No Room At The Inn

Hospitality has always been a passion of the Bullen family. The Bible says some have entertained angels unaware by being hospitable. Mother Teresa called those in need of hospitality “Jesus in disguise.”

In the last three years and especially the last few months, God has taken it up a notch for us. On July 3, 2008 a tortured, frail, and frightened African girl was dropped on our doorstep (Jesus in a beautiful but tortured disguise). Jan. 15, 2010 an abused, distraught, oppressed young woman was dropped on our doorstep… (Jesus in a beautiful but painful disguise). Until last week we had a homeless mentally ill young woman living with us that Jana brought home… (Jesus in a distressing disguise). Now we have three Colombians, two of them orphans, staying with us for the Holidays …(Jesus in a beautiful, love starved disguise)… We have a Sikh young man from India coming to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with us this year too… (Jesus in a lonely disguise)…

Then yesterday I get a text from a sweet young woman named Hannah in New York who is like a daughter to me saying that her friend from Bible College is flying from NY home to Mexico for Christmas but that she has an all night layover in Houston and Hannah knew we would help her out. She flies in tonight at midnight and leaves tomorrow midday (same time “coincidentally” as I will be at the airport picking up my son Levi coming home for Christmas from the Navy)… (Jesus in a stranger disguise)… I responded that of course we would love to have her (because we don’t have enough Latinas in the house as it is LOL)…

Then I was reminded of page 86 of the book Radical… “Bullen how are you going to impact the world?” “I am going to disciple the nations” Then I realized that if He wants to God can bring the nations to my door one or three or four at a time if He wants to… I looked from the text message from Hannah, laughed out loud at God and then looked to some of my family standing around and told them of our guest coming the next night. We all laughed and shook our heads at (or should I say with) God and then we said laughing, “Well this year we are the Inn at Bethlehem but we will make room for Jesus” We all stopped stunned and looked at each other. “Wow” we said, “That’s powerful. May there always be room at the Bullen Inn for Jesus.”