whole.
Nevertheless, our heartsstilled and the time became irrelevant.
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She later says about that evening.
Yep, Leaf and I weredefinitely prodigy children.
Every meal prior to this one,during our marathon season of work
suddenly felt like pig feed.
Our hearts weren't broughtback to life because the dinner was
swanky or exclusive.
Our hearts revived because thefood was intentional and curated
with love.
The meal nourished my soul inplaces I didn't realize I was starving.
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And then she explains whathappened at the end of that night.
He says the four of us talkedlate into the evening.
I didn't want to leave.
By the time we said goodbye, aspiritual bond had been formed.
We had arrived cranky, soreand exhausted, but left satiated
in our bellies and heartstogether, we had enjoyed the gift
of food, the gift oftogetherness, the gift of presence,
as Christian Morgenstein might say.
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We came home and the authorexplains that she wrote the book
because, as she shared aboutthis evening, this remarkable, remarkable
meal she had with this couple,friends of her shared remarkable
meals that they had right whenthey were in other people's homes
or around the world.
And what she said is, I saw apattern unfolding before me that
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I couldn't ignore.
The stories were different,but the theme remained the same.
God had been intentional.
In each gathering, we usethese encounters to uncover deep
need and satiate a deep hunger.
I just think that's so beautiful.
And it just goes to the heartof biblical hospitality because it
is about enveloping yourguests, the people that you are sitting
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with or sharing with.
It's enveloping them withlove, with an openness, no pretense.
It is allowing them to come inand accepting.
Accepting them as they are forwho they are and having a safe space
for connection andconversation and fellowship is what
biblical hospitality is all about.
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And that is what we're calledto do in some way.
Okay, in Taste and See,Margaret also shares what it means,
what hospitality means.
I want to share thathospitality has a hidden power that
is difficult to explain buteven harder to deny.
You can wake up cranky and sore.
The mere whiff of Mom'sholiday sticky buns can bring your
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shoulders down from aroundyour earlobes.
Or you find yourself drowningin loneliness.
And just as tears well, inyour eyes.
The phone rings and a newfriend invites you over for a hot
beverage and a bowl of fresh berries.
One moment, the world couldburn to dust for all you care.
And in the blink, and in ablink, it is sacred ground.
And as she wraps up the book,I want to share this with you as
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well.
God is waiting around everytable, in every pantry, in every
backyard garden.
You just need some freshingredients, some time and a friend
or two.
No matter where we findourselves, meal times can become
sacred spaces of supernatural satisfaction.
When we invite God in, hesatiates our hunger to know and to
be known, to understand and tobe understood, to love and to be
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loved.
In community, God touches ourphysical appetites and spiritual
affections.
Whenever we gather to eat,whether in a tricked out kitchen
or seated in a borrowed chairwith food atop our laps, God is there
because all food ultimatelycomes from Him.
Yes, God waits in Galilee, butthe shores of all our lives are strewn
with displays of God'smiraculous power.
(27:31):
As we break bread, we find thesatisfaction of our deepest hungers
in the community our souls crave.
As we share our lives, wetaste and see God's fruitfulness.
And when we're tempted to loseheart, and we all will be, we find
courage in listening to andparticipating in the stories of God's
rescuing ways.
(27:51):
Every table is a doorway, anentrance into a holy and sacred communion
with God and those around us.
In the midst of a busy life,we can all create a space to taste
and seek God's goodness.
This begins by recognizingfood as a gift from God instead of
as a commodity.
Every meal time is anopportunity to be on the lookout
for Christ, to reveal himselfin surprising ways.
(28:14):
We can all pause in order topay attention to the one who has
provided the food before us.
Okay, now that I've sharedwith you several thoughts, many different
authors, scripture, and thensome actual steps that you can take
to, to invite others in, to bea good neighbor, to begin to be,
(28:36):
you know, to make new friends,and to practice biblical hospitality.
I just want to wrap up todayand say we all just commit to doing
two things differently in thecoming weeks.
Let's commit to shifting onesmall habit we have.
So if you're somebody thatalways has earbuds in on your way
(28:56):
to work, if you taketransportation, or if you're, you
know, going on a walk and yourarely get to talk to somebody, or
maybe it's signing up to go toa new class, like, just commit to
doing one thing differenteither in your daily life or getting
to do one thing different thismonth and then commit to one other
thing.
Can you invite someone in canyou invite someone to something to
(29:21):
go with you to something?
Like I said, it does not haveto be in your home, although that's
a lovely gesture and I Idefinitely encourage can be in your
front yard, it can be at acoffee shop, it can be at the park
closest to your house,whatever it might be.
So if we all committed tochanging just a little bit, shifting
just a little bit, opening ourhearts, just enough world would be
(29:44):
changed because so many of uswould be showing up in a slightly
different way.
We would be Christians showingup with open hearts and open hands
and offering an invitation todo life together.
Until next time and until partthree when we talk about friendships.
I hope you have a beautifuland blessed week, friends.
I would love to keepencouraging you in your everyday
(30:05):
life beyond the podcast.
So if you're not alreadygetting my email newsletter, head
over to KristenFitch.com, signup for that so that even in your
inbox you're being encouragedand you're going to get an awesome
freebie.
There's several to choose fromon my freebies page or or if you
sign up on the main page,you're going to get the Reignite
youe Passion workbook.
Head on over there and let meencourage you not just on the podcast,
(30:27):
but in your inbox.
Thanks again for listening tothe show and if you enjoyed today's
episode, we would love it ifyou could take a minute to leave
a rating and review on ApplePodcast because it helps our show
get discovered by more people.
Hey.
Hey friends.
Welcome back.
This is part two of my threepart series on community.
This episode is Talk.
We're going to talk aboutBiblical hospitality.
What is that and why are wecalled to do this and why will it
actually enrich your life forthe better?
Why will it actually bringyour heart such fullness and open
(00:21):
up yourself to just love and generosity?
Hey friend, are you cravingdeeper faith, renewed purpose and
more joy in your everyday life?
Welcome to Faith Fueled Womanpodcast that helps Christian women
grow spiritually pursue God'scalling and embrace the abundant
life he has for you.
I'm Kristen, an encourager,mentor, entrepreneur, wife and mom,
(00:42):
here to uplift, equip andinspire you with faith filled conversations
and Biblical wisdom.
Subscribe now so you nevermiss an episode and join our faith
filled community for more encouragement.
So I want to start off withthis quote by Jen Schmidt.
In the book Just Open the Door.
She says hospitality is different.
Biblical hospitality offersour best to him first, understanding
(01:05):
that our best to others willthen fall in place.
And it says the posture weassume in hospitality is one that
bends low, generously offeringour heart to another despite whatever
interruption to our own plansor comfort.
She also says God tells us towelcome and love the stranger he
(01:25):
is, which is God instructedhis people to give up their time,
energy and whatever meagerpossessions were on hand, demonstrating
hospitality to travelingstrangers by feeding and housing
them after an exhausting journey.
In the New Testament,hospitality is said to be a distinctive
mark of the Christian church.
Early believers took seriouslythe command to use their homes as
(01:46):
a place for extending grace to others.
And then she goes on toexplain, paul says in Romans 12:13
pursue hospitality.
The verse doesn't suggest thatsome people have the gift of hospitality
while others lack it.
No, we're all meant to be inthe habit of pursuing hospitality.
It's a command to love otherswell in a tangible way.
(02:07):
And she later in the bookexplains that we're talking about
hospitality, not entertaining.
Entertaining is fine, but thatis different.
Hospitality is opening ourhomes, welcoming people in so they
feel safe, safe andcomfortable and that you're providing
for them.
Just love and grace in an openplace to come together.
(02:29):
And let's see, one thing Ilove and this is really I was going
to share it later, but I'mafraid I'll forget.
So he talks about, you know,for a lot of us, welcoming people
into your home can be awkwardor difficult.
