Dorms, ditches, and divine hospitality...

  I’ll never forget the day my college roommate walked into our dorm room. Technically, I knew him since he was my cousin, but we’d only met a handful of times growing up. So when he showed up with a few bags, his sandals, and what I can only describe as “confident chaos,” I wondered… What have I gotten myself into?

Would we get along? Would he be normal? (Spoiler: Not even close ?.) But I had no idea then that this guy, Phil would become one of the closest friends I’ve ever had.

This week, he called me in the middle of the day. My heart skipped a beat… Was Christine okay? One of the kids? I texted back immediately. But when we finally connected, nothing was wrong, we just ended up doing what we always do: laughing about how dumb we were in college.

We reminisced about a classic “moment in the ditch,” our different personalities (he’s chill, really chill), and how we repeatedly risked our lives doing things no adult supervising us would’ve ever approved…motorcycles, snow-covered hills, church vans that were never meant to go that fast.

We’ve done it all...wrestled, played football, had deep spiritual talks, we even went on double dates with girls who somehow later agreed to marry us. We stood in each other’s weddings, and shared more meals than I can count. He even convinced me to buy some bitcoin, so technically, he’s also my financial advisor ?.

But here’s what really stands out: Phil is loyal. Kind. Hilarious. And delightfully unpredictable. He’d drop anything to help me, and I’d do the same for him. We started out as strangers. Now we’re brothers. And that’s the beauty of hospitality. It turns strangers into friends, and friends into family.

This Sunday in Acts 16, we’ll see a story like this, when Lydia heard the gospel, something shifted. Her heart was opened, and so was her home. She didn’t wait to get her dishes just right or finish a remodel. The moment she trusted Jesus, she welcomed Paul and his crew like they were already part of the family.

That’s what the gospel does...it tears down walls and throws open doors. We’ll talk about how hospitality isn’t just entertaining guests, it’s making space in your life for God to work through relationships that might just change someone’s eternity.

I hope you’ll join us as we see what happens when Jesus opens doors and welcomes us in. We are back to our original Church Air BnB, The Harlow Event Space, 1525 Grand Ave., Kansas City, MO. Our services are still at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am (Full KidCity available), or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or on our New Life website at 9:15 am.

See you Sunday!

Troy

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