When I wrote my first book on neighboring,  I was trying to help people rediscover something that has always had the power to change lives: being an engaged neighbor. Today, I’m grateful to celebrate an exciting milestone. Together, my first two books have sold more than 750 copies , reaching readers across Missouri, throughout the United States, and beyond. Every copy represents someone who believes neighborhoods matter and that ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference by connecting with those around them. My first book, Neighborhood Mission Trips for Everyday Christians , encourages Christians to view their own neighborhoods as places where faith can be lived out every day. Rather than waiting for opportunities far from home, the book invites readers to recognize that some of the most meaningful ministry opportunities may exist just across the street. My second book, The Neighboring Playbook , grew out of years of community development work, research, and the c...

Let me start with a simple question. How many of you know the names of the people who live directly next door to you? Not just what they look like… but their names. Now—how many of you know something about their lives? What they do, what they care about, what’s going on with them? Here’s what’s interesting. We live closer to people than ever before. Our homes are packed into neighborhoods, apartment complexes, subdivisions… we’re surrounded by people. And yet, many of us feel more disconnected than ever. At the same time, a lot of people want to make a difference. We want to help, to contribute, to do something meaningful. So we often think: ‘I need to go somewhere. I need to sign up for something. I need to add something to my schedule.’ But what if the most meaningful, lasting way to make an impact… isn’t somewhere else? What if it’s right outside your front door?” CORE IDEA I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this idea, and I wrote a book called Neighborhood Missio...

  Neighborhood Mission Trips for Everyday Christians , reimagines the mission trip not as a distant excursion but as a walk across the street. It’s a book for ordinary Christians who want to live missionally, starting in their neighborhood.  This book is a practical, devotional-style guide that empowers Christians to see their own neighborhood as a meaningful mission field. Written for individuals, small groups, and churches seeking to reimagine outreach, this book brings the structure of a short-term mission trip into everyday life—without passports or plane tickets. Combining Scripture, personal stories, devotionals, and practical guides, this book equips individuals and churches to cultivate deeper relationships, overcome social isolation, and love their literal neighbors in tangible ways. This is not a theological treatise or a feel-good collection of ideas. It’s a blueprint. Readers are walked through a week-long neighborhood mission trip complete with daily themes, ...