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Invited: The Power of Hospitality in an Age of Loneliness
Just come on over.
Many people today feel lonely, isolated, and disconnected from God and others. We crave authentic community, but we have no idea where to start. We'd be glad to cultivate friendships; but honestly, who's got the time? In Invited , writer Leslie Verner says real hospitality is not having a Pinterest-perfect table or well-appointed living room. True hospitality is not clean, comfortable, or controlled. It is an invitation to enter a sacred space together with friends and strangers. Through vivid accounts from her life and travels in Uganda, China, and Tajikistan, and stories of visiting congregations in the United States, Verner shares stories of life around the table and how hospitality is at the heart of Christian community. What if we in the West learned about hospitality from people around the globe? What if our homes became laboratories of belonging? Invited will empower you to open your home, get to know your neighbors, and prioritize people over tasks. Holy hospitality requires more of Jesus and less of us. It leads not only to loving the stranger but to becoming the stranger. Welcome to a new kind of hospitality.
Many people today feel lonely, isolated, and disconnected from God and others. We crave authentic community, but we have no idea where to start. We'd be glad to cultivate friendships; but honestly, who's got the time? In Invited , writer Leslie Verner says real hospitality is not having a Pinterest-perfect table or well-appointed living room. True hospitality is not clean, comfortable, or controlled. It is an invitation to enter a sacred space together with friends and strangers. Through vivid accounts from her life and travels in Uganda, China, and Tajikistan, and stories of visiting congregations in the United States, Verner shares stories of life around the table and how hospitality is at the heart of Christian community. What if we in the West learned about hospitality from people around the globe? What if our homes became laboratories of belonging? Invited will empower you to open your home, get to know your neighbors, and prioritize people over tasks. Holy hospitality requires more of Jesus and less of us. It leads not only to loving the stranger but to becoming the stranger. Welcome to a new kind of hospitality.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published August 13, 2019
20 people are currently reading
352 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
July 1, 2019
In her first book, "Invited," Leslie Verner models the complexities of living in a self-sufficient world. After five years of experiencing Chinese hospitality, Verner returns to the USA and faces the reality of individualistic culture. Verner combines her own story, research, and Biblical narratives to weave questions and observations about what hospitality means in today's culture. She offers critique, guidelines, and hope for anyone struggling to find the meaning of true messy, vulnerable hospitality.
March 8, 2021
Best (only) book I've ever written. :-)
June 21, 2019
I really enjoyed this book! Leslie uses beautiful stories from her life to paint the picture of what hospitality can and should look like, also sharing how other cultures approach hospitality(so much better than Americans do). This book is also rich with scripture on the topic. And practical ways to start being hospitable. Overall, this book is lovely.
If you want to be more hospitable, read this book. If you're already practicing hospitality, read this book. If you love reading stories from other people, read this book.
If you want to be more hospitable, read this book. If you're already practicing hospitality, read this book. If you love reading stories from other people, read this book.
June 23, 2019
Verner challenges us to step out of our comfort zone and to walk out loving our neighbors as Jesus called us to do. She relates story after story from her own life about how real the struggle is against our own nature and western culture and at the same time rewarding.
I was provided a complimentary copy by the author. This is my honest review.
I was provided a complimentary copy by the author. This is my honest review.
February 14, 2022
An absolutely lovely book about Hospitality and its ability to transform relationships. Written from a Christian perspective, it is absolutely accessible for everyone. It’s not preachy at all; rather a gentle reminder of everyone’s need to connect and to be connected. Highly Recommended.
May 28, 2019
In her book Invited, Leslie Verner offers many provocative answers to the question, “what is hospitality?” A self-described goer who is learning to stay, Verner defends hospitality as a Biblical command. According to Verner, hospitality is for everyone, and it involves “unearthing people’s stories.” Hospitality is not only playing host, but it also honors others when we depend on them as their guest. Hospitality is even “the marrow of community, the life source that produces the very cells our collective humanity needs to function.” So what is hospitality? As Verner powerfully demonstrates, hospitality is a reality best explored through multiple lenses.
What kind of book is Invited? Like the concept of hospitality, Invited is also multifaceted. Invited is partly a theological treatise, deeply steeped as well as wide reaching in its Biblical landscape. As an MDiv graduate and candidate for pastoral ordination, I’m impressed with Verner’s ability to weave together Barbara Brown Taylor, David Gushee, Paul Tillich, Rosaria Butterfield, Soong-Chan Rah, and Thomas Merton as conversation partners! Verner’s diverse and erudite endnotes certainly strengthen her defense of hospitality.
