FIRST IN LAST OUT
PRACTICE HOSPITALITY | Todd Elliott
I ’ ve been slowly making my way through the book of Romans . Did I mention slowly ? This morning I read Romans 12 , a chapter we all know pretty well . In fact , as I started reading it , I thought to myself ... I know this ... do I really need to read it again ? My next thought was that I should read it again . If nothing else , I ’ m filling my mind with excellent thoughts .
Then I got to the end of the verse ... Practice Hospitality . to cook for a large group . But I think the word hospitality applies to all of us for a reason . It is other focused . It is an opportunity for us to not just fixate on ourselves ... to think about someone else and what they might need in a situation .
I don ’ t know about you , but so often I ’ m trying to cover my own stuff . I don ’ t care about anyone else ’ s issues , I just don ’ t want my stuff to fail . will get easier . Each time we think of others , it will become more of a natural reaction .
What can I do to practice the act of being hospitable to someone this week ? What does it look like to think of someone else first ?
Whether in your production setting at church or at your job or with your family , practice hospitality .
Like most moments of revelation while reading the Bible , this one struck me in a profound way .
This is a command . It is for all of us , not just for the people who have the gift of hospitality , which Paul talks about later . We are all called to practice hospitality with each other ... to everyone .
The more interesting word in this sentence is “ practice ”. Meaning it isn ’ t an automatic response for most of us , that it takes work to be hospitable to each other . We need to practice it .
When I think of practicing something , it is usually about rehearsing a service so that we can execute it without creating a distraction . Or one step before this , working through lighting cues before people are waiting on me so that I know that they will work ; checking the graphics for typos before the service starts .
In the world of church production , creating a distraction free environment takes practice . It doesn ’ t just happen by itself . This is something all of us technical artists don ’ t take for granted . If we want the service to be amazing , it takes work . It takes practice .
Maybe Paul simply meant that we needed to open-up our houses to people or to learn how
I was talking with someone who is now a friend , but around 10 years ago we didn ’ t know each other and were working on a project together . At the time , he had some idea that I thought was crazy , but I figured that it didn ’ t really affect me and that if he wanted to do something crazy , knock yourself out .
After reading this verse , I remembered this moment . I was only worried about getting my work done , and I didn ’ t care about my now friend ’ s , or anyone else ’ s . You make sure you pull together your crazy idea and I ’ ll worry about my own stuff .
This is my natural instinct . Do your job and I ’ ll do mine . I ’ m definitely not thinking about how I can be hospitable to others .
How can I move toward thinking of others more often ? What does it really mean to practice hospitality in my world ?
When I practice the piano , it is usually painful and frustrating . Everything sounds bad and I hit the wrong keys a lot . Practicing anything at first can be this way . So , I ’ m guessing that includes practicing hospitality .
Just because it is awkward , and frustrating doesn ’ t mean we shouldn ’ t keep practicing it . Each time we show hospitality to someone it
Todd Elliott Writer , speaker , technical artist in the local church and founder of FILO . Formerly the Technical Arts Director at Willow Creek Community Church , he started FILO in 2015 to help other technical artists become more effective so that the local church can be more effective . In his free time he enjoys being inspired by Winston Churchill speeches and visiting the gravesites of U . S . presidents . Residing near Chicago , he and his wife Bissy have three kids and a dog ... none of whom are into production . filo . org
WHAT IS FILO ? FILO ( First In Last Out ) is for technical artists who serve the local church , designed to provide skill development , community and inspiration to equip technical artists to become effective contributors to their local church .
When we ’ re more effective , the church is more effective . Whether volunteer or staff , FILO aims to provide skill development , community and inspiration to help equip technical artists to become effective contributors to their local church . FILO is a combination of the FILO Conference , FILO Blog , FILO Podcast , and personalized FILO Coaching .
FILO ’ s flagship event is coming up soon : FILO 2022 Chicago . A conference for church technical artists by church technical artists . Head to FILO . org / filo2022chicago for more information .