Hospitality - Discipleship — Rome International Church

Greg taught me what it meant to be hospitable. My parents were good at hosting. Mom prepared meals, and Dad could tell entertaining stories. When I went to boarding school, Greg practiced hospitality, which convinced me that it is the heart of discipleship. He taught 9th grade Bible, and after class one day, he inquired about me. He then asked if we could get together over coffee or a meal. Greg was genuinely interested in what I thought and how I was dealing with issues in my life. Never overbearing, he gently shared his thoughts and lessons learned from his years of following Jesus. Although Greg never married, he has had a profound and influential impact on hundreds of young men over his years of mentoring. For me, a boarding student away from my family, he showed me what hospitality looked like.

For Christians, hospitality happens at the speed of life. It is finding or making moments, whether full meals over long evenings or accompanying one another on walks or grocery runs. Time together listening, sharing, and remembering what Jesus taught us. In these ways, we often discover how abundant the Lord’s provision and his protection are to surround us with Christian brothers and sisters wrestling with life concerns and needing the encouragement and support that God supplies through our mutual care.

After breakfasting with Greg on a Saturday morning, I would feel so satisfied. Good food, rich conversation, and a heart that would rest in knowing that Greg cared enough to spend his morning listening to the struggles of a freshman high schooler. I can confidently say that I love the Lord more today for Greg’s hospitality in relational discipleship.

As he would ask,

“So what will you do with that?”

Together with you,
Loren