Placed For A Purpose

In today's episode, we are joined by Shelly Mayer, who oversees the care ministry at our church, The Crossing. The care ministry encompasses over 15 teams and programs like Grief Share, Divorce Care, and support for those with chronic health issues. Shelly helps us think through how we can be there for our neighbors who are hurting and discusses the vital role of community in dealing with grief and how it helps combat the feelings of isolation and abandonment that often accompany significant loss. She also helps us make the connection between mourning over the broken places in our neighborhood and working to set those things right.

Order your copy of Neighborhoods Reimagined!

10ofThose

FamilyLife Today Podcast

CONNECT ON SOCIALS: Instagram 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Follow this link to share your neighboring stories with us or tell us your thoughts on today's episode.

Today we're joined by the legendary Jane Armstrong, who has dedicated nearly five decades to guiding college students in their faith at Miami of Ohio. Known for her one-on-one discipleship meetings over Cokes at Bob Evans, Jane has profoundly impacted many, including Elizabeth, who was discipled by her for six years. Jane shares her insights on the Beatitude principle of dependence and being "poor in spirit," exploring how true maturity involves acknowledging our need for God in every aspect of life. From touching personal stories to practical advice on living a life of faith and dependence, you don't want to miss this episode with our dear friend, Jane.

Order your copy of Neighborhoods Reimagined!

10ofThose

FamilyLife Today Podcast

CONNECT ON SOCIALS: Instagram 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Follow this link to share your neighboring stories with us or tell us your thoughts on today's episode.

Today we're going behind the scenes for our new book, Neighborhoods Reimagined: How the Beatitudes Inspire Our Call To Be Good Neighbors. We're talking about why we wrote the book in the first place and—SPOILER ALERT—we conclude that the way we live matters. Imagine if Jesus reset our neighboring default settings... what would change in our neighborhoods? What if, as believers, we offered pardons instead of posturing? What if, rather than numbing out with more me-time, we were satisfied by good works prepared for us at home? Through the Beatitudes, Jesus gives us the vision and pathway for neighborhood flourishing. Let's jump in!!

Order your copy of Neighborhoods Reimagined!!

10ofThose

FamilyLife Today Podcast

Weekend to Remember Marriage Conferences

CONNECT ON SOCIALS: Instagram 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Follow this link to share your neighboring stories with us or tell us your thoughts on today's episode.

Can kids engage in the mission of God? Today we've brought on four experts (OUR KIDS!!) to help us see how small acts of kindness (that even a child can do!) can be used by God to bring his kingdom to our neighborhoods. Annie (9), June (10), Pearl (12), and Ginger (14) share about their experiences in serving, praying, loving neighbors from different backgrounds and worldviews, and even engaging in spiritual conversations. It's not perfect—it's messy—but God is at work in our kids' lives and it's exciting to see them catch a vision for how God can use them in the place they call home.

CONNECT ON SOCIALS: Instagram 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Follow this link to share your neighboring stories with us or tell us your thoughts on today's episode.

Since hospitality is both a posture and a practice, we’ve invited the founders of Hospitality Matters—Dave and Jennifer Collie—to help us flesh out what this important discipline looks like with our next-door neighbors. They encourage us in the “doing” of hospitality by challenging us to reflect more on our neighborly interactions and consider how God might want to replace our loneliness with connection. 

CONNECT ON SOCIALS: Instagram 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Follow this link to share your neighboring stories with us or tell us your thoughts on today's episode.

No sidewalks? No streetlights? No problem! Tune in as we chat with Ben and Amy, our neighboring ride-or-dies, who've overcome numerous obstacles in their efforts to get to know their neighbors. They share how they saw a group of next-door strangers become a tight-knit community, highlighting the significance of consistent touchpoints in relationship-building, the realities of neighboring fatigue, and how their neighbors rallied around them during their house fire. Be inspired by their ingenious strategy (business cards!) and their grace-based approach as they’re making adjustments based on their life stage and bandwidth.

CONNECT ON SOCIALS: Instagram 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Follow this link to share your neighboring stories with us or tell us your thoughts on today's episode.