In a sense, Invited is also a how-to book that serves up sage advice. Verner offers a crucial perspective as someone who has not only lived on multiple continents, but also in urban, suburban, and rural settings. Indeed, her many years of practicing hospitality as guest as well as host have given Verner plenty of creative invitation ideas, which she shares at the end of Invited. Under “general tips for uncertain hosts,” for example, Leslie Verner recommends keeping “frozen food, such as cookies, banana bread, or lasagna” on hand for last-minute hosting.
While such stashed away fare may be store bought, Verner’s vignettes are made from scratch. Part memoir, Invited also shares pleasingly sticky stories, such as the yeasty comparison of her husband’s sourdough starter with friendship, or Verner’s encounter with Mr. Les Sundae, a vivacious Colorado artist and host par excellence who lives in a school bus in his back yard. Invited is a book that invites us to “linger longer:” not only in the book’s pages, but also in the wonders and mysteries of our own local communities.
I salivated for the “dates dipped in honey” and “lentils stewed in tomatoes and onions over rice” that Verner enjoys with Iranian friends. Invited deftly stirs up a hunger for more: more hospitality, more friendship, and more opportunity to know and to be known by those around us.
After I finished Invited, I sensed Verner’s book, her first, is just the beginning. Though Invited does offer some proper boundaries around hospitality, I’d love a sequel that responds to the very real risks and challenges of welcoming others into our homes. As someone who has managed as well as lived in intentional communities, I’ve discovered the need to address irritations and abuses that can take place in shared spaces.
I’d also love more exploration of how communities can, and do, practice hospitality on a macro scale. While Verner cites a study of cohousing as a successful model, I nonetheless ache to examine where hospitality may lead as it becomes a strengthened practice.
Perhaps, however, I’m getting ahead of myself. As Verner reminds us, we practice hospitality best when we start where we are now, among the people right next to us. In response to Jesus, who invites all of us to the wedding banquet, Invited calls us to dine on a topic and text that is indeed delicious.
I thank Herald Press and author Leslie Verner for sending me a complimentary copy of Invited. My opinion, as well as the decision to review this book and recommend it as a helpful exploration of hospitality, are my own.
What kind of book is Invited? Like the concept of hospitality, Invited is also multifaceted. Invited is partly a theological treatise, deeply steeped as well as wide reaching in its Biblical landscape. As an MDiv graduate and candidate for pastoral ordination, I’m impressed with Verner’s ability to weave together Barbara Brown Taylor, David Gushee, Paul Tillich, Rosaria Butterfield, Soong-Chan Rah, and Thomas Merton as conversation partners! Verner’s diverse and erudite endnotes certainly strengthen her defense of hospitality.
In a sense, Invited is also a how-to book that serves up sage advice. Verner offers a crucial perspective as someone who has not only lived on multiple continents, but also in urban, suburban, and rural settings. Indeed, her many years of practicing hospitality as guest as well as host have given Verner plenty of creative invitation ideas, which she shares at the end of Invited. Under “general tips for uncertain hosts,” for example, Leslie Verner recommends keeping “frozen food, such as cookies, banana bread, or lasagna” on hand for last-minute hosting.
While such stashed away fare may be store bought, Verner’s vignettes are made from scratch. Part memoir, Invited also shares pleasingly sticky stories, such as the yeasty comparison of her husband’s sourdough starter with friendship, or Verner’s encounter with Mr. Les Sundae, a vivacious Colorado artist and host par excellence who lives in a school bus in his back yard. Invited is a book that invites us to “linger longer:” not only in the book’s pages, but also in the wonders and mysteries of our own local communities.
I salivated for the “dates dipped in honey” and “lentils stewed in tomatoes and onions over rice” that Verner enjoys with Iranian friends. Invited deftly stirs up a hunger for more: more hospitality, more friendship, and more opportunity to know and to be known by those around us.
After I finished Invited, I sensed Verner’s book, her first, is just the beginning. Though Invited does offer some proper boundaries around hospitality, I’d love a sequel that responds to the very real risks and challenges of welcoming others into our homes. As someone who has managed as well as lived in intentional communities, I’ve discovered the need to address irritations and abuses that can take place in shared spaces.
