31 Days of Breaking Bread: love of strangers

Did y’all know that Biblical hospitality means love of strangers … and enemies? I seriously squirm a little when I type that.

I honestly can’t think of a single “enemy” in my life. But I can think of lots of people that I have just ignored because I’m too busy. People that I’ve walked past while looking down at my phone. People whose faces I’ve never seen, but I had every opportunity to take 90 seconds and show love.  Show what it means to be a Christ follower.

It’s taking the extra time in the grocery store checkout line to start conversations with the employee. And before you know it, after weeks of having conversations with the same employee, you’ve created a relationship.

It’s choosing not to yell at the car in front of you that didn’t go when the light turned green. Or choosing to pray a blessing for the person who cut you off on the interstate. Ouch.

Instead of asking a friend what you can do to help, it’s showing up and helping. It’s picking up a kid from school when there’s a family crisis happening. Or just to make life easier.

Hospitality doesn’t always mean inviting and hosting. It’s loving. The way you would love a brother.

It’s hard. We’re busy. We have so much responsibility and things to do and errands to run and kids to shuttle around. We volunteer and commit and over-commit and taking the time to not only check in with someone, but to notice them? To help them? To think kind thoughts and go above and beyond to be a light in that person’s day? It’s not exactly on the to-do list. At least for me it’s not.

But I’m challenging myself to think about it a little differently.

It doesn’t have to be a radical action because it’s big enough for everyone to notice. But it’s radical because it’s different than what I’m naturally inclined to do.

This post is part of 31 Days of Breaking Bread

31 Days of Breaking Bread

31 Days of Breaking Bread: She Reads Truth Hospitality Study

Oh, friends. I am so sorry I dropped the ball on our conversation about breaking bread and how we can have imperfect hospitality and imperfect community. Hudson broke his arm on Sunday night, and Monday was spent getting him treated, and the rest of the week kind of followed suit. All is well in our household, but I’m finally coming up for air. And I promise to jump back in because after reading many of your comments, I think there are a few more important things to talk about.

But, today, I wanted to be sure you all knew about the upcoming She Reads Truth Bible study about Hospitality. It begins on October 27, and you can still order this gorgeous workbook (the cover was designed by the incredible Ashlee Proffitt) and when you order you also receive two prints from Ashlee Proffitt.

I am so excited to dive in more to what Biblical hospitality means, and I think some of you might enjoy it, too! I know that I received mine immediately, so I am pretty sure that if you order now you’ll receive it in time for the study to begin on Monday.

She Reads Truth- Hospitality

She Reads Truth- Hospitality 

This post is part of 31 Days of Breaking Bread

31 days of breaking bread

31 Days of Breaking Bread: what about my kids?

When I wrote my first post sixteen days ago, one of the most common concerns among those of you that are reading was that you weren’t really sure how to be an inviter when kids are involved. How can we open up our hearts when our kids are likely to interrupt our conversations? How can we open up our homes when our kids are likely to fight or meltdown or spill something?

So, let’s just get a couple of things straight right at the beginning. There are no perfect children. And there are no perfect parents. If I had to sit here and think of the most well-behaved children I’ve ever been around? I could still tell you a time when I saw them misbehave. (Not because I’m keeping tabs, but because they are normal children.)

When we invite friends over, and usually friends that we’ve never invited over before, I know that they’re going to get to know my sweet kids quickly. It’s never going to go perfectly. My kids are allowed to be as flawed as I am. And they are a very important part of our family.

Why is it so important for us to continue showing hospitality when we have kids? Because our kids need to see what it means to invite. My boys need to learn what it means to share what we have. Our hearts, our space, our things, because they are the Lord’s and we are doing our best to be obedient and be good stewards of what He has given us.

Our family has been extremely blessed through family to family community. We’ve loved getting to know many other families that are in the same life stage. And while our kids may not be sitting around the table while we open up our hearts to each other, they’re off somewhere else playing with the other members of those families. My kids know that these other adults and families have their backs. They recognize these adults and kids as people that their parents love and trust, and the accountability and mutual love that comes from that fills me with so much hope.

For our family, there is a lot of freedom in welcoming other kiddos into our home. Our kids are navigating these waters of sharing and it helps us, as their parents, become even more vulnerable.

31 Days of Breaking Bread

31 Days of Breaking Bread: Breaking Bread on Christmas Morning

I love the holiday season. I am already going crazy pinning things on Pinterest for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. (Are you following me on Pinterest?) I don’t end up doing half the things I pin, but I just get so inspired to think about easy things I can do and different ways we can host people during the holiday season.

For the past few years, we have hosted Christmas Eve at our house. And now that we’re settled in our new house, we host Christmas Day, too. It’s very casual with everyone in their pajamas all day. We see what Santa brought the kids, we slowly open presents and sip coffee. And no one wants to be in the kitchen because no one wants to miss out on the fun with family.

Every year since I can remember, we’ve had the same breakfast on Christmas morning. (All of our traditions are centered around food.)

 

My mom always made this amazing sausage and egg casserole. She would prep it on Christmas Eve and pop it in the oven when the first person woke up on Christmas morning. It’s perfect for Christmas. So, now, I get it prepped on Christmas Eve and pop it in the oven when we wake up the next morning. It’s hearty, it’s filling, it makes the house smell amazing, but it is low fuss and allows me to stay with the family and not be in the kitchen while the fun is happening.

Christmas Morning Breakfast

 

I love the flavor that the dry mustard and kick of Tabasco give it, too. It’s so easy to make and Todd even chips in with slicing the bread or browning the sausage. When it comes out of the oven, we all just make our way to eat and eat it as we wake up or while we open our presents.

If you are hosting Christmas or Thanksgiving at your house this year, you should consider making this for your family and friends.

 

Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • 12 slices thin bread, crust removed and cubed (I use Pepperidge Farm Very Thin)
  • 2 lbs sausage, crumbled, browned and drained
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
  • 8 eggs beaten
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • Dash of Tabasco
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
  3. Cover the bottom of the dish with one layer of the cubed bread.
  4. Spread half of the cooked sausage over the bread.
  5. Spread half of the shredded cheese over the sausage.
  6. Repeat layers with the cheese on top.
  7. Mix eggs, half and half, and spices together.
  8. Pour the egg mixture over the casserole.
  9. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes until set.

31 Days of Breaking Bread

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