The Heart of an Angel: Becoming God’s Messengers of Love and Hospitality to a World in Need

The Englishes (Angel in the Kitchen), husband and wife, ask readers to redefine hospitality by considering it from a biblical sense in this impassioned book. In modern parlance, hospitality implies entertaining perfectly and putting on a show, they write. But, for them, this is misguided; they see expressing love in a practical way and developing relationships as the true nature of hospitality. By creating an environment in which God can work and reaching out when others are in need (instead of waiting for the perfect set of circumstances), they believe that one can rediscover the heart of hospitality. There are many stories from the Bible (as well as some from Martha Stewart and Wilma’s mother), and the book’s repetitive construction is filled with biblical imperatives (“Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or place to stay”) and stories of how hospitality helped people find grace (Abraham greeting the three angels at his home is used as an origin tale). Bringing together all the Bible has to say about being hospitable, the Englishes’ forceful book will appeal to Christians interested in deeply scriptural reading. (BookLife)