I’d also love more exploration of how communities can, and do, practice hospitality on a macro scale. While Verner cites a study of cohousing as a successful model, I nonetheless ache to examine where hospitality may lead as it becomes a strengthened practice.
Perhaps, however, I’m getting ahead of myself. As Verner reminds us, we practice hospitality best when we start where we are now, among the people right next to us. In response to Jesus, who invites all of us to the wedding banquet, Invited calls us to dine on a topic and text that is indeed delicious.
I thank Herald Press and author Leslie Verner for sending me a complimentary copy of Invited. My opinion, as well as the decision to review this book and recommend it as a helpful exploration of hospitality, are my own.
June 24, 2019
This is engaging book is part meditation, part travelogue, and part autobiography. Leslie does a good job of interweaving all three to contemplate the need for community in an age of isolation. Through her own experiences and reflections, the author explores her own observations of other cultures as they extended hospitality to her and how she can extend hospitality in her own culture with its own set of expectations and in her particular life stage. She highlights the longing and reluctance we all encounter as we try to reach out to those around us while hoping we can form a mutually beneficial community around us despite the competition with so many diversions that seem to take people's time away from face to face relationships. I appreciated the many practical suggestions she includes to help the reader begin to forge community and the bibliography for further reading. The discussion questions will help reading groups drill down on the material in a very efficient way as well.
July 1, 2019
Leslie brings a truly living wealth of life experiences around hospitality to the table, along with the sticky hands of her kids, toys on the floor, phones ringing, & all of our endless to-do lists. As North Americans, we do live in a world that hyper-values individualism. So we're deeply mystified, intrigued, jealous, & aghast all at the same about the collective openness of community found in places like East Asian or the Middle East. We want it, and we don't want it. Yet with warmth and familial charm, Leslie ignites a holy curiosity around reclaiming some of those long-lost values of hospitality. For me, it was both encouraging and challenging. It was immediately apparent (to me) that Leslie was writing as an extrovert. As an introvert, I often found myself exhausted trying to keep up with Leslie's colourful versions of hospitality. I was pleased to read that she does address those differences and, rather than putting the book down, I was urged to decipher what hospitality could look like for me: how can I open the doors -- whatever those doors might be -- in ways that are honouring to divine community, to myself, & to God?
February 20, 2023
I resonated so hard with this book (the move from one part of America to another, the international experiences of hospitality, the search for a church, the challenges of practicing hospitality while trying to shout over the chaos of three small children and their little friends) that I felt like maybe I had written the book myself and just changed some names and places to keep it anonymous. Our first year of marriage, hospitality was one of the three values that my husband and I chose for our life together. I really loved this beautiful, thoughtful exploration of hospitality- why we do it and how we can continue in all seasons of life. It’s one of those books that I want to re-read as soon as I finish it. I’ll be coming back to it!
June 28, 2019
There are very few books that I think deserve a true 5 star rating, and if I could give this book more stars I would. I have always wished for more community and I thought I had a heart for hospitality, but Leslie has changed me and opened my eyes to view community and hospitality in a whole new way. I hold on too tightly to my privacy, and it was painful to realize how prideful I have been. There is certainly nothing wrong with being introverted, needing some time alone, etc. But through this book I have realized that I am preventing myself from having the community I crave because I’ve closed my heart to what doesn’t feel safe. Leslie has a wonderful way of combining her stories and life experiences with very practical ways to open ourselves up...both our hearts and our homes. I will be buying multiple copies of this to give away and I’ll be recommending it to everyone I know. Most importantly, I can’t wait to incorporate these new practices in my own life. Well done!!
July 1, 2019
I absolutely loved this book! I’ve been mulling over the author’s words ever since I finished. It’s full of nuggets of wisdom and practical ways to invite people into your life. I was definitely encouraged to be more intentional in my existing relationships but also challenged to be more open handed with everything we’ve been given, especially with people I may not know so well. Be more of a front porch person. Cook a meal together with some people we might want to get to know better. Learn the names of cashiers at the grocery store, make eye contact, say thank you, and ask them about their day. Nothing earth shattering, but small things like these really do foster community, sometimes in the most unlikely of places. I can’t recommend this book enough and have a list of people I’m looking forward to gifting it to!
July 23, 2019
I loved this memoir/ meditation on what it means today to love our neighbor and what hospitality looks like in real life. Leslie brought such a thoughtful, expansive perspective and her writing was inspiring rather than shaming or holier-than-thou. It was so helpful to read about her own multi-cultural experiences to help contextualize the American default version of hospitality we may be used to, and I really appreciated that she never claimed to know all the answers--only that the questions were worth asking.
June 27, 2019
INVITED is a extraordinary book that gives us imagination for following in the way of our relational God. In our age in which our reliance on technology often keeps us from face-to-face human interactions and conversations, Leslie Verner points us toward the sort of hospitality that goes out of its way to talk and to be with the people who surround us at any moment. A rich mix of personal stories and practical wisdom, INVITED is precisely the sort of book we need to guide us in the work of cultivating diverse community in our age of loneliness and isolation.
August 5, 2019
Invited is inspiring. You will be drawn into her world of hospitality and the confidence she has that God will use it for His glory. People like Leslie help diminish the fears that many people have that prevents them from inviting others into their home, into their life. We have good news to share and others, when around our gospel families, will often want to be a part of the joy we have in Christ. Keep loving through inviting!
October 27, 2019
Truth: Leslie Verner pretty much just took up residence in my head.
August 15, 2019
Leslie Verner offers us the nudge we need to open our doors and offer simple and honest hospitality. This insightful and beautiful story shows us what it is to love our neighbors in a deep and meaningful way. It is not only a call to love those around us but to push aside fear and be willing to receive hospitality as well.
Her tales from China to inner-city Chicago to suburbia Colorado drew me in as I saw it mirror my own experiences as a missionary aboard and the struggles to find belonging as you return "home" to a place that no longer felt like home. Opening your door and loving those God places around you makes you realize that home comes about when you are willing to invite others into your life and to be invited.
Her tales from China to inner-city Chicago to suburbia Colorado drew me in as I saw it mirror my own experiences as a missionary aboard and the struggles to find belonging as you return "home" to a place that no longer felt like home. Opening your door and loving those God places around you makes you realize that home comes about when you are willing to invite others into your life and to be invited.
July 5, 2024
Absolutely beautiful writing and perspective!
June 10, 2019
In an age of loneliness, we long to be seen, heard, invited.
Leslie Verner encourages us to "... leap the first hurdle to Spirit-led hospitality: a concern for our own comfort, security, and safety." For when we invite others in we are inviting Christ.
She challenges readers not to hold out for ideal circumstances, but offer the invitation that frames the entire love story of the Bible. Through her travels around the world, Verner shares the beauty of hospitality and life-changing impact of community. I was struck by a quote from a Saudi Arabian friend when asked how they practice hospitality, "We usually give up our own rooms to offer them the best room in the house."
I know I will be praying her call for us to notice the stranger, invite, welcome and lavish generously as Christ has for us. I'm thankful for this beautiful book that guides us to open our hearts and homes.
Leslie Verner encourages us to "... leap the first hurdle to Spirit-led hospitality: a concern for our own comfort, security, and safety." For when we invite others in we are inviting Christ.
She challenges readers not to hold out for ideal circumstances, but offer the invitation that frames the entire love story of the Bible. Through her travels around the world, Verner shares the beauty of hospitality and life-changing impact of community. I was struck by a quote from a Saudi Arabian friend when asked how they practice hospitality, "We usually give up our own rooms to offer them the best room in the house."
I know I will be praying her call for us to notice the stranger, invite, welcome and lavish generously as Christ has for us. I'm thankful for this beautiful book that guides us to open our hearts and homes.
August 12, 2019
This is a rare book. Gracious and grace-filled and gentle but with an unavoidable nudge toward action. Leslie's stories contain humor and honesty. I appreciated how much she was willing to share about her own insecurities where hospitality is concerned and how open she was about the difficulties she had overcoming the excuses and reasons why she shouldn't. Leslie offers a relatable story of someone who has been shown hospitality and who has learned (is learning) to offer it, no matter how small or ordinary it might look. This is my favorite kind of book about this subject because not for one second did I feel shamed about my hospitality efforts. I felt encouraged and spurred on, and I was so excited about this book when I finished it that I immediately recommended it for small group study at my church.
I read an advance copy of the book. Review reflects my personal opinion.
I read an advance copy of the book. Review reflects my personal opinion.
