This is a week of great rejoicing in our house! For the past five years, my wife Judy has been tediously writing a book about hospitality, and it was finally published this past week! Her book, titled Elbows on the Table, encourages Christians to open their homes to others and suggests ways to entertain with little hassle.

In her book, Judy recounts some unusual and, at times, funny experiences we have had in our home throughout the years. We have found that we often become closer to people by spending a few minutes with them in our home than hours with them in a worship service or at a ball game. The Bible urges Christians to “Practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13). Yet few today seem willing to open their homes to outsiders, and many lack understanding of how to do it well. As a result, Christians miss out on some of the most meaningful and enriching opportunities to enhance relationships.

The book’s subtitle is “Simple Ways to Make Gathering Fun,” and Judy assures readers that there is no need to have an expensive home or fix a gourmet meal to enjoy enriching fellowship with others. Instead, she encourages entertaining in such a way that guests relax, feel at home, and become comfortable enough to put their elbows on the table.

I don’t know who is more excited about this book–Judy or me, yet I have seldom seen her so ecstatic! Elbows on the Table can be purchased through WestBow Press or Amazon. Judy asked me to write the afterward for the book. I have written a few forewords for authors, but never an afterward, (which kind of sounds like “afterthought” to me.) Regardless, I gladly wrote the following comments, (which are not an afterthought):

AFTERWARD for ELBOWS ON THE TABLE

“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:9-10).

Judy Russell has numerous, God-given talents. The gifts of music, administration, prayer, discernment, and serving all come naturally to her. Initially, the gift of hospitality was not my wife’s strongest gift. However, over the years, she “practiced hospitality” (Romans 12:13), and over time she became an expert at it. She had little option…she was married to me! When I was growing up, my mother entertained spontaneous dinner guests almost every Sunday, and to this day, I very much enjoy having guests in our home. After all, it’s a Biblical command to “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling”!

In the early years of our marriage, two things made practicing hospitality challenging for Judy. First, she is, by nature, a perfectionist. Her perfectionistic tendencies are a tremendous advantage to me (most of the time!), but when we were preparing for guests, it made her tense. Like Jesus’ friend Martha, she was “worried and upset about many things” (Luke 10:41).

The second thing that made hospitality difficult was me. As she mentions in this book, I brought home some guests who were challenging, and sometimes I didn’t give enough advance notice. Occasionally I gave no advance notice at all; they just showed up! I erroneously assumed practicing hospitality was easy. It’s not. I’ve matured a little over the years and have become a little more helpful around the house, but early on, I took it for granted there would be extra food in the refrigerator and clean sheets on the guest bed.

Over the years, Judy practiced hospitality…and she almost always did it without grumbling. She became really good at entertaining and very comfortable with it. Today when guests are present, she enjoys them and enjoys herself. Since she’s more relaxed, those gracing our table are soon comfortable enough to put their elbows on the table and feel right at home. We’ve had some hilarious and edifying experiences in our house because Judy was willing to welcome guests and serve them. Our two boys and our seven grandchildren have had exposure to spiritual giants visiting us, and those saints have impacted them forever.

The life-long friendships we’ve developed and the spiritual memories we’ve created by entertaining guests have helped mature our entire family. I pray the experiences and suggestions Judy has included in this book will motivate many to open their homes and “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Your lives and the lives of your children will be greatly enriched. And who knows? Maybe you’ll be the recipient of the promise in Hebrews 13:2: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

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