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Sometimes, we want to open our homes, but we worry that we’re not “Pinterest Perfect” enough to do it. Today, Lisa Pearson shares five simple ways to make it easier to open your home to others.

From my Guest

“I grew up on the mission field, our home was filled with military men and women who were away from loved ones. It was in our home that I watched and learned the value of hospitality while sharing God’s love with those who walked through the door.
I live in the Pacific Northwest with my sweet hubby of 24 years. We have four very fun grown children…two by birth and two by marriage and are loving our first grandbaby girl and two grand-puppies!!
My heart’s desire is to help women with budget-friendly, creative ways to meet and balance the challenges of the “everyday” while nurturing and blessing their husbands, children, friends and community.”  Read more from Lisa on Simply…This. That. & The Other!

Resources

Radical Hospitality: Benedict’s Way of Love – Today’s culture is increasingly hostile and suspicious toward anyone who appears to be different–especially when tragedy strikes. Our instinct is to bolt our doors and protect the ones we love. But deep within the heart of Benedictine spirituality lies a remedy to hatred, fear, and suspicion: hospitality. At once deeply comforting and sharply challenging, true Benedictine hospitality requires that we welcome the stranger, not only into our homes, but into our hearts. With warmth and humor, drawing from the monastic tradition and sharing personal anecdotes from their own lives, Pratt and Homan encourage us to embrace not only the literal stranger, but the stranger within and the stranger in those we love.

Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes – As a follow up to her two bestselling books, Bittersweet and Cold Tangerines, author and blogger Shauna Niequist returns with the perfect read for those who love food and value the community and connection of family and friends around the table.

Bread & Wine is a collection of essays about family relationships, friendships, and the meals that bring us together. This mix of Anne Lamott and Barefoot Contessa is a funny, honest, and vulnerable spiritual memoir. Bread & Wine is a celebration of food shared, reminding readers of the joy found in a life around the table. It’s about the ways God teaches and nourishes people as they nourish the people around them. It’s about hunger, both physical and otherwise, and the connections between the two.

The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful – Popular blogger and self-taught decorator Myquillyn Smith (The Nester) is all about embracing reality―especially when it comes to decorating a home bursting with boys, pets, and all the unpredictable messes of life.

In The Nesting Place, Myquillyn shares the secrets of decorating for real people―and it has nothing to do with creating a flawless look to wow your guests. It has everything to do with embracing the natural imperfection and chaos of daily living.

Drawing on her years of experience creating beauty in her 13 different homes, Myquillyn will show you how to think differently about the true purpose of your home and simply and creatively tailor it to reflect you and your unique style―without breaking the bank or stressing over comparisons. Full of easy tips, simple steps, and practical advice, The Nesting Place will give you the courage to take risks with your home and transform it into a place that’s inviting and warm for family and friends.

There is beauty in the lived-in and loved-on and just-about-used-up, Myquillyn says, and welcoming that imperfection wholeheartedly just might be the most freeing thing you’ll ever do.