Teatime Discipleship Book Club (Week #1)
One Saturday afternoon in Oxford found me strolling along the cobbled streets for an irresistible pastry to grace our tea table the next day. I was headed for a neighborhood shop that specializes in buttery, sugary, melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon buns. Just before I reached the bakery, a secondhand shop across the street called me to peek inside. I glanced around at the artifacts piled near the window and had almost concluded that nothing in the shop would entice me when I spotted a small, intricately woven rattan child's chair in the back corner.
What a find! I could just picture my granddaughter feeling proud of having her own grown-up chair to sit in as we sipped tea together. I wrestled it into my grasp to walk a half-mile home as a surprise for her. When she first received "Lily's throne," her tiny feet dangled above the floor. Yet now, years later, it is a perfect fit.
When I visit Lily's home, two hours away in another part of England, I tell her, "Let's let Mama sleep just a bit more. You and I will be friends and talk and tell stories and have a cup of tea every morning. You in your chair and I in mine." And so we do .We have chattered together and giggled, and she has broken out in wild ballet dancing around the room as we sipped. Now every time I go to visit, she says, "I can't wait till we can be friends again and have our tea together."
As artists in our homes, we paint the canvas of our life stories with the colors we most love, the art and photographs and framed quotations we set in the center to discuss, the way we place furniture to create community, and the ways our tables are decorated to say, "Come here and feast and rest a while. Good food, conversation, and friendship are awaiting you. I have prepared a place for us. You are special and I love spending time with you." I love to love my people well; it brings me much pleasure to plan for ways to delight them, to bring unique touches into my environment that I know will especially please them, cultivating the ambience that will set the stage.
As I grew in imagination as an artist in my home, creating place became a satisfying work of my life. My home and table became a sanctuary for life, a holding place for all our ideals, an atmosphere of love, and an energy that engages dreams and inspiration. I owned the fact that I shaped my life according to my personality and preferences. My desire for delight and whimsy was embodied in how I created the moments for intimacy and friendship, and I realized that I was quite free to do it "my way."
There is no one sort of teatime or decor or place where planned mentoring, and encouragement sessions must be enacted. All the details are merely the backdrop for the enactment of memories, traditions, love, and legacy. And so, your teatimes will become a unique reflection of you-your stories, your delights, and your joys!
The profound work of a woman is to bring civility and order out of chaos; to bring beauty, intelligence, and excellence to her community; and to subdue her kingdom of home in a life-giving haven; and so, this week in our book club, we are going to explore what it means to create a space for others.
I am so glad you joined me!
Praying for you,
Sally Clarkson
Step One: If you haven't yet purchased your copy of the book, you can click the link below to grab one!
Step Two: Read Section 1: Welcome In in Teatime Discipleship
Step Three: Read the questions for this week (at the bottom of this email) and click over to the forum (the button to the post is in the email, as well!) and post your answers. I'll pick someone who posted in the forum for the book club to gift a new copy of the deluxe edition of Mom Heart Moments.
Step Four: To go deeper with what you're reading and discussing, you can download the Rhythms and Routines Journal to bring order and beauty to your home, listen to my exclusive podcast episode on Giving Life Through Hospitality, or even learn how to make a cup of tea and a proper scone! You can utilize all of the resources, or just what meets you where you are right now.
Above is an older video of me, but I think it's a great way to see how I make my tea! Also, if you make a cup of tea with me, try adding Sarah Cream Scones with it for a truly delicious, heavenly tea time!
This Week's Reading: Section 1: Welcome In
After you read this week's reading assignment, hop over to the Life With Sally Forum (button below) to join the discussion for our book club! Here is what we will be thinking, discussing, and pondering over on the forum:
Question #1
Home is indeed a place of grace-where we can be ourselves, cuddle up to familiarity, count on food we are used to, and expect love that is always and forever unconditional. It is such an honor that God has trusted each of us to be cultivators of beauty within the walls where our loved ones reside.
Still, whether you've spent years in your home or are just starting over, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by work when you think about home. Today, I challenge you to be inspired by all of the amazing, beautiful, lively moments that can and will happen in your home. What dreams do you hold for your home? How do you want your children to remember their home? How do you want people to feel when they’ve spent time in your home?
Question #2
Describe a time when you've received extraordinary hospitality. What preparations, words, and actions from your host made you feel welcome?
How can you leave everyone who enters your space with the fragrance, intelligence, and beauty of Christ? What tangible steps can you take to prepare your space for both hospitality and discipleship? How will the presence of Christ be experienced in your home?
Question #3
In giving my life to others, often, God gave me the friends I so desperately needed. And now I have sisters in Christ all over the world who work, serve, and fellowship alongside me. We all support one another because we are devoted to one another's well-being. I just wish they all lived next door.
Relationships are an investment, and they require intentional giving and planning. How are you investing in friendships? How are you modeling Jesus, and His servant leadership, to your friends and community? In what ways can you make friendship a priority in this season of your life?
