Friday, July 04, 2008

A Life That Says Welcome

Tammy P asked if I'd do a review of a book I recently read called A Life That Says Welcome by Karen Ehman.

I love talking about hospitality, so am always excited to have opportunities to share on this topic!

I think the first thing you'd notice reading this book, is Karen's down to earth style. She obviously has a good sense of humor and a gift at communicating things. She is motivating and inspiring, but also very real about her journey to hospitality.

I appreciated that she included so many practical ideas - carrying out hospitality including themed dinners, recipes, etc... this book is loaded with ideas! But, I felt it was well balanced with thinking hospitality through. Changing some of our thinking on things like our homes being too small, practicing last-minute hospitality and, "hospitality on the road."

I was encouraged by her love for the Lord, her willingness to point us to why we should be hospitable and what it means to reach out to others not for our own glory but for His glory. I was inspired by her fun personality and can-do attitude. There were many ideas in her book I'd never heard before and am excited to try.

Her ideas are doable. She is not promoting that everything has to perfect and just like Martha would do it. She is a real person living real life and her ideas could easily be incorporated into everyday life.

Overall, when I finished this book, I wanted to get busy practicing hospitality and being welcoming to those around me. I know this is one of those books that must be read and re-read to glean all of the goodies from and I will be excited to read it again!

Have a hospitality post you'd like to see here? Let me know in the comments! Have any of you read this book? I'd love to hear what you thought as well!

15 comments:

Sheri said...

Monica, I too just finished " A Life that Says Welcome" and discovered many of the blessings you did.(Great review!) I was especially encouraged by the examples in scripture of those who used the gift of hospitality to bring others to the Lord and to strengthen the body of Christ. I was challenged and excited to implement some new ideas too!

Lynn said...

Monica - I finished this book about 2 weeks ago and I still keep going back to read it. I tried the herb chicken recipe and it was delicious - everyone loved it. I've also discussed the book with my sons and my husband. I am in my mid forties and have been homemaking forever (lol!!) and yet there was still new stuff there to inspire me. Best book I've read this year. (Though I started Joanna Weaver's "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" last night and that could be a close second!)
Thank you for your lovely blog and reviews Monica. Happy 4th July!

Elise said...

I cannot wait to read this book!! Thanks for the review.
Hope you have a Happy 4th!!
Elise

Adelia said...

I just ordered this book and can't wait to start reading it. Thank you for inspiring and sharing with us!

Brenda@CoffeeTeaBooks said...

I just ordered this book with Amazon credit. Now I am really excited about getting it.

I love sharing such books with my daughter. I read them and glean from them what I can for this season of life and then send them to her in New England to share the fun (and wisdom).

Michelle-ozark crafter said...

I have not read it but it sure sounds like a really good one!

Mother of Many said...

Thank you for the review. I read your last book suggestion Living Simply and really enjoyed it. In ministry, I have seen more lives changed around a table than anywhere else. I will check it out.

Anonymous said...

You made me want to pick up this book today--on July 4th when we neglected to invite anyone over to enjoy our home and pool with us! How ironic.
Hope your Homespun 4th celebration goes well. Looking forward to a post with pictures from the fun family event.
Angie

Mary Ann said...

My husband gave me this book for my birthday last year and I love it! I really liked her ideas on hospitality on the road as well as the "what's in your hand?" mentality.

I have always loved having folks over and cooking for them but it has somewhat gone by the wayside the past year, since I've been babysitting 5 days a week, which, even though I'm home, is a full-time job. In the meantime, I've focused my energy on being welcoming to these little boys and their families. I know there is a reason that they are here! But I also realize that I need to get back into inviting others over as well.

Elizabeth said...

I cannot wait to pick this up at the library! I need some inspiration. Thanks for the review!

Stephanie said...

I read the book a couple of months ago. Loved it! There will always be something "not perfect" - the kids are too young, you haven't decorated this room yet, your house is too small, etc....if you wait for a "perfect time" then you'll never entertain or practice hospitality and open our lives and our homes to others.

This helped me too: think about when you go to other people's homes...are you thinking about the size of their home or whether or not they have window treatments yet? I'm not - I'm just enjoying the heck out of myself being in the company of people I love! So that's how I imagine other people are when they come to my house...that helps me keep it all in perspective!

Happy 4th!!

http://lifewithmimiandbunny.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Thank You so much Monica!! I appreciate this review so much. I am still enjoying my copy, thanks to some sweet friends :*)! Also i really like life w/mimi's comment about perspective, so true. A Welcoming heart is so lovely,and such a blessing. Thank you again for your sweet encouragement to open our heart to others--precious!
tammyp

Katy said...

How fantastic that book sounds!!! :) thanks so much! :)

Sheila said...

I did read this book and thought it was a great book.
It is funny because I started reading this book around the same time that I was trying to decide whether or not to offer a womans bible study in my home. One of my concerns with that is my house is small. I really felt like through this book the Lord was saying you need to offer your home and not be worried about the size of your house. I did end up having the bible study in my home and it worked out great. We all enjoyed the study and the kids did well playing while we discussed our reading each week.

Jamie - Family Focused Fun said...

Hi Monica,
It's been a long time since you wrote this post but I just found this book at my church's library and am enjoying it! Thanks for the recommendation!