" Use hospitality one to another without grudging." 1Peter 4:9
When we bought our home I was so thankful to the Lord for providing it for us and still am. I prayed when we moved in that God would use our home to minister to others whether it was by having missionaries stay with us or just having people over for dinner. Our calendar is always full with "dinner guests" and we wouldn't have it any other way. One thing we started doing the past couple of years is having the "Young Families" in our church over for a BBQ a couple times a year. It's always so much fun to spend time together, watching the kids play and just encouraging one another. We just recently had one such BBQ and I decided I wanted to try this "Pepper Relish" recipe that I had found on the back of a potato chip bag...man am I glad I made the effort! It was so good that I had to post the recipe here for you.
Pepper Relish
1 1/4 C diced red bell pepper
3/4 C diced green bell pepper
1/2 C diced red onion
1/2 C diced yellow onion3/4 C cider vinegar
1/2 C water
3/4 C white sugar
pinch chopped garlic
salt & pepper to taste
1. Place all ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan except for salt & pepper
2. Bring the mix to a boil over high heat & reduce to a simmer.
3. Simmer mix for 30-35 mins stirring occasionally , until almost dry and the vegetables are tender.
4. Remove the relish from the stove, season with salt & pepper; place in container & refrigerate.
If you don't regulary have people over for dinner, I would really encourage you to do it. It's always more of a blessing to us, I'm sure! It's such a great way to get to know people better. I used to really stress out about the house being perfect and clean and having this elaborate meal planned. After we had our 3rd child I came to the realization that if I was going to keep those standards I would not be able to entertain. That was not an option so I've lowered my standard and continued having people over, haha! I guess I just feel that it's not the food or a perfect house that is important. What's important is taking the time to get to know other people, finding out how you can be an encouragment to them or how you can pray specifically for them. It's hard to really know people if you don't make the extra effort to do so. I'm just thankful that the Lord has allowed us to minister to other's in this way!
Entertaining is a dying art, and as you have found, it is Biblical to entertain!
ReplyDeleteI learned to entertain from my mom and dad. Their house was always opened! They always invited new families in the church, friends, young families and teenages over. We always knew that we could have friends overnight or for dinner... with advanced permission!
One thing that your readers might want to realize... I have a friend, who has a friend. This friend has a magnificent home.. one that has been featured in magazines. She is a lovely Christian gal who loves to entertain and always has guests over. But, sadly, she does not get invited to to many houses. A lot of ladies feel they can't measure up to her house or the spread she puts on. She would love to be invited back and truly does not care what the house looks like or what is served. She just would love the fellowship! So, Melissa, you have figured it out! Don't stress about the house. People want the fun and fellowship and that is the important thing! Oh and BTW, I'm sure your house was fine!!
I totally agree with the lowering the standards thing. I "like" my house to be ready in case Real Simple shows up for a photo shoot . . . but it is more fun to have friends over and let go of some preconcieved notions of how it "should" be. I like how you added more pictures on the sidebar.
ReplyDeleteThe pepper relish looks good, and I bet my hubby would love it on a sausage sandwich!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I also love entertaining, and agree, it is not about how clean your house is or how good the food is, it is about being hospitable! You can really get to know people when you fellowship outside of church and public settings. I often try to remind myself to be more like Mary and not Martha because I get caught up in the details.