Invited : the power of hospitality in an age of loneliness / Leslie Verner. [print]

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The quest for community Staying put Stranger love Linger longer The friendship conundrum Habits of hospitality Beyond our limits Solitude Utterly dependent A shared life.

"Many people today feel lonely, isolated, and disconnected from God and others. We crave authentic community, but we have no idea where to start. We'd be glad to cultivate friendships; but honestly, who's got the time? In Invited, writer Leslie Verner says real hospitality is not having a Pinterest-perfect table or well-appointed living room. True hospitality is not clean, comfortable, or controlled. It is an invitation to enter a sacred space together with friends and strangers. Through vivid accounts from her life and travels in Uganda, China, and Tajikistan, and stories of visiting congregations in the United States, Verner shares stories of life around the table and how hospitality is at the heart of Christian community. What if we in the West learned about hospitality from people around the globe? What if our homes became laboratories of belonging? Invited will empower you to open your home, get to know your neighbors, and prioritize people over tasks. Holy hospitality requires more of Jesus and less of us. It leads not only to loving the stranger but to becoming the stranger. Welcome to a new kind of hospitality." --

Leslie Verner writes about faith, justice, family, and cross-cultural issues for SheLoves, RELEVANT, The Mudroom, and other venues. She earned her master's degree in intercultural studies and bachelor's in elementary and middle grade education, and she lived in China for five years, where she taught English as a second language and studied Mandarin. She, her husband, and their three children live at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Verner is a member of the Redbud Writers Guild. Connect with her at ScrapingRaisins.com.