Every Home a Foundation: Experiencing God through Your Everyday Routines

by Phylicia D. Masonheimer

"The home is the “primary seat of discipleship” from which Christians can best serve God, according to this graceful guide...Masonheimer makes a creative, open-minded case that the domestic and the divine need not be mutually exclusive." —Publisher’s Weekly

What if our homes and the work that goes on inside them are not "in the way" of our calling but are instead the way to live well and disciple effectively? Reimagine the Christian home as the firm foundation of a life filled with faith, joy, contentment, and belonging, even in the midst of everyday tasks.

In Every Home a Foundation, Phylicia Masonheimer invites readers to reconsider their view of home. The Christian home is an image of both a coming spiritual reality and the existing spiritual reality of our family, the church. Through Christ, we can heal and build a home that brings joy to us and love to others.

Every Home a Foundation will transform readers' view of home from a place of boredom to a place of purpose, train them to find joy in their daily tasks, and equip them to use their home to love others well by

focusing on healing our view of home and creating a culture of faith;
exploring the purpose in the mundane tasks of the home, including cooking, cleaning, laundry, mending, tending, and creating beauty;
and learning the importance of hospitality and creating a covenant home culture.


Masonheimer offers a unique perspective on the importance of home in a modern world. Home is much more than a physical structure—it's a place of belonging and connection that has been strongly tied to God's mission from the beginning. God wants to build a home for His people, emphasizing the importance of homes as central for the Christian life.

With an enthusiastic and friendly tone, Every Home a Foundation is sure to have readers reflecting on the importance of home in our lives and how we must strive to protect and honor it in all its forms.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Parenting, Faith, Christianity, Christian Non Fiction

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2024

Reviews

[Alecia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. Honestly is the best of Phylicia Masonheimer’s writing, in my opinion. It’s deeply encouraging and soo practical — I finished the book, but I’m keeping it as a resource to look through some of the step-by-step guides on how to create routines (cleaning, cooking, laundry) and the reflections questions to create a home culture of love and hospitality. In all of this, it is nowhere near a book that makes women feel they need to be “trad wives” or “the perfect Proverbs 31 woman” (lol 🙄). Instead, the book encourages women to see their daily tasks as eternally important, and that Christ is also in the mundane. I also see this book truly for women of ANY life stage or home situations (house, apartment, college dorm, etc.).

I wish I would have had this book in my 20s. Buy it!!!

[Maria Ruckert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated how practical this book was! Phylicia gave lots of room for differences in personality, convictions and different seasons of life. Her grace based approach was refreshing. I finished feeling inspired, not overwhelmed (like I often do with this type of book), and having solid, biblical ways to think about my everyday routines. As a young mother still figuring out routines and a complete change in lifestyle this was a very timely read!

[CaryAnne Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 very helpful to stir my desire for keeping up my home after a season of weariness in doing so. Many helpful encouragements and practical ‘how-to’s’. Totally recommend for all, single or married, kids or no kids. She is speaking to all women.

[Liza Tabita · Rating 5 out of 5]

A practical and theological book about stewarding your home and loving others by doing so.
I love the practical guides this book offers while directing your attention to God.

[Emily Waits (emilylovesreading_) · Rating 5 out of 5]

{Thank you to @NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my gifted e-copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.}

“Christians are spiritually divided from their homes. The things done in church, Bible study, or on a stage are seen as ministry and spiritually valuable; the things done in the home (whether cleaning tasks, discipleship of children, or hospitality) are seen as extra physical tasks that have no real spiritual impact. This could not be further from the truth.”

“A home culture of faith sees all work as God’s work, paid or unpaid. Laundy, dishes, cooking food, inviting people over, scrubbing floors–all of it glorifies God.”

Aren’t these quotes fantastic?

“Every Home a Foundation” is a biblical look at the theology of home and the tasks and routines that take place there. I love that this book is written with everyone in mind: married women, single women, college students, etc.--anyone living anywhere! This book was so needed, and I’m grateful that Phylicia was the one to write it.

