How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird

by Amy Lively

"I want to love my neighbor, but I don't know how."

Most of us feel guilty about Christ's command to love our neighbor, but let's be honest--we don't even know most of the people living around us.

How can we love people we don't even know? Besides, doesn't it count as "loving our neighbor" when we send money to missionaries and put out yard signs for our church? Are we supposed to just knock on our neighbors' doors and tell them about Jesus?

"They'll think I'm weird."

How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird helps you overcome fears about getting to know your neighbors and sharing your faith. You'll learn simple, practical ways to get to know your neighbors, using your God-given personality. As you venture out of the comfort of your living room and into the lives of your neighbors, you'll form authentic friendships, create a safer community, and find fulfillment in obeying Christ's #2 command.

Loving your neighbor isn't a random command; it's God's perfect plan.

"A very timely book for a very isolated culture. Amy Lively offers practical help and guidance in the neglected practice of hospitality."-- Dr. Dennis Rainey , president, FamilyLife

"This ministry is changing lives. Amy has followed God's leading into an untapped area of people that need Jesus. What a simple idea of reaching out to your neighborhood--the area that God placed you in for His purposes. Amy's ideas and excellent resources have offered a no-excuse zone for this ministry. The Lord said, 'Love me and love your neighbor.' He chose Amy to show us the way. Thank you for this amazing resource!"-- Chrissy Dunham , director of women's ministry at Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Texas

"Amy knows God has given each of us a corner of the world to share the love of Jesus and the hope found in His Word. Her book equips women, spiritually and practically, to answer this call and open their hearts and homes to friends and neighbors."-- Wendy Blight , Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and author

"Amy's brilliant approach to engaging our neighbors is natural, fun, and life-changing! She provides every single thing you will need, including courage. This book and practice is a must for everyone desiring to honor and obey the Lord."-- Debbie Stuart , church and leadership development director, Women of Faith

" Amy gives us the keys to really connect with those who live around us--not with an agenda, but with a heart toward real relationships. A must-read for anyone who believes that 'Love thy neighbor' really starts at your front door."-- Kathi Lipp , coauthor of The Cure for the Perfect Life and author of The Husband Project

"With hundreds of friends on social media, why are we so lonely? In her amazing book, Amy Lively identifies the heart-need for deep connection that's not being met through a screen and offers a simple Actually meet the people who live near you. Amy's openness to share her successes and failures at reaching out will inspire you to try it yourself.'"-- Glynnis Whitwer , author of Everyday Confetti ; executive director of communications, Proverbs 31 Ministries

"Amy shows us, step-by-step, how to conquer our fears, connect with our neighbors, and have fun too! Highly recommend!"-- Cindy Bultema , speaker, Bible teacher, and author of Red Hot Faith

"What does 'love your neighbor as yourself' really mean? In this book, Amy Lively will give you the tips, tools, and techniques you need to love your neighbor in your own unique way."-- Jennifer Rothschild , author of Lessons I Learned in the Dark ; founder of Fresh Grounded Faith events and womensministry.net

Genres: Christian Living, Faith, Christian, Nonfiction, Relationships, Christian Non Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2015

About the author

Amy Lively is an author and speaker whose passion is teaching God’s Word as a “How To” manual for loving Him and loving others. With words rooted in ancient Scripture yet rich in modern application, Amy guides us toward lasting hope for difficult days—then helps us share it with a neighbor.

Releasing September, 2023, from Kregel Publications, "Can I Borrow a Cup of Hope? How to Find Faith for Hard Times in 1 Peter" shows how pain and suffering are transformed into hope and purpose. This hybrid book/Bible study shows how to set aside our hopeless fears and hopeful fantasies and set our hope fully on God's faithfulness.

She learned to explain complex theology in simple, relatable terms by inviting neighbors of all ages and faith backgrounds to a women’s Bible study in her home. This crazy idea of knocking on neighbors’ doors grew into an international ministry called The Neighborhood Café, where she have coached women across the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and Australia to overcome their fears and fulfill their calling in their communities.

Her first book, "How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird," provides even more practical tools, prayerful encouragement and powerful inspiration so you can embrace the people God has carefully placed around your home—the best place for forming new friendships and deepening old ones.

