There’s Something about a Home!
I have never received so much in my life. Well, I actually don’t know how to back that up. However, I can back up that we as fellows, and in our individual experiences, have been surrounded by generous, hospitable people all year long. And it’s not just a one time thing! The same people just keep being generous and not asking for anything in return. It’s just the water we’re swimming in (I give all credits for this statement to JD and probably someone famous). For example, 8 families have given up an entire room in their house for us (this is when the jaw can drop).
Specific shout out time! The crowd must go wild on the basis of this shout out: The Marohn’s! They welcome us into their home every. single. Monday. night. Let me paint you a picture. We gather around their kitchen and take in the sight of homemade food from another generous person in the community and sometimes even an appetizer. There’s a moment of unintentional silence before someone takes the lead with our gratitude circle, we pray as Christians do, and we sit around a table with farm flowers picked by Mrs. Tammi herself and themed (cloth!) napkins. The Marohn's presence is both relaxed and thoughtful. They engage in answering some weird questions and conversations that are sometimes deep and mostly not. Eric gifts us a good story and dad joke at no extra cost! They provide a hidden service each week in demonstrating true welcome. Hospitality is a thousand percent a holy act in the eyes of Jesus!
This past weekend, we had our last retreat as fellows (booooo). It was spent at the Marohn’s mountain house (YAY). Forgive me for sounding cheesy, but they know how to make a house a home. While we were there, a conversation around the idea of a “rule of life” popped up (as in, it was planned by JD and Stahr). A “rule of life" began as the desert fathers searched for a way to be distinct in following Christ in a culture that does not. We find ourselves on a similar quest, so this feels like a helpful tool in the next season of life (pardon my Christianese). John Mark Comer even has a tool for making our own. Okay, circling back. My friends and I have gotten to be a sponge this year for the ways Christians living in Greensboro, NC are truly set apart in a way that may appear ordinary and feel like a normal routine. The Marohn’s are an example of this and I am grateful to know more of God because of it.
The rumor is true! I want to be like the Marohn’s when I grow up!
Hebrews 13:1-2 “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.”
A Liturgy For Receiving Kindness from a Friend: “One day, dear Father, I will experience your infinite love and enjoy it unhindered forever. And yet, how good you are to provide, in this dear friend, a glimpse of heavenly kindness today.” - Amanda Duvall (Volume 3 of Every Moment Holy)
With love and gratitude,
Peyton