Chapter 9: No Place Like Home - Yours!

How this works

Listen to Joanne read the chapter using the audio player above, and then dive into the corresponding group discussion questions below.

Chapter 9 - Group Discussion Questions

1. If you were Zacchaus’ wife how o you think you would have responded to the events of the day? 

2. What does the following quote mean to you: “Homing in on his heart meant going to his home.”

3. In what simple ways does love live at your house? What room in your house needs to be transformed from being “staged” to being  “lived in.”

4. Describe your favorite place in your home to meet with God. Think of the times God’s grace and love have blessed you there. Pray that those intimate moments with God will become like a scent diffuser that spreads a fragrance through the rest of the house.

5. If a family member were to walk through your home after you are gone, what artifact would she pick as a symbol of your life at home?

   
   

Going Deeper

1. “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” has been printed on plaques for years. Do a “prayer walk” through your home. Or plan a dinner party to dedicate your house to the LORD. Involve your children. Share the occasion with a few friends.

2. “The table has begged lovers of God to center their ordinary days with the grace of the miraculous.”  Every house holds memories. Select an annual date when you set goals for  making your table  a place for celebrating the grace of the miraculous.

3. Rent the film Babette’s Feast. It’s a Danish film (with subtitles) but it’s a fascination story about how a table transforms relationships. It’s slow moving, but worth the viewing and some conversation with friends.

Taste and See

Here it is—The once-a-year favorite dinner entrée in the Thompson home. The true test of excellence is that our sons-in-law consume it. I guarantee you won’t have any left-overs.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Port Wine Sauce

Meat and Marinate

• 6 pork tenderloins

• 1 cup olive oil

• ¼ c vermouth

• 4 Tablespoons fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic

Mix ingredients. Marinate pork overnight in refrigerator. On net day, grill meat. Let “rest” a few minutes before slicing diagonally.

Sauce

• One 750 millilter bottle tawny port wine

• 1 tablespoon minced shalots

• 3 cups whipping cream

• ½ cup dried cranberries

This sauce is based on a reduction, so it may take up to 3 hours to make.  It is best to make the sauce just before serving, not the night before. In saucepan, cook down the port and shallots until reduced to 2 cups.  Add cream and cook until sauce thickens and almost caramelizes. Be patient. Add dried cranberries. Drizzle some sauce on the slice meat, and put the remainder in a gravy bowl.

Note: To save time on the day you serve this, cook down the port wine and shallots the day before. The next day add the whipping cream and complete the cooking instructions.