We can be incredibly artful about disguising our pride–me included. I'd rather you see diligence and dependability, and not dig deep enough to trace them back to pride. I would prefer to convince you that I'm always capable and composed, so you don't question why I reach for this consistency. I want you to see me as selfless and sweet-natured–never stubborn or snappy or overly sensitive–and assume pride never drives me to curate your impression of me.

But the truth is, pride can slide into our best of intentions, subvert our peace, and sandwich itself between us and other people. It hides inside of lies that sound incredibly convincing . . .

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.

Maybe you feel like you're falling into fall too.

Barely ready.

Rarely at your best.

And yet, there's a quiet, undeniable inkling that something is missing.

• Conversations in driveways and over casual dinners.
• Cheery hellos and neighbors helping neighbors.
• Pretense-free, faith-forming honesty.

Perhaps this dream has lain dormant for a while as you fit all the necessaries into your day-to-day. Perhaps you've never laid a finger on this desire for an old-fashioned kind of neighborhood, where kids play in the street and adults converse on porches. But the tumble from summer to autumn has you daydreaming.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. Neighboring Tip of the Week
4. For your heart (and if you like, for your wall or dashboard or mirror), here is a manifesto to define the direction.

Our brains are always telling us what we have to do, as if there's always more we could–should–be doing. We're continually privy to the guilty nagging, the critical comparison, the insistent whisper of not enough, not enough, not enough.

No wonder a missional life gets lumped in with the shoulds. We've been conditioned to stack on extras and deny we're on empty.

We assign a grading scale to our hospitality, our servant-heartedness, our neighborliness. We assess our overwhelm as selfishness. We see our homes as never company-ready, our lives as lacking, our faith as lackluster.

Can we talk about all the pressure we've built up to do more and be more, as if being a good neighbor should exhaust you?

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. For more encouragement and practical tips for mission-minded introverts, check out this post, "Neighborhood Missional Living When I Am an Introvert."
4. Neighboring Tip of the Week

It's one of those mornings the sunrise peaks as I walk up the hill from my house, trees and power lines and houses towering between me and the sky. I take pictures of the remnants of color gently grazing the horizon when I reach my typical sunrise viewing spot. It's lovely, but not stunning.

I stretch and check my shoelaces, but before I hit the record button on my running app, I turn around. I'm glad I do, because God's glory hovers over an ordinary parking lot, and I almost missed it.

I'd been bent on the angle, trying to situate the sun just so between the trees or over the vanishing point of the white fence. But I'd been too close to see the white streaks and glow of color up a little higher.

From the middle of the parking lot, I catch patched blacktop and a swingset in my camera lens. If I omit the less-aesthetic, I also miss the majesty exploding above it.

Isn't it like that a lot in life? We zero in on moments that feel inordinately spiritual and miss the intersection of the sacred and the mundane?

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. Neighboring Tip of the Week

Maybe you're like me. You use your hands a lot. You type and wash dishes, tie shoelaces, and take contacts out every night. It all feels natural–unless your nails are too long. Then they click-click on the keyboard, and you take five tries to spell one word correctly to answer a text.

I'm clueless about nail salon lingo, so after my nails were way outgrown, I found a local spot with all the downtown vibes and nail techs who texted back to answer all my questions. They use gentle products, engage in genuine conversation, and do beautiful, meticulous work. I'm hooked.

But the beautiful nails–sculpted with hard gel to add length–came with a learning curve.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. Daughters First Retreat

If meal-prep sounds exhausting . . .

If your quiet time is inconsistent (or non-existent) . . .

If you're already wondering how to clone yourself . . .

If you want meaningful moments in the midst of the busy . . .

If you long for authentic community . . .

If you wish you could just slow August down a tad . . .

This list of tips is for you.

They're practical. Easy to implement. Gifts from my actual life to you.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. This handy, 5-minute quiet time guide from Jennifer Dukes Lee is free to download!
4. I Don't Have to Hold it All Together by Nichole J. Suvar

Like shoes, our habits can help or harm us. Sometimes it's not obvious from the outside, but inside, we feel either weighed down or revived. That's our clue. Pay attention. Some shiny new habits might not be right for you, and some familiar ones may be past their lifespan.

Links mentioned:

1. Get a FREE, 5-Day Email Course: Turn Your Loneliness into Ripple-Effect Faith in 5 Days.
2. Read the written version of this episode HERE.
3. My word of the year, koinonia.