Amy is a student at Asbury Theological Seminary. She has leadership experience in church planting, women’s ministry, small groups, and parachurch organizations. She is also a church volunteer, community organizer, and business owner. She and her husband divide their time between Colorado and Florida. Visit her at www.amylively.com.

Reviews

[Callie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I heard about the book “How To Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird” by Amy Lively, I snapped it up - I was hoping for more ideas on ways to reach out to these people whose names I finally know! You know how sometimes it feels like a chore to finish reading certain books? This book was not like that. Lively opens up with her personal testimony, and then tells the story of how she started a neighborhood Bible study. She effortlessly weaves stories into encouragement for why we need to reach out to our neighbors, the benefits and challenges, and practical encouragement. I felt like there were a lot of good ideas and inspiration in this book for getting out there and really talking to your neighbors. This book is definitely more geared toward women, so if your husbands are interested in getting to know the neighbors better too, you might try finding some more male-geared resources for him. At first I felt like the author almost assumed that you already knew a lot of your neighbors and were building on an already formed connection, and I was a little frustrated because there didn’t seem to be a lot of information for how to practically go about establishing those relationships to start with. But finally toward the end of the book she gave some ideas for how to meet your neighbors. Lively gives ideas for different events to host or attend to get to know your neighbors, and encourages you to open your home to your neighbors. But I felt like much of the book focused on encouragement for forming a neighborhood Bible study. In a lot of her stories about her own neighbors, she talks about neighbors she has who already follow the Lord. I don’t think every neighborhood would have so many Christians in it (some might have only one other believer or none) so I think it might be a little challenging for every person to follow her suggestion to establish a neighborhood Bible study. It might work beautifully for some neighborhoods, but might not garner interest in others. My neighborhood, for instance, is one where people are very private - that’s why we live where we live, because it’s private. We live on acres (not fractions of acres), and it’s difficult to talk to neighbors over the fence, or say hello in passing, because we are so spread out. I know that I only know three neighbors in my neighborhood by name so far, and I can’t really say we have any sort of neighborly relationship yet. I’m still working on it, so it would be a little “weird” for me to go up and just invite people to a Bible study at my house right off the bat. Lively does suggest that you establish the relationships first, but most of the book assumes you have already done that - I’d like more information/encouragement for those very first steps! Regardless, this book was insightful and gave me a lot of inspiration for getting out there and trying again with my neighbors. I do think the “love your neighbor” commandment has been largely ignored in recent days when it comes to our literal neighbors, and I love that there are more books out there addressing this issue - and this one is a great one for more ideas on connecting with your neighbors! Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion. - See more at: http://www.throughcloudedglass.com/20...

[Jalynn Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

About the Book:

A Woman's Guide to Sharing Her Faith While Making New Friends
Many women are comfortable hanging out at church but also long for a spiritual connection to their community. Amy Lively shows you how to love those strangers next door even when you're fearful. She writes from her experience, saying, "I've knocked on hundreds of doors. Every time I invite my neighbors for coffee I learn something new." This book is a candid compilation of her mistakes (yes) and gives God the glory for successes.
You'll find hands-on tools and ideas that will help you share the Gospel, explore how to use social media to form real-life relationships, and give you the courage to take the first step of faith to reach out to that neighbor whose name you don't yet know.



My Review:

One of God's greatest commands is to love thy neighbor. sounds simple enough until it's time to actually do it. How many times have you actually had a stirring to do something nice for someone only to give way to fear and back out at the last minute? What will they think of me? Do I actually have time to invest in these people? Aren't they going to reject me if I try to share the love of Jesus Christ with them? All of these thoughts and many more run amuck in our minds and many times they are what hold us back from doing anything worthwhile for Christ. It is sad to want to do more but we are often held back from doing so because of our fear.


Author, Amy Lively has went to many neighbors and she shares how her successes and even her failures can still be helpful, because after all she is doing it for Him. And He just wants us to be obedient and share with others. She shares how to get past those fears without being taken the wrong way. I love this book and its premise! We need more books like these, to help those of us who would like to step out of our comfort zones but really don't know how.