July 11, 2019
The word hospitality can make our hearts race, especially when we think it involves cleaning a house and preparing a perfect meal. In her thoughtful book, Invited: The Power of Hospitality in an Age of Loneliness, Leslie debunks that notion and shows readers how to think differently about hospitality. A mother of three small children, she talks about her journey to pursue hospitality by inviting people to do life together, even in “the stress and the mess and the raisins smashed into the carpet.” Leslie doesn’t preach or lay on the guilt; instead, she asks thoughtful questions of herself and writes of her own challenges to respond to God’s reminder: “I invited you. Now invite.”
If you love to practice hospitality, this book will give you courage to keep inviting. If you struggle to practice hospitality, this book will help you remember that at its core, hospitality means, “Come and join me in my mess.”
Study questions at the end make this a great choice for a book group study.
If you love to practice hospitality, this book will give you courage to keep inviting. If you struggle to practice hospitality, this book will help you remember that at its core, hospitality means, “Come and join me in my mess.”
Study questions at the end make this a great choice for a book group study.
August 28, 2020
“Invited” is for people who want to be surprised by the richness of welcome and connection, who want to be a good neighbor, who want to meet others with love. This book provides an antidote to a fragmented, divided, lonely world and invites us to be part of the solution. Through her own experiences of receiving and giving hospitality, Verner paints a picture of connection, relationship and intimacy in the middle of real, messy, mundane moments of life. It is a hospitality that is open hearted, free, boundary expanding and challenging and rooted in the welcome God has for each of us. It begins with the people already in our lives and invites us to open our eyes and hearts wide to those we may not yet have noticed. Verner illustrates a kind of hospitality giving and receiving that includes everyone, no matter your situation or personality—an achievable way to communicate that the people around us are chosen, welcomed and valued. I’m encouraged to reach out in new ways!
December 30, 2019
Invited is an incredibly timely book. In this age when loneliness has reached epidemic proportion, Leslie Verner challenges all of us to embrace our neighbors. Rather than assuming we need perfect homes and Pinterest-worthy meals, she believes that we simply need to open our eyes and our homes to those around us. Verner acknowledges that biblical hospitality requires us to give up comfort, control, and efficiency. Invited dismantles the fallacies of the American dream one chapter at a time. A necessary read.
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August 16, 2019As someone who desires deeper, more meaningful connections with those around me but feels overwhelmed by the demands of my life and schedule, Verner's writing allowed me to imagine simple ways that I can be more present to my neighbors. Verner reminded me that my dinner table doesn't have to look like something out of a magazine shoot or the most Pinterest worthy party for me to be able to invite others into my life. Her words are gentle and encouraging. If you are exploring ways to grow in hospitality, this is a great read!
August 6, 2019
Leslie Verner is one with an eye for language and a keen ability to speak insights through the recollections of stories from her own experiences. Her words will challenge readers to think more deeply about the concept and practice of hospitality. Equally, her words will liberate us to expand our view of what it means to invite others into our lives and be invited by others into their lives. Our world is better when we are interconnected. Leslie reminds us of that so well.
August 12, 2019
In Invited: The Power of Hospitality in an Age of Loneliness, Leslie Verner describes an invitation as an “opening in the window of relationship, granting intimacy permission to drift in like a breeze into a stuffy room.” (174)
Verner describes herself as a “goer learning how to stay,” and so the practice of hospitality for her was learned, initially, as a guest in cultures where she was the stranger and the recipient of a warm welcome and a place around the table. Now, called to “do the hard work of staying,” (335) she writes about her own learning curve around the discipline of deepening relationships through a life time of invitations offered from one zip code.
Invited to Fight Loneliness
Loneliness has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, and this has been fed by our cultural tendency toward privacy and independence. Our addiction to and dependence upon technology has only increased our isolation, to the point where even those who attend church regularly admit to feelings of loneliness. An intentional practice of hospitality fights the default.
Verner argues that our churches “don’t need more programs or plans for living missionally in the world; we just need to invite others to walk with us in our right-now life.”
Invited to Build Community
Jesus modeled an open-hearted practice of welcome, and his unruly disciple Peter must have been taking notes: “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling,” he urged. Whether within our four walls or simply in the way we land in a pew on Sunday morning, it’s clear that the believer is called to a life of community building and our “neighbor” could be just about anyone. Verner has supplied an extensive list of ideas for uncomplicated hospitality in neighborhood, church, and community contexts along with some good general tips for anyone needing additional reassurance.
The practice of missional hospitality means that we begin living like “invited ones” ourselves, for God showed his heart toward us in the early pages of Genesis, inviting Adam out of the bushes and back into relationship. And he never stops inviting, holding out frosty glasses of Life to “whoever desires” and whoever will “take the water of life freely.” The power of hospitality in an age of loneliness is sturdy evidence of God at work in his people. Our invitation is an open window to Truth.
Many thanks to Herald Press for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which, of course, is offered freely and with honesty.
Verner describes herself as a “goer learning how to stay,” and so the practice of hospitality for her was learned, initially, as a guest in cultures where she was the stranger and the recipient of a warm welcome and a place around the table. Now, called to “do the hard work of staying,” (335) she writes about her own learning curve around the discipline of deepening relationships through a life time of invitations offered from one zip code.
Invited to Fight Loneliness
Loneliness has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, and this has been fed by our cultural tendency toward privacy and independence. Our addiction to and dependence upon technology has only increased our isolation, to the point where even those who attend church regularly admit to feelings of loneliness. An intentional practice of hospitality fights the default.
Verner argues that our churches “don’t need more programs or plans for living missionally in the world; we just need to invite others to walk with us in our right-now life.”
Invited to Build Community
Jesus modeled an open-hearted practice of welcome, and his unruly disciple Peter must have been taking notes: “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling,” he urged. Whether within our four walls or simply in the way we land in a pew on Sunday morning, it’s clear that the believer is called to a life of community building and our “neighbor” could be just about anyone. Verner has supplied an extensive list of ideas for uncomplicated hospitality in neighborhood, church, and community contexts along with some good general tips for anyone needing additional reassurance.
The practice of missional hospitality means that we begin living like “invited ones” ourselves, for God showed his heart toward us in the early pages of Genesis, inviting Adam out of the bushes and back into relationship. And he never stops inviting, holding out frosty glasses of Life to “whoever desires” and whoever will “take the water of life freely.” The power of hospitality in an age of loneliness is sturdy evidence of God at work in his people. Our invitation is an open window to Truth.
Many thanks to Herald Press for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which, of course, is offered freely and with honesty.
November 12, 2019
Leslie Verner reshaped my view of hospitality from a laborious task I should be doing to a way of life that is open, lovely, and already within my reach. She asserts that “hospitality is not for the called or gifted. It’s not for the gregarious extroverts with huge houses and overflowing bank accounts. And it’s not for the people with angelic children, respectable roommates, or perfect marriages … Hospitality is for everyone.”
Biblical hospitality, according to Verner, is a privilege offered to those of us who have already been invited into God’s Kingdom. He invited us, so we invite others.
And it doesn’t have to be as complicated as most of us make it. A heart open to the Holy Spirit’s leading is all it takes. God can use a simple meal, a messy house, or some space for spontaneity in our calendar to bring us into community with those around us.
I found Verner’s application of the Good Samaritan parable delightfully refreshing. She points out that the Samaritan who stopped to help the wounded traveler did not go out of his way to find someone to serve; instead, he came alongside one already on his path. Biblical hospitality can be as simple as noticing those on the roads we already travel.
Verner also challenges the notion that those who go on missions are somehow more “holy” than those who stay. “While some of us may be led to move, go, and pledge ourselves to other lands, most of us are tasked with the mission to stay.” She demonstrates how those who remain in one place long enough to grow roots are uniquely poised to foster community.
As an introvert, I especially appreciated the chapter on solitude and how times of refreshment and reflection before the Lord serve to fuel our service to others.
Every Christ-follower in the North American church should read this book. Reclaiming the art of hospitality is imperative for reaching those around us and for experiencing genuine community.
"Invited" combines vignettes from Verner’s personal experiences with other cultures, fresh applications of the Scriptures, and practical tips for making hospitality reachable. The tone is nurturing and—you guessed it—inviting. Even to those of us who cringe at the thought of throwing a party.
Biblical hospitality, according to Verner, is a privilege offered to those of us who have already been invited into God’s Kingdom. He invited us, so we invite others.
And it doesn’t have to be as complicated as most of us make it. A heart open to the Holy Spirit’s leading is all it takes. God can use a simple meal, a messy house, or some space for spontaneity in our calendar to bring us into community with those around us.
I found Verner’s application of the Good Samaritan parable delightfully refreshing. She points out that the Samaritan who stopped to help the wounded traveler did not go out of his way to find someone to serve; instead, he came alongside one already on his path. Biblical hospitality can be as simple as noticing those on the roads we already travel.
Verner also challenges the notion that those who go on missions are somehow more “holy” than those who stay. “While some of us may be led to move, go, and pledge ourselves to other lands, most of us are tasked with the mission to stay.” She demonstrates how those who remain in one place long enough to grow roots are uniquely poised to foster community.
As an introvert, I especially appreciated the chapter on solitude and how times of refreshment and reflection before the Lord serve to fuel our service to others.
Every Christ-follower in the North American church should read this book. Reclaiming the art of hospitality is imperative for reaching those around us and for experiencing genuine community.
"Invited" combines vignettes from Verner’s personal experiences with other cultures, fresh applications of the Scriptures, and practical tips for making hospitality reachable. The tone is nurturing and—you guessed it—inviting. Even to those of us who cringe at the thought of throwing a party.
July 12, 2019
Invited, The Power of Hospitality in an Age of Loneliness by Leslie Verner is a lovely book that dives into the Western proclivity for isolation versus the communal living of other cultures, and then we must decide which one is more Biblical. Verner shares stories of her times living in other countries, the hospitality she felt in those places, and how to create community in an individualistic society.
As Americans we have this view that hospitality is making the house spotless, cooking an amazing meal, serving beautiful cupcakes, and the kids behave like angels. Unfortunately that image is hard to attain. We don’t want others to see our messy, imperfect lives, so instead we don’t invite at all. But hospitality is inviting others into our mess.
The solution for loneliness that Verner offers is to spend time with God, and then spend time with others. But instead of waiting for an invitation from someone else, offer the invitation yourself. “You are invited. Now invite.”
This is a topic that I have been thinking about a lot, and Invited confirmed many of the ideas I’ve had: Technology has isolated us even more instead of connecting us. And if you feel lonely, you’re not the only one. Verner seems to have more initiative and willingness to step outside of her comfort zone than I do, and that is something I will have to work on for myself.
The back of the book has study questions, ideas for inviting, and a list of more books for continued reading on the topic of true hospitality. This is a convicting book that sometimes made me feel inadequate - like I would never measure up to the abilities of the author. Overall though, this book is an invitation to welcome others into our lives, no matter how scary that feels.
As Americans we have this view that hospitality is making the house spotless, cooking an amazing meal, serving beautiful cupcakes, and the kids behave like angels. Unfortunately that image is hard to attain. We don’t want others to see our messy, imperfect lives, so instead we don’t invite at all. But hospitality is inviting others into our mess.
The solution for loneliness that Verner offers is to spend time with God, and then spend time with others. But instead of waiting for an invitation from someone else, offer the invitation yourself. “You are invited. Now invite.”
This is a topic that I have been thinking about a lot, and Invited confirmed many of the ideas I’ve had: Technology has isolated us even more instead of connecting us. And if you feel lonely, you’re not the only one. Verner seems to have more initiative and willingness to step outside of her comfort zone than I do, and that is something I will have to work on for myself.
The back of the book has study questions, ideas for inviting, and a list of more books for continued reading on the topic of true hospitality. This is a convicting book that sometimes made me feel inadequate - like I would never measure up to the abilities of the author. Overall though, this book is an invitation to welcome others into our lives, no matter how scary that feels.
August 13, 2019
Leslie's new book, Invited, draws us into communion with others through her reflection on her adventures as a young student in urban Chicago, to her study abroad experiences in China and Uganda, to her current locale in small town Colorado as a wife and mom of littles. She weaves her experiences, both domestic and international, in a journal of hospitality to create a beautiful tapestry of creative ways to welcome those that we've been blessed to have cross our path. Invited offers the hesitant host as well as the seasoned welcomer, natural and creative ways to extend the hand of warmth and acceptance to strangers, neighbors or even close friends. Leslie offers her stories of being welcomed in unlikely places to enliven and inspire our sense of giving. She reflects on the importance of not worrying about having the "perfect home," the "perfect children," or the "perfect menu;" but, to use what you have to offer simple, sincere and loving outreach. She says, "God uses the ordinary as symbols of the sacred: bread and wine, feasting and fasting, inviting and being invited." Leslie ties her message to the message that God calls us to: He extends His hand to join Him wherever we are, however we look or feel, or whatever our circumstance. Leslie spells out how He was broken for us, but in our gathering, we let our broken selves be a bridge to finding love, worth and unity and "sense the presence of God in our midst." Bravo Leslie! As a seasoned welcomer myself, I was able to glean many inspirations and new attitudes towards extending the hand of hospitality in its many shapes and forms.
