Sarah and I chat about identifying that passion God has placed deep within you and living it out.  For Sarah, it is gathering people around a table to connect over food and helping others to do the same by crafting hand made tables through Neighbor’s Table.

2:41 Sarah shares how a pastor friend helped her shift her identify from work back into Christ.

“I learned to not strive so much, but rest in who God made me to be… Come to find out God made me to be a people gatherer.”

“I thought back to the very best moments of my life and they were always around the table.”

“I think God made me to gather people at the table.”

Sarah set a goal to serve 500 people around the table in her backyard and on Thanksgiving the 500th guest walked down the driveway.

7:00 “The best part of what we now call Neighbor’s Table is my friend called about a year and half in and said, ‘Sarah, I see God getting a lot of glory around your table and I wonder if He has something outside your own yard?’….I started thinking there’s other people wired just like me.  There’s other people gatherer’s in the world. What if I could find those people? And what if I could cheer them on?….Neighbor’s Table is my full time job now.”

Neighbor’s Table builds hand-crafted tables and deliver them across the country and cheer people on to love their neighbor’s.

“People might say we’re in the table business, but I really like to think we’re in the people business.”

9:25 Sarah shares the who, what, when, where and how she hosted the first gathering in her backyard

Next-door social app

Who: 300 closest neighbors (91 people attended)

What: A potluck So-Hip Soiree

Where: Sarah’s backyard

“I learned that night that people just want to be invited. There’s something special about being invited to the table.”

“My rule at my house is there’s no private party, so if any neighbor sees there’s an open seat they can join me. I pass plates of food over the fence. People stop and say hello.”

14:45 Sarah shares her faith journey with us and how she discovered God created her to be a people gatherer

“I think people gathering probably looks a little like evangelism with a dinner napkin wrapped around it…I just love people….Now we say Neighbor’s Table is a love mission.  I want to be very missional about the way we love people and not in a project kind of way, but in a real, genuine, as a believer, I have the light of Christ inside of me [kind of way].”

Jefferson Bethke’s sermon: Creating New Rhythm’s and a New Story

19:36 Sarah shares how she goes about gathering around her table now

When people arrive, Sarah introduces the guests, she offers them a drink, and connects them to someone new for the first 30 minutes.

“I want people to experience the richness of listening to other people’s stories.”

She circles everyone up before sitting at the table and does a quick introduction by name and tells each person what she loves about them (even if she just met them 10 minutes before).

Then, she tells people what she hopes they will experience at the table.

“I encourage people to do more listening than talking.”

Then, she asks if she can pray.

Sarah hopes at some point everyone at the table will have one conversation together.

26:16 Sarah walks us through the launch of Neighbor’s Table and what it looks like today

“I feel like God is stirring this story in a lot of us.  The table is at the forefront of a lot of people’s thoughts….It’s nothing new. Jesus was a food guy who did a lot around the table.”

NeighborsTable.com

Sarah delivers the tables herself and shares a meal with the people who receive the table.

“Community starts when the truck shows up.”

The tables are built south of Austin, TX by Sarah’s dad.

32:25 Sarah shares the significance of the sticky notes that can be found on her bathroom mirror.

1. 1. Strong God, I am watching you do it
   2. His pace is perfect
   3. Throw it hard and throw it well

“God writes our stories and when I’m doing what I was made to do there is a lot of joy in that.”

“My pace. I just want it to be His pace.”

“When we do decide God is calling us to something, let’s put our best out there.”

__________

SPONSOR: Dwell Differently

Dwell is a monthly scripture memory service that helps you get God’s words off the page and into your mind and heart.

How is dwell different?  Dwell helps people connect with God through taking the first letter of each word in a verse & stringing them together in a unique, beautiful design. Each month, you receive temporary tattoos, key chain tags, & a print of that month’s verse design. Every time you see the image, you’re challenged to recall what each letter represents, & eventually you memorize the verse. 

Benefits of Dwell: Having God’s words in your mind, impacts your thought-life, your actions, and your overall outlook. But, the benefit isn’t just individual. People are always asking about what your Dwell tattoo means, giving you an opportunity to share God’s word with others. 

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