Tag Archives: Reach Out Gather In

Transforming Lives Through Authentic Connections in Your Home

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40 Days to Opening Your Heart and Home

May the people in our lives observe our set-apart and sanctified ways not as us being better and more righteous in a holier-than-thou way. Instead, when they see us taking interest in them, may they desire to know more about the one true God we serve.

Karen Ehman

Like many, you want to open up your home and connect with others. But you don’t think you have the time or ability. Along comes Reach Out, Gather In.

Through devotionals and practical tips, New York Times bestselling author Karen Ehman will inspire you to put love into action in this 40-day journey of hospitality. Karen will help you with the how to and why of reaching out to others in meaningful ways. This book – part devotional, part practical handbook – will help you find loving ways to feed both the bodies and souls of the people whom God has placed in your life.

In Reach Out, Gather In, Karen shares some of her favorite recipes and hospitality traditions:

  • ideas for menu planning and themed gatherings
  • sorta-from-scratch shortcuts for busy days when you need something delicious in a snap
  • motivating stories and biblical inspiration
  • space for answering reflective questions so you can journal your own 40-day excursion
  • sidebars on decluttering and cleaning strategies

This beautiful book highlights the why of hospitality, so that your home and life will grow to be a place where the gospel is displayed, drawing others closer to Christ and making a difference for eternity.

According to author Karen Ehman, the biblical concept of hospitality is strait-forward in its definition. The original word is philoxenos. It is a combination of two other words: philos and xenos. Philos means love, and xenos means stranger. Hospitality is simply loving strangers and continuing to love them until the strangers become friends. There is no mention of a menu, no talk of home design.

Ehman adds that stranger love isn’t the only aspect of hospitality. Scripture also tethers this topic to loving fellow believers in passages such as Romans 12:13 and Romans 16:23. Hospitality is a tool we use to serve those we barely know or to minster to our closest friends. And it can be a powerful means of building up those in our local church as we offer our homes as venues where our spiritual community can flourish and care for each other.

Ehman observes that the Lord frequently utilizes everyday connections to advance his kingdom. In an anecdote, she recounts polling members of her Bible study group on their paths to faith, discovering that nearly all had initially embraced Christianity due to personal relationships rather than merely encountering the Gospel message. These relationships ranged from familiar faces like neighbors or colleagues to unexpected friendships with individuals who welcomed them into their lives and shared their Christian journey in an authentic manner. This intimate exposure to God’s presence in ordinary life sparked a desire for a similar connection with Him.

Drawing from the New Testament passage of 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8, Ehman emphasizes the importance of not only sharing the Gospel verbally but also sharing one’s life. She highlights the Greek term “psuché,” which conveys not just daily occurrences but the essence of one’s soul or personality. This soul sharing involves creating a space where individuals can connect deeply, allowing the Gospel to be exemplified through genuine relationships.

Contrary to common misconceptions, soul sharing doesn’t require extravagance or complexity but rather entails caring for others on a profound level, offering both material support and time while directing them towards Jesus. It mirrors the hospitality of the family of God and honors the legacy of those who have embraced the Gospel before us. This simple yet profound practice holds the potential to impact lives for eternity, inviting us to eagerly anticipate the divine encounters that await us.

Are you ready to watch God work, fetching souls and knitting them to himself? If so, then fire up the stove, put the coffee pot on, and watch with eager anticipation for whomever God sends your way.

inspired and adapted from Reach Out Gather In by Karen Ehman.

 How Can I Help My Church Learn to See Their Mission Field Starts Across the Street or Down the Hall?

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Love your neighbors – not the neighbors you pick out, but the ones you have.

Wendell Berry

Is this a common sight in the neighborhoods of your community?

  • Empty front porches
  • Closed garage doors
  • Lifeless front yards
  • Silent encounters in the halls

Unfortunately, this is the norm in all too many neighborhoods.

Does your neighborhood lack neighborliness?

Maybe it’s time to see the mission field right across the street with a clear vision to serve “the neighbors you have.”

If you wear glasses or contacts, you’ve probably gone through the adjustment period of seeing with clear vision because of new lenses. Seeing things you’ve not seen before, seeing a little too clearly, can give you a headache.

When you begin to look at your neighborhood with a clear vision that these are your neighbors and you have been called to love them, you may have the same feelings.

It’s time to offer your lives to your neighbors, beyond the everyday, incidental encounters of taking out the trash cans or walking your dog.

This issue of SUMS Remix looks at solutions that will help you learn to connect to a place and the people who live in it. The solutions include: 

• Adopt a framework for neighboring

• Begin a journey that turns good intentions into actions

• Change the world without changing your routine