And it were not to say thatyou have to welcome people into your
home.
You could meet people forcoffee, you could set up a Meetup,
(02:51):
right?
Like an event.
You could meet at the park andhave a picnic.
Right.
It's welcoming people in tocome together.
It doesn't mean it has to bein your home, although I would encourage
you to try doing that, whetherit's a group of 2 people, 5 people,
10 people, or whatnot.
And so in her book, she'stalking about having people in.
(03:13):
But what I love is her and herfriends kind of came up with this
thing where they want to seepeople, but they wanted a little
warning.
And so here's what it says inthe book.
Julie said, handle drop ins.
I'd love for you to pop in,but send me a broom and bra text.
It says, first enough time tosweep and get fully dressed.
And I love that.
(03:34):
Right.
If you, if you know the people.
Well, I get it.
You're not going to tellsomeone you've just met to give you
a broom and bra, you know,like, heads up.
But she says instead of merelybeing willing to open our door, do
we also need to sometimes walkthrough it and reach out to people
who might not accept the invitation?
Should we go to them ifthey're never.
(03:54):
If they never venture out to us?
And she said, because maybethere's an invitation waiting to
be received at every door,even those we'd never expect.
And I was listening tosomething that Jenny Allen, she's
an author and she's inministry, said today, actually on
her Instagram, it was a clipof her talking at an event.
(04:15):
But she says basically she'stalking about people used to bring
casseroles over to each other.
And she said, that's how weused to live.
And she goes on to say, that'show we used to take care of people.
He says, now people call thatan interruption, an inconvenience.
They don't want to impose orbother people.
(04:36):
But she says this is probablyone of the most important things.
We've set such boundaries withall of our relationships.
We don't know what it lookslike to love each other anymore.
And she says, we've got to getto know our neighbors.
The need of helping otherpeople facilitates connection.
(04:56):
And she goes on to tell thesepeople, I think she was talking to
young people, which is whatshe's usually.
She's at college campuses andthings like that a lot.
So often they're younger people.
And she says, knock on a doorthe rest of your life, you guys.
This is what we're talkingabout with hospitality.
Hospitality and also just.
(05:17):
It's the getting to know yourneighbors, being part of A community.
Now, I live in a neighborhoodin Virginia beach where I do know
my neighbors.
I mean, I don't see them everyday, but we have group text messages.
We do get together in eachother's houses on occasion.
We bring each other Christmasor, you know, Hanukkah or whatever,
keys or goodies.
(05:38):
If we have leftovers, we knockon the neighbor's door and drop them
off.
We say hello and talk outsidefrom the, you know, on the front
driveways.
And I have very close friendsin my actual neighborhood.
Not necessarily all, only myport, but this is what I'm talking
about.
What does it take to havebiblical hospitality?
(05:59):
It means opening your frontdoor and saying hello when you're
walking down the street sayinghello to the people you walk by.
It's knocking on new neighborsdoors and welcoming them and giving
them your information and say,if you need anything, let us know.
It takes going back to a wayof living that for many of us might
(06:19):
not be familiar.
And maybe you live in a townor on a street or in a city that
doesn't feel very friendly.
That doesn't mean we shouldlet it change our hearts in our ways
to become like the place orthe city.
It actually means that ourbiblical hospitality, our biblical
(06:40):
invitation and welcoming ofpeople into our lives will have a
bigger impact.
It will let people know, wow,this person, this family, this neighborhood,
this community is different.
There's something differentabout them because we're more Christlike.
Okay, so that's the first thing.
(07:01):
And then I want to share withyou a couple things that are from
the book Love Lives Here byMaria Goff.
And she says if God is clearabout one thing, it's this.
What is good, true, right, andjust will last.
Everything else won't.
God points us in the directionof these things and whispers, go,
(07:23):
love, serve, help, clothe and feed.
Sure, go to India if that'swhere he leads.
But if you're not sure, goacross the street.
While you're waiting for moreclarity, don't get stuck getting
ready.