This book is about finding joy and contentment in our good and necessary work in the home. It’s also a call to faithfulness and obedience.

I loved the liturgies included in each chapter, and I highlighted so many portions of this book.
“Every Home a Foundation” is a book full of biblical wisdom and insight along with heaps of practical advice.

I would highly recommend this title!

[Emily Morrice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some beautiful truths whilst over exaggerating the holiness of homeward tasks. It's hard to separate the content with the context here. Certainly if you and your spouse both work from home and home school then your life is extremely homeward - yet it's not the reality for most who will read this, making portions unrelatable and unnecessary.

On the one hand I rejoiced to see the small faithfulness of mothering and homemaking celebrated - and it certainly would have been a salve to me back when I was at home with my babies. Yet there's such a weight and glory put on some aspects of motherhood or homemaking that feel unnecessary (I don't think God is more honored by a floor washed on hands and knees or by rumba).

Gave 3 stars, might have given 4 stars a few years ago when I was a SAHM, but now having both perspectives and experiences I am less enamoured by this specific intensity.

[Nycole Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Even in a fallen, broken world, It’s possible to not just do the work of the home well, but to enjoy it. Part of the joy is in getting better at it, learning the skill of it. As we become better at the care of home, it turns around and grants us happiness. I think this is because work, the tending, gentle work of home, is the very first work that existed. It’s the work of God.”

I’m pretty sure this book is catapulting to the top of the list as my favorite book I’ve read this year. It was the most uplifting, encouraging, inspiring account of the care & keeping of home I have ever read. Phylicia does a wonderful job of helping her readers recognize the work of the home as holy, without overemphasizing it to the point of making it an idol. I’ll be rereading it annually.

[Katie Hodnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it for a book club and it totally changed my mindset on homemaking from a Biblical perspective! Motherhood and homemaking are a ministry and this book has given me so many different tools in order to do it well.

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

"... gracious people grow together. They do not place opinions on issues of preference above the love of God. They know when to agree to disagree, when something needs to be addressed, and when to let go. They put the relationship above performative obligations. And their friendships thrive."
I appreciated the chapter on hospitality and the emphasis on grace in relationships.

[Janessa Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been working for years to change my mentality around household tasks to view them as consistent, faithful, stewardship that is honoring to God and others. Phylicia's writing has helped me a lot in that area, and I really enjoyed this book. I like that the two parts focused on the theology of home AND gave a lot of ideas for practical application.

She speaks to various stages of life here, but for what it's worth my current season involves my husband working remotely in a home office, me homeschooling our young sons, and often hosting guests for periods of time. Our life is very centered around home at the moment, so the book spoke right into that phase.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book. Some of my favorite parenting/ homemaking tips have come from PDM so I was really excited to read this.
A must read for anyone who wants to grow in tending their home/ adding more structure to their day to day. As someone who has both stayed home and worked full time as a home maker, I feel it could be a little overwhelming for someone who works full time outside the home. However, I do still think any homemaker will glean practical wisdom from this book as long as expectations to implement similar structures are somewhat tempered.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish someone had given me this book when I was a newlywed or when I had moved into my first apartment. It was technically mailed to me on accident, but honestly for the season of a fresh stay at home mom it was no accident - but a total blessing that it ended up on my reading list! The rhythms of home can feel like a beast to time at times, between laundry, naps, cleaning/cooking etc. that I know we are all looking for a way to make it feel more effortless. I love that her theology of home makes it less about trying to impress or reach audience worthy goals in our home, but using the daily tasks ahead of us as a way to glorify God which turns it from a drag into worship. Especially in a culture that glorifies self care, I really loved her gentle way of appreciating the fruits of discipline and routine. Super practical advice with tangible steps too!! A must read & this is so going into gifts I buy for the ladies in my life in the future!

[Caitlin Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet blend of poetic theology and practical tips. I especially loved part two which focused on different areas of the home and how to think about and maintain these areas. The poems at the start and end of each chapter gave life to the argument between.

I really loved this section from ‘the liturgy for cleaning,’ “Oh Lord God: You know what it is like to make someone clean, / to see that work undone within a day. / yet you bend again and again / offering all of yourself for our purity. / Am I too good to do the work you do? / Is cleaning up after people too good for me? / You show me the way of humility; / […] / to scrub to wash to dust to clean. / And when what I have done is dirty once again / help me remember your grace, / that i may give it abundantly to others. / Amen”

This book compared to the covenant household (another book on home theology) was much shallower theologically, but the practical tips included in each chapter actually made me appreciate this book much more than that book. Only three stars cuz it was still a little shallow at times and it felt like it was, at times, directed at new Christians.

[Rachel McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love pretty much everything Phylicia writes, and this book was no different. I was reading this book alongside Practicing the Way by JMC and they were actually good companions, both helping me to think through how my decisions, habits, and how I spend my time are actually how I spend my life and are constantly shaping me. I’ll be thinking about this book for a while and implementing some of the strategies she presents.

“Perhaps in bending to do what is boring we learn what is eternal: patience, love, faithfulness, restraint.”

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book landed in my lap at the perfect time. The book provides a simple and meaningful way to setup rhythms in the house. It is a perfect book to blend with “liturgy of the ordinary”. My perspective has shifted each day to see Gods purpose and desire in being at home. It also made me think about what our family desires now and how that should change.

[Lexi Huang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this too long ago to write a quality review but I loved the blend of deep theology with soft, encouraging poems and the practical advice mixed in as well

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book spoke deeply to me in my current season of life. It is simple, yet profound. Masonheimer does an excellent job of gently pushing her readers to see the significance in mundane tasks that must be done and done again. In this she also brings practical homemaking wisdom that can be applied to many seasons of life. I will probably be opening this book time and time again through my mothering years.

[Tay Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible! So much insight, wisdom and encouragement. I learned so much. Very thankful for that this book was written 🙌🏼

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read. I don't often purchase books to keep, but I plan to buy a physical copy of this one to reread and annotate because it was so full of gems!

Every Home a Foundation explores the concepts of "theology of home" and "liturgy of home." Nowadays the importance of the home, its upkeep, and its purpose is diminished by modern views, but in God's eyes, home is more than just a place to crash at night. Masonheimer explains why home is important from a biblical perspective and how we can see God in every-day tasks, then breaks down common issues homemakers experience such as discontentment, overwhelm, and reluctance to show hospitality. She also provides suggestions on how to overcome such issues.

As a stay-at-home mother with a family and a house to care for, Every House a Foundation confirmed to me the importance of caring for the home and family. Every little task done in the right attitude is worship and can bea physical reminder of God. The book also helped me work through feeling overvwhelmed with cleaning and wanting to host, but hesitating due to the size of our home, our budget, etc. Masonheimer reminded me of the importance of opening my home to others. I recommend this book to anyone who is blessed with the task of caring for a home.

I received a digital ARC from Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review. #sponsored

[Abigail Westbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always struggled with the mundane tasks of homemaking, and still haven’t found a routine that I’m able to stick with. Chronic illness and quick boredom make it easy for me to find a million excuses. This book has prompted a very helpful perspective shift for me, showing how even the smallest repetitive tasks that no one else sees or notices can be done “as unto the Lord” - and they DO matter in the bigger picture.

Phylicia writes, “I thought the only things worth doing were the things people could see and applaud. The only work worth improving at was instantly measurable or beneficial to ME. Idolatry of work cannot coexist with a strong theology of home. […] A home culture of faith sees all work as God’s work, paid or unpaid. Laundry, dishes, cooking food, inviting people over, scrubbing floors - all of it glorifies God. Until I recognized my desire to be SEEN was greater than my desire to be faithful, I resisted the season and God’s call. Being home exposed my heart.”

