Spiritual Retreat 2010

On September 18, the ladies of Warrior PresWic gathered in Aliceville at the beautiful First Presbyterian Church.

Kathy Cheely was with us for the morning. She talked about Hospitality 101. What a treasure of ideas and encouragement!

Here is short summary of the information that Kathy shared with us. Elaine Carr wrote this for Demopolis' newsletter.

Hospitality 101

50+ ladies from Warrior Pres-Wic met on Saturday, September 28, 2010 to hear Kathy Cheely, our sister from Briarwood Presbyterian in Birmingham
speak on hospitality. Through Kathy’s enthusiasm, passion, and obvious talent for hospitality, we were encouraged, challenged, (and
yes, even convicted) to develop our calling to offer hospitality in the name of Jesus.
Hospitality is a biblical mandate and the Greek word for hospitality means “the love of strangers.” We are told that the strangers among us are
to be beloved. We are called to love those who are difficult, not those who are easy.
Basic Principles of hospitality:
• We don’t all have to practice it the same way
• It is not a “spiritual gift!” It’s a learned behavior, a discipline. There are those however, who have the natural talent for it and the rest of us
have to develop it through deliberate, intentional practice
• If we are NOT having people into our homes, we are sinning by not enabling our husbands (the spiritual heads of our homes) to be hospitable
(a scriptural mandate).
Hospitality is NOT limited to our homes, however

Barriers to Hospitality:
• Closed groups (too busy maintaining our own circles of friendship)
• Suspicious of new people/fear that people will be ‘high maintenance’ and require much of us
• Inability to manage our time (make a plan and stick to it!)
• Fear that we cannot do it in modesty (feeling that we have to go all out – we don’t!)
• Lack of serious focus (slow down and enjoy having company!)
• Lack of communication skills (practice!)
• Homes too luxurious for guests (put up things that might get broken or damaged when company is present)
• No history of familial hospitality (it’s a discipline you CAN learn!)
Differences between entertaining and being hospitable:

Entertaining
1. Seeks to impress
2. Things before people
3. Presents an ideal
4. Look please, & admire
5. Looks for repayment
6. “What a wonderful home!”

Hospitality
1. Seeks to serve
2. People before things
3. Allows others to see our humanness
4. What is mine is yours
5. Expects no reward
6. “Thank you for having me! God is in
this home!”

Specific instructions from God’s Word:
• Col. 3:12b – Tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering
• II Tim. 1:7 – Have not a spirit of fear but of power and love and of a sound mind
• I Peter 4:9- Be hospitable without grumbling
• Luke 10: 7b – Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality

Creative hospitality:
• Take food to co-workers for lunch, eat with them
• Don’t allow taking goodies to people negate our responsibilities to them in other ways
• Babysit for families with small children or “adopt one or two children to do special things with in order to free up parents
• Arrange flowers for a friend who is having a special event
• Have a picnic with someone
• Entertain internationals (college students, adults, families)
• Help others to be giving (provide someone with baked goodies to give away to others at Christmas)
Come on now……..think of 10 more ways you can creatively offer “hospitality” to strangers…………and in so doing they become your friend
(and who knows……..you may get the honor and privilege of inviting them into God’s forever family!) What a joy!

Just before lunch, door prizes were given! Two of the door prizes were plates with the following poem:

From A Plate by Kathy Cheely

If you were just to look at me,
I think a plate is all you'd see;

A waste of space 'cause I don't match,
But I'm hoping a vision you will catch.

To give me away with something more;
There are oodles of ideas galore.

What about a cake for guests entertained,
Or a dessert for a study where the Word is explained,

A new neighbor on the block,
Someone racing the clock,

A friend confined to bed,
A family trying to get ahead?

You get the idea, it's not about you.
I've done my part, now what will you do?