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Simple Hospitality
What images come to mind when you think about hospitality? June Cleaver with a plate of warm cookies as Beaver arrives home from school? Susie Homemaker with a meal to deliver to a new mother? An immaculate home with no dust bunnies or cheese puff-encrusted toys? More than a chicken casserole and a bag of salad, writes Jane Jarrell, hospitality is kindness in its simplest form-loving others where they are with what God has given you. Dubbed "the Queen of Hospitality," Jane is passionate about creating an environment of love and encouragement, even in today's hectic world of monstrous to-do lists and worn out soccer moms. Packed with possibility, each chapter examines a different facet of lifestyle hospitality offering ideas, testimonials, and triumphs in the satisfying skill of kindness in action. With emphasis on keeping it simple, Jane provides fresh ideas in a light, humorous tone, along with easy instructions, quick recipes, time saving lists, and fun illustrations.
152 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2005
8 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 30, 2017
This book is a combination of practical tips for projects to help with tangible forms of giving and hospitality and also with some philosophical ideas. I was looking more for philosophical ideas and some of the tangible projects seem a little forced and cheesy to me. Hence, only two stars.
June 1, 2019
It was okay. But nothing really worth reading. I liked the first half of the book but skipped a lot of pages in the second half. She was talking about the perfect entry and dinner partys etc. this is not 'simple' hospitality to me 🤷♀️
September 18, 2008
This book is misnamed. It ought to be Cutesy Hospitality. I was expecting a book that talked about what it really means to be hospitable. I wanted to see how to BE this way. I wouldn't have minded some application illustrations, ideas of how to put the "be" into effect.
But what the book ended up offering was a lot of preaching about how the bible talks about hospitality, how it is the ministry of women to be hospitable, and that THE WAY to do it was . . . well, here are fifteen things you can do with a tortilla. And how about stacking some old suitcases to make "terrific end tables"! And putting a cedar board down the middle of your coffee table and putting white candles of different heights along it. And putting votive candles in antique wine and champagne glasses. And putting a collection of tea cups in the middle of your dining table to make a "perfect centerpiece."
Oh, and a perfect gift to bring to someone who is having you over for dinner? Seasonal monogramed tea cloths. Yes. Really.
If you want a book full of ideas about how to make cute junk to give to people (really, if we all did what she suggests, everyone's houses would be stuffed with cutesy clutter), then give this book a read.
If, on the other hand, you wanted to think in depth about the idea of hospitality and how to become more hospitable yourself, don't bother with this book.
But what the book ended up offering was a lot of preaching about how the bible talks about hospitality, how it is the ministry of women to be hospitable, and that THE WAY to do it was . . . well, here are fifteen things you can do with a tortilla. And how about stacking some old suitcases to make "terrific end tables"! And putting a cedar board down the middle of your coffee table and putting white candles of different heights along it. And putting votive candles in antique wine and champagne glasses. And putting a collection of tea cups in the middle of your dining table to make a "perfect centerpiece."
Oh, and a perfect gift to bring to someone who is having you over for dinner? Seasonal monogramed tea cloths. Yes. Really.
If you want a book full of ideas about how to make cute junk to give to people (really, if we all did what she suggests, everyone's houses would be stuffed with cutesy clutter), then give this book a read.
If, on the other hand, you wanted to think in depth about the idea of hospitality and how to become more hospitable yourself, don't bother with this book.
April 4, 2022
I really liked the first few chapters of this book. Lots of wisdom about our ideas about hospitality, how it really can be simple (because it isn't about the house, it's about the people and showing love), how we need to extend hospitality to ourselves as well, and how to deal with difficulties when it comes to hospitality - a bit of a regular review on how things are going. Good stuff!
But then it transitioned into a bunch of ideas for specific ways to do hospitality, and to me it felt more like a quick and dirty overview of a whole range of subjects, which I wasn't as excited about. A chapter on gardening, on decorating, on housekeeping - all stuff that, if you're struggling with it, you need a whole lot more than a few-page chapter outline on how to handle it. So I didn't like that bit.
Got some good stuff out of the beginning, but overall was bummed with the rest of the book.
