Home-a place of life giving ministry

I have been given this very short article/book to read by Phyllis Stanley (Every Home-A Place of Lifegiving Ministry) that has SO encouraged me to keep working on making my home, truly an open/hospitable/welcoming/warm home. I have a great desire to mininster out of my home and it always is fun to read about others as they desired the same thing.
Here are the concluding thoughts by Phyllis that I wanted to share. I hope it moves all the women who read this to pursue Christ, others and their own personal families for God's Glory within their homes! :)

Phyllis writes--
Although we are not a home yet and there will always be a longing in our hearts that will not be fulfilled until we are truly at home with Jesus, we can experience some of that joy of being at home with Him now. Jesus says in John 15:7-10, "Make your home in me just as I do in you...if you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in love...as I've kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in His love."

So, whether over a mug of coffee at our kitchen table or around a beautifully set dining room table surrounded by candles and flowers, we have the opportunity to be home builders and give our family and friends a message about their value. (I love this point...making people feel valued!) And we please our hospitable God, Who is always inviting us into His beautiful world and telling, "I love you so much that I prepared this for you."

Peter Marshall, a pastor from the early 1900's tells of a home where he stayed: "I was so privileged in the spring to visit in a home that was to me--and I am sure to the occupants--a little bit of heaven. There was beauty there. There was a keen appreciation of the finer things of life, and an atmosphere in which it was IMPOSSIBLE to keep from thinking of God." I pray our homes will be a place where it will be impossible to keep from thinking about God.

Our homes offer some of the most convincing and powerful evidence to the world of the reality of the Gospel. Our ministry is an overflow of all that God is doing in our lives. We can bring great joy to God and influence the world right from the homes that God has given us. Welcome Home!