Chaos. Pure chaos. You know what I'm talking about: papers all over the kitchen counter, donation bags still by the back door, and shoes missing their pair. Shannon Upton believes faithful moms don’t have to live in a chaotic state. The author of Building Your House,...
Neighborhood Cafe
Books that Build Relationships: Nothing to Prove
Before 10am there are already a list of things telling me I’m not enough. I am behind on laundry, I did not meet a work deadline and I choose to eat a donut rather than avocado toast for breakfast. To turn my insufficiencies around, I try harder. I people please. I...
Merry Christmas… Maybe.
When "There's No Christmas Like a Home Christmas" hit the airwaves in 1950, less than 10% of homes contained only one person. Today, one in four of the homes on your street is occupied by a single person living alone. Twenty-five percent of people say they have no one...
Cafes Around the Country
Does it seem impossible to get to know your neighbors? It's not! These women have knocked on their neighbors' doors... and lived to tell about it! Their testimony gives us confidence that our neighbors really do crave authentic friendships and real relationships. Deb...
When neighboring is hard
We have new neighbors at our little cottage where we go to rest—for peace and quiet and amazing sunsets that let you drink in the glory of God. When we bought the place, the next door neighbors were friends. Literally. It’s not quite how their last name was spelled,...
Help me write: Assumptions and Activities
Please tell me... What assumptions have you made about your neighbors? Are these judgments based on personal interaction or casual observation? Have you ever done a Bible study in a home? How was it different than the same kind of activity in a church? What kinds of...
Help me write: roadblocks, relationships and refusals
Please tell me... Have you ever experienced a roadblock just as you were stepping into a new phase of your faith? Describe the relationships you have in your neighborhood. Do you know your neighbors? Have you ever argued and debated with God about anything He nudged...
What are you afraid of?
I'm not afraid of spiders, thunder or the number 13. I was, however, afraid of my neighbors. When I sensed God guiding me towards my neighbors' front porches, I was terrified. I was afraid they'd be mean to me. I was afraid they would reject me. Heck, I was afraid...
Open Houses, Open Hearts
So many women made room on their Christmas calendars for their neighbors! They shared their hopes - and, yes, their fears - in our private Facebook group for Neighborhood Cafe Hostesses, where we share encouragement, advice, praises and prayer needs. Here are a few of...
Women Living Well Guest Post
I made a new friend last weekend - Courtney Joseph, author of Women Living Well: Find Your Joy in God, Your Man, Your Kids and Your Home (tuck a copy in a few stockings this Christmas!) and blogger at Women Living Well and Good Morning Girls. Courtney and I were...