I recently finished reading Real Love for Real Life: The Art and Work of Caring by Andi Ashworth (her husband is writer, performer and producer Charlie Peacock). Hospitality and caregiving in a Christian context has been an interest of mine since the first time I read the Acts of the Apostles. Denise and I have always been blessed to enjoy fellowship in Christian communities that value table fellowship and deep relationships. Alex Strauch’s Hospitality Commands came along to provide a Biblical framework for the experience.
Real Love takes the discussion even further, emphasizing the creative nature of caregiving that flows from a deep sense of calling or vocation, as followers of Jesus. This is a particularly valuable insight for moms and others, providing care without financial compensation for family, friends and neighbors. From Amazon.com:
In Real Love for Real Life, caregivers of all kinds can find the help and hope they need to fulfill their calling. Through personal illustrations, timely research, and thoughtful quotations, Andi Ashworth addresses the practicalities, philosophies, challenges, and joys of providing care in the relationships of home and community – leading readers to a greater understanding of the value and the validity of their call to be caregivers. With the encouraging hope and creative insights they’ll find in these pages, they can serve others in more effective, more fulfilling ways–in the name of God.
