Hospitality
One of the most obvious ways to be involved in your husband’s business is through Hospitality. This message is for women, all women who are married, regardless of their husband’s career choice. There is always some way we can reach out, if our husbands can get into the thought of “reaching out” to those God puts in their path on a daily basis. However, I must say that in our personal experience it has been easier to practice hospitality with NorPac since we get to attempt to create the culture. I know that certain professions may pose “significant obstacles” with this idea; however, my challenge would be to encourage each of us to look at the impact we are or are not having in our work place or husband’s work place. I believe that if your husband is following God’s calling on his life in regards to “what career path” he has chosen, then as a TEAM it is our responsibility to be purposeful on a daily basis to reach out in the name of Christ.
Our culture and world is a “busy” society that has too many activities scheduled and too many more important things to do. The majority of the culture, lives a life consumed by “doing” things that take them away from home so often they couldn’t possibly have the time to have people over for dinner. We live in a self- indulged culture that doesn’t take the “time” to bless others by having them to their homes. As a Christian, I believe that we are placed where we are for a reason. My husband is placed where he is for a reason. I highly doubt that from God’s great omnipotent, omniscient perspective he thinks its “just” to make money. God has a bigger more eter
nal life plan! I would like to challenge you to ask yourself the question??? How are you playing your role in making impact in the lives of those God has naturally placed in your life, through your work or your husbands work??? Are you keeping your life Compartmentalized??? Balanced?
More on this concept later!
Hospitality is a way for us as Christians to make our faith have legs! I don’t know how many times over the past 12 years of marraige I have served a young college student or couple dinner and an evening at our house and heard the comments or questions like… “I come from a broken home, how do you guys make marriage work?” or “wow, how come you guys home school? did you always think
you would have so many children?” These are great questions that have deeper faith based answers for us. Marriage isn’t always easy, but in having Christ as our center of our relationship he redeems us and our marriage. When we have conflict, Jesus is supreme and His Love in us helps us to try to keep a more Eternal perspective on things, which leads us to forgive and trust one another. We are a TEAM! God joined us together and we believe there is a battle out there, we call him satan. He will try his best to make us ineffective for the kingdom of God. We have an understanding that we are not ever enemies, we trust each other, believe in one another and believe that the other has our best interest at heart. Another blessing to us is having our children with us at these events, to let them be their charming”selves.”They aren’t perfect as you can see in this picture of Luke picking his nose, but they are a joy and a blessing to Isaac and I and we want to share that love for family with others. As far as the other questions we get when we practice hospitality… those are for another post someday. My point is that hospitality can be such an impactful team effort to fulfill the great commission and it really is a command.
Many women think they have to have a big home to have people over…. that is obviously not true… we all know it is a lie. But just to give you an example, when Isaac and I were first married we lived in a tiny little 450 sq ft apartment, and we had people over. We had a fold up ta
ble and fold up chairs from his office as our kitchen table… and we didn’t care. We didn’t let it stop us from having people over. After living there we moved to a townhouse that was just 795 sq ft were half of that was upstairs with bedrooms, but we didn’t let that stop us either. Late night BBQs with the guys from work. I don’t even know how many times in those first 6 years of marriage Isaac would call me on his way home saying…”hey can the guys come over? And honey can you make something for them to eat? enchiladas?”…. got to love that at 10 pm while you have 1, 2, or 3 babies/kids sleeping! 🙂 Really, it was my pleasure, to know that my husband wanted to be home with me, that he could count on me to help him out in this way, and I also saw how t
his was my opportunity to help grow the business.
Serving your husband in this way will have many positive outcomes. To start it could help grow the business
. People who work with your husband will feel appreciated, and in turn your husband could rise to a place of influence and could be more respected. It will also encourage your marriage because you will be more involved as a TEAM in what your husband is doing, and it is true that 2 R Better Than 1!
Hospitality also serves as a way for you to protect your marriage. How many divorces occur because the wife at home is oblivious to the “affair” at the office. I think that it is wise for any married woman who’s husband works in a world with women to try to know “who” they work with. As the wife, we need those women to know and respect us to protect our marriages. For the past nine years we have hosted an annual Cutco Christmas party at our home. This is a HUGE event that has grown from 30 people in those first few years to well over 100 now. Hosting this event in my home has provided me the opportunity to meet and talk with some of those women my husband works with. This has also served to be a time of valuing those who work for us/ with us. We are able to really appreciate them together… many organizations do not do that. We make this event a family affair, involving the children and allowing them to be who they are and let their little lights shine. Including the children in this type of purposeful hospitality is teaching them how to love and serve all kinds of people, not just “like-minded” believers, but truly loving all people, like Jesus would…having them in your home.
Another aspect to hospitality is always having a room ready for guests to stay. We have gone in and out of doing this over the years, but it has not ever slowed us down from having people stay from out of town in our home. I can proudly say that even with being on bedrest we have
had a consistent amount of people who stay over night with us from all over. Family, friends, old coworkers, people who work with us. Of course it seems to often all happen in the same month- naturally right? But we get a TON of use out of our guest room and find that it makes people feel more welcome, especially in our busy house, to have their own space. If you have the space I would encourage you to make a room for travelers, passer-byers, family, friends, and out of state coworkers. Having people stay in your home can be such a blessing as you serve them and teach your family to serve them. Do 
people know they can ask to stay with you?
