Hospitality: Entertainment

So, you eat a nice snack when you are with your friends. Then you have dinner, maybe dessert, a coffee. Now what? As that 90's garage band sang, "Here we are now, entertain us."

This next part is a little difficult for me to understand. How do we entertain? We are a really diverse people. I myself like to just talk about family, work, kids, hobbies, and everyone's not so favorite - spiritual and metaphysical realities. But, to break the ice, maybe a good movie? Play instruments? Watch the game or some other TV show? I think we all know how to hang out, but how to you get past that?

Actually, you never stop hanging out. People bond slowly, and you will always need to just hang out. People need to just relax. But they will also think of you as a friend when they need someone. They will also listen to you when you start expressing you actually care about them. Don't under or over-spiritualize the art of hanging out. It's wonderful and ordinary. Don't try to be extraordinary. Just love people. Without that foundation of ordinary friendship, don't expect people to just open up to you and feel like you really care about them. Time is the most expensive commodity in America, and if you spend your time with someone, you are caring for them.

Remember you aren't trying to find the shortest and most efficient way to shove some religion down someone's throat. No, the Kingdom of God expresses the good news of Jesus through actual love for the person who doesn't yet serve Jesus. Hang out with them. Be a friend. It's okay. I give you permission to not talk about the plan of salvation the very second you meet them.
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Pro Tips: If you are hosting others, remember a few things. 

1. Turn your thermostat down(if it's AC weather) or up(if it's heater weather) about 15 minutes before others arrive. When people come in, they bring generally bring more heat with them, even in the winter. Be attentive to the temperature and adjust it as needed.

2. Have enough toilet paper. I think that is self explanatory.

3. Have enough ice. Ice goes quick. Some of us have automatic ice makers in the fridge, so this is a moot point. However, still make sure the fridge is full of ice.
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Religious word of the day: Holy. Holy means separate. There are different ways to think about holiness. In ancient Israel, there were common items for common use and more special items dedicated to God or temple use. Or there were ceremonially clean and unclean things. Holiness can also mean morally or spiritually excellent.

For us, I think, holiness is about being devoted solely to God. To be holy, our allegiance is to be solely to God. However, we are unable to be holy without Christ, because we have already failed to be allies of God because we have rebelled against Him. Our holiness and our devotion starts with the forgiveness and inclusion in the family of God brought by the great forgiveness Jesus has given us. We have even become children of God, if we accept Jesus.

As followers of Christ, we are different, either by faith or in reality. We cannot live the same way we once did, and we won't ever fit back in with the rest of the world again because of the salvation we have received. We will always be holy, and in that sense, we will always be strangers. Set apart. Separate.