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A Life That Says Welcome: Simple Ways to Open Your Heart and Home to Others

Book by Karen Ehman, Review by Virginia Knowles

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Back in the February issue, “The Heart of Home Schooling,” I briefly mentioned Karen Ehman and her books Homespun Gifts from the Heart and Homespun Memories from the Heart.  Imagine my delight, when a few weeks ago, I received a review copy from Baker Books of her newest title, A Life That Says Welcome, a beautiful and practical book about Christian hospitality.  Karen is a home school mama of three with a heart for reaching out to others in real life ways.  There are chapters on preparing your hearts and home for hospitality, making the best of the resources you have, taking hospitality on the road, and cooking up plenty of yummy recipes.  I especially appreciate her encouragement to practice hospitality at home with our own husbands and children.  Near the end of the “Family First” chapter, she says: 

When it comes to mealtime, try to make the atmosphere at the table pleasant.  Serving a family meal on a table that is full of junk mail and clutter or plastered with peanut butter and jam residue from days ago is not a way to say “Welcome!” to your family.  Make the table a simple but pretty place.  Clear it off, wipe it down, and take a little care in your table setting.  I’m not talking fine china here – although once in a while pulling out all the stops for no one else but your family is a sure way to make a memory!  Besides the necessary plates, cups, and cutlery, light a candle.  When I first started doing this for my family, of course they wanted to know who was coming for supper.  Now we often light a candle for no reason at all.  It is a simple way to turn an ordinary meal into something a bit more special.  (And it has a way of helping kids behave at the table.) 

A Life That Says Welcome is full of inspiration and hands-on tips.  Speaking of candles, here is an idea we can use for our Thanksgiving tables:

Using an apple corer, cut a hole 1 ½ inches deep into several shapes and colors of apples.  Work a candle into each hole.  Display on your kitchen table on a runner made of fall-colored plaid fabric.  Mini-pumpkins and gourds also can be hollowed out to make candleholders or small vases. 

If you e-mail Karen at karenehman@familyclassroom.net she will send you ordering instructions for her books.  Tell her you heard about them in the Hope Chest!  You can also order A Life That Says Welcome from Christian Book Distributors, as well as read the table of contents and excerpt HERE.

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=731390&netp_id=437418&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW