“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”

His very name, Emmanuel, means “God with us.”

It’s the entire point of the Christmas story: God with us. From his first newborn cry, Jesus was with common working class shepherds as well as wealthy kings from far off lands. As He grew in wisdom and favor, He was with renowned teachers and religious experts. But more often than not, He went to the homes of ordinary families like yours and mine, and He spent time with everyone from tax collectors to prostitutes, soldiers, fishermen, business owners and government officials. He knew no strangers.

Jesus loved us—His neighbors—so much that he stepped down from Heaven to be with us on that first Christmas morning. In light of that, don’t you think it would be an appropriate response for us to step off our front porch and go meet a neighbor across the street? If you peeked behind the decorated doors in your neighborhood this Christmas, you would meet…

People like Elizabeth, whose dreams have been on hold.

People like Zechariah, convinced it’s impossible to change.

You’d meet families who persevere in prayer even when it doesn’t seem like God is listening.

People like Mary, full of faith and trust—ordinary women who are special because God chose them.

People like Joseph, who lay down their rights in the name of righteousness.

You would meet people working hard at hard jobs like the shepherds.

And foreigners like the wise men who want to know more about this King born in Bethlehem.

You would meet people longing for the gift of unfailing love and faithfulness—people who write GRACE on their gift list and wish for just a glimpse of peace in their little corner of the earth.

They are waiting for the glory of God to be revealed. They are searching for a sign that someone sees, someone cares, someone has heard their prayer. They all need something that seems impossible this year.

This is what you can give your neighbor for Christmas: Share your life with others as Christ shared His life with you. To do that, you might have to leave the comfort of your home and step into the neighborhood, just like Jesus did.

The Christmas story is about Zechariah and Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary, John and Jesus—and it’s a story about you, and me, and our neighbors.

It’s about persevering prayer to a God who still specializes in the impossible.

It’s a story about waiting for God’s gifts. It’s a story about the kindness of God to us and the power of the Most High in us.

It’s a story about loving others so much that we give up our rights, and lay down our lives.

It’s a story about a King who was born in a stable, who still lives in our neighborhoods today.

Deb in Iowa

“It’s been a year since I heard you speak about the Neighborhood Café on FamilyLife Today. I had been praying Colossians 4:2-6 for several months and keeping my eyes open for whatever opportunities God might send my way.

Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.Colossians 4:5

“But so far, I had seen very little results. So when I heard you share the Neighborhood Café idea, I prayed and asked God if this was what He wanted. I delayed another week to see if this was what I wanted, and then set out with my invites on a cold, windy day the week before Thanksgiving. I went around to 40 homes in my neighborhood to invite them to an Open House. Ten of them came! I never would have dreamed I would/could do something like that, but armed with the resources you provided, tons of prayer, and buoyed by a song that had just come out called ‘Oceans,’ I set my eyes on Jesus and stepped out into the ‘water.’

“It’s been a journey of faith, but we went through your Espresso magazine last winter, had a great Block Party last summer, and now, this Monday night, we begin our first book study, Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs. I fretted all summer waiting for God to give me direction for the next step and here we are.

“I just wanted to again say thank you for your obedience to God to answer His call to this ministry, and to ask for you and your team’s prayers that our lives would be changed as God works His mighty power in our lives.”

Serving a Great Savior,
Deb Anderson, South Hampton Neighborhood Cafe

Adrienne in Texas

“I just finished passing out all my invitations in my neighborhood! I have been doing ten a day for a week. I have met some really nice ladies already!”

Laura in Washington

“Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself.” Francis C. Farley

Christmas is the perfect time to love your neighbor without being weird! Here are some tips to connect:

• Ask your neighbor where she got her poinsettias, lighted wreath or giant inflatable Grinch. She’ll receive a compliment, you’ll receive some great advice.
• Host a Christmas card party. Serve hot chocolate and play carols while everyone fills out their own cards.
• Have a gift wrapping party—everyone wraps their own presents while you share boxes, bows and finally get rid of that leftover paper.
• Arrange a cookie exchange and let the children decorate cookies.
• Befriend a single mom or dad, offer to watch their children—in their home, while they are home—so they can get some things done
• Call a neighbor the next time you’re going to the grocery store, post office, or the mall and offer to pick up anything she might need. Better yet, invite her to come along!
• Deliver a Christmas card to your neighbor’s door with a plate of cookies.
• Offer to fill out Christmas cards for an elderly neighbor.
• Learn one neighbor’s name. You might have to that embarrassing conversation when you say, “I’m so sorry, but I don’t know your name.”
• Start a walking club in January, when everyone wants to get healthy. Or start a book club, a gardening club, or a cooking class.

