WELCOME to Issue #318 of The Seedhead from Alex and Hannah at Dandelion Resourcing
- a weekly confidence booster to help you step into naturally supernatural discipleship and mission!
Being an Intentional Neighbor
Most of us are perfectly pleasant neighbors. We wave. We bring the bins in. We sign for the odd parcel. And if we moved away tomorrow, the street would notice the moving truck and very little else.
Jesus never called us to be pleasant. He called us to bring His Kingdom wherever we live, and that means we live naturally supernaturally, and supernaturally naturally!
Fall makes this easier than usual. Even here in Southern California, it's cooling off, and some folks are even wearing sweaters! People linger. Sidewalk conversations run longer. Doors open a little wider.
So here's the challenge for the weeks ahead: be the kind of neighbor people would miss. Not because you're impressive, but because the Lord kept being seen wherever you went.
You don't need a program or a budget. You need to show up, pay attention, and let the Holy Spirit set the agenda. Here are five ways in.
Light a fire (pit)
Before you send a single invite, ask the Holy Spirit who should be there. Then invite them! Bring the s'mores and cider, and keep the questions easy: "What's your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?" Ask curious follow-up questions, leaning into the "why" that lies behind.Save a seat
If you're hosting Thanksgiving, set one extra place before you know who it's for. Then ask Jesus to show you. It might be the colleague with no family nearby or the student down the road. When you say grace, bless each guest by name, asking the Holy Spirit to give you one specific thing to honor in each person. Most lost people have never heard someone thank God for them out loud. They won't forget it.Walk your street with Jesus
Take a slow lap of your block and pray for each house as you pass. Ask Him what He's doing behind that front door. Learn the names of the neighbors you don't know yet. If something comes to mind as you pray for one of them, assume that's the Spirit's prompting and pray accordingly.Do the dirty work
Pick someone who could use a hand. The older couple with the overflowing gutters. The new parents who haven't slept since August. Rake their leaves or take out their trash. If they mention a bad back or a sick kid, ask if you can pray right there on the driveway. People say yes far more often than we expect.Deliver something sweet, and something true
Bake something (or buy something, we won't tell!) that is clearly a thoughtful little gift. Before you write the note, ask the Holy Spirit for one specific encouragement for that household. Write it down plainly. No King James English required. "We've been praying for you, and we sense God wants you to know you're not on your own." A cookie gets eaten in a minute. A word like that might be stuck to the fridge for years.
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:10)
Jesus has positioned you in your neighborhood as His representative. He has also given you full access to potentially any of the gifts of the Spirit, so lean into them and use them as part of your missionary witness.
Hit reply and tell us what you're going to do. Pick one idea for this week. Small and consistent beats big and never.
And then let us know what happens when you step out! We especially want the stories where God did something you didn't see coming.
"God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." (Acts 17:27)
With love,
Alex + Hannah
ALEX AND HANNAH ABSALOM
