Hospitality. That word can bring with it a whole lot of expectations and anxiety. Inviting people into your home might feel like inviting judgment on your entertaining skills and stress on your already maxed-out schedule. It might feel impossible or overwhelming to make food, clean the house, decorate, and facilitate conversation. We’ve been ...
Snuggled on the sofa with my 15-year-old daughter, we scrolled through her Instagram feed together. 100, 115, 125 “likes” became a theme on each photo and it became clear that she’d found some committed “followers.” “Wow, Abby, your last picture got 139 likes,” our 11-year-old daughter declared in amazement. A check in my spirit occurred and ...
If you've spent any time here at (in)courage, you know we believe in putting on our comfiest pair of sweatpants and pulling up an overstuffed chair to this virtual table. We believe in sharing stories and life and Jesus with each other. We come just the way we are. We link arms as sisters in Christ, giving thanks for the gift of someone else who is ...
I rarely go to movies. I blame this on the fact that our farm is officially in the middle of nowhere, miles away from the nearest theater in the city. But the actual truth is, I’m lame and have no social life. My 80-year-old dad is way more fun than I am and probably has a more active social calendar. Therefore, he wanted to go to the movies on ...
I’ve been staring at a blank screen for the last several days trying to come up with a witty or heartwarming story to introduce the things God has been doing behind the scenes here at (in)courage. I wanted a clever way to illustrate the vision He’s been stirring since the day Lisa-Jo announced she was passing on the baton of leading this beautiful ...
Since I never had a sister, I always hoped I'd find a closer-than-a-sister kind of friend. I wished for the kind of best friend I could share everything with and do everything with. I wanted a BFF who totally “got” me—who loved to celebrate the highs and would stay close during the lows, who knew when I was having a rough day and always had a ...
My appointment with the oncologist at the sprawling hospital on the hill was the day after the MRI. I don’t remember the technician who led me there, but I remember the room. It was a sterile looking room with plain beige walls and an assortment of generic office furniture. There were no personalized features in the room—only run-of-the-mill ...
I attend a tea party in the fellowship hall of a small town church about an hour from my home. This is where my parents had their wedding reception, where my grandparents had their fiftieth anniversary party, where my great-grandparents held hands in the pews. Today the tables are covered in white linen and each place setting includes a vintage ...
Sometimes, even when we know the truth that God loves us and He will provide, we still worry. Those are times we can put our worries in Jesus’ hands, take a break from our worries, and free ourselves to rest and refresh. When Jesus was telling us not to worry in Matthew 6:25-27, He wasn't telling it to us as a command to inflict guilt or shame ...
Oftentimes when we talk about hospitality, the conversation revolves around the state of our homes. Is hospitality letting people into our sacred ordinary dust and laundry piles? Or is hospitality cleaning, lighting candles, and creating an environment of peace and beauty to restore souls? Perhaps the answer is both – and neither. Perhaps ...