And, it’s not too late to host a Christmas Open House!

1. Print as many copies of this pretty invitation as you need
2. Invite your neighbors to create a Christmas Countdown Craft.

• Tips for planning your Christmas Open House
• Step-by-step instructions for the Christmas Countdown Craft with photos

Those are all words that should describe the Christmas season, but do they? So often we get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the season and lose sight of what really matters. My friend Kathi Lipp and her co-host Erin MacPherson want to help us change that.

I first met Kathi at She Speaks, and the Neighborhood Cafe that meets in my home has enjoyed reading two of her books together: The Get Yourself Organized Project (my favorite New Year’s topic!) and The Cure for the Perfect Life.

This episode of her {hilarious, real, practical, hope-filled} podcast will:

• Give you simple, meaningful ideas on how to get rid of what doesn’t matter during the holidays so you can focus on what does.
• Share fun shopping tips, easy decorating ideas and even a few photo mishaps to help you realize that the holidays can be so much more than a time of hurried frenzy.
• Give you 21 days of simple projects that will give you the simple tools and organizational strategies you need to make this holiday season peaceful, connected, meaningful and much more.

Click the link below to listen in, and make sure you subscribe to Kathi’s 21 Days to Organize Your Christmas Project and download a freebie list of shopping ideas that will help you find the perfect, budget-friendly gift for everyone on your list

Kathi’s Podcast: A Christmas that is Peaceful, Connected and Meaningful?

Her sweet smile and that little smiley face at the end make light of a heavy complaint: Christmas is hard.

Christmas is hard because we make it hard.

There are this many days left until Christmas, 2014:

In this many days +1, that wrapping paper you so carefully chose and artfully crafted will be in the trash heap. Those too-big, too-small and not-what-I-really-wanted gifts you spent hours shopping for will be piled unceremoniously in the trunk of your car. Recipes you craved for months will be unappetizing leftovers, and if you eat one more cookie even your yoga pants will be too tight.

Before jingle bells jangle your brain and your wallet cries out for relief, let’s pause and remember the Ghost of Christmas Past – and let’s bring the joy back to Christmas.

• Every time you ask your children and grandchildren about their gift list, make sure the conversation includes the true Gift.
• Start each day in December with a Christmas devotional like this or this or this.
• Prioritize people over presents!

Can you skip one cheesy Christmas movie? (I can already tell you how it ends…) Can you spend a little less time wrapping inanimate objects and more time chatting with real people? Can you use that time to do something with your neighbors? If you’re willing to consider the notion, everything you need to get started is right here – including invitations and a Christmas countdown craft.

It’s not too late to have a Merry Christmas!

• More Christmas ideas!

• Tips for planning your Christmas Open House

• Step-by-step instructions for the Christmas Countdown Craft with photos 

• How churches can expand neighborhood outreach this Christmas

But me? I would have to train just to do the training.

In March, I signed up for strength training at the gym, learned how to swim a real stroke for the first in my life, and began a Couch to 5K running program. My first run was 120 seconds of agony.

Within four days of starting my pre-training training, we got the news that a publisher made an offer on my book proposal for How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird. Great timing, right? This was the perfect excuse to get out of the triathlon! The book was due August 1. The triathlon was August 31. There was no way I could do both of these at the same time, plus my regular job, and be a wife and mother and daughter and friend, and the Neighborhood Café ministry… right?

But then I began to wonder if God had aligned these two huge challenges on purpose.

He knew when I would get the book deal, and He knew I struggled with deadlines and procrastination and perseverance. So I decided to give it a try. I put all my tri training on my calendar, and I figured out how much I would have to write each week to finish the book on time.

Week 1, I did my tri training and wrote Chapter 1.

Week 2, I did my tri training and wrote Chapter 2.

Week 3, I was sick and we went out of town, so I didn’t get to train…and I didn’t write much, either.

Week 4 didn’t really go as planned…

By Week 5, I was falling seriously behind on both goals.

It only took me six weeks to make the brilliant connection that when I did the training, I also did the writing.

As I tackled these two huge goals, I found myself leaning on God more than ever. My life was harder so my prayers were deeper. I was desperate for His help—which He freely gave! As I fixed my attention on Him, He revealed things to me that I would have missed at any other time. I learned how to push through hard things—in the pool, on the bike path, at my computer. I had more energy for my family, let alone a 5K. I lost 10 pounds.