Go draw a 100 foot circlearound yourself and go love everybody
inside of it.
Figure out what you'repassionate about, what you're good
at, and what will outlast you.
And then do a ton of that.
(07:43):
Marcus being ready to be usedby God and the people around him.
And then she goes on later tosay, okay, let's see, I think the
world needs more peoplecovered in balloons.
Love and laughter heals oursoul and warms our hearts.
No matter who or where youare, all of this was a good reminder
to me that inviting peopleinto our lives doesn't start with
(08:04):
worry and stress.
It starts with a desire for connection.
Hospitality is always a matterof the heart.
It's not the condition of our homes.
We always felt like it wasimportant for our kids to have great
table manners.
In fact, for years wepracticed them.
We called it our Good manners Night.
The boys would pull out chairsfor the girls and napkins were placed
in laps.
(08:24):
We got silverware where itbelonged and used several forks in
the correct order.
But then she goes on to say,good Manners Night was always followed
a few days later with bad manner.
Sight.
There'd be no rolls, noutensils, and lots of sloppy joes
and spaghetti eaten with barehands just for fun.
It's great to know all the manners.
But Jesus didn't ask hisfriends to just be polite with him.
(08:45):
He wanted them engaged.
We wanted the same for our kids.
And then later, she says, wedon't always get it right around
our table.
And you won't always get itright around yours.
But we still meet there.
Keep meeting around yours, too.
Be with each other.
Do it often.
Do it intentionally.
Be there together, fully,completely, sacrificially.
(09:06):
And don't forget to bring afew balloons.
You may not end up with a starunder your plate, but you'll have
a have the aroma of lovearound your table.
How beautiful is that?
But once again, we're justcalled to welcome people in.
We're called to do life withother people.
And we're called to just openthe door, as Jen Smith says in her
(09:30):
book.
And let's see.
Okay, and then in the bookSaver by Shauna Nyquist, she says,
but entertaining isn't a competition.
It's an act of love.
If you let it be, you cantwist it into anything you want.
A way to show off your house,to compete with your friends or.
(09:51):
Or to earn love.
Love and approval.
She goes, or you can decidethat every time you open the door.
It's an act of love.
You can decide every timepeople gather around your table.
Your goal is nourishment, notneurotic proving.
You can decide.
Don't you love that?
And let's see.
(10:12):
In Jen Schmidt's book, I alsowanted to share this.
It took only one personwilling to unveil her story first
to find out it didn't serve asa noose.
It became instead a bridge, Avisible gift to all those wondering
if they were the only one.
That's become my hostingphilosophy behind what's now come
to be known as my come as youare nights.
(10:32):
First one I hosted I did, sortof accidentally.
It started out as a gettogether for young moms from our
church, but I'd overloaded myschedule that week and I was exhausted.
When will I learn thatactivity doesn't equal maturity,
but that a busy life's life isnot a badge of honor?
Still, I knew I wanted togather with these sweet ladies and
share a bit of my heart, but Ididn't want the pressure of deep
(10:54):
dive cleaning or any cleaningfor that matter, except the bathroom.
That's a must.
Nor did I want to put my cuteboots or fix my hair.
And honestly, the thought ofchasing the web for some great recipes
to test out was a deal breaker too.
I had nothing to prove.
So here was my humbleinvitation as their church mentor
mom later on.
(11:14):
It's a section called Come asyou are and she says I was throwing
the expectation of perfect outthe window.
Come as you are with whateverclothes you'd ordinarily put on after
a long hard day of work.
I'm assuming that sweatpants,PJs, no shower, doesn't matter.
And she says when I talked tothe lady separately, I inserted bra
(11:36):
optional.
And let me just caveat this.
So she's talking about havinga group of women over when it just
wasn't happening, right?
And she's like, I.
I want to do better.
I want to have people over.
She says, you can bring foodif you want, but don't have.
You don't have to.
All failed Pinterest recipes welcome.
No using stoves allowed.