**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from Bethany House.

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy has walked the walk, so now she can talk the talk. I started off with all sorts of reasons why I cannot do what she suggests. And, truthfully, I have already done many of the things she suggests. But what I hadn't done was commit to pray for my neighbors so that my friendliness can reach them for Jesus. I love how this book is obviously bathed in prayer and Scripture, with practical ideas to love our neighbors.

[Carrie Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t always read nonfiction, but when I do I read it more slowly than fiction. Usually. I finished How To Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird in less than a day; I practically inhaled it – it’s that good and that easy to read. Amy Lively is my literary kindred spirit. Her writing voice is witty, fast-paced, and peppered with stories and truth that will make you chuckle while also hitting you right in the heart. The “Next Best Steps” sections at the end of each chapter contain thought-provoking questions to consider as you plan what to do with what you’ve learned.

News flash: much as the author (and you) have looked for it – there is no exemption clause to God’s command to love your neighbor as you love yourself. We don’t get excused from obedience if we don’t know our neighbors, if we don’t have time, if our neighbors are scary or rude, or if it’s inconvenient for us to do so. So, if we can’t get out of it, how do we work around all these legitimate excuses and love our neighbors without being weird? In this book, Amy Lively presents “simple, practical ways to get to know your neighbors, using your God-given personality.”

I cannot say enough good things about How To Love Your Neighbor! There are very few pages left in my copy that are not marked with underlining, smiley faces, hearts, stars, and notes of emphatic agreement in the margins. Her insights and stories gleaned from venturing out of her comfort zone into authentic friendships with her neighbors resonated with my own experiences teaching English as a Second Language to adults in my community. In fact, Amy Lively even includes a section on approaching your neighbors who are from other countries/cultures – it’s spot on! I found myself nodding adamantly in agreement as I read this practical list of do’s and don’ts and ways to engage international neighbors in conversation. My husband and I have learned these things the hard way with our incredibly gracious international friends – thankfully, you don’t have to if you buy your own copy of this book. The information is right there and will save you much trouble and awkward situations!

How To Love Your Neighbor is a challenging book – coaxing us out of our comfort zones and asking us to do things most of us just plain aren’t comfortable doing. But, it’s also a freeing book. Amy Lively’s dry humor allows you to chuckle at the realities of the daily Jesus-life and realize you’re not the only woman to be irritated by the Proverbs 31 woman. It releases you to offer hospitality without having a spotless house (“This isn’t an eat-off-the-floor kind of clean; a simple wipe-off-what-someone-just-ate-off-the-floor will do.“) and recognizes (with suggestions!) that introverts aren’t going to reach out to their neighbors in the same way as extroverts.

I give How To Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird 5 out of 5 stars and a space on my favorites shelf! I am better because I read it – and I pray my neighborhood will be too.

(THANK YOU to Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.)

Read more of my review here: https://readingismysuperpower.wordpre...

[Mariejkt · Rating 2 out of 5]

"How to Love Your Neighbor without being weird" by Amy Lively is a book about sharing the Lord with the people in your specific neighborhood. I picked this book to review as I thought it would be interesting and a good read. But it ended up rubbing me the wrong way. I am not saying that we are not love the people that live near us but this book takes the Good Samaritan story about loving your neighbor and making it sound like that it is just about loving the people that live around you. Which it is about loving everyone around you and far from you also. It is an interesting read but it did not really give me very many tips. One of the big things that really kinda of bugged me was the insistent attitude that you must invite and get to know the people in your neighborhood. Well not everyone lives in a safe neighborhood where you can just go and invite your neighbors over to you home. Sometimes we forget not everyone can live in nicer neighborhoods where you can do that. Even small towns can have neighborhoods where there is drug dealers and neighbors shooting at each other. I have seen both of those as a child and teenager in my neighborhood and I lived in a small town (population of about 1,800 people). Yes we knew our neighbors but we also knew some we just would not invite over for coffee. Even as an adult I have lived in areas that it would not have been safe to invite people over. I could not just move so I could be in a nicer neighborhood. Sometimes loving your neighbor is knowing they are there and praying for them otherwise you could be risking your family's safety. The other point of the book that rubbed me the wrong way was the constant use of the Message paraphrase it is not a good paraphrase at all so any book that uses it a lot bothers me also. This book was so not for me. Before you write me off as though I have never done something for the women in my neighborhood I did at one time lead a women's Bible study at the home of one of my neighbors. So yes I have done some of the things she does recommend for us women to do even though I am a major introvert. I will say for some people this book may be helpful but it was not for me.

I was given this book from Bethany House Publishers for my honest review.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought that How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird by Amy Lively meant the broader sense of "neighbor", as in everyone. But she really means neighbor as in location-wise, neighborhood, right in your own backyard type thing.

"A Woman's Guide to Sharing Her Faith While Making New Friends
Many women are comfortable hanging out at church but also long for a spiritual connection to their community. Amy Lively shows you how to love those strangers next door even when you're fearful."

Which is good. Charity starts at home, right? But I didn't get out of this book what I had hoped. I do think it would be lovely to have deep friendships within the neighborhood. I think it would be amazing to have a "neighborhood cafe" within my home where the neighborhood women can connect.

It sounds all so out of reach for a mother busy at home with children. If I invited an elderly neighbor over my children would be pestering us with questions. If I invited another mother and children here everyone would be running amok and we would be supervising them, not having a deep and meaningful conversation. This book seems to speak to the older woman, or at least one who has an empty nest or hours child-free throughout the day.

Not only that, but what if you don't live in a neighborhood safe enough to knock on doors and invite strangers into your home? This book seems to be excluding several sectors of the public.

That's not to say that it's not a good book. The ideas and the way Lively made her Neighborhood Cafe work sound ideal. I just had to stop about half way through as I didn't feel it was the book for me in my season of life.

This book was given to me by Bethany House Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Everyone should read this book!!

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An odd book to read during a national quarantine, but inspiring regardless.

[Sonya Loyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 215 pages ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book is all about creating community and loving your neighbors from a Christian perspective. However, it's so full of helpful tips, ideas, ice breakers and activities that I think it would be helpful to anyone who wants to love their neighbors better.
I read a pristine paperback copy from the library. I hope it finds more readers in my city.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me reach out to the women in my old neighborhood... They're still meeting monthly over coffee and snacks to chat! I just reread it to get inspiration to reach out to my new neighborhood which has so many different demographics.

[Camie Hillegonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

God commands us to love our neighbor and this book is very helpful in getting us started in obeying this command.

[Windy Kahler · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I didn't agree with everything the author said, I believe she tried to be objective. It was an enjoyable read with some good ideas.

[Jennifer Buczynski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the ideas in here! The theological side wasn't the best but I didn't buy this book for that reason. I wanted ideas to meet and get together with my neighbors and she did give that well.

[S.D. Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

"From one man he made all the people of the world. Now they live all over the earth. He decided exactly when they should live. And he decided exactly where they should live."

-Acts 17:26 NIrV

I was up late working on all things media-related for Gilt & Buckram Reviews, when my husband comes in to tell me of the Lafayette theater shooting. As I'm watching the reports roll in about the events, it hits close to home--really close to home, as in three hours close, technically in Shreveport's backyard; this coming on the heels of the terrible shootings in Chattanooga and Charleston. How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird automatically came to mind, because as it happened, it has been sitting on my desk, in the "need to review" pile. I kept nagging myself to write it (ashamedly I've had the book for a few weeks), and this was it, just the motivation I needed to accurately portray what Amy Lively was trying to convey, but maybe on a broader scale, loving our neighbor, friend or stranger.

In Amy Lively's book, she is literally talking about your physical neighbor, but I can't help but attribute and assign the term to my fellow man. The shooters in all these cases must have been in a terrible state of mind, to take the life of a stranger in such a wretched and painful way. According to Google, yes I Googled the term, "neighbor" means exactly what you'd think, but then the third and last bullet proclaimed this, "any person in need of one's help or kindness (after biblical use)". Wow! I consider that a win coming from Google. Sadly, these shooters were a missed opportunity to share the love of Jesus with; what a shame that they didn't know how much Jesus loves them!

