I recently finished reading 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker. It was very convicting in a lot of ways, but one of my favorite parts of the entire book came in the last few pages. In discussing the benefits of sharing time in homes as opposed to always feeling the need to spend money meeting for coffee or lunch or entertainment, Jen writes:

"...being in each other's homes, cooking and sharing food together is delightful. Eating a meal in a restaurant is one thing, but friends padding around barefoot in your kitchen and chopping carrots for your soup and sipping their coffee on your deck is another creature altogether. This exits the expediency of consumerism and enters the realm of hospitality.

There is something so nourishing about sharing your living space with people where they see your junk mail pile and pee wee football schedule on the fridge and pile of shoes by the front door. Opening your home says, "You are welcome into my real life." This square footage is where we laugh and hold family meetings and make homemade corn dogs and work through meltdowns. Here is the railing our kids pulled out of the wall. This is the toilet paper we prefer. These are the pictures we frame, the books we're reading, the projects we're undertaking – the raw material of our family. It's unsanitized and truthful. We invite you into this intimate place, saturated with our family character.

Maybe this is why hospitality was big to the early church. Living life together in the sacred places of our homes is so unifying. When our Christian forerunners were persecuted and misunderstood, when belief in Jesus was dangerous and isolating, they had one another. They had dinner around the table. They had Sabbath together. They had soft places to fall when they traveled. Safe in the home of a fellow Christ follower, they could breathe, pray, rest. What a gift."

One of the greatest things about being in College Station and sharing life with our ComGroup has been the time spent in each other's homes. So many people have graciously shared their homes, meals, children, and hearts with me. I am grateful for the chance to share life with these folks and for the ways in which they are bringing the Kingdom here.

Clearly it's been awhile. Honestly, I think I forgot I had to actually write something to keep this going. It hadn't even entered my mind at all until the other day I went to look something up on here and realized my last post was a month ago. Oops. Here's where I've been...

Somewhere under this:

Working  on all of this:

Having fun here:

Baking this:

And these (although mine didn't look this good):

Hanging out with my little buddies:

And going here: