WELCOME

My sister and I first celebrated our nation’s freedom on carpets of soft grass with sparklers in each hand. We wrote our names in cursive against a landscape of lightning bugs and stars, as echoes of laughter resounded louder than distant firecrackers. Over the years, as methods, people, and places for commemoration changed, gratitude, appreciation, and understanding grew.

Liberty, fought and won for a fledgling country, now brings tears as sacrifices on battlefields, almost 250 years ago, reflect principals, ideals, and values.

My grandmother made a memorable pecan pie. Its secret, she shared, hid in blending finely diced pecans with other ingredients, instead of whole nuts. I’ve written her recipe on my heart, and my pantry remains stocked with other essentials ready to stir up renowned southern hospitality, formed as her tasty dessert. Once, I asked a friend, who dropped by for a spontaneous visit, “Do you want a sandwich, chips, or pecan pie?”

Many churches also offer hospitality in various ways. Desiring to let guests know they are seen; my church boasts a dedicated hospitality room with glass windows. An oxygenated fishbowl for humans to receive gifts and handshakes.

If life before eternity is the practice field, then faith-based communities are the teams providing heaven-bound lessons. Community comes together, not displaying differences, but sharing commonalities. We unite through accepted belief that God chose us before the foundation of the world to be His (Ephesians 1:4). We gather as one family to spiritually mature, physically support, and emotionally care.

Jesus is on the field, covered in the sweat of his blood. He guides us, unprotected head gouged by thorns, on the way to the cross. He relinquishes every ounce of strength and self for us.