December 26, 2024
I've been looking for a book that I could recommend on Christian Hospitality. I was first introduced to the idea by the Gospel Comes with a House Key, but I thought that the book carried a lot of extra baggage with it that didn't need to be there. Since then I've been on a quest for a good book on hospitality. I think I've finally found one I could recommend whole heartedly.
Invited does so much right in my eyes. It focuses on hospitality in both big and small ways. It focuses on the importance of hospitality, but also does a great job at acknowledging the importance of solitude and the reality of messy lives and difficult seasons. An added benefit to all this is that Leslie Verner's cross cultural experiences have given her a unique perspective that allows her to see outside of the American culture we can find ourselves caught in.
I also appreciated how she wove the use of the Bible into the book. It was done in a way that was useful without being too heavy handed. I appreciated that and it makes the book more generally applicable without starting to go down too many particulars to that person's theology.
Overall I really enjoyed Invited. In terms of books on Hospitality from a Christian perspective this is probably the one I will be recommending. Since I find the topic one I enjoy, even though putting it into practice is a much harder task, I will probably still read others on the topic. I can easily say though that Invited is the best of the four books on hospitality that I've read up until now.
Invited does so much right in my eyes. It focuses on hospitality in both big and small ways. It focuses on the importance of hospitality, but also does a great job at acknowledging the importance of solitude and the reality of messy lives and difficult seasons. An added benefit to all this is that Leslie Verner's cross cultural experiences have given her a unique perspective that allows her to see outside of the American culture we can find ourselves caught in.
I also appreciated how she wove the use of the Bible into the book. It was done in a way that was useful without being too heavy handed. I appreciated that and it makes the book more generally applicable without starting to go down too many particulars to that person's theology.
Overall I really enjoyed Invited. In terms of books on Hospitality from a Christian perspective this is probably the one I will be recommending. Since I find the topic one I enjoy, even though putting it into practice is a much harder task, I will probably still read others on the topic. I can easily say though that Invited is the best of the four books on hospitality that I've read up until now.
November 3, 2019
In a world where we're more connected than ever, the majority of people feel alone. How can that be? In this book, Leslie reminds us of the importance of hospitality, especially in our artificially connected world. She also points out that hospitality doesn't mean perfection, it just means loving other people well. I especially love the section she includes at the back of the book with ideas of simple ways to show hospitality. For anyone who wants to create a stronger community and wants to love others well, this book is for you!
"You do hospitality anyway, God seemed to say. You do it in the stress and the mess and the raisins smashed into the carpet. You do it when you’re hollering over three preschoolers telling knock-knock jokes with no punchline and talking about poop and pee at the table. You do it when your children throw tantrums and blatantly disobey you in front of your friends and family. You do it because doing life together means not hiding behind closed doors but inviting people into your actual life. And your actual life is not pretty. It’s not organized, perfect, or pristine. You do it because I am a hospitable, generous God and because Jesus was a model of serving despite inconveniences. You invite because I invited you, and you welcome because the Bible says you may well bring angels in disguise into your home. And you invite because when you invite, you are inviting me." ~ Leslie Verner
"You do hospitality anyway, God seemed to say. You do it in the stress and the mess and the raisins smashed into the carpet. You do it when you’re hollering over three preschoolers telling knock-knock jokes with no punchline and talking about poop and pee at the table. You do it when your children throw tantrums and blatantly disobey you in front of your friends and family. You do it because doing life together means not hiding behind closed doors but inviting people into your actual life. And your actual life is not pretty. It’s not organized, perfect, or pristine. You do it because I am a hospitable, generous God and because Jesus was a model of serving despite inconveniences. You invite because I invited you, and you welcome because the Bible says you may well bring angels in disguise into your home. And you invite because when you invite, you are inviting me." ~ Leslie Verner
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