"I would rather go to Africa than go across the street", Lively states and I have to admit, I'm right there with her. How terrifying to have your neighbors decline your offer at your most vulnerable moment, and then having to see them everyday and be reminded of the rejection. But what if God opened the door through you to reveal who Jesus is? The responsibility is mine to love my neighbor and let God do the work in their heart. Ultimately, I believe Lively is trying to communicate, through her example, that we should love everyone, because Jesus directed us to. How do I deserve God's love, but my neighbor doesn't? Her lesson is this, don't invite your neighbors to church at first, especially if you barely know them. Maybe they never had a good experience with church, and in turn they associate that feeling with you. Lively is saying to love them through our everyday actions first, invite them over, get to know one another and show them Jesus through you. Do weekly Bible studies with your neighborhood and allow the relationship to flourish. We start with those closest to us, in our daily interactions.

If those troubled shooters had encountered Jesus through one person, we wouldn't be sitting here talking about the hatred that's unfolding. It starts with us. Love each other, the risk is too great to keep our mouths closed and not share the unconditional love of Jesus.

**** 4 Stars

How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird

by Amy Lively

224 Pages

Published 2015

Genre: Nonfiction, Christian

ISBN-13: 978-0764217005

*Disclaimer: This eBook was received from Bethany House Publishers for an honest review.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book with good ideas. I had already thought through several of her premises myself, so the material wasn't super world-changing. I wish it had more ideas for introverts or people who don't live in good neighborhoods, but generally, it's got some solid ideas.

[Joanne Viola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evangelism is something which does not come easy for most people. It certainly has not come easy for me. It conjures up images of going door to door, Bible in one hand and tracts in the other. Oh yeah, been there and done that and it wasn’t overly successful. {{and that was many, many years ago before I truly knew better}}. Promise.

Evangelism, as defined by dictionary.com is “the practice of spreading the Christian gospel; the preaching of the gospel.”

Maybe that’s the problem – I am not a preacher.

But I do love a good conversation.

51qwvdCgvzL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_In her book, “How to Love Your Neighbor without being weird”, Amy Lively shares about effectively talking {{ie – having a good conversation}} about your faith with those around you. She admits, “I wanted to love my neighbor, but I didn’t know how.”

In this book, Amy shares her faith, her failures, her struggles, and her process of sharing her faith. In fact, she makes it seem easy. Her book is full of practical, everyday suggestions on opening our homes and our hearts to those living around us.

One of the things I loved about this book is that Amy suggests conversing with your neighbor about neighborly things – find out about their kids, how they keep their grass so beautiful, where they buy their flowers, vacations, etc. She encourages each of us to stop making excuses and get out there. Sure, evangelism can be intimidating but less so, if you start a relationship with your neighbor first.

“God’s kindness in sending Jesus Christ as my Savior – and His kindness revealed through the people He placed around me – turned me from my sin.” (page 24)

Plain and simple – Love will win them over every time. Natural relationships can change the destiny of those living around us.

“God has carefully placed us in our neighborhoods. He planted you on your street, on your block, in your house for a specific reason, which is explained in this verse: “God did this so that people would seek him.” (Acts 17:27)

God has placed each of us where we need to be because there is someone, in our neighborhood, who needs Him. And we may be the one who needs to introduce them to His Son. Sure it can be intimidating. But we can overcome our fears and make a difference right where we live.

This book was a delightful read as Amy wrote openly of her excuses, her fears, failures and her successes. It is a book which will challenge every reader to “love your neighbor”.

**** Thanks to Bethany House, I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Lucien · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to love Your Neighbour without Being Weird? How can we actively seek out our neighbours with the love and compassion of Jesus Christ? How can we love people we don't even know? Besides, doesn't it count as "loving our neighbour" when we send money to missionaries and put out yard signs for our church? Are supposed to just knock on our neighbour's doors and tell them about Jesus?

