What would it look like if, after a year of being distanced from our communities, we treated the summer as a chance to intentionally connect with our neighbors? In this two-week series, Love Where You Live, we show you how to do exactly that in creative ways!
Watch the series on YouTube here.
GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR ACTIVITY
- Take a post-it note or a piece of paper and write down the first names of your neighbors. Download our graphic here.
- Post the paper on your refrigerator, mirror, or someplace where you will see daily.
- Begin to pray for your neighbors by name.
- When you’re outside, greet your neighbors by name.
- Don’t know your neighbors? No problem, stop by and introduce yourself.
- Don’t know your neighbors? No problem, stop by and introduce yourself.
B.L.E.S.S. RHYTHMS
BLESS is five simple missionary rhythms that Jesus and the early church embodied for us. Blessing isn’t really about adding more tasks, it’s more about infusing everyday activities we’re already doing with new intentionality. These rhythms are simple enough for a five-year-old to understand, but robust enough to challenge us to think differently about how we invest in our ONE’s. In this short activity, you'll learn about how investing in Your One is more about postures and rhythms than activities and programs. Click the button below to check it out.
GET STARTED IN READING THE BIBLE
How Do I Get Started Reading the Bible?
How can you get started reading the Bible? Here are a few helpful tips!
READING PLANS
Love Your Neighbor: Outreach, One Step at a Time (5 Days)
Reaching out to your neighbors can be a counterintuitive thing to do. Most people who consider themselves Christians do not even think about stepping outside their ordinary responsibilities to follow the quiet nudges of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and He wants to show you the way—one small step at a time.
Who's My Neighbor (13 Days)
Jesus believed the greatest commandment was not only to love God but to love others. In Luke 10 he invited the inquiring teacher of the law to love with action. This plan investigates the Biblical mandate to love others and how that love can be put into action today.
BOOKS
Happy Hour: Etiquette and Advice on Holy Merriment
By Hugh Halter
Whether you are called to Spain, Italy, Iceland, or Portland, Oregon, we now live in a pure mission field, and people won’t move spiritually until they are connected socially. In other words, the Gospel will not be heard until our front doors open, our tables are set, and we practice the art of hospitality, celebration, and party.
I Once Was Lost
By Don Everts and Doug Schaupp
Over the last decade, Don Everts and Doug Schaupp have listened to the stories of two thousand postmodern people who have come to follow Jesus. While their stories are diverse and varied, certain common themes emerge. Postmodern evangelism is a mysterious and organic process that nevertheless goes through discernible phases, as people cross thresholds from distrust to trust, from complacency to curiosity and from meandering to seeking. Everts and Schaupp describe the factors that influence how people shift in their perspectives and become open to the Gospel. They provide practical tools to help people enter the kingdom, as well as guidelines for how new believers can live out their Christian faith.
For More Resources on bringing the hope of Jesus to every home, visit the Your ONE webpage >>