Half eaten bags of chips encouraged.
(11:57):
And if you don't bringanything, that's perfect too.
Unless your love language ishomemade chocolate chip cookies,
then go for it.
They hate to rob you of that blessing.
Ha.
And that's exactly how they came.
And slippers and sweatpantsand teachers and tanks with unwashed
hair and unwashed hearts.
And it started something sobeautiful we never wanted the night
to end.
After food and coffee andsweet tea and sodas and gathered
(12:20):
everyone in the family roomand we snuggled on sofas as well
as on the floor.
I brought out every pillow andfuzzy blanket I owned, even bought
a few extras for good measure.
And I spread them out foreveryone to grab.
I wanted this to be a safehaven for open conversation, and
being cuddled up in a cozyblanket is a perfect start.
It helps rip away the pretenses.
(12:40):
Gift of hospitality is meantto create more than just warm, welcoming
spaces, but one that ensures safety.
And here's pretty Much what Isaid, maybe it'll help you as you
think about hosting these kindof gatherings yourself.
One of greatest gifts you cangive one another, ladies, is your
imperfection.
Your stories are gifts we must share.
We must wrestle past the finedeep, dive into real life, let go
(13:03):
of others expectations andallow our authenticity to bond our
community.
As Christians, we're not verygood at this.
We're happy.
Sharing the hope, glory andgrace of Christ.
To share our struggles is difficult.
Yet sharing our mess unwrapsthe hidden gem of our message.
When we tear down walls andacknowledge our need for grace in
our hard moments, his name is elevated.
(13:25):
Jesus used stories to connectwith us through his throughout scripture.
Sharing your stories can pointto him.
How good was that?
Okay, and I wanted to sharewith you another scripture and then
I also want to share with youa handful of ideas of how we can
(13:47):
extend an invitation topeople, how we can create more connections
with others, build community,and how we can practice more biblical
hospitality, you know, in realtangible ways.
Okay, so for scripture, okay,it's Hebrews 10, 24 and 25, and it
says, and let us consider howto stir up one another to love and
(14:11):
good works.
Not neglecting to meettogether, as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another,and all the more as you see the day
drawing near.
But look at what it said inthe middle.
Not neglecting to meet together.
Friends, we are meant to livein community.
And I think I started to saythis earlier, but there was.
(14:32):
There's two things that wewere for sure designed for.
And it's community, right?
Connection with others.
And it's connection with God.
Right?
That's why no matter what wedo to achieve, to strive to get a
bigger award, bigger paycheck,whatever the thing might be, we don't
feel fulfilled when we hit it.
(14:53):
We feel fulfilled when we feelconnection in love with, you know,
doing life with other peopleand having a connection to our hot.
The higher power, right?
The person that createdheavens and earth.
And so it's just so importantto remember that context.
(15:13):
And so here are a couple waysthat we can all live out this act
of loving our neighbors, youknow, in our own lives and having
more hospitality to havingwhat we're called to do, which is
to open our hearts and homes.
And actually Romans 12:13really makes us clear.
(15:37):
Sometimes you see the firstpart of the scripture and sometimes
it's just the short part, butit says share what you have with
saints so they will lack nothing.
Take every opportunity to openyour life and home to Others.
It's one of my favoritescriptures because that one statement,
take every opportunity to openyour life and home to others.
(15:58):
It is a call in Romans for usto open our doors and to open our
hearts.
Yes, to do life with eachother, to be vulnerable with each
other, to be accepting of eachother, and to give each other grace,
race.
We are not there to judge or condemn.
We are there to love one another.
We are there to show themlove, kindness, and to share what
(16:23):
we have with them.
Okay, so here are a couplethings we can do to love our neighbors
better or well and show more hospitality.
One is invite people into yourlife, even if you're shy, even if
that's hard for you.
Brainstorm.
Come up with ideas.
(16:44):
There are so many books on this.
I'm happy to recommend somefor you.
You know, I talked about findyour people.
There's a book called Tasteand See, which I'm going to share
something from in a little bit.
