Last month I got busy decorating our home for the fall season, putting little touches of fall throughout the house. One of the things I had fun doing was making a fall wreath for our front door. We had seen a similar wreath in a shop when we were on our mini-vacation in the mountains, and although we really liked it we did not feel like we could spend the amount of money on the price tag. I also had seen some wreaths on Pinterest (love Pinterest!) that I liked. So I went to my favorite home crafts store, Hobby Lobby, and bought what I needed for about $20, which was less than half of the price of the wreath we had seen in the shop. And this is how it turned out:
If you would like to make one, you will need to purchase a plain grapevine wreath, three large fall decorative picks, several packages of artificial leaves, a package of small artificial assorted pumpkins and gourds, a wooden alphabet letter, and some acrylic craft paint. You will also need a glue gun. Begin by painting the wooden alphabet letter so it can dry. Then start making your wreath by positioning the three large decorative picks symmetrically on your wreath, allowing the stems to be secured by the vines of your wreath - I put mine on top, bottom, and left side. Don't glue anything down yet! Then start positioning one layer of leaves. Once you like the arrangement, glue everything down. Continue by positioning another layer of leaves, and glue them down. Once your wreath is nice and full, arrange and glue the pumpkins and gourds evenly on top of the leaves, leaving a space for your alphabet letter. Finish by gluing your letter onto the wreath. This is how our front door looks:
Doors make me think of hospitality, which is what I want to talk about briefly in my post today. Hospitality seems to be a lost art in our world today, even in our churches. And I think that is very sad, because did you know that God commands us to show hospitality? 1 Peter 4:9 says, "Use hospitality one to another, without grudging." Ouch. How many times do we practice hospitality, but grumble and complain about the work and effort involved while we are doing it? What else do we need to understand about hospitality? Consider the following:
1. Practical hospitality analyzes needs. Remember the Shunamite woman? She was the one who prepared a special room for the prophet Elisha in 2 Kings 4. She thought about what he would need, and how she could best meet those needs. A little thinking is often all it takes.
2. Hospitality has no selfish motives. You don't open your home or prepare a meal with the thought that maybe there will be reciprocal invitations, or that people will admire your home or cooking.
3. Hospitality requires simply an open heart, and an open home. If you wait until you paint the dining room, or have new furniture, or matching china, or can have a gourmet menu, you will never do it. People don't care about those things. It is the warmth of your smile and your welcoming home that ministers to people. Hospitality is just making use of what you have!
The problem with practicing hospitality is not lack of opportunity, but a lack of vision. (Beneth Jones) We are so busy, and we are so focused on our life and our little world that we fail to notice those around us who we can be a blessing to. As always, when we obey God, the blessing is ours.
Hoping you will seek someone out and bless them,
Kathi
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