Extraordinary Hospitality for Ordinary Christians: A Radical Approach to Preparing Your Heart & Home for Gospel-Centered Community

by Victoria Duerstock

Overview

Winner of the Best Book Awards and 1st Place Winner of the Selah Awards for Christian Life!

Prepare your heart and home to serve not only family and friends, but neighbors and strangers too! Make any space a haven of discipleship, connection, and comfort. 

As Christians, we sometimes forget the power of an open door to a lost world. Using our homes to live out our faith in the true model of the Great Commission is challenging in our busy, over-scheduled lives. But having a home that is always open and available is key to living in community with others and being missional in our thinking. In this beautiful and inspiring book, wife, mom, and interior design enthusiast Victoria Duerstock offers simple and inspiring ways to prepare our hearts and homes to be open to friends, neighbors, and strangers.

You don't need an immaculate or professionally decorated home to be hospitable. In fact, there is beauty in being honest with others about our lived-in spaces, and great value in being humble enough to live life together in the midst of imperfection. But it'll be a blessing to you and to your guests to create a space that reflects the beauty, peace, and joy of life in Christ. 

Whether you have a tiny apartment or a big old farmhouse, you can learn how to:

• Declutter common areas
• Bring hygge to your guest room (or even just to your couch, if that's all you've got!)
• Create a peaceful, welcoming atmosphere
• Schedule in regular housecleaning
• Prepare freezer meals for no-stress last minute dinners

More importantly, be encouraged to have your heart in the right place, to engage in meaningful discussion with guests, and to take time to be a "Mary" in our works-driven "Martha" culture. Allow the Holy Spirit to overflow from your heart into your homes and community as you let your guard down and invite people into your lives.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781680996180
Publisher:	Skyhorse Publishing
Publication date:	09/15/2020
Pages:	168
Sales rank:	444,033
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Victoria Duerstock has worn many hats in the interior design industry over the last twenty years, including assisting with home and condo design, serving virtually as executive assistant in one of the largest furniture stores in the country, and being involved, along with her husband, in the wholesale side of product design, development, and sales. She enjoys ministering to other women in her church and is also a blogger, speaker, and social media consultant. Her other books include Heart & Home: Design Basics for Your Soul & Living Space, Heart & Home for Christmas: Celebrating Joy in your Living Space, and Advent Devotions & Christmas Crafts for Families. She's mother to three nearly grown children and lives with her husband in Nesbit, Mississippi. 

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

As Christ followers, we sometimes forget the power of an open door to a lost world. Using our homes as a missional extension of living out our faith in the true model of the Great Commission might be challenging in our fast-paced, nonstop lives, but it’s not impossible. As with anything though, if our hearts are not in the right place, we will struggle with having the right perspective and priorities for the gifts we’ve been given. Having a home that is always open and available is key to living in community with others and being missional in our thinking.

Instead of feeling that our homes should be immaculate or professionally decorated before we allow neighbors and strangers in, what if we could learn to be honest with others about our lived-in spaces and bring them in to our homes anyway, to live life together? In the pages that follow, you will find practical living tips to help you feel more confident in keeping your home available to others. My prayer is that you will find encouragement and inspiration to let the Holy Spirit overflow from your heart into your home and out into your community. Letting our guard down and opening our doors to connect with people allows us to love others as Jesus did.

Editorial Reviews

"Extraordinary Hospitality for Ordinary Christians is a breath of fresh air and freedom. Victoria invites us to consider what true ministry through hospitality looks like, and assures us that our homes need not be perfect—it's our hearts that matter most. She invites us to remember that 'hospitality is a reminder to bless, not impress,' and I needed that reminder; I imagine many of us do. Her practical ideas for being 'drop-in' ready are things I can easily do (even with kids at home!) and I plan to start implementing her wisdom in my own home immediately. I needed this book—what a blessing it will be to so many who want to serve by opening their doors and hearts to others." —Jen Babakhan, author of Detoured: The Messy, Grace-Filled Journey from Working Professional to Stay-at-Home Mom

"The most beautiful thing about true biblical hospitality is that it has very little to do with our homes and everything to do with our hearts. In this book, Victoria reminds us that hospitality is something that God calls all of us to extend to others, not just those who seem to have perfect homes. With both practical tips and relatable encouragement, this is a book that will become a go-to for women who are ready to confidently answer that call. —Vanessa Hunt, author of Life in Season and the blog At the Picket Fence.

 

From the Publisher