Customer Reviews

Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others

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This book has taught me so much! My mother worked a lot growing up and didn't really get to teach me all the "homemaker" skills that I would love to have. So, I have been looking to books to learn more about my role as a wife, keeper of the home, and future mother. This book has taught me so much about hospitality and the ministry that a woman can have from her home.

This book is going to be one that I refer people to for a long time! I am a social butterfly by nature, but I have never fully considered the impact that hospitality could have on eternity!

Since Michael and I have been married we have been having people over for dinners, game nights, and other special events. But, we never fully took advantage of the time to further God's kingdom!

After reading this book I have such a different perspective on hospitality. The book is full of practical tips to help you focus more on God than on you, your home, your food, etc... Hospitality is all about showing God's love in a practical way. This book helped me to see this in such a powerful way!

I will never look at a dinner with guests or game night the same way again! I am always going to try to lay our events at the feet of Jesus, shower them with prayer, and point to Him before, during, and after!

This book will challenge you to use your home as a center for evangelism at every opportunity you can! Do not miss your change to read this book!!!

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I appreciated the emphasis on orderliness rather than perfectionism in the home, the importance of establishing family traditions, and the many practical tips to prepare ahead for unexpected guests. I also valued the information about the cultural differences to consider when sharing my home with internationals.

Suitable for individual reading or group study, this meaty book presents the why of hospitality as well as practical how-to suggestions. The authors encourage you to pray, plan, organize, and serve. No matter what your age or stage of life or how much you've already practiced hospitality, you're certain to glean new insights from this useful tool.

Practicing Hospitality, The Joy Of Serving Others, is an excellent book for the woman who wants to grow socially, spiritually, and practically in being a gracious hostess in every area of her life. This book challenges you to reach out in serving not only your friends and neighbors, but your new acquaintances as well. This book would serve well as a women's study text, or personal devotional book! Dr. Ennis, and Dr. Tatlock also have added areas for questions and answers for discussions. This is also a party planning guide, with recipes included!This book is a must read for women who want to be the "Hostess with the Mostest" of today! Deborah Zacharoff MAed, Home Economist, teacher

'While it is said, "You can't tell a book by its cover," the unique cover of Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others certainly hints at its contents. When I first saw this wonderful book, I did a double-take. Pictured on the cover is a house, with a door opening to the inside. Surprisingly, rather than glimpsing walls or furniture, I saw a cornflower-blue sky punctuated with white cotton-puff clouds. Authors Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock understand that biblical hospitality is not the art of entertaining in elaborately decorated houses, but rather, by
the power of the Holy Spirit, the art of offering our guests generous portions of "heaven on earth in our homes." Now that should cause a double-take in your attitude, and free you from the burden of worrying over expense and perfection. When we offer hospitality in the Lord, He
frees us to serve others not just with an open door, but an open heart. Practicing Hospitality helps show you how, because it is firmly founded on Scriptural principles sure to guide you in bestowing God's hospitality to family, friends, neighbors, and strangers. What I loved about Ennis's and Tatlock's concepts is that they serve hospitality whole on a platter of Scriptural principles and simple practices. I learned so much, and I'd be hard-pressed to know what they might have left out. Their comprehensive compendium covers numerous aspects of hospitality,from how it relates to character, culture, ministry, managing one's home, and welcoming family, friends, and strangers in Christ's name. Moreover, Ennis and Tatlock are hospitable themselves in how they write from both a warm and wise perspective. As an extra bonus, they even offer scrumptious recipes to try out on your guests. What's not to like? Buy this book for
you, your friends, and those strangers who will become friends as you open your heart and home to them, in the name of Christ.
--Lynn D. Morrissey, CLASS/AWSA speaker and author of Love Letters to God: Deeper Intimacy through Written Prayer

This book has me thinking about entertaining and hospitality from a totally new perspective, which is exactly what I hoped for when I purchased it. I have a very small home, am usually busy with my 1.5-year-old (who has special needs), and often experience great anxiety when people just "stop by." I really wanted to ease that anxiety and follow God's numerous commands to practice hospitality. I now realize that I don't need a large home with a guest room, loads of fancy food, or every beverage under the sun ready and waiting.

The scriptural references throughout the book helped make my heart open to the suggestions of the authors, and I am now feeling much more confident about not only making my home available to those who stop by of their own accord, but actually reaching out on my own and inviting people over. I will be recommending this book to lots of friends and family!

These gals have done it! They have written an encouraging, easy-to-read book on hospitality that is both spiritual and practical. With plenty of biblical examples for the spirit and delicious recipes for the tummy, you'll be armed with everything you need to offer hospitality to whomever God brings your way!!

It's all about "serving". This book is very helpful for one to become a humble servant, and enjoy it. I would recommend it to anyone that has trouble being hospitable or who wants to better their joyful hospitality. God said we are to be servants.

Written from a biblical perspective by two professors of home economics, Practicing Hospitality is a helpful book that inspires Christian women to serve others through their homes without feeling they need to be a Martha Stewart to do so.

Many examples of hospitality from scripture are given as well as practical tips for entertaining and being ready to have guests on a moment's notice. I appreciated that the authors don't pretend that being hospitable is easy or something that comes naturally to everyone. For some of us it takes a lot of discipline and work to keep our homes presentable and not all of us are naturally inclined to socializing and entertaining, but this book is full of ideas on how to make it more enjoyable when the opportunity presents itself. I also appreciated that the authors suggest that hospitality is easier when the motivation to serve comes from scripture and doing it to glorify Christ rather than out of obligation or a need to impress others.

Chapter topics include hospitality and how it relates to personal character, strangers, family, home management, culture, military, etc., and some recipes are also included. I liked the practical tips given in the chapter on home management that helped me accept that my home can be clean and free from clutter without needing to be a showplace. The tone of the book releases the reader from feeling she needs to have a perfect home, be a gourmet cook, or have the perfect dinner party plan before she can open her home to serve others. The authors give examples of how guests remember feeling welcome at someone's home more than what was served or how her home was decorated and that's a good lesson to take from the book.

Although married women who are homemakers will likely be most drawn to this book, the tips and biblical foundation of hospitality apply to everyone whether male or female, married or single, parents or those without children.

I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher but the opinion of it is my own and was not solicited, nor was a positive review required.

Practicing Hospitality is a very useful book. What I appreciated most about it is the many ways in which it is useful. Besides offer good sound biblical advice it provides fun recipes to try and so much more. The most striking thing about the book to me was the idea of practicing hospitality on your own family. I was delighted to see this idea put out for all to consider. It teaches that our family should be our highest priority and out of those good relationship comes forth warm hospitality to our guests. Well done ladies. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Lisa DiGiacomo

This is a well done work, balancing Biblical principles and practicle ideas. It is a good reminder and text for those who desire to follow a Biblical approach to demonstrating hospitality as God designed.