One's called Just Open the Door.
There's another one called theSimplest Way to Change the World.
(17:04):
And these are all ones I own.
Love lives.
Here's a great one.
There's another one called theTurquoise Table.
It's a lovely, beautifulconcept where the author starts.
She paints a picnic table,aqua and puts in her front yard.
And so she regularly invitespeople into her front yard for coffee
in the morning, teas in the afternoon.
(17:25):
But it's a way to stand aninvitation to people without having
to open your actual home.
Some of us might not want toentertain in our homes, but we can
have a backyard barbecue.
You can meet for coffee at acoffee shop.
You could go on a walk with awoman or a group of women or a couple.
Okay, so the first thing isinvite people into your home and
(17:45):
be intentional about it.
This does not happen by accident.
And there are friends of mineand myself that we tend to be the
people that invite people in.
And we have friends that don'tdo that.
That's okay.
But we're all technicallycalled to show hospitality.
So figure out for you what works.
(18:06):
What are you able to step outof your comfort zone and do?
The next idea is start up aconversation with someone.
Start being the person thatlooks people in the eyes and smiles,
says hello, gives them acompliment, or says, hey, you know,
I keep seeing you at thecarpal pickup line or at church in
(18:27):
the coffee area, or we keeprunning into each other on our.
Our daily walks, whatever itmight be, and just say, hey, you
know, I.
I just wanted to ask you aquestion or Maybe invite a group
of neighbors over for a Bible study.
Maybe invite them over formorning coffee and pastries.
(18:48):
Like I said, it doesn't haveto be in your house.
It could be in yourneighborhood, at your local park
that's in your neighborhood.
Make a new friend.
Yes, it's hard, and yes, I get it.
It's.
It's a lot harder as an.
As an adult and.
Well, I mean, it is and it isn't.
It is because you have to putin more time and maybe you have more
commitments.
(19:08):
In the next part of thisseries, we're going to talk more
specifically about friendshipand making adult friends.
Talk to the person sittingalone at an event.
I was just at the soccerdinner for high school varsity soccer
and JV soccer, and I talked toseveral parents there that I've never
met before.
It's because I was willing tobe uncomfortable for a minute to
(19:31):
just say, hey, I'm so and so.
Right?
And my kid is so and so.
Who.
Nice to meet you.
You know, we strike up a conversation.
Some of them, I won't see muchbecause their son might be in jv,
so they play games differentnights, but they don't know anybody
else either.
And they feel moreuncomfortable than I do because my
(19:51):
son's older and I know a lotof the people at the event already
because I've been there anddone it before.
Okay.
Be vulnerable.
Be open.
Go say hello.
Give others what you need.
When you feel awkward, youfeel uncomfortable, you feel like
you don't have a friend.
The way that we get thosethings is by being the friend, by
(20:13):
being more friendly, by beingopen hearted, by being willing to
cross the aisle or the tableto say hello.
Okay.
Bring someone cookies, acasserole, like Jenny Allen said,
a note.
Garden tomatoes.
When you have extra produce inthe summer, bring them clipped flowers
from your garden.
(20:33):
You don't have to spend money,but you can let someone know, I was
thinking about you.
This works really well forfriends of yours, if you have some
friends, but also forneighbors that you regularly see
them coming or going.
Maybe you don't knoweverything about them, but you know
enough that maybe they were onyour heart.
Maybe you saw them and itlooked like they were having a hard
time working on their car orthey were getting home late every
(20:56):
night recently.
Whatever it might be, just goand check.
Show a gesture of kindness tosomeone and keep doing it day in,
day out, or at least weekendand week out.
Okay?
So there's so many ways for usto do this.
And if you still feel likethis is just a lot for me.
Then talk to a couple people,you know, close friends or acquaintances,
(21:20):
and say, hey, I'd really liketo start something, right?
Maybe it's just monthly tostart with.
It could be a book group, youknow, club.
It could be a dinner club.
It could be just meeting forcoffee, meeting for a walk.