I appreciated that this book isn’t all lofty theological terms that sound great but don’t line up with real life - it is also deeply practical, with specific ideas for routines and rhythms. I found the book to be comprehensive while also not being overwhelmingly detailed or repetitive, so it’s a quick and easy read. The only other thing I had hoped to see addressed is clutter/materialism and how that too can be approached Biblically.

I read a library copy of this book, and now need to go get my own so I can highlight all the sections that stood out to me. I hope that rereading them often will let these truths sink in and change my mindset towards the work of caring for this home God has blessed me with.

[Allison Hilleson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a discussion on how and why we care for different aspects of the home. With the focus on caring for the home as an act of worship, Phylicia creates a liturgy around the repetitive and mundane.
I have been struggling with how to break down tasks or knowing where to start with a lot of daily routines. This book began to shift my focus from "me and what I should do" to "God's heart and why do I do".

[Tina Bavaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a really sweet read, at times a poetic foray into territory that had me wondering if ms masonheimer was in fact “overspiritualizing” the mundane, before i would stop to consider that maybe these are in fact things that we should be thinking about theologically, at least more than most of us in america tend to do. 1 corinthians 10:31 is a thing!

[Leah Good · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Home a Foundation deserves a place alongside my other favorite books about hospitality, hitting a sweet balance between vision, practical advice, and theology. In the past, I've said that The Gospel Comes with a House Key offers the doctrinal reason for hospitality while Just Open the Door provides the practical tips and infection enthusiasm. I'd place Every Home a Foundation as the bridge between these other two books about hospitality. (Every Home a Foundation also captured a lot of what I was looking for in Liturgy of the Ordinary in a writing style that worked a little better for me.)

I especially love Phylicia's intentional inclusion of women from all stages of life. She's not writing to one demographic, but rather inviting all women to embrace the practice (and practical theology) of hospitality in a way that is suitable for their season of life.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the practical suggestions in this book regarding routines, home management, hospitality, etc. I highlighted quite a bit in this book to refer back to again.

However, the “theological meat” of the book I did not enjoy as much. Party, because I don’t follow a liturgical church calendar and also because I disagree with a lot of her theology.

Also, I find it interesting that throughout an entire book on the home very little was said about husbands and their role in helping to shape the foundation and culture of the home.

[Emily Reimold · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was full of practical steps to help me create a routine for our home. She emphasized not making a schedule because we needed room to both breathe and be flexible as life came, but it was still very encouraging and helpful. She also had a huge point about the work at home being holy if our hearts are properly aligned with God. And she takes us through the mending and cleaning and repetitive tasks and helps us see them as holy sacred moments too.

[Katy Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one hit me funny. It felt very much like, “don’t worry about how your home looks, life is more than that. Use your home for hospitality, not entertainment” but then “here are ways to keep your house clean… too poor to afford new housewear? Just go thrift or change your furniture around!” So instead of growing true contentment, just try to focus on the good for now and God will give you more! Maybe this isn’t a fair assessment, but that’s how it hit at this time in my life.

[Michelle Cooksey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the poetry Phylicia integrates throughout each chapter. Her perspective on cultivating a home that brings joy to God through even our daily tasks was encouraging. She includes so many practical tips for the home. I especially like her cleaning outline and zone cleaning. Things I’m sure I could find online, but I really enjoy the heart behind it. Call me a nerd :).

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some very practical and helpful suggestions in this book, especially in the chapter on hospitality. As a disclaimer, I don’t agree with all the theology here, but the practical portion was good!

[Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an easy read that was convicting and encouraging at the same time. A great read for all believers who wish to see the home and the rhythms needed to keep it running as a holy endeavor.

[Megan Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye opening book on finding gratitude, discovering Him, even in the mundane.