by Pine Cove
At Pine Cove, we strive to follow the example Jesus set of hospitality throughout His earthly ministry. There are many great books on the topic that have helped us focus on creating a welcoming and others-focused environment, several of which have been encouraging and engaging reminders of how we can strive for hospitality both on the job and in our everyday lives. As we enter the holiday season—a time intrinsically linked to hospitality—we wanted to share just a few of those books with you in hopes that they might spur you on to open your doors and establish an others-focused and service-minded atmosphere.
A Meal with Jesus: Discovering Grace, Community, and Mission Around the Table by Tim Chester
“Jesus is handing out God’s party invitations. They read: “’You’re invited to my party in the new creation. Come as you are.’”
Throughout the Gospels—and Luke specifically—we repeatedly see Jesus sharing meals with those around Him. He entered homes, sat with sinners, and broke bread with countless broken people. In “A Meal With Jesus,” author Tim Chester highlights how important meals were to the ministry of Jesus, and drives home how vital His example is to us in our own journey to meet people where they are through shared meals.
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
“Gatherings crackle and flourish when real thought goes into them.”
We all attend many different gatherings on an almost daily basis, from parent/teacher conferences to church meetings to casual coffee dates with friends. Often these meet-ups can meander and drag, merely passing time rather than getting at the heart of why you are gathering! In her book “The Art of Gathering,” author Priya Parker helps readers think through the question of why with the end goal of making all gatherings more meaningful, purposeful, and beneficial. Viewed through the lens of the Gospel, this read makes for a handy guide to approaching each of your interactions with a heart of hospitality.
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara
“Intention means every decision, from the most obviously significant to the seemingly mundane, matters.”
At its most basic and stripped down core, hospitality is simply seeing people where they are, and listening to what they need. A quick and engrossing read, “Unreasonable Hospitality” takes readers into the restaurant world for a fresh perspective on what it means to see people and their needs, and then use that information to go above and beyond in serving them. While written from a business point of view, the lessons in “Unreasonable Hospitality” can nevertheless be applied to your circle of friends, your extended family, and even your own household.
The Gospel Comes with A House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World by Rosaria Butterfield
“Radically ordinary hospitality is this: using your Christian home in a daily way that seeks to make strangers neighbors, and neighbors family of God.”
The very idea of hospitality can be easier said than done. It’s one thing to hang a “Gather” sign on our dining room walls, and quite another to actually open up our homes to people outside of our existing circles! In “The Gospel Comes with A House Key,” Rosaria Butterfield challenges us to invite people into the mess of our everyday lives to share a simple meal together. Through her storytelling and many personal examples, Butterfield paints a picture of what the early church looked like, and the ways our communities can still live out that model today. It’s a vision for what it looks like to open your home and build community that we think will resonate with you in every season.
Posted Jan 20, 2025
Categories: Inside the Cove (Browse all)
|
Tags: book recommendations, hospitality reads, recommendations, resources
Click here to sign up for our Inside the Cove newsletter!