I could write better when I worked harder.

I turned in my manuscript in two days ahead of schedule! I can finally show you the book cover: How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird will be available in May from Bethany House Publishers and wherever books are sold.

And I completed my Triathlon!

Before you think I’m getting braggy, let me confess:

I didn’t do ONE MORE THING after I crossed that finish line.

This was such a short lived success. I didn’t squeeze into my swim cap, tour country roads on my bike or lace up my shoes. I only wrote blogs I was committed to for other websites. I gained back 3 pounds. (OK: 6) My knees started to hurt again. I fell back into bad habits of procrastinating. With the past as a predictor, it took me 5 or 6 weeks to figure it out.

You know that verse that says we have to forget what is behind, and press on to what’s ahead?

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:13-14

I’ve always looked at that in the negative – I have to forget the bad stuff in my past, and press on because I’m forgiven and free. But sometimes we have to forget some of the good stuff, too – the successes we try to ride too long or a sense of accomplishment that clouds our judgment.

I’m back on track: swimming, writing, neighboring. My Christmas Open House is on the calendar, and the book is in the final stages of editing. I’m thankful we serve a God of second chances, new beginnings, and heavenly prizes.

The Neighborhood Cafe’s Christmas craft is a fun and festive way to count down the days until Christmas while remembering the real reason we celebrate!

It’s made by removing the glass from an old photo frame, inserting Christmas paper, and gluing on a small clothespin to hold a card that counts down the days until Christmas.

To download the craft (and an invitation to a Christmas Open House for your neighbors!), simply subscribe below to receive updates from The Neighborhood Cafe. About every other week, you’ll receive an email with tips, tools and techniques to help you love your neighbor in a whole new way. You can easily unsubscribe at any time, and your information will never be sold or shared.

• Printable Christmas Open House Invitations

• Printable Christmas Countdown Craft

Click

Click “Christmas Countdown Craft” in your confirmation email to download the PDF file, and print as many copies as you need on white cardstock. Make sure you select the “fit to size” option so the document adjusts to your printer’s margins.

You’ll receive this confirmation email with links to the free files when you confirm your subscription.

Cut

Trim the cards to size using scissors or a paper cutter. If you print on both sides of the paper, the cards will match up with the same number on both sides. One side of the card has a cute Christmassy decoration with the countdown number, while the other side also has a Bible verse about the coming King.

Christmas paper

If you used the invitation that says, “Bring an old 4×6 photo frame to create a Christmas countdown,” then your neighbors should bring their own frame to your Open House. If you have any extra around the house, it wouldn’t hurt to have them handy.

Remove the glass from the frame and insert Christmas scrapbook paper or gift wrap that you’ve cut down to size.

Clothespin

Glue a mini clothespin onto the Christmas paper. You might find it helpful to clip a card to the clothespin then position it on the paper before you glue it down (or you could end up with clothespins in all the wrong places… like I did…).

Clip

Clip the appropriate card to the clothespin. There are 25 cards to count down each day in December (on December 1, insert card 25, etc. – you may have understood that easily, but it took me a while to figure it out!). Store the remaining cards in a bag tucked behind the frame, and change the card daily as you count down to Christmas!

Complete Supply List

• 4×6 photo frame, glass removed
• Cardstock (heavy white paper) – 3 or 6 sheets per craft
• Christmas scrapbook paper or gift wrap
• Scissors or paper cutter
• Glue
• Mini clothespin
• Small bag to store extra cards

• Printable Christmas Open House Invitations

• Printable Christmas Countdown Craft

Capture

Take a picture of your Open House and countdown craft, and post it on our Facebook page!

Chat

This craft is an instant ice-breaker with your neighbors. Bringing their own frame makes creates involvement and interaction. Having an activity to do together makes the time go faster and eases any awkwardness when meeting people for the first time.

Your neighbors will take home a memorable gift celebrating the birth of Christ – and the birth of a new friendship!

• More Christmas ideas!

• Tips for planning your Christmas Open House

• How churches can host neighborhood Open Houses

The secret to hosting a successful Open House is extravagant hospitality… not extreme entertaining.

Focus on your honored guests, not a glowing home. Preparing your heart takes precedence over cleaning your house.

Pray for your neighbors

Pray for open doors, open minds and open schedules. Pray that you will be brave enough to knock on the door of their home and their heart. Pray that your neighbors will be even braver, brave enough to let you in.

