We had friends in our home for dinner last night, and my husband and I are still enjoying the afterglow of good food, precious fellowship and delightful conversation. I have to say that hospitality has not always come naturally to me, and maybe that’s because it is, I believe, primarily a spiritual gift. An open heart and an open home are in the very nature of God. Has He not sent His Son in order to bring us home? He opened His heart to us by sending Jesus, the express radiance of Himself, and He is preparing a place for us in His heavenly home, if we believe Him. It…

I went for my two-week check-up with the audiologist to assess how I’m handling my new hearing aids. Possibly, if you’ve never had experience with hearing devices or know someone who has, you may find it strange that getting hearing aids for the first time requires such a follow-up visit. Apparently learning to hear again is not as simple as flipping a switch. I learned yesterday that my prescription is not for 100% restored hearing….yet. My brain has to “work up to it,” as it were. Isn’t that fascinating?! My hearing loss was gradual over the course of a couple of decades, and my brain has forgotten how to filter…

I got hearing aids last week. My family says that I’ve needed them for a long time, but I kept putting it off. The persistent wearing of masks in these recent months was ultimately what drove me to finally make an appointment. I had not realized that I had become a lip reader until I couldn’t see people’s lips any more. So, now I have these remarkable tiny devices that sit behind my ears with even tinier amplifiers that fit inside the ear canals. And, the wonders of technology never ceasing, there’s now an app on my phone that controls the volume, the background noise and even the equalized balance…

There is no thing quite so wonderful as an evening of shared food and rich fellowship among friends. It is sustenance for body and soul. The presence of God is often experienced in such simple gatherings, as He bestows His blessing on the expression of love freely given in friendship. Here at the Williams’ establishment, we make it a priority to host friends regularly because we believe in the value of shared life. In these days of social distancing and mask-wearing, it seems the value of shared space together has risen. We’ve learned not to take any small gathering for granted, and we’re more keenly aware of the profound beauty…