Great and tough questions given the world we live in, where to be identified as Christian, Jesus lover and follower is seen as weird and out of place. This is not your typical "how to book". Although you may find some of it in this book, it stems from a personal experience. The author did well by sharing her personal testimony and ultimately opening up her private life and letting the reader in. After all, if we are to be effective in reaching our neighbour we are to be willing not only to invite them in our homes but in our lives. "How to Love Your Neighbour Without Being Weird" is an example of how God uses individual through the power of his Spirit to fulfil his goal and to draw sinners to himself. Everyone's journey to God is different however one thing that is certain and common in all these stories is this: God uses individual to reach individual.

Some may not like personal stories and anecdotes but that's the point. The book is not about how to implement a new program of evangelism in the church but how each believer can be used by God to be the light and the salt of their community where they live. In that context, I found the book very helpful and enriching. It is convicting and simple.

The book also shed some light on the realities we face and the difficulties we have in reaching our neighbours with the gospel of Christ. A lot of is based on fear and assumptions we make about people around us which are far from the truth. Amy Lively is right to observe that it is easy to cross the world and preach the gospel to strangers than crossing the street where we live to share the gospel with our neighbour. Jesus as she put it, "is trapped" in our homes and each one of us needs to find creative ways to "love our neighbour without being weird."

[Tegan Vandenbosch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sure, God commands Christians to love our neighbors as ourselves. Yes, it is the second greatest commandment ("Love your neighbor as yourself." - Matt 22:39). I'm going to be honest here though - sometimes just walking across the lawn or down the street to get to know your neighbor is hard, let alone loving them. That's where this book, How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird by Amy Lively comes in. Amy walks the reader through the reasons, the how's, the excuses we invent for ourselves and how to get over those excuses and gain the benefits of not only saying hi to your neighbor, but getting to know them and inviting them into your life.
Amy's book was very well laid out, easy to read and very encouraging. Not only does Amy help you overcome fears about getting to know your neighbors, but shares ways of lovingly sharing your faith with them. She peppers her practical advice with stories from her own life and how she overcame excuses, fear of rejection, procrastination and more to get to know the own people that God had placed her among in her town. Beyond that she shares the joy, friendships, help and laughter that she experienced once she got to know her neighbors. This very down to earth book can be a great help and encouragement for any person who hesitates on the threshold of their drive way or sidewalk when faced with saying hi to the stranger next door.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Bethany Publishing Company book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Tima · Rating 4 out of 5]

How often do we, as Christians, work to get our friends and family into the church, but completely ignore our neighbors. They are the ones that live the closest to us and yet we might not even know their names. The author outlines steps to getting to know our neighbors in a non-threatening way. She begins with the steps on how to invite them over for coffee and then to ease into a neighborhood Bible study. But she also outlines so much more. Each chapter takes a different aspect of "being a neighbor" and breaks it down. She uses lots of scripture and ends each chapter with steps the reader can take to put the chapter into action.

The book was well written. The chapters are outlined well and are easy to implement. I liked the questions as the end of each chapter. I'll be honest, I had a hard time starting this book. The first couple of chapters didn't grab me and I wanted to quit. I thought the only idea was to have a Bible study in my home and I'm not at that place yet. But once I got through the first couple of chapters I really got into the book and was pleasantly surprised. This is a book for any woman who wants to reach out to those around her. It has practical advice and amusing stories that entertain while they teach. So even if you don't have neighbors who live close enough to visit, you can still benefit from the thoughts in this book.

I received this book free of charge from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

[Jessica Talstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first received this book I wasn't too sure about it. I mean, how much interesting information can there be about going out and meeting your neighbors?

Then I read this book!

There is a wealth of knowledge and advice in this book. It is the kind of book you will want to keep handy so you can refer back to it for encouragement.

So many neighborhoods are filled with people who don't know each other. Not even the people living right next door to them.

Jesus commands us to love our neighbors. This book gives you the support to do that. Yes, it is scary to put yourself out there. But what if someone in your neighborhood needs you? What if you need them too, but you'll never know because you never knocked on their door and said hello? Don't wait for a disaster to strike to meet your neighbors. Believe me, I have been there!

We are missing out on serving and obeying because we lock ourselves away in our houses.

Are we all not starving for fellowship? I know I am all the time. How amazing would it be to have women living around you to have that fellowship with? It would be a huge blessing!

I highly recommend this book as a tool to reach out and minister.

