open heart open home

Forms of communal living—or living in community—can be established in a variety of ways.

My husband, David, and I have tasted community when we have had live-in guests. Individual families living in separate dwellings can make certain obligations to each other. They can promise to support and encourage and assist one another financially. They can join together for regular prayer and Bible study. They can establish food co-ops. They can share household equipment, such as ladders and lawn mowers.

The possibilities for this modified form of shared life are endless. If we learn to trade child-care responsibilities, aid one another in menial tasks, take turns preparing those thousands of yearly meals, can’t our lives then be freed for more ministry, more growth, more becoming?

Not all creative applications of hospitality need to be revolutionary. In our dour and work-laden lives, an adventurous approach may be simply to plan an evening of delight and celebration.

One woman of the church reported to me that she and her husband were picking up my dropped ends of hospitality and were having informal get-togethers. I was relieved to hear this and surprised when she mentioned the names of several people I hadn’t as yet met. “We had a progressive dinner last night,” she reported. “And, we’re really pleased with the way everyone became so well acquainted.”

“A progressive dinner? Who else’s homes did you use?” I wanted to know.

“Oh, no one’s,” she replied. “We progressed to the bedroom for the appetizer, to the dining room for the main course, and to the living room for dessert. This circulation mixed everyone together.” This was to me another example of creative hospitality mixed liberally with delight.

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Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen Mains serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags. This micro-finance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

Karen has long had an interest in Christian hospitality and is the author of the best-selling book, Open Heart, Open Home.

An award-winning author of several other books, Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and churches at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.

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I find that as I think creatively and become more yielded to the Spirit, I become sensitized to the world about me. Being more freed from self, virtually guarantees we will participate more in the lives of others.

We must learn to use our real limitations—those costly physical, emotional and financial drains—creatively.

Kurt Hahn, father of Outward Bound, whose schools use wilderness training to engender self-initiative, developed a philosophy early in life when he spent a year in a darkened room after suffering from a severe form of sunstroke. He explained, “Your disability is your opportunity.”

We as Christians must use our disabilities as our opportunities. How can we meet the overwhelming needs of the world when there is so much pain and so few of us? How can we use our limited potentials to their utmost?

One creative answer is by combining our resources with those of others. An answer to ministering hospitality, which has existed throughout the centuries, has been the commune. Many Christians today are living together, sharing homes and incomes in order to free themselves to make significant contributions in society, as well as in the church.

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Award-winning author Karen Mains continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Karen has long had an interest in Christian hospitality and is the author of the best-selling book, Open Heart, Open Home.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags. This micro-finance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and churches at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.

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The Lord always honors us when we take steps of faith before Him. After I made the two vows I mentioned in the last blog post and began to implement them, I began to become strongly aware that the Word became alive and took form within my flesh.

I also began to recognize that, at the end of the three-month shopping fast period, an amazing number of unusual transformations had taken place in our home. Our downstairs living and dining areas had been carpeted by the good graces of a parent. Lovely old antiques had been discarded in my direction. Friends had dropped in to give us a hand emptying the paint buckets, their contents thickening in the basement.

All of this had occurred at the stimulation of the Spirit, not because of our requests we had made, nor of needs that we had spoken of to others!

Moreover, the Lord released me from that hungering thing that had gnawed at my soul. After a while, I found that it became easier to put the Kingdom first.

The hospitality we carried on during this time became more simple, also. People brought parts of the meals we hosted. I began to lean more toward inexpensive breakfasts and later-evening cheese and fruit affairs. The very simplicity of these opportunities for hospitality seemed to enhance the effectiveness of their intent.

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For decades, Karen Mains and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and churches at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Karen has long had an interest in Christian hospitality and is the author of the best-selling book, Open Heart, Open Home.

An award-winning author of several other books, Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

In addition, pastors will find special resources to help them create effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.

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Several years ago, I realized there was a hungering thing in my heart, a too-much-caring after the goodly products of this world. I looked at our home, the unfinished rooms, the uncarpeted floors, the rickety, child-scarred furnishings, and realized that, with life being as it was, I was going to have to make a choice.

The economics of our life demanded that all decorating projects be hand-turned or homemade, taking hours, even months of work. Either I was going to have to devote my time to becoming the spiritual woman I knew God was calling me to be, or I was going to have to spend years getting our home in a shape that would satisfy my taste in design, color, and form. It was one or the other.

