INTERVIEW WITH KAREN EHMAN

GIVEAWAY!
Win a free, autographed copy of A Life that Says Welcome by Karen Ehman and a sampler pack of tea from Tea & Traditions. Details following interview.

Would you be surprised to know that hospitality has less to do with you, your house or your fine china and more to do with making others feel comfortable? Author of A Life That Says Welcome, Karen Ehman clearly explains what hospitality really is. Karen is a wife, homeschooling mom of three, author and speaker. God has gifted her in making the once seemingly impossible task of hospitality seem possible. In her book she includes recipes, decorating tips and much more.

We are excited to share our interview with Karen Ehman. Be blessed and encouraged by the wonderful insight she shares!

What inspired you to write A Life That Says Welcome?
I wanted to share the lessons I learned about the difference between what the world calls "entertaining" and what the Bible teaches on hospitality. I learned this lesson the hard way when I married into a family full of cooks, decorators and bed and breakfast owners while I myself could barely boil water! I tried for years to impress my new family until God taught me a much needed lesson. Also I wanted to provide lots of practical and doable ideas for decorating, cleaning and cooking for guests.

My favorite definition of hospitality comes from your book: “Offering hospitality puts the emphasis on others and strives to meet their physical and spiritual needs so that they feel refreshed, not impressed, when they leave your home.” You explain that the Lord began to teach you the difference, how important is that in your ministry?
Very!!!! It must always be about God's glory not ours. When it isn't, we fall flat on our faces every time!!!

In your book you discuss the biblical sisters, Mary and Martha. You praise Mary, but also defend Martha, why?
She was serving as best as she knew how. Jesus and his entire entourage was coming to her house after all! Someone had to cook and clean and get things ready. It was actually Mary's behavior that would have seemed odd in that culture. Women were not supposed to sit at the feet of traveling teachers. They were to do exactly what Martha was doing. Actually, today I think we need to do both. We should sit at Jesus feet to learn how to serve, then we should serve with all of the gusto Martha had, just minus the attitude!!!

Why is it so important to extend hospitality first to our families?
So we don't end up living out a huge contradiction!!! We don't want our families to remember us moms pulling out all of the stops for company, but not attempting to ever do anything beyond frozen pizzas for our own family!!! Our husbands and children should be the primary focus of our efforts, not the recipients of all of our leftover goods and goodies.

Tell me a little about your ministry of hospitality. Is there one experience that stands out above the rest?
It varies with each season of life. For years it seems it was other young moms and their kids over for a play date. We moms could share while the kids played. Sometimes it was a neighborhood Bible study group we hosted for those who had never studied the Bible for themselves. Now, often it is a group of hungry teens "hanging out" studying for an exam at the homeschool academy or goofing off after the ball game. As always, I try to make others feel welcome by providing a place to unwind and simple food, but plenty of it.

What are a few simple steps you could share with someone who knows the Lord is calling them to extend hospitality, but they do not know where to begin?
Start simple. Don't invite a lot of people for an entire meal. Invite one woman for tea. Or invite a mom and her child for grilled cheese sandwiches and cookies. From there, branch out.

Your newest book The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized is obviously about organization, can you tell me how organization ties in with hospitality?
It ties in very closely because if our home is in relative order and we aren't over-committed with our time, we can have the confidence and the white space in our calendar to offer hospitality to those whom God is nudging us to.

How can we learn more about your ministry and/or purchase A Life That Says Welcome and your other books?
Visit me at http://www.karenehman.com/ to check out my blog, my books or inquire about having me speak to your group. I'd love for you to leave a comment or bookmark my site and visit when you can!!

In order to win, you must leave a comment about tea or hospitality on this post by midnight on May 28th. You may enter only once. The winner will be selected by a Random Integer Generator. We must have a way to contact you, so in your comment leave your email address in this format: info [@] yahoo [dot] com. The winner will be announced here on Wednesday, May 29th and will be contacted by email. Your prize will be mailed to you directly.