Real Hospitality
It's more than coordinating dishes and centerpieces.
The word hospitality brings to mind women-targeted magazines and TV shows like Real Simple magazine and the Martha Stewart show. I anticipate that Real Simple magazine arriving in my mailbox each month. When I get it, I’ll often sit and read it cover to cover. I love the new recipes, decorating ideas, and simple home remedies for cleaning. I’m not trying to give the magazine free publicity—I just love it. But why the connection in my head to these types of media and hospitality? Maybe because women tend to be the party throwers and organizers.
I think we’ve been somewhat deceived by our culture’s understanding of hospitality. In our culture, it’s more about throwing dinner parties with the coordinating dishes, napkins, placeholders, and centerpieces. But how often can you do this? Probably only a few times a year. While inviting people into your home is certainly part of hospitality, we’re missing the eternally deeper message of the word.
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November 12, 2009Music Review: Awaken the Dawn
Keith and Kristyn Getty give the church another thoughtful and accessible album of songs.
There are some Christian musicians who release albums, sing, and perform. Their music blesses their listeners. Then there are artists who touch not only individuals but the church through their music. Keith and Kristyn Getty are the latter. Like its predecessor, In Christ Alone, Awaken the Dawn features strong melodies and scriptural lyrics, earning its place as one of the most cohesive, thoughtful, and accessible worship albums of the decade.
The title of the album draws its meaning from Psalm 57: “Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples” (Psalm 57:8–9). The motifs of worship as awakening, God calling all people, and ecclesial unity are evident throughout the album. Because of their thematic intentionality, the Gettys have created a focused body of songs that compels the listener to worship through the vivid imagery.
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November 10, 2009Not Minding Our Manners
Real love is more than being nice.
“Genuine love minds its manners.”
So said a church sign that I drove past recently. When I saw it, I cringed.
Sure, the mantra seems nice enough. Living this way is easy, safe, and doesn’t offend others. But is it true? Are Christians simply called to follow the rules, avoid confrontation, and love others by keeping our mouths shut?
Paul told the church in Corinth that love is kind; is not rude or boastful (1 Corinthians 13:4–5). The love we show the world is a mirror of Christ’s love working in and through us. We narrate the redeeming story of Jesus for others, sometimes even without words. Our behaviors, our attitudes, our very lives bear witness to the reality of the gospel. In this way, our outward kindness becomes a powerful tool communicating the love of Jesus.
This profound Christ-like love, though, is richer than our cheap, cultural definitions of “niceness.” It is deeper than minding our manners. It is far better than a superficial smile that doesn’t accomplish anything meaningful or lasting.
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November 3, 2009The Monthly Visitor
Why I’m grateful for the intense sadness that accompanies my menstrual cycles.
I’m grateful for my period. And not just because it proves the possibility of new life and distinguishes me as a woman. I’ve actually become thankful for the emotional instability that sensitizes the handful of days surrounding my menstrual cycles.
For the first years of my period, I noticed few symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome. But I remember sitting alone in my dorm room my freshman year of college and crying about—literally—starving children in Africa. Even I was caught off-guard by the experience. My period started three days later.
I’ve continued to grow more emotionally fraught around the time of my period. Much of my emotional instability during this time feels pathetic and can quickly become embarrassing. It’s hilarious, actually, as I like to think of myself as laid back, secure, self-actualized. I suppose there’s benefit to having that mirror shattered on such a regular basis.
But present within my spectrum of extreme emotions is sadness. Just sadness. And sometimes this sadness isn’t disembodied or irrational. It’s appropriate sadness: sadness for things and situations that deserve to be grieved.
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October 27, 2009Give Me that Old-Time Religion?
How timeworn words steer me back toward faithfulness
One Christmas during my childhood, my family received a small electric chord organ and several songbooks. The organ allowed budding musicians to make music using a simple system of numbers and letters. Notes corresponded with numbers that were played with the right hand, while a series of buttons, played with the left hand, produced chords.
One of the songbooks we received included a gospel version of the spiritual “Old-Time Religion.” Because I liked pushing the chord buttons as much as the keys, I didn’t always pay much attention to the time signatures. Instead, I would often play songs at a pace I liked. As a result, my family was often subjected to a rather plodding version of the song:
Give me that Ooooold-Tiiiiiime Re-LIIIG-ion/
Give me that Ooooold-Tiiiiiime Re-LIIIG-ion/
Give me that Ooooold-Tiiiiiime Re-LIIIG-ion/
It’s gooood eee-nouuugh for meeeeeee.
While my love for spirituals like this one has only deepened—and the gospel music tradition I’m a part of allows for a lot of creativity with meter—I wouldn’t say that I practice “old-time religion.”
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