When the pain and problems of life barge in, hopes and dreams run out. In these uncertain seasons of personal crisis, national chaos, and global catastrophe, it’s easy to wonder if life will ever be anything but sorrow and despair.

The apostle Peter knows exactly what it’s like when hope is gone. He watched as his Hope was arrested, crucified, and buried. And Peter himself failed almost every test of his faith, even with Christ right in front of him. But he also knows that God is faithful and true, carrying us through our harshest suffering and redeeming our heaviest regrets. 

How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird helps you overcome fears about getting to know your neighbors and sharing your faith. You’ll learn simple, practical ways to get to know your neighbors, using your God-given personality.

As you venture out of the comfort of your living room and into the lives of your neighbors, you’ll form authentic friendships, create a safer community, and find fulfillment in obeying Christ’s #2 command. Appropriate for retreats or events.

If you’ve spent any time at all in women’s Bible studies, you’ve probably met that intimidating woman in Proverbs 31. I was shocked when she went viral in my Facebook video! She works happily from morning till night while her family cheers her on. She is generous, encouraging, carefree, and always kind. And she does not represent one real day in the life of one real woman. She does, however, give us a picture of a woman who serves God and loves others well. Along with her friends Martha and Lydia, these scriptural superwomen will show us the secret of hospitality and the true beauty of entertaining.

There’s no asterisk or exception clause to Christ’s second-greatest commandment to love our neighbor (trust me, I looked hard). Somehow, some way, we have to bridge the gap between conviction about following this rule and having real relationships with the people God has carefully placed around us. Learn ten practical, adaptable ways to love your neighbor that won’t feel weird to you or to them, whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, if you have ten minutes to spare or ten months to plan, if you have unlimited funds or fifty cents, if you’re crafty or Pinterest-impaired.

People marveled at the words of grace that Jesus spoke (Luke 4:22). I’ve also amazed people with what comes out of my mouth… sometimes it even surprises me!  Our deepest desires, secret thoughts, and volatile emotions erupt in words which can never be taken back that are either thoughtless and cruel… or they can be wise and redemptive. 1 Peter 4:11 challenges us, “Whoever speaks, let it be as one speaking the utterances of God.” Practice when to shut up, how to listen up, and prepare to speak up so that others are built up.

We think we know the Christmas story—we’ve heard it a million times!—but as we read this story together with fresh eyes and soft hearts, we’ll see the common cast of characters in an uncommon way. Jesus loved us—His neighbors—so much that he stepped down from Heaven to be with us on that first Christmas morning. We’ll explore ways to step off our own front porch and go meet a neighbor at Christmastime, and give the gift of Christmas presence.

Here’s how to share your faith with your neighbors: simply start in Genesis and explain the entire Bible all the way through to Revelation (don’t forget the minor prophets!), and sprinkle in a little church history along the way. Walk them down the Roman Road, let them try on your Gospel Glove, and send them home with a fistful of tracts. Easy peasy!

Well, I guess that does sound hard. So, what exactly is this Gospel we’re supposed to share? 1 Peter 3:15 tells us everything we need to know about how to share our faith in a single verse.

I liked the idea of loving my neighbor more than the reality of loving my neighbor. I was happy to read my Bible and go to church, but I had every excuse in the book when it came to starting relationships on my street. Here’s the best part about my excuses: They are all legit. I don’t have time to love my neighbors—I don’t know a single woman who does. I’m never going to have all the answers, someone will always have a nicer home than me. But when God commands us to love our neighbor, He will equip us with the ability to do it well. Together we will learn how to overcome our fears and excuses so we can change the world, one home at a time.