One way we can engage in God’s mission in our neighborhoods is to start a neighborhood Bible Study. So, today we have Jesslyn Adam with Neighbor Bible Study—NBS2GO—a ministry of Cru whose neighborhood Bible Studies have been translated into 50 languages. Jesslyn addresses our potential fears and hesitations by giving us practical How To’s and user-friendly plans which have been used by over 200,000 people on the YouVersion Bible app. Tune in and consider taking this step to help your neighbors read the Bible, maybe for the first time.

Explore Neighbor Bible Studies (NBS2GO)

Download NBS2GO plans through The YouVersion Bible app

Called to Shine podcast

Called to Shine insta

CONNECT ON SOCIALS: Instagram 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Follow this link to share your neighboring stories with us or tell us your thoughts on today's episode.

Throwing a Block Party is a fantastic way to meet your neighbors or get to know them better. Whatever your context, you can intentionally gather neighbors to celebrate and connect. In one of our most practical episodes yet, we’ll help you think through timing, food, getting the word out, lawn games, trash, music... and best of all, how parties point people to Jesus.

Listen to Doug Fields: "It's Time to Party" on YouTube

Use our Block Party Playlist on Spotify

Download our Block Party Checklist

CONNECT ON SOCIALS: Instagram 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Follow this link to share your neighboring stories with us or tell us your thoughts on today's episode.

Let's dive into our "How To" series, beginning with the topic of dealing with difficult neighbors. Today, we're joined by our friend and counselor, Austin Conner (MDiv, PLPC). We explore the different types of conflicts that can arise with neighbors, strategies for responding rather than reacting, techniques for managing our trigger reactions, when and how to forgive, and practical tips for de-escalating tense situations.

Listen to With You in the Weeds Podcast: A Podcast to Help You Grow (While Managing the Weeds of Life) Ep. 13: The Roots of Conflict

Recommended reading: Bold Love by Dan Allender

CONNECT ON SOCIALS: Instagram 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Follow this link to share your neighboring stories with us or tell us your thoughts on today's episode.

In today's episode, we wrap up our series on what it looks like to love God and our neighbors by loving and tending his creation around us. We've talked trees and bees... so today we're talking gardens! And we could think of no better experts on the subject than our very own neighbors, Kevin and Molly Heinz. Theirs isn’t a community garden in the typical sense but it has become a beautiful and integral piece of our neighborhood community, that's for sure. Your love for God and gardening will grow as you hear about our neighborhood junior botanical society, take Kevin and Molly's gardening quiz, and finally answer the question, "What does every garden need?"

A list of Kevin and Molly's ditch flowers:

Trees: Willow, Smoke Cherry, Weeping Pussy Willow, Peach 

Bulbs: Summer Lily, Tulips, Hyacinths, Imperial Fritillary, Ox Eye Daisies, Red Poppies, Danish Flag Poppies, Bachelor Buttons, Coreopsis, Verbena, Chinese Forget Me Nots, Sunflowers, Seed Dahlias, Cosmos, Zinnias, Purple and Pink Hyssop, Celosia, Marigolds, Irish Poets, Canterbury Bells, bells of Ireland, Larkspur, California Poppies, moss rose, Rudbeckia, and Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate.

Perennials: Daylilies, Lambs Ear, Ajuga, Swamp Milkweed, Orange Milkweed, Yarrow, Sea Holly, Mums, Sempervivums, Sedum, Snapdragons, Columbine, Lavender, Sage, Thyme, Hibiscus, Shasta Daisy, Salvia, Nepeta, Echinacea, Italian Bugloss, Dwarf Twinkle Phlox, and Morning Glory.

Their main yard:

Trees: Apple, Peach, Apricot, Pear, Plumb, Cherry, blueberries, Magnolia, Maple, Weeping Pussy Willow, Weeping Pear, English Midland Hawthorn, Serviceberry, Crabapple

Bushes: Forsythia, Burning Bush, Lavender (2), Hydrangea (5), Crepe Myrtle (2), Hibiscus Hedge, Rose (8), Clematis (3)

Perennials: Daylily (2), Veronica (2), Iris, Peony (3), Allium, Anemone, Delphinium, Zebra Grass, Porcupine Grass, Potentilla, Foxglove, campanula, dianthus, phlox, ice plant, alyssum

Bulbs: Tulips, Hyacinths, Snakehead Fritillary, Liatris, English Bluebells, Tiger and Asiatic Lilys 

CONNECT ON SOCIALS: Instagram 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Follow this link to share your neighboring stories with us or tell us your thoughts on today's episode.