If you have already looked at the Bassett's or Johnson's blog today you are not going to be surprised when I say that I just came back from a Jr. High retreat in the Wisconsin Dells this weekend. I will let you know from the beginning that I don't have any pictures so if you want to see some I refer you to the previously mentioned blogs.

What I did want to talk about was the message that we were trying to get across to the kids this weekend and that was hospitality. When I was in Junior High and even High School it seemed rare that I was ever shown hospitality from the other kids. I am of coarse meaning that they never seemed to include me. Was it because they were a little more mature than I was and just in a different place in life so we were interested in different things?? Maybe. Was it because I was not very outgoing so I was scared to talk to them and try to become friends?? Sure. Was it because they were just as nervous as I was to step out of their comfort zone to include someone new who they did not know as well?? Most likely. The fact is that I am sure that all these reasons apply and then some.

The point is that it can be very hard to include and be hospitable to others we don't know as well. After all, you are asking yourself to step outside your own boundaries and in a way making yourself vulnerable when you don't have to be. The sad truth is that this can still happen as an adult. However, I don't believe that it is as obvious because I think that this kind of behavior can be viewed as being "Junior Highish" and then dismissed as something that could never happen past those years. Thank God we have matured (well hopefully) and are able to allow ourselves to step out of our comfort zones with a little more confidence in ourselves. I know I try to because I know how it feels be the one left out of things.

So with that little explanation of our message this weekend, I am going to present you with the same challenge as we did to our Junior High youth group. I challenge you to step out of your circle and talk to someone you don't know as well as your close friends. Whether it be at church, work, the gym or wherever, take a few moments to say hello to someone you don't normally talk to but see all the time. I think this world would be a much better place if we were a little bit more hospitable to each other and a little less hostile.