But become brave not onlybecause God's calling us to do it,
but also ask someone else tobe your co pilot or your co conspirator
(21:45):
to bring people in to invite others.
Maybe you need someone else tohold your hand, if you will, to.
To extend the invitation.
That's okay.
Start it with another personor a few other people, right?
Much like Ecclesiastes 4, ninetalks about two are better than one.
(22:06):
Well, do it in a group.
That's absolutely okay.
Okay, so I think, oh, and thenI wanted to share with you.
Sometimes food, right?
Or coffee or whatever it mightbe puts everybody at ease because
there's something to do withour hands.
And everybody, for the mostpart, likes food.
(22:26):
Now I get it.
Sometimes our events revolvearound really unhealthy food all
the time.
There's no healthy options.
And I get how that can be astruggle for some people.
Or you have somebody thatmaybe is gluten free or vegan.
I get all that.
But if we can just set thatdown for a minute.
In the book Taste and See byMargaret Feinberg, she starts out
(22:48):
the book kind of describing aseason where they've been busy and
a couple had invited them overfor dinner and they're worn out and
probably kind of feeling like,oh, I wish we could have just canceled.
And then she goes on to saywhat transpires as they showed up,
or what can happen when mealis served, the aromas fill the room
(23:10):
and whatnot.
And she goes on to explainwhat happened on one particular night
and what hospitality actually means.
Let's eat and get out of hereas quickly as we can, I whispered
to Leif as we unbuckled our seatbelts.
Red grew with each step alongthe cobblestone path.
But there was no going back now.
Leif stopped short of the doorand looked at me as if to say, go
(23:31):
on, dear.
You got us into this.
My best hope was to get theevening over with so I could return
to bed in my pajamas.
I gripped the door knocker,counted to three, and forcibly transformed
my Grimm grimace into what Ihope to be a believable.
He says.
The door swung open.
Matthew and Ashley envelopedus in hugs as if we were prodigal
children returning home.
(23:52):
The air around us rearrangedand with it, our attitudes.
Leaf and I found a home thatnight, against our wills, no less.
These many years later, Istill can't explain how it happened.
Maybe it was a soothingflicker of candlelight or the broken
in couch that swallowed us whole.
Nevertheless, our heartsstilled and the time became irrelevant.
(24:13):
She later says about that evening.
Yep, Leaf and I weredefinitely prodigy children.
Every meal prior to this one,during our marathon season of work
suddenly felt like pig feed.
Our hearts weren't broughtback to life because the dinner was
swanky or exclusive.
Our hearts revived because thefood was intentional and curated
with love.
The meal nourished my soul inplaces I didn't realize I was starving.
(24:37):
And then she explains whathappened at the end of that night.
He says the four of us talkedlate into the evening.
I didn't want to leave.
By the time we said goodbye, aspiritual bond had been formed.
We had arrived cranky, soreand exhausted, but left satiated
in our bellies and heartstogether, we had enjoyed the gift
of food, the gift oftogetherness, the gift of presence,
as Christian Morgenstein might say.
(24:59):
We came home and the authorexplains that she wrote the book
because, as she shared aboutthis evening, this remarkable, remarkable
meal she had with this couple,friends of her shared remarkable
meals that they had right whenthey were in other people's homes
or around the world.
And what she said is, I saw apattern unfolding before me that
(25:20):
I couldn't ignore.
The stories were different,but the theme remained the same.
God had been intentional.
In each gathering, we usethese encounters to uncover deep
need and satiate a deep hunger.
I just think that's so beautiful.
And it just goes to the heartof biblical hospitality because it
is about enveloping yourguests, the people that you are sitting
(25:42):
with or sharing with.
It's enveloping them withlove, with an openness, no pretense.
It is allowing them to come inand accepting.
Accepting them as they are forwho they are and having a safe space
for connection andconversation and fellowship is what
biblical hospitality is all about.
(26:03):
And that is what we're calledto do in some way.