One afternoon I sat on the living room floor and flipped my Bible to that passage from Matthew about “worry not.” I realized I had been worrying. I had been fussing about bare walls and the lack of furniture. I had been spending hours imagining cleverly finished rooms.

The words from Scripture burned in my heart and I finally chose. “Kingdom first, Lord,” I prayed. “I will put everything aside and become what You want me to be.”

From that day, I began to spend regular hours in studying the Word and in prayer. In order to prove the depth of my intent, I made several vows before the Lord.

One was not to read anything but Scripture until I felt I had a working knowledge of that Book. This continued for a year. The other was to conduct a three-month shopping fast. I refused to enter any store but a grocery store. And, I looked to the Lord to provide any needs beyond food.

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Karen Mains has long had an interest in Christian hospitality and is the author of the best-selling book, Open Heart, Open Home.

An award-winning author of several other books, Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

For decades, Karen Mains and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and churches at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

In addition, pastors will find special resources to help them create effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

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Simplicity is another self-imposed limitation for the Christian.

Again, I am referring primarily to an attitude. Once God’s Kingdom has become our priority, we will not always need to be asking, “What shall we eat, or drink, or put on?” He will provide.

Our hospitality can’t help but be influenced. Putting Christ’s Kingdom first will affect whom we invite, how we minister to them, and what we do with the material gifts added unto us after we establish this priority.

Simplicity finds its roots in this Kingdom mindset. We will deny ourselves participation in some forms of living for the sake of doing His work first in the world and for the sake of identifying with our Christian brothers. The ramifications of this priority will be different for each of us. For me it will mean one thing—serving economic stews and homemade soups and inviting guests to bring a variety of home-baked breads. For you it might mean another—spending the money to have an evening catered—or somewhere in between.

Putting His Kingdom before the other demands on our time and energy will also deliver us from living by comparison. In a world full of people attempting to “keep up with the Joneses,” this is another mark of adventurous thinking.

If a Christian brother or sister has more than I do materially, the Lord has given that to him or her. And, I will not wish for what he or she has. I can give to those who have been kind to me out of what I have. I don’t have to do the same thing for them that they did for me when I was last in their home.

If we find ourselves comparing, something is wrong. We are in danger of covetousness. Our attitude is not “Kingdom first.” If it was we would be freed from this interior wanting. Simplicity is the greatest freedom.

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Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen Mains serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

Karen has long had an interest in Christian hospitality and is the author of the best-selling book, Open Heart, Open Home.

An award-winning author of several other books, Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and churches at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.

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Some of my economic limits are self-imposed. When I look at many of the people in the city, or at those who suffer in this impoverished world, I often feel inordinately well off. My home with the tiny living room and its cramped city lot bordered by the back alley seemed palatial when compared to the hovels of many in the world.

In honor of these, we have deliberately imposed limits on ourselves. Our meat meals, particularly beef, are limited. My children are being introduced to that protein staple of thousands, black beans, rice, and corn tortillas.

Our garden, with its rows and rows of vegetables, is to me an important philosophical statement. Oh, yes, it supplies us with a bounty of nutritional food. But, it also helps us assert a dependence of the goodness of God to supply a portion of our food from the fruits of the labor of our hands.

For some it may be a creative response to serve creamed chicken with dumplings rather than the easier broiled sirloins. If my Christian brother, whom I invite, with a family of ten children and a low income, is out-classed by what I offer, made to feel as though he can never return the favor, then limitations need to be self-imposed. Of course, I need not be ridiculous and provide a meal ludicrously below my station, but I must be wise.

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Award-winning author Karen Mains continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Karen has long had an interest in Christian hospitality and is the author of the best-selling book, Open Heart, Open Home.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and churches at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.

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The rooms of our home were narrow and small. I was once the guest in a marvelous mansion nestled in the mountains where a gallery stretched the length of the front of the house, and where the light and shadow of the forest played continually in the rooms. The kitchen was almost as large as my downstairs, and the living room was exquisite with its muted tones of soft pink and grays and beiges.

My hostess, a lovely Christian woman, was sharing her plans for some social affair. Over a hundred guests were invited, and they would fit most comfortably into those elegant and spacious rooms. In kindness, she turned to me and remarked, “But it really doesn’t matter how much room you have, does it?”

