If I could go back and change one thing about our home over the past 14 years, it would be this:
I would open our home more often to others.
In the midst of imperfection, messes and clutter – there’s still family and hope. Too often I thought it wasn’t good enough or clean enough to welcome friends in. I thought it would better later. Maybe one day we’d have a house clean enough to have friends over more.
I didn’t host birthday parties because our house was too messy. I didn’t have people over because it was too much work to get ready. I made Brian answer the door and walk outside because no one could DARE walk in this house in those conditions.
14 years later…it’s time to change.
“But entertaining isn’t a sport or a competition. It’s an act of love, if you let it be. You can twist it and turn it into anything you want—a way to show off your house, a way to compete with your friends, a way to earn love and approval. Or you can decide that every time you open your door, it’s an act of love, not performance or competition or striving. You can decide that every time people gather around your table, your goal is nourishment, not neurotic proving. You can decide.”
― Shauna Niequist, Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes
It’s my duty to teach our kids about the hospitality of opening our home to others. Time to let go of the Starr that keeps people away from our beautiful mess.
“Hospitality is the practice of God’s welcome by reaching across difference to participate in God’s actions bringing justice and healing to our world in crisis.”
― Letty M. Russell
Part of our dream is to build a place of gathering. A place of restoration and healing and hope. We don’t have to wait for the property to be built and the grand opening celebration. We can start that NOW!
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. – Hebrews 13:2 NIV
Will you join us? Let’s start a movement of nourishing hospitality in our homes.
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I have always said if your coming to see my house and judge stay home!
Ha yes!
Thank you So true. You are such a Blessing. Thanks for the honesty God is so good sometimes I get upset about our home being messy then we clean then looks great then back in a mess but one day we will have a lot of playing basketball 🏀 memories or walks outside on an adventure looking at Gods creations if we kept our home perfect all the time while our children grow up we could miss a lot of memories. I love my baby’s. And yes with Gods help and all your advice I love your blog. Starr. It’s going to be ok. Amen. Love y’all
Yes friend!! You got it! Go live those memories! Love you!
I loved coming to your house. You all were so welcoming and kind! And it was not about your house it was just the love I felt inside!💝
I’m so glad!! Now let’s gather more often!! This year was so refreshing to see our family more!!!!
Don’t know why that shows up Anonymous. It’s Teresa 😍love you all bunches!
Ahhh and we love you Teresa!!!
Makayla loves to catch lightning bugs and my bubby they love uno go fish hide and seek. Riding our. Scooter. Fun making memories with my baby’s. You can always clean but you can’t get time. Back. Always. Remember that. Honey
Yes, it’s about the wonderful memories!!