We moved six months ago, and one of the going away gifts from a church member was this beautiful vase. They had been in the military for much of their lives, and a vase like this had been given to them by dear friends. It means a great deal to us, and when we fill it with flowers it’s like like bringing our friends into our home.

We think about making our home a safe place, and making it a place of refuge or retreat. I often think of it like that, a place to get away to, a place to hide away..

Years ago I led a writing workshop at a family retreat, and gave an assignment: spend 10 minutes writing in your notebook on “home”. Keep your hand moving, don’t think about it, just write for 10 minutes. (I got the idea from Natalie Goldberg, in her book Writing Down the Bones.)

Afterward some folks read what they had written and it was a surprisingly healing exercise. One man dealt with some long suppressed grief from his father, and someone else told how just writing on that word — “home” — opened things up for her in surprising ways.

What does home mean to you?

Now I want our home to be a place of fellowship, a place of love and encouragement, a place of hospitality where our neighbors can find a cup of coffee, a place of safety, a place of prayer and blessing. I want the place where we live to be a place where I can show my true home — my life with Jesus Christ.