But then it transitioned into a bunch of ideas for specific ways to do hospitality, and to me it felt more like a quick and dirty overview of a whole range of subjects, which I wasn't as excited about. A chapter on gardening, on decorating, on housekeeping - all stuff that, if you're struggling with it, you need a whole lot more than a few-page chapter outline on how to handle it. So I didn't like that bit.
Got some good stuff out of the beginning, but overall was bummed with the rest of the book.
October 23, 2025
This was not as simple as I had hoped. There are a lot of suggestions and ideas, but some of them are not what I would call simple. The concept is good, and I will keep the book for reference, but it wasn't "over the top" for me.
March 9, 2019
Easy to understand, practical tips. Love the recipes in it as well.
May 22, 2019
The word hospitality often evokes a sense of dread. What do you do if you aren't gifted in this area? What if your home isn't spotless, if you aren't a great cook, if you just don't have a clue? In Simple Hospitality, Jane Jarrell sets out to 'share ideas and experiences to help you find a hospitality style that works for you, no matter how hectic your life, no matter how 'hospitality challenged' you think you are.'
In Part One, we are encouraged to 'Keep it Simple.' This means clarifying thinking, defining your own idea of what hospitality might look like in your life, and getting to the heart of God's ideas about being hospitable. The author ends this section by discussing moving beyond 'harried holidays' to find the balance that is right for each person. Part Two focuses on our homes. How to be the best homemaker you can be, cleaning and de-cluttering, the basics of being a good cook, gardening, and designing an inviting entrance. Part Three brings all of the concepts together and discusses 'ministry moments' and how to discover these in your own life. Entertaining, including children, giving gifts (along with ideas), and dealing with people who are ill or hurting, are all covered.
There is nothing spectacularly new here, but the tone is cozy and the concepts presented clearly. Jarrell takes the mystique out of entertaining, offering numerous ideas for simple things that let others in our lives know that we care. You will refer to this handbook over and over again, in many different situations, for recipes, timelines, and decorating ideas. A unique list of teacher and hostess gifts are included (these are always needed!) and gift suggestions provided for everything from sending a child off to school, to moving, to owning a new pet. If you are looking for ways to show your love and concern for those around you, Simple Hospitality is packed with useful tips and information to help you reach out in God's name.
In Part One, we are encouraged to 'Keep it Simple.' This means clarifying thinking, defining your own idea of what hospitality might look like in your life, and getting to the heart of God's ideas about being hospitable. The author ends this section by discussing moving beyond 'harried holidays' to find the balance that is right for each person. Part Two focuses on our homes. How to be the best homemaker you can be, cleaning and de-cluttering, the basics of being a good cook, gardening, and designing an inviting entrance. Part Three brings all of the concepts together and discusses 'ministry moments' and how to discover these in your own life. Entertaining, including children, giving gifts (along with ideas), and dealing with people who are ill or hurting, are all covered.
There is nothing spectacularly new here, but the tone is cozy and the concepts presented clearly. Jarrell takes the mystique out of entertaining, offering numerous ideas for simple things that let others in our lives know that we care. You will refer to this handbook over and over again, in many different situations, for recipes, timelines, and decorating ideas. A unique list of teacher and hostess gifts are included (these are always needed!) and gift suggestions provided for everything from sending a child off to school, to moving, to owning a new pet. If you are looking for ways to show your love and concern for those around you, Simple Hospitality is packed with useful tips and information to help you reach out in God's name.
September 30, 2008
Written by a Christian woman whose 'ministry' is hospitality, I liked the thoughts, quotes and scriptures from the first chapter defining and encouraging hospitality. I felt like I learned something. The rest of the book was kind of weak. All application, it was a lot of tips you've heard a million times before, nothing original.
July 8, 2014
Includes some cute ideas for entertaining and giving gifts. It is mostly a manual for how to entertain, and I still get the impression it's written by someone with more resources and network than I have. Still, I will try my own take of some of the ideas in this book.
January 18, 2015
An uninspiring book offering cutesy entertaining advice to stereotypical church moms. I was not impressed.
March 21, 2013
It wasn't what I was expecting, but I liked it ...especially the emphasis on not being obsessed by any ideas pertaining to perfection.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews