The Love Shack

Yup. That is the sign that hangs next to our kitchen door.

The kitchen door, which serves as the only working entrance to our home. (thanks shifting home)

Still, I love our quirky home. This drafty house with the constantly shifting foundation . Do I love the orange, cracked walls? Hah, not so much.

Since “our home” is a rental. The orange stays. Still, a decade ago, Hot Stuff and I prayed that we could live here.

At the time we lived behind our current home in a small studio. We would imagine the possibilities of hospitality that could happen in this home.

We vowed that if we ever lived here, we would always welcome our brothers and sisters in Christ. That we would be a safe place for friends and family to recharge as they did the hard work of ministry. Why? Because ministry burns people out.

Our part of the big picture was simple. Offer a place to recharge. To hang out.

So we named the house “The Love Shack“. Yes, it was also based on The Love Shack by the B52’s…simply because I thought it was funny.

This morning, I am sitting in the quiet of our home. It is the first time I’ve had the house to myself in a week. It is beautiful.

The silence. The fake fireplace. The pets at my feet. And time to reflect.

Hot Stuff and I often fall short on our efforts at hospitality. We are both introverts and enjoy a lot of down time. We get tired and irritable. We are sometimes insensitive to the needs and desires of the family and friends around us. We might offer unsolicited advice, or may not listen when someone needs to be heard

Sometimes, ugh, our house smells like pets.

Our house gets messy, just as our hearts get messy.

As I am discussing our failures at hospitality to God, I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 13:

 If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing

I realize that even if Hot Stuff and I aren’t very graceful at times, we genuinely love and care for those in our lives. Instead of seeing this scripture as a warning (as I have in years past) I see it as affirmation. Our hearts are in line with God’s.

God IS love.

As long as we lean on Him..then he can help our hearts stay strong in the foundation of love. Even where we fail.

Then I am reminded of my Captain Sasha manuscript.( a writing project I have been playing with for the past couple of years)

Last week, I pulled out my old manuscript of Captain Sasha to review what I had shelved 8 months ago. You know what? I had a more solid story than I remembered. It was kind-of fun. Still a long way to go. Massive editing to do, a few unexpected turns that help it flow..and a LOT more writing to do.

I’m excited to dive back in.

I realize that my 1/2 finished Captain Sasha manuscript is no different than our history of hospitality. It needs some editing, some revisions, some turns moving forward.

Our lives are still a story in progress.

So grateful to have God’s love as the foundation.

Welcome to the Love Shack. All are most welcome.