Okay, in Taste and See,Margaret also shares what it means,
what hospitality means.
I want to share thathospitality has a hidden power that
is difficult to explain buteven harder to deny.
You can wake up cranky and sore.
The mere whiff of Mom'sholiday sticky buns can bring your
(26:23):
shoulders down from aroundyour earlobes.
Or you find yourself drowningin loneliness.
And just as tears well, inyour eyes.
The phone rings and a newfriend invites you over for a hot
beverage and a bowl of fresh berries.
One moment, the world couldburn to dust for all you care.
And in the blink, and in ablink, it is sacred ground.
And as she wraps up the book,I want to share this with you as
(26:46):
well.
God is waiting around everytable, in every pantry, in every
backyard garden.
You just need some freshingredients, some time and a friend
or two.
No matter where we findourselves, meal times can become
sacred spaces of supernatural satisfaction.
When we invite God in, hesatiates our hunger to know and to
be known, to understand and tobe understood, to love and to be
(27:09):
loved.
In community, God touches ourphysical appetites and spiritual
affections.
Whenever we gather to eat,whether in a tricked out kitchen
or seated in a borrowed chairwith food atop our laps, God is there
because all food ultimatelycomes from Him.
Yes, God waits in Galilee, butthe shores of all our lives are strewn
with displays of God'smiraculous power.
(27:31):
As we break bread, we find thesatisfaction of our deepest hungers
in the community our souls crave.
As we share our lives, wetaste and see God's fruitfulness.
And when we're tempted to loseheart, and we all will be, we find
courage in listening to andparticipating in the stories of God's
rescuing ways.
(27:51):
Every table is a doorway, anentrance into a holy and sacred communion
with God and those around us.
In the midst of a busy life,we can all create a space to taste
and seek God's goodness.
This begins by recognizingfood as a gift from God instead of
as a commodity.
Every meal time is anopportunity to be on the lookout
for Christ, to reveal himselfin surprising ways.
(28:14):
We can all pause in order topay attention to the one who has
provided the food before us.
Okay, now that I've sharedwith you several thoughts, many different
authors, scripture, and thensome actual steps that you can take
to, to invite others in, to bea good neighbor, to begin to be,
(28:36):
you know, to make new friends,and to practice biblical hospitality.
I just want to wrap up todayand say we all just commit to doing
two things differently in thecoming weeks.
Let's commit to shifting onesmall habit we have.
So if you're somebody thatalways has earbuds in on your way
(28:56):
to work, if you taketransportation, or if you're, you
know, going on a walk and yourarely get to talk to somebody, or
maybe it's signing up to go toa new class, like, just commit to
doing one thing differenteither in your daily life or getting
to do one thing different thismonth and then commit to one other
thing.
Can you invite someone in canyou invite someone to something to
(29:21):
go with you to something?
Like I said, it does not haveto be in your home, although that's
a lovely gesture and I Idefinitely encourage can be in your
front yard, it can be at acoffee shop, it can be at the park
closest to your house,whatever it might be.
So if we all committed tochanging just a little bit, shifting
just a little bit, opening ourhearts, just enough world would be
(29:44):
changed because so many of uswould be showing up in a slightly
different way.
We would be Christians showingup with open hearts and open hands
and offering an invitation todo life together.
Until next time and until partthree when we talk about friendships.
I hope you have a beautifuland blessed week, friends.
I would love to keepencouraging you in your everyday
(30:05):
life beyond the podcast.
So if you're not alreadygetting my email newsletter, head
over to KristenFitch.com, signup for that so that even in your
inbox you're being encouragedand you're going to get an awesome
freebie.
There's several to choose fromon my freebies page or or if you
sign up on the main page,you're going to get the Reignite
youe Passion workbook.
Head on over there and let meencourage you not just on the podcast,
(30:27):
but in your inbox.
Thanks again for listening tothe show and if you enjoyed today's
episode, we would love it ifyou could take a minute to leave
a rating and review on ApplePodcast because it helps our show
get discovered by more people.
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