Whew! I’m halfway done delivering invitations for my Open House to my neighbors.

Note to self: take dog treats next time! I met a dozen dogs of all shapes and sizes. I also met the pastor of a local church on her way to deliver meals, and the owner of a local bar enjoying a beer on her front porch. I met women in high heels and women in slippers (not a few who were still wearing pajamas :).

Without exception, the women who were home invited me inside to visit (maybe the hundred-degree heat had something to do with it). One of my neighbors told me, “I’m new around here, I don’t hardly know anyone.” When I asked her how long she’d lived here, she said, “15 years!” That’s a long time to be lonely, isn’t it?

As we shared names of neighbors we might know in common, one woman learned that someone who’s been on her church’s prayer list lives right in her backyard – literally! She can see the other woman’s house from her kitchen sink.

It’s easy to prayerfully fold our hands about our neighbor’s needs.

It’s much harder to carefully hold their hands when they need us.

I met a woman who just moved here as her husband started a new job with insane hours, who is in between her twin daughters’ weddings which are only 28 days apart. “You need some girlfriends!” I told her. I hope she’ll meet some at The Rosewood Cafe.

One of my neighbors told me about myself! “There’s a lady down the street who does a Bible study,” she helpfully explained. When she described my house to a tee, I assured her it was me. “Oh, no, honey – this isn’t you,” she insisted. I think I finally convinced her we were one and the same.

The back patio has replaced the front porch.

You see a lot when you go to someone’s front door. You’d be surprised how many people leave their Christmas lights up year round (one house even had a Christmas tree in the living room!). Some homes were meticulous, not a leaf out of place. Others had cobwebs over the door because families enter through the attached garage.

At the last minute I grabbed a Planning Guide to help me remember who I talked to. They may never remember me, but I will not forget the women I met, the homes I entered and the prayers I whispered along the way.

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Jitters

Invitations in hand, it’s time to knock on my neighbor’s doors and invite them to my Open House for The Rosewood Cafe. I can think of a hundred reasons why I should put this off another day. I have a stack of bills to pay. We’re out of dog food, I need to go to the store. I’m tired. I’ve got the jitters, really. I don’t know what I’ll find or how I’ll be received. This is physically hard, mentally hard, emotionally hard. But hey, it’s nothing like… Read More

Making Invitations

Craft supplies and candy are taking over the family room as we put together invitations for the Open House I’m hosting for my neighbors for my Neighborhood Cafe, which is called the Rosewood Cafe since we live on Rosewood Drive. Here’s a peek at the process, complete with pictures… Read More

And the winner is…

The winner of our giveaway of Lysa TerKeurst’s “Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl” book, workbook and DVD is Tracey Fawcett White! Thanks for your comments, it’s so helpful when choosing a study to hear from people who have “been there, done that.” If you’re considering a Neighborhood Cafe, please don’t get hung up on which Bible study to do. Take things one step at a time, and the first step is… Read More

Women’s Ministry That Works

I recently invested in a new health and wellness plan that my friends had been raving over. I did pretty well the first couple of weeks, but when it became apparent I wasn’t going to drop a dress size before an upcoming dinner date, I let up a little. Then a lot. I won’t tell how much I spent or how much weight I lost, but… Read More