I was given a free copy of this book from Bethany House for my honest opinion.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for a book on how to build community within your community. This book has several good points and perspectives and ideas, but the intended audience is extremely small. It's really written for women who live in neighborhoods with several other women, who all stay home during the day. Yeah, the only part of that which fits me is "woman". I would love to see this book re-written with a bigger perspective. It's very how-to but her suggestions don't work great for people who don't live in June Cleaver Suburbia. But for those who do, they will probably absolutely love this book! There are some great practical ways to reach out and suggestions for how to love even annoying neighbors, or neighbors who have established different religious beliefs than you do.

Her stories are enjoyable, and they communicate the heart: we've got to get to know and love our neighbors. It's Christ's heart for his church, and our duty and delight and ultimate blessing to do so.

It's just not a book I'd hand to a guy to read. However, she lists several current resources in the back of the book for further reading and assistance, tips and ideas in creating something in your neighborhood. There might be something there.

[Velva Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird – Amy Lively



To be honest I think some neighbors would be easier to love than others. You know, the neighbors that keep their grass cut. The neighbors who don’t make lots of loud noise after dark. However, we are supposed to love our neighbors – tall grass and all!

This is what I like about How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird.

1. It isn’t always easy.
2. Don’t make it too hard. Invite people. Get them involved.
3. Open your house.
4. Get to know people – put yourself out there! (This is especially hard for me!)
5. Find your spiritual gift and use it!
6. “Good thing it’s not about a life of perfection that prepares you for ministry, but an abundance of God’s grace.”


I live in an older neighborhood. Well…it’s as old as I am! We have had some families move in over the last several months. Have I gone to welcome them? My answer is…..no! This book convicted me. I lack self-confidence. I am afraid of rejection. I am a chicken. I am hoping I can put myself out there and meet these new neighbors…and maybe get to know the old ones! Seriously, I could do a pizza potluck…..maybe…..

[Kasey Cocoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seems to have a narrow window for the audience that will snap it up and love it from cover to cover. I enjoyed the read but I wouldn't dare try to invite people from the area I live into my home. I'd end up coming home to an empty house one day, or worse. I love where I live and I love the low crime but I don't have much trust for many of those who live nearby. I do know some of my neighbors that are trust-able and we socialize and attend church together when I can't get out to my church. I don't feel this would go over well in many of the places I've lived or with those who have energetic children or pets. For those who have nice quiet upper-class neighborhoods with older families, this would be a perfect book full of guidance and good cheer. Overall, I feel if this fits you then you'll love it but if it doesn't then it'll just be ok. I received an ARC through the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a convicting and simple book. If you’ve been in church and ministry for a while, than there isn’t anything new in Lively’s book. She covers topics such as spiritual gifts, conversation starters, and outreach ideas. She also includes three appendices full of resources and websites for further steps. Yet sometimes simplicity is the most effective tool. The strategies aren’t unique but the message is convicting. It’s one thing to become involved with church Bible studies and activities, but it’s an entirely different idea when it comes to loving our neighbors. If we’re willing to praise God on Sunday mornings, than we must be willing to take the Gospel to our neighbors.

A full review will be published tomorrow on my blog.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was both convicting (I'm not doing anything currently to love my neighbors and I know I should be), encouraging, and refreshingly honest. It was a great blend of personal stories from the author, concrete tips of what to say in different situations and options for getting closer to your neighbors. She also included what to say, and not, when asking people about their culture, which is so helpful.

There is a section helping you to identify your spiritual gifts/aptitudes, and some answers for common fears. I'll definitely keep this title to refer back to, and although this is a tough subject to actually *do,* I feel much more empowered than before.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for a chance to review a digital copy of this book.

[Sarah Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had been able to post my review sooner because I don't know how much more I can add to all the other great reviews. But I am definitely casting in my vote! I loved it! I thought the author did a great job of balancing personal stories we could all relate to, helpful ideas, and a thorough Biblical perspective.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very practical. Very convicting. Inspiring in a kick-you-in-the-rear kind of way... but nicely.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my full review here: http://editionallyblog.com/2015/07/02...

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great ideas, and it was very encouraging.

[Donita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, thought-provoking book filled with inspiration.