"Sometimes God puts us where He needs us to do little things." Reverend Jim Witt from Lititz, Pennsylvania, shared how he has used this core message from LHM's Households of Faith resources in his own household for many years.
Witt shares, "As my wife and I listened to the sermon reflections on The Lutheran Hour last September, we had some reflections of our own messy prayers, loud tables, and open doors. We remembered our familyof eight sitting around our table in our small kitchen in Wyoming.
"One year, an itinerant worker came to our church around Christmas time. He was from Germany and having learned that he was alone, we invited this man to share Christmas with our family. He spent an enjoyable time with our kids and even brought them a few small gifts. Our open-door hospitality resulted in a memorable Christmas that year.
"A few years later, our older daughter who worked at a fast-food restaurant met someone who had no place to go for Christmas. She asked us, 'can he come to our home for Christmas' and our response was, 'yes.' Another Christmas season and another stranger in our home. It was the beginning of a friendship that continues today. We live too far apart to visit, but we do keep in touch. Not long ago he told us, 'The times I spent in your home showed me what it was to be a family.
"Earlier in our marriage we opened our doors to Native American families while we lived on the reservation, and they reciprocated. Many hours were spent with coffee cups and conversation. Later in our marriage it was open doors with Laotian families who worked at the meat packing plant, and they reciprocated. Most recently we were involved with a small Hispanic church in Nebraska where we were informed, "Now you are in our family." Reflecting on open doors resulted in many ministry memories during our marriage."
Following the teaching in The Spiritually Vibrant Home book (page 132), Witt realized the best way to start spiritual conversations in his household is to start with "light fare." Light fare to the Witt family comes in the form of LHM's Vibrant Conversation Decks. Witt ordered 15 decks of cards to share with his core family that is scattered across the United States. The households in this family range from a single person to multi-generational households and even dorm rooms!
Witt plans to send a deck of cards to his family members with a letter from him explaining the goal of this activity. The family will be invited to join a group text that will help them all communicate with each other in one place. Every two weeks or so, a card will be selected from the deck to start a conversation in the text. Family members are encouraged to join, but there is no pressure if someone chooses to not respond to a particular card.
Witt emphasized the "purpose for this activity is prominent in the reflections from that September sermon. The many miles that separate our homes does not mean we can't 'stop by' for a visit. Using God's gift of 'techno doors' and with His blessing, we pray this will be a means for the Holy Spirit to nurture a more vibrant faith in the members of our extended household."
Before sharing the materials with his entire family, Witt gave a deck of cards to his oldest son and younger daughter while they were together for a visit. His daughter says, "I really like the materials and invitation for the family. It would be great if some of the nieces and nephews would join in as well."
When Witt was reading through The Spiritually Vibrant Home, he had the idea to use a 3x5 notecard as a bookmark. When he came across something he wanted to revisit later, he made a note of it on his "bookmark" so he could go back and dig deeper. He recognized that the book supported what his family was already doing, and they could identify with so many of the different types of households described in the book. From lodging 17 people and hosting 25 or so in their house for Christmas, to playing card games at the table after dinner, they were encouraged by the Households of Faith materials and the September 2020 broadcasts of The Lutheran Hour.
Visit lhm.org/households to find timely resources that will help you nurture a spiritually vibrant home.