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Blessing Your Guests with Favors

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25

Party favors aren’t just for kids’ birthday parties!  Any time you host a gathering at your home, you can bless your guests with a small favor. Even the smallest, simplest gift can brighten your friends’ day. Women are always giving, so receiving even a little gift often feels like a balm to the soul—especially if you include a Bible verse or scriptural message to lift their spirits even more! 

Favors don’t have to be expensive, either.  Check out your local dollar store; wander around and let inspiration strike you. On one shopping trip I saw inexpensive colorful fly swatters shaped like flowers.  I added a note that said “Swat away your troubles with prayer,” and they were a big hit with the my guests!  Even a fly swatter can make a cute gift with a heart for the Lord behind it.

Here are some fun ideas to try at your next gathering:

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How Not to be The Perfect Hostess

Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else.

Galatians 6:4

My dear friend, Elise, is a great cook and a natural hostess.  She inspires me! She makes it all look effortless—nothing seems to ruffle her feathers. She hosts her church small group, frequently entertains houseguests (sometimes longterm), and has invited my family over for amazing meals.

I, on the other hand, dislike cooking. When we host Elise’s family, I almost always serve them pizza (not exactly hostess-with-the-mostest stuff, right?).  To be fair, I put out sides, make a whopper of a dessert, and try to set a nice table…but still. After years of this, I determined to do something really special for them and cook a nice, big dinner. 

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Unexpected Organizing: Infrequently Used Items

Welcome back to the Unexpected Organizing series! This is (I think) the last post of the series, and so it’s about the last thing we want to think of when it comes to organizing—the stuff we almost never use, but still want to keep.

Conventional wisdom tells us that if we haven’t used it in a year, we should get rid of it.  But that’s not practical!  And once we break that rule, we can find ourselves shrugging and keeping everything.  The real test for “keeping verses tossing” is this:  Do you need it or love it… and do you have room for it?

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Will You Invite Them In?

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:10 

 

As I speak and write, I hear people make many statements about organizing—and often they’re the same things over and over. This is one of the most common:

“My house is such a mess I could never have anyone over.”

 

This breaks my heart. I address this very comment in my talk about party organization (Christian Hostessing). Basically, I share my opinion that:

  1. The people who love us don’t care what our house looks like.
  2. The people who are critically judging our homemaking skills… well, they probably need to get closer to Jesus, so we need to invite them on in and share our faith!

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