I thought of my 13’ x 13’ living room, of the close quarters we experienced when we had a group of 30. I thought of of people sitting on floors and crowded into corners. I thought of of all six of us sleeping in the three upstairs bedrooms when we had two live-ins. In response, I laughed, good wholesome humor welling up in my heart, “Oh, yes it does!”

But, my hostess was right. It really doesn’t matter what size your rooms are. Somehow Christ expands the walls or compresses the people. We always seem to fit. It is the offering of what we have that counts. It is the depending upon Him to create more from what we give.

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For decades, Karen Mains and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and churches at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Karen has long had an interest in Christian hospitality and is the author of the best-selling book, Open Heart, Open Home.

An award-winning author of several other books, Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

In addition, pastors will find special resources to help them create effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.

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Trust is a lesson in adventurous thinking. Inviting people when you know you have nothing to serve, but depending on God to always supply, is adventurous living.

Every once in a while I became the recipient of large restaurant-size cans of food. A huge container of chicken salad became the staple for the makings for submarine sandwiches garnished with pineapple and mandarin oranges. These were served on two consecutive afternoons when I invited the women of the block to luncheons to celebrate with me the coming of spring.

Everything the Lord gives to us can be given back to Him. Then He, in turn, blesses and breaks and creates from it a bounteous provision.

I am not above saying to people we love, “Let’s have dinner together after church. I’ve got such-and-such in my refrigerator. What have you got in yours?” We have often enjoyed some odd but nevertheless nourishing meals together. And the spur-of-the-moment fellowship has been superb.

————————————————————————————–

Karen Mains has long had an interest in Christian hospitality and is the author of the best-selling book, Open Heart, Open Home.

An award-winning author of several other books, Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

For decades, Karen Mains and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and churches at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

In addition, pastors will find special resources to help them create effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags. This micro-finance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

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In learning how the Lord infuses His grace into our physical limitations, particularly when we are seeking to serve Him, I found that aA dozen eggs meant we could invite people for brunch.

Someone would invariably inquire, “Can I bring anything?” and we would assign sausage or bacon. Bread was sliced for toast with home-preserved elderberry jelly. A fruit bowl and coffee would complete the meal. The remains of half a square of cream cheese cubed into the scrambled eggs, figs in the fruit, blue and white ironstone china, and old white restaurant mugs provided flair.

How often, after inviting people home, I had no idea what we could serve and would simply depend upon the Lord to provide. Someone would slip five dollars into David’s coat pocket. Or, there would be just enough money to buy one certain ingredient which, when purchased, would round out an entire menu.

For many years we received weekly two brown paper bags of day-old bakery goods, cakes for desserts, and sweet rolls for continental breakfasts. We never bought a loaf of bread in that entire time. My mother would run into a meat sale and share a pot roast with us which we would serve for a dinner of eight.

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Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen Mains serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags. This micro-finance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

Karen has long had an interest in Christian hospitality and is the author of the best-selling book, Open Heart, Open Home.

An award-winning author of several other books, Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and churches at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.

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For most of our life together, my husband, David, and I have been in the ministry. Consequently, we have well-defined economic limits. By all rights, radical hospitality should have been an impossible burden. We have generally been given some expense remuneration, but our ministry far and away exceeds that allotment.

To say the least, I have learned to be frugal. When we were living in the city, one of the daily papers published a scale of income rated per number of children and showing financial aid given to dependent mothers. I discovered that, for a family of our size, I was feeding us for less than what a mother on welfare was receiving for food.

I realized, of course, that I had paddings that many on welfare did not have: summer vegetables from my father’s garden, which we eventually learned to can for the winter; shared food from someone else’s bounty; even the academic know-how to live economically.

But, even with this help, our continual open house should have been a strain. Yet we were managing well due to some creative approaches that we were employing.

What were they?

More than at any other time, I learned how the Lord infuses His grace into our physical limitations, particularly when we are seeking to serve Him. How often, with a minimal supply and increasing demand, I can testify to His creating enough for all from fishes and loaves. Inspiration would come in that moment when I stared at the bare cupboard—“simply nothing to fix”—and suddenly! If I combined such-and-such with this-and-this, I would have an original and tasty company dinner.

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Award-winning author Karen Mains continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Karen has long had an interest in Christian hospitality and is the author of the best-selling book, Open Heart, Open Home.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and churches at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.

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