#1: Pray

Walk It Out Challenge

Challenge #1: The 10-Minute Prayer Walk

Welcome, Friend! If you are joining me here after reading Chapter 1 of How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird, I am so glad you are ready to hit the pavement!

Below you will find the prayer script and the extra resources I mentioned in the book.

New here? You have stumbled onto Challenge #1 of my neighborhood outreach challenge. We are reclaiming our streets, one prayer at a time. You can get the full 10-challenge framework in my new book, How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird, but today, let’s start with a simple walk.

Your Walk (The Challenge)

From the Book:

Take a 10-minute prayer walk around your block, down your apartment hallway, or through your cul-de-sac. If you are unable to walk, set a timer and find a comfortable seat by a window where you can see your neighborhood.

As you move or look out, visualize each home. To make this even more intentional, consider using a tool like Bless Every Home [see below] to see a map of your neighbors’ names, or keep a small notepad to “pray with your pen,” jotting down names or house numbers that the Holy Spirit brings to mind.

Go Deeper: Tools & Tips

While the book gives you the challenge, I want to give you the practical tools to make it happen. Here are four ways to enhance your walk:

1. PRAY BY NAME

Register at www.blesseveryhome.com to receive a free, detailed map of your neighborhood with the names and addresses of your closest neighbors. Every day they’ll send 5 new names and provide space for you to save notes and prayer requests. Update your map as you pray for each neighbor and get to know them on a deeper spiritual level. This site is a treasure of detailed information about your neighborhood – and it’s all free!

2. PRAY WITH YOUR PEN

Close your eyes at the keyboard and pour out a letter to the Lord. Give God time to talk while you listen, and remember that a serendipitous thought may be His soft whisper – so keep a notepad nearby to write any ideas that come during prayer. Or record your prayers in a pretty prayer journal or the back of an envelope… both are equally effective! It is nice to look back over a prayer journal and see how God has responded to our requests and answered prayers in unexpected ways.

3. PRAY WITH SONG

Pray along with these songs and ask God to make them reality in your community.

4. PRAY THE WORD

Keep reading for Scriptures you can pray for yourself and your neighbors, and a free printable download of a prayer adapted from 1 Peter.

The Rules: No Weirdness!

From the Book:

I know what you might be thinking: Is this going to look strange? Let me put your mind at ease.

This isn’t a “prayer march.” You don’t have to stop at property lines, close your eyes, or raise your hands. Just walk at a natural, neighborly pace. If you run into someone, just smile and say hello!

To the world, you’re just a neighbor getting some fresh air and enjoying the day; to God, you are a sent messenger and a “prime example” of His patience and mercy, quietly reclaiming the ground for His kingdom.

God’s Way

From the Book:

Prayer isn’t about changing God’s heart toward your neighbors—He is already crazy about them! Instead, prayer changes your heart.

As you pass each door, pray a simple, one-sentence blessing rooted in Scripture. You might pray for unity in their home (Philippians 2:2) or that their eyes would be opened to God’s light (Acts 26:18). You don’t need to know their specific burdens yet; God already does, and He is simply inviting you to join Him in His work on your street.

The Words: What to Pray

If you aren’t sure where to start, try this simple prayer from the book:

“Lord, I don’t know every need behind these doors, but You do. I ask that You would open their eyes to Your light and fill this home with Your peace. Change my heart to love them like You do. In Jesus’s name, Amen.”

Want to pray more scripture? Here are other verses I love to claim over my neighborhood:

Pray that you will be transparent and show your own need for a Savior.

“This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:15-16

Pray that you will be a good influence in your neighborhood.

“Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.” 2 Timothy 2:23-25

Pray for unity in your neighbors’ homes and your community.

“Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.” Philippians 2:2

Pray that your neighbors would turn from darkness to light.

“[I am sending you] to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’” Acts 26:18

In Jesus’ name, amen!

Ready for Challenge #2?

You’ve completed the walk! But this is just the beginning of the journey.

In the 10th Anniversary Edition of How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird, I walk you through 10 specific challenges to move from “stranger” to “neighbor,” including how to break the ice, how to host without stress, and how to share your faith naturally.

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