Becoming a Person of Welcome

Imagine Hospitality Rooted in Presence, Not Perfection

In Becoming a Person of Welcome, Laura Baghdassarian Murray invites you to reimagine Christian hospitality as a transformative spiritual practice of nurturing genuine connection wherever life takes you. Going beyond opening your home or church building, it's about cultivating a posture of welcome that reflects God's presence and generosity.

With wisdom drawn from her Armenian heritage and seasoned church leadership, Murray shares thought-provoking stories and insightful reflections that reach beyond outward gestures to inward transformation and a life shaped by God's welcome of us. She shares 11 spiritual practices like listening, generosity, humility, and centering prayer to help guide you into this deeper vision of welcome.

With Becoming a Person of Welcome, you can:



- Rediscover the true essence of hospitality and create authentic belonging wherever you are.

- Strengthen your understanding of God's inclusive welcome and learn to reflect him by offering true connection and care to those around you.

- Empower yourself and others to become bearers of welcome with theological insight, practical steps, and thoughtful reflections.

- Reflect on ways to embody hospitality yourself or in community with the included questions for individual or group reflection.



Are you ready to become a person of welcome? Whether you're a small group or ministry leader who wants to make your church more welcoming, or a Christian who wants to better embody God's welcoming presence throughout your life, this book will give you the tools, inspiration, and guidance to help you live out a life of connection rooted in God's example. Take the next step toward embodying hospitality in every part of your life with Becoming a Person of Welcome.



Laura Baghdassarian Murray (DMin, Fuller Seminary) is the director of spiritual engagement and innovation at Fuller Seminary's Center for Spiritual Formation. She is the author of Pray as You Are, serves on the Ministry Collaborative Advisory Board, and previously served at Highland Park Presbyterian Church as the pastor of spiritual formation. Laura is also the founder of the Digital Silent Retreat Ministry, which is rooted in the practice of hospitality to provide brave and courageous spaces for people to connect with God and others (www.digitalsilentretreats.com). She lives in the Dallas area with her husband and two children.

Foreword by Tod Bolsinger


1. The Posture You Take


2. The Places You Are


3. The First Host


4. Counterfeit Hospitality


5. Healed Hearts Are Hospitable Hearts


6. The Exchange of Gifts


7. Preparing Yourself


8. Cultivating Vision


9. Necessary Boundaries


10. Spacious Guidance


11. Closings and Beginnings


Conclusion


Acknowledgments


Questions for Reflection and Discussion


Notes

"Grounded in a profound love for God, Becoming a Person of Welcome opens doors for its readers into a deeper relationship with the ultimate, divine, first host, as well as with the diverse world we get to serve. Thanks to Laura Baghdassarian Murray's insightful blend of Scripture, story, and spiritual practices, you'll gain what you need to meet others' (and your!) deepest longings for belonging."



"In Becoming a Person of Welcome, spiritual director Laura Baghdassarian Murray takes readers far beyond the topic of entertaining guests in her exploration of Christian hospitality. In establishing 'welcome' as an approach to others, she expands the context of hospitality from invitations to formal dining rooms with lavish spreads and takes it to the office, the grocery line, the airport, the cafe, and the street. In doing so, she helps readers envision how we can carry and express hospitality—rooted in God's movement toward us—in all our daily encounters. What a good word!"



"Laura Baghdassarian Murray's writing is equal parts soothing and challenging. In an age when fear is on the rise and home can feel hard to find, I am grateful for her careful attention to spiritual practices as the way forward. In this, Becoming a Person of Welcome acts as a gentle guide for how we might do the inner (and communal) work that's so critical as we seek to embody Jesus' call to welcome the neighbor and stranger alike."



"This book is a conversation. As a warm and wise spiritual guide, Laura Baghdassarian Murray sits next to us, sharing her stories and inviting us to share ours. Through stories and insights, she brings us gently into a dialogue with ourselves and with the Spirit as we consider what a life of hospitality and welcome might look like for us. Her writing is easy to read and practical to apply but reflects the depth of someone who lives a life that is both hospitable and contemplative. Read with a pen, a journal, and a curious heart, and you'll find more than you imagined in this small, simple book."



"An authentic posture of hospitality is difficult to nurture these days. A flurry of activity in a culture of distraction teaches us non-presence, and this often keeps us from truly seeing and welcoming others. In her book Becoming a Person of Welcome, Laura Baghdassarian Murray encourages us to do the important work of fostering our own spirit of hospitality. Through personal stories and the brilliant examples of Jesus as our guide in the gospels, Laura points us to the how and the way of hospitality. Read this book and become a person of welcome."



"Becoming a Person of Welcome invites readers into a transformative journey of embracing true hospitality. Laura Baghdassarian Murray offers a profoundly inspiring and reflective exploration into what it means to welcome others and oneself with the grace of Jesus. Essential reading for any leader, especially within the Christian community, this book is both a deep dive and a call to embody the warmth and openness that define meaningful connection."



"Laura Baghdassarian Murray doesn't just write about hospitality—she lives it. Becoming a Person of Welcome beautifully reimagines Christian hospitality not as a curated event but as a way of being with others that reflects the loving hospitality of God. With wisdom and grace, Laura provides accessible guidance in spiritual practices that cultivate radical presence."



"Throughout history, the people of God have found themselves in seasons where they are deeply rooted and seasons where they were wandering and without a place of belonging. Hospitality is indeed a spiritual discipline that is at the very heart of Christian vocation and the Christian journey. How we make space for others seems to have profound implications on how we make space for God. Becoming a Person of Welcome is a rich, personal, heartfelt, and thoughtful resource that walks us through both the heart and the practice of Christian hospitality. It is as if Laura Baghdassarian Murray is personally accompanying you through a guided retreat."



"Many hear the word 'hospitality' and think of a home-cooked meal in the dining room of a large house filled with people or some other place of meeting. Laura Baghdassarian Murray argues for a slight modification of the understanding of hospitality, to a focus on people instead of space. Humans, created for relationships with God and with people, can express and receive hospitality anywhere. Thus, when we are welcomed into the lives of others and have the privilege of welcoming them into ours, we experience hospitality through the gift of presence. I highly recommend this book." weniger anzeigen expand_less