“We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8

Pick a date and time

Look for an open time slot on your calendar in December. Didn’t find one? Me neither! That’s OK: we’re just going to have to create one. We will probably have to say no to something in order to say yes to our neighbors. There is no perfect date or time, so just pick one that works for you and your family. I’m hosting my Christmas Open House in early December on a Tuesday or Thursday night from 7-8:30PM.

Pass out invitations

Print these adorable invitations on cardstock, then cut them to size – they print three per page to save you paper and ink. There are two versions, so only print the page you want: one invites your neighbors to create a Christmas countdown craft (also available below), the other does not have the craft.

Deliver your invitations one to three weeks before your Open House. If you can deliver them in person, that’s wonderful. If you only have time to leave them at the door, that’s fine, too! Attaching a simple Christmas ornament or a few pieces of hard candy in a clear bag is a nice touch.

• Click here or here to see a Open House invitation transformed into a small gift.

  • Printable Christmas Open House Invitations

  • Printable Christmas Countdown Craft

Prepare your home

“If you are an entertainer, you appreciate the thoughtfulness, talent, time, effort, and expense it can require. Entertaining looks good, smells good, and feels good. Entertaining is picture-perfect and Pinterest-worthy.

Unleash your inner Martha… then stop fretting and enjoy your guests. Here are some housekeeping tips from my upcoming book -

Front porch and entryway

• Sweep sidewalk and porch
• Shake out the doormat
• Clean glass door
• Put away any clutter that was abandoned at the front door

Living room

• Put away anything that doesn’t belong (even if you have to temporarily stash it in trash bags or laundry baskets)
• Fold blankets and straighten magazines, discard old newspapers
• Knock down any cobwebs along the ceiling or light fixtures
• Polish furniture
• Clean glass surfaces and pictures
• Vacuum upholstery and flip cushions
• Sweep or vacuum floors; mop hardwood floors

Kitchen

• Put away unnecessary clutter and dishes
• Wipe cabinets, stovetop, and appliances
• Dust any knickknacks and clean small countertop appliances
• Scour the sink
• Clean floors
• Wipe down the kitchen table and chairs

Bathroom

• Put away personal items like toothbrushes, combs, and brushes
• Clean mirror
• Clean sink and countertop
• Clean toilet
• Empty wastebaskets
• Provide ample toilet paper and offer paper towels for drying hands

General tips

• Wipe the switch plates, doorknobs, and doorjambs to instantly brighten a room
• Don’t use overpowering scents for your guests who are sensitive to strong odors
• Have a plan for overly friendly or unfriendly pets

Pick up a few supplies

FOOD: Check out our Neighborhood Cafe recipes, or put out a few of your favorite Christmas cookies. Or, make some slice-n-bake treats and call it a day! I use paper plates, plastic silverware, disposable cups and paper napkins, and I serve coffee, tea, water, and hot or cold cider. Simple is essential!

CRAFT: If you’re doing the Christmas countdown craft, you’ll need a few items you may even have around the house. Check out this blog with step-by-step instructions and illustrations for making the craft. 

• Printable Christmas Open House Invitations

• Printable Christmas Countdown Craft

Party time!

Put Martha away, and remember the real reason for your Open House: to meet, greet and treat your neighbors. Be completely ready at least 30 minutes before the time you’ve told your guests. Pray right up until the doorbell rings! Take time with your family to pray over each guest who may grace you with their presence. Ask your guests to sign a Guest List so you don’t forget new neighbors’ names (here’s a free Guest List printable!).

Since this is an Open House, your guests may arrive at any time during the time you specified. some guests may stay the entire time while others may leave after saying hello. Think about a few ice-breakers you may sprinkle into conversation with your neighbors. These questions aren’t intrusive but can get people talking:

• What’s your favorite Christmas carol? cookie? movie?
• Where did you spend holidays as a child?
• Do you stay up to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve?
• What’s the best gift you’ve ever given? received?
• Do you enjoy participating in or watching winter sports like ice skating, sledding, skiing?

Before you do the dishes or gather abandoned coffee cups, jot down a few notes about each guest so you don’t forget anything you’ve learned about your neighbors.

Finally, take a moment to praise the Lord for turning your home into a nativity where love was born.

Tips for hosting a Christmas Open House for your neighbors
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• More Christmas ideas!

• Step-by-step instructions for the Christmas Countdown Craft with photos 

• How churches can expand neighborhood outreach at Christmas

Imagine your neighbors who are battered by life. Those who want something more from life. Those who don’t even know what they’re missing. Now imagine your neighbors receiving God’s mercy and finding grace to help when they need it most.

As a church, we so desperately want for our neighbors to know God’s grace and mercy. In fact, we want it for the 1.2 million people who live in the counties closest to us – but that is a God-sized dream. We know that we can’t do it through programs or sermons.

Sharing God’s grace and mercy is best done relationally.

This year, we suspended our traditional in-house Christmas program featuring a nationally-known speaker. Instead, we equipped and encouraged the women of our church to reach out to their neighbors this Christmas. We modified the Neighborhood Cafe invitation to fit the season and our audience. We created an Open House kit for women with invitations, a short DVD about the truth of Christmas, a simple set of checklists and the option of a fun, simple Advent countdown craft that could be done by those attending the open houses.

• Printable Christmas Open House Invitations

• Printable Christmas Countdown Craft

We prepared all the materials and we prayed. We knew we were asking our women to take a huge step of faith to open their homes and invite their friends, neighbors or co-workers. Finally, we announced sign-ups for Christmas Cafe Kits.

And then we were blown away! More than 100 women in nearly 30 New England towns signed up to host a Christmas Open House!

We ran out of Kits and had to make more. We know that not all of those Open Houses will happen, but their initial responses let us know that God is working in the hearts of New England women to share God’s grace and mercy with those who haven’t yet experienced the gift of unconditional love and unmerited salvation.

Amy Lively’s message of “How to Love your Neighbors without Being Weird” came at just the right time for our church. It is such a timely message that coincides with the dream God has set before us.

Some women are inviting just 4-5 people to an Open House, and one woman is inviting her entire street of 50 homes. Our prayer is that these Open Houses will be used by God to speak into the lives of those who need it most as we share God’s grace and mercy through everyday relationships.

My one request when we moved to Dayton, Ohio, from Staten Island, New York? To live in a neighborhood.

I wanted neighbors. I wanted my kids to play in the driveway with other neighbor kids. I wanted to take my kids for wagon rides around the cul-de-sac. I didn’t want to be in the country (my husband’s first choice), alone with three children under three years old and no one to borrow eggs from in a cooking emergency. I needed, and wanted, people around me. I wanted neighbors.

It didn’t take long once we moved in for walks around the cul-de-sac to become a daily part of our schedule. One particular walk became a moment in my history with God that is forever marked with a remembrance stone, modeling the Israelites. Why? Because God showed up in a big way!

I was raised to know my neighbors and share my faith through living life side by side. So, I came into my new neighborhood wanting to share my love for Jesus as the heartbeat of our home and parenting through daily interaction over ordinary life situations with our new neighbors.

I came into my new neighborhood wanting to share my love for Jesus as the heartbeat of our home.

As I pulled the wagon with my children sitting inside, I saw her approaching me from the opposite direction. Somewhere in the middle of a brief introduction to one another I mentioned getting up every day at 5:00 AM. Obviously intrigued, she asked why I got up this early every day! I froze for what seemed like five minutes but was really a mere breath or two.

I knew in that moment God was asking me to share why I woke up so early, but out of my mouth came a weak, “To just do things.” Smiling, she moved on in our conversation.

Can I just tell you the overwhelming sense of guilt that slammed right into my heart as I picked up the wagon handle to finish our walk? I wanted a do over. I wanted a second chance.

After scolding myself for a good day or two, I became still over the situation. I silently whispered, begging God for a second chance. Not because I deserved it. Not because I was worthy. But, because I wanted a second chance to speak of my early morning quiet times with someone so important to me. I wanted to share how I find empowerment for a day with little ones, wisdom for daily decisions and peace that passes all understanding in those early morning quiet times.

One week to the day, in His infinite grace, He gave me what I didn’t deserve, a second chance. He opened the door wide for me as my kids and I journeyed around the cul-de-sac yet once again! I must have said “Thank You!” a thousand times, like a teenager who gets Chik-Fil-A for no reason.

It was like the clouds divided and the angels sang a song when she asked for more details about my early mornings. He is a God of second chances.

Because of my regret, which led to my request, God opened a door to walk right through with a gentle spirit, ready to share openly with my neighbor in my neighborhood.

For more of Lisa’s insightful and engaging life lessons, her devotional and other materials visit www.deeperstillministries.com.

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