The problem today is that hospitality has been a lost art. Most don’t even practice it with friends, because they are too busy. Try to make time and you will be surprised how blessed you will be. Have fun with it!
Our culture and world is a “busy” society that has too many activities scheduled and too many more important things to do. The majority of the culture, lives a life consumed by “doing” things that take them away from home so often they couldn’t possibly have the time to have people over for dinner. We live in a self- indulged culture that doesn’t take the “time” to bless others by having them to their homes. As a Christian, I believe that we are placed where we are for a reason. My husband is placed where he is for a reason. I highly doubt that from God’s great omnipotent, omniscient perspective he thinks its “just” to make money. God has a bigger more eter
nal life plan! I would like to challenge you to ask yourself the question??? How are you playing your role in making impact in the lives of those God has naturally placed in your life, through your work or your husbands work??? Are you keeping your life Compartmentalized??? Balanced?
More on this concept later!Hospitality is a way for us as Christians to make our faith have legs! I don’t know how many times over the past 12 years of marraige I have served a young college student or couple dinner and an evening at our house and heard the comments or questions like… “I come from a broken home, how do you guys make marriage work?” or “wow, how come you guys home school? did you always think
you would have so many children?” These are great questions that have deeper faith based answers for us. Marriage isn’t always easy, but in having Christ as our center of our relationship he redeems us and our marriage. When we have conflict, Jesus is supreme and His Love in us helps us to try to keep a more Eternal perspective on things, which leads us to forgive and trust one another. We are a TEAM! God joined us together and we believe there is a battle out there, we call him satan. He will try his best to make us ineffective for the kingdom of God. We have an understanding that we are not ever enemies, we trust each other, believe in one another and believe that the other has our best interest at heart. Another blessing to us is having our children with us at these events, to let them be their charming”selves.”They aren’t perfect as you can see in this picture of Luke picking his nose, but they are a joy and a blessing to Isaac and I and we want to share that love for family with others. As far as the other questions we get when we practice hospitality… those are for another post someday. My point is that hospitality can be such an impactful team effort to fulfill the great commission and it really is a command.Many women think they have to have a big home to have people over…. that is obviously not true… we all know it is a lie. But just to give you an example, when Isaac and I were first married we lived in a tiny little 450 sq ft apartment, and we had people over. We had a fold up ta
ble and fold up chairs from his office as our kitchen table… and we didn’t care. We didn’t let it stop us from having people over. After living there we moved to a townhouse that was just 795 sq ft were half of that was upstairs with bedrooms, but we didn’t let that stop us either. Late night BBQs with the guys from work. I don’t even know how many times in those first 6 years of marriage Isaac would call me on his way home saying…”hey can the guys come over? And honey can you make something for them to eat? enchiladas?”…. got to love that at 10 pm while you have 1, 2, or 3 babies/kids sleeping! 🙂 Really, it was my pleasure, to know that my husband wanted to be home with me, that he could count on me to help him out in this way, and I also saw how t
his was my opportunity to help grow the business.Serving your husband in this way will have many positive outcomes. To start it could help grow the business
. People who work with your husband will feel appreciated, and in turn your husband could rise to a place of influence and could be more respected. It will also encourage your marriage because you will be more involved as a TEAM in what your husband is doing, and it is true that 2 R Better Than 1!Hospitality also serves as a way for you to protect your marriage. How many divorces occur because the wife at home is oblivious to the “affair” at the office. I think that it is wise for any married woman who’s husband works in a world with women to try to know “who” they work with. As the wife, we need those women to know and respect us to protect our marriages. For the past nine years we have hosted an annual Cutco Christmas party at our home. This is a HUGE event that has grown from 30 people in those first few years to well over 100 now. Hosting this event in my home has provided me the opportunity to meet and talk with some of those women my husband works with. This has also served to be a time of valuing those who work for us/ with us. We are able to really appreciate them together… many organizations do not do that. We make this event a family affair, involving the children and allowing them to be who they are and let their little lights shine. Including the children in this type of purposeful hospitality is teaching them how to love and serve all kinds of people, not just “like-minded” believers, but truly loving all people, like Jesus would…having them in your home.
Another aspect to hospitality is always having a room ready for guests to stay. We have gone in and out of doing this over the years, but it has not ever slowed us down from having people stay from out of town in our home. I can proudly say that even with being on bedrest we have
had a consistent amount of people who stay over night with us from all over. Family, friends, old coworkers, people who work with us. Of course it seems to often all happen in the same month- naturally right? But we get a TON of use out of our guest room and find that it makes people feel more welcome, especially in our busy house, to have their own space. If you have the space I would encourage you to make a room for travelers, passer-byers, family, friends, and out of state coworkers. Having people stay in your home can be such a blessing as you serve them and teach your family to serve them. Do 
people know they can ask to stay with you?
The problem today is that hospitality has been a lost art. Most don’t even practice it with friends, because they are too busy. Try to make time and you will be surprised how blessed you will be. Have fun with it!
Pictures are from our Cutco Christmas Party at our Home- a few are from yea
rs in the past at our old house!
