Reading, Writing & Pondering

    Book Review: Let the Biscuits Burn by Abby Kuykendall is a book that could be especially helpful for younger Christian women--both single and newly married women.   Abby Kuykendall shares how she made hospitality a priority while a single woman, newly married woman and as a new mother with a baby. She starts off the book by explaining why community matters. She then shares how to begin showing hospitality, how to invite others into your place, and how to continue to serve others without burning out in life. At the back of the book she offers a liturgy for your heart to think about when being hospitable. She also gives table tips and offers ideas for food to serve. The part I especially liked about Let the Biscuits Burn was in the beginning when she explains the difference between entertaining and being hospitable, which is something I hadn't thought about before. I was raised to entertain by someone who valued perfection so learning to serve in an imperfect way...

  Are you someone who likes to entertain at home? If you're like me, your answer is probably, not really. Gather and Give: Sharing God's Heart Through Everyday Hospitality by Amy Hannon offers a lot of wonderful encouragement and advice from the author. If you want to entertain more but aren't sure where to start this book may help you. Hannon talks about how to offer up your home with whatever you have to offer. The book starts out with an introduction and then is divided into three parts: Understanding Hospitality is the first section. In this section, I learned that hospitality isn't really an option if you believe the Bible. . .Rather it is a command. Hannon talks about that command and how she came to write this book to encourage readers to gather more. She says we can all do it well--and doing it perfectly just isn't necessary. Just because she has a restaurant, is a pastor's wife and all doesn't mean she is better at it than anyone else, she says. We...

  All Things Lovely by Jenn Johnson really is a lovely book. This book has gorgeous pictures, encouraging words and tips to live a better life in several ways. All Things Lovely is divided in four parts: Home, Heart, Health and Hospitality. Each section has three or four chapters just full of advice on making your life better in each of these areas. I liked how honest and real Johnson was throughout the book reminding us all that we aren't perfect but we are striving to do better each day. I could relate to much of what she shared personally. I also was inspired by her advice to do a bit better in each of these areas of my life. She does share with her Christian faith as part of her life and there are Bible verses throughout the book. There is some good advice about organizing. There is some helpful tips on guarding your heart and doing the right things.  Throughout the book, it all feels real and inspiring. There are even recipes like taco dip and pumpkin cookies. I love the ...

  Are you a newlywed struggling with decorating your home? Or maybe you need to de-clutter and re-arrange after years in the same house? Home Made Lovely by Shannon Acheson offers a lot of practical advice and tips on styling and organizing your home, no matter what stage you are in. Home Made Lovely is divided in to four parts:  Part 1: Who are you doing it all for?  This part is all about being grateful for both the house and the people that God has given you. She also shares how she makes her house a home spiritually in this section. Part 2: Getting Ready Decluttering, Organizing, Trends, and Budget decorating ideas are all a big part of this section. Part 3: The Three-Step Decorating Process This is the part of the book where you figure out your decorating style and create a plan for your house based on both your tastes and the style of house that you have. Part 4: Welcome Home Acheson shares how she believes we should use our houses for hospitality with others. She a...

  Do you struggle to entertain? I have to admit that I struggle with it. Of course, right now we aren't entertaining due to Covid, but I hope one day that will all change again for most of us. Reach Out, Gather In by Karen Ehman is her new interactive 40-day journal written to help women learn to open their hearts and homes more easily to others. Reach Out, Gather In starts out with an introduction by the author where she shares how much it meant to her when someone reached out to her as a young woman, invited her in and changed her life by sharing the love of Jesus with her. The book is divided in to five day interactive journal sections: Why Welcome?, Family First, but Not family only,  Find Me Somebody to Love, Discovering Your Niche, Meet Their Needs and Refresh Their Souls. Then through each day on the 40 day journey, Ehman shares a mixture of her story and Bible verses to help the reader reflect on how they best want to open their hearts and houses as they go forward. ...

I don't know about you, but having people I don't know over for supper is always a bit intimidating to me. Jen Schmidt in her new book, Open-Door Living, hopes to make entertaining less stressful and more enjoyable. Open-Door Living is a beautiful new book with pretty color photos, recipes, and lots of tips to make entertaining easier and more enjoyable. This gorgeous book has a ribbon marker to mark a recipe or pages of tips to check again. There are chapters on The Heart of Hospitality, Food and Feasting, Cleaning and Decluttering, Atmosphere and Ambience, and Conversation and Community. Open-Door Living has full-color pictures, gorgeous illustrations and a lot of truly helpful tips and recipes. I especially like the pages with cleaning tips and conversation starters. There is a lot of good information in this small book. However, while it isn't a deal breaker for me, I wish this book had an index so I could quickly find a recipe again or the page of conversation...

Does the thought of inviting another couple over for dinner have you tied in knots? If so, Just Open the Door by Jen Schmidt is a great book to read to help set your mind at ease about that social situation and many others. Schmidt writes a warmly-written inviting book that gives the reader the idea that this woman could lovingly guide them into being a better hostess. Schmidt starts out Just Open the Door by defining Hospitality. She also explains that there is a difference between hospitality and entertaining. She shares throughout the book about how to offer hospitality and why it is important as a Christian. Several of her guests write stories about how her hospitality has influenced them and they are shared throughout the book. Also, at the end of each chapter, Schmidt shares a letter from a blog reader and her answer to their hospitality questions--which may be your question too. Then she ends each chapter with a few brief questions or thoughts to think about in your own sit...