Missional minded Mommy Pt. 3

A good friend of mine responded to questions from a previous post. What she shared inspired another post. This is what she said:

It is hard to switch gears and break old habits...My home is very family/church focus. We really have not gotten past that. Busyness is our biggest hindrance. When we finally have time to think, all we want to do is retrieve and relax. But I have figured out this much--I can start by becoming more hospitable. Opening my home to new characters so that we may get to know each other and perhaps even relax WITH US may just be the answer to my dilemma. Does that answer your question?

This was my response:

Esme, Thank you. It seems to me hospitality is a great start. I have an upcoming post trying to show that our little families reflect the greater family of God- the Church! I don't think retreating from the church or our families is the answer, but I think you are onto something with opening up your home. People won't see a loving community unless they are there to see it and enjoy it with you. Keep us posted on how that is working out.


I have to say, I can totally relate to Esme - my family is similar. We have many relatives - a good amount live with us and some of the others might as well! LOL Our family is also very involved in our Church family. Rick is a shepherd at the Church and that means many evenings are taken and emotions and time are put into our greater family- the Church.

Having an open door, being hospitable, if it is for the sake of letting others see and hear the good news of reconciliation to God through Jesus is very missionally minded indeed. We have an opportunity to show them what the family that God is bringing together looks like. Of course they won't see it unless they are with you and you with them interacting. So, I reiterate, Esme is onto something........

So, how can I (a mommy of little ones with a lot of family) evangelize or engage those outside of my family?

Simple....... open up our home - our lives to others. So my niece's mom sees us doing family worship or correcting the kids at the dinner table with grace and praying with grateful hearts for our food as she shares a meal with us. So her new live-in boyfriend sees the kids seeking forgiveness from each other or me from Rick and it is given because after all we have been forgiven much. My brother's friend relaxes and watches a movie with us and he might have to see Rick get a phone call and have to leave in the middle of the movie because something urgent has come up and duty calls. Or he might see a daddy laughing and playing with the kiddos. Could this possibly be a way to form relationships?

We desire to open up our home to do foster care. We are still in the process of filling out paperwork and doing repairs around the house and such, but we want to do this to get to know other foster parents in the community. Rick and I know we have a lot of family relationships and we have been convicted that these ones have fallen in our laps and though we need to be faithful with them as well, they are easy as we already have an established relationship and believe me they are around a ton. We are convinced we need to be more purposeful in getting to know those around us who live in our community. We figure with me being home with the little ones and helping my mom care for my grandparents, foster care may very well be the best way we are going to be able to get know some people outside of the family. And, it still centers around the home and involves the kids, my mom and the grandparents! It is a way that we can become more outward facing as a household; rather than he does his thing, I do mine, mom does hers and gram and grandpa lay in bed and just be sick.

In the mean time, while we are in the process of pursuing fostering, we have an open door policy. Many can attest to the fact that there are people in and out all the time. A lot of times it is family but this has led to other contacts, like friends of my brother whom we would never otherwise have contact with. This has led to having a real relationship with my brother's ex- girlfriend and recently her new boyfriend. She wants to be part of the family. She wants to participate in our life and have her daughter here and have us know her new boyfriend and we are really trying to take advantage of that for the sake of showing them Jesus.

This means people from church whom we deeply love, to one degree or another become a part of this open door life too. My brother's ex-girlfriend was not only familiar with us when she willingly came to our Monday night small group's fellowship, but when she saw relatives of Jon and Esme she felt connected. She only knows Jon and Esme because of our connection to them as a brother and sister in Christ and good friends, and because she has been here when they have been here. And she has also seen them a few times when coming to visit the church. She knows Jackie's son and so then felt an instant connection to Jackie! What do you know, it's a small community after all! This young lady I speak of is familiar with Nichole because she goes to Parkside with her and Nichole is frequently over here.... do you see how family life, church family life and outfacing, missional minded living come together? I am starting to see it and want to get way better and more natural at it for the sake of the Father being glorified with more worshipers as we see more sinners such as myself fall at Jesus' feet right here in Kenowhere-I mean Kenosha! :)

So, Esme thank you for your efforts in hospitality. Thank you for pointing out how we can invite people right into our lives simply by opening up our living-rooms, even if they might have to see a few dirty diapers being changed and discipline being administered and a tired mommy and daddy trying to love each other, their kids, and their neighbors!

Does anyone out there reading this have a testimony they would like to share about how the Lord used an open home to bring them to Jesus, or how God used your open home to bring others to Jesus?

If you go here you will find some great tips on hospitality.