Articles

by Kristin Schell. Article produced from speaking engagement at the Good For All Conference in West Des Moines, Iowa.

In 2013, I bought an ordinary picnic table, painted it turquoise, and put it in my front yard. I know what you’re thinking: That’s weird. 

I’m from Austin, Texas, and our city motto is “Keep Austin Weird,” so I was just doing my part. But seriously—why would I do this? Why would I put a big, audacious turquoise picnic table in my front yard?

When I reflect back on what was going on in my life in 2013, there were three markers I’m sure you can relate to.

I found myself wondering: Am I making a difference? Will I leave a legacy? Am I doing something that matters for my family and for my community?

What I didn’t know then is that I was not alone in feeling those three things. 

We live in the digital age, the most connected era in all of history. Yet statistics tell us we are lonelier than ever. A couple of years ago, the U.S. Surgeon General declared the United States to be in a loneliness epidemic. In Great Britain, they’ve appointed a Minister of Loneliness.

Here’s another statistic: 50% of Americans do not know their neighbors. I’ve heard a range of different numbers around this figure, but approximately all of them say the majority of America does not know the person with whom they share a hedge, or a fence or a wall, or a ceiling or a floor. That is staggering to me.

In October 2013, this table arrived and totally interrupted my life. I did not plan to put a turquoise picnic table in my front yard. There was no five-step plan. There was no marketing plan. There was no business plan. There was no discipleship plan. There was no evangelism plan. There wasn’t even an art of neighboring plan.

But guess what? There was a master plan.

God had the plan. And he chose to give it to me in the form of a gift—a colorful, whimsical, albeit weird gift—of a table. 

The thing is, this is not the first time he’s given us the gift of a table. He’s done this before, and the Lord delights in bringing us to his table. Jesus spent much of his three years in ministry, eating and drinking and teaching at a table. He chose to spend the last night here on earth before his crucifixion at a table with his friends. This paints a beautiful picture for us of companionship, communion, and community.

God gave me a table, and it totally interrupted my life. I started thinking: Now what? I’ve got this table sitting out in my front yard. What do I need to do?

And God began teaching me two important things.

God gave me his word in the form of an unexpected verse. I thought he was going to tell me a verse in Luke that tells me to love my neighbors. Instead, he gave me Romans 12:13, the “hospitality verse.”

I had read it before, but this time, it came to me in a new translation, with the words of Scripture leaping from the Bible. It says this:

That freaked me out because I didn’t know how to do that. But I said, “Okay, God, teach me.” As I spent time studying that verse, I learned that we must learn the difference between entertainment and hospitality.

Entertainment. The word says what it is, and it’s great. There are plenty of times when I love to open my house and actually entertain. But biblical hospitality is something vastly different. The Greek word for hospitality (philoxenia) means “love of strangers.” That puts a whole new perspective on things. Love is not a feeling. Love is a verb.

Next, the Lord taught me about the ministry of presence. I had never heard about this before, but the Lord showed me this through a documentary I saw at a conference. 

The documentary tells the story of Ludmilla, an 84-year-old recently widowed woman in the city of Prague, the most atheistic part of the former Eastern Bloc.

Ludmilla found herself in a new season of life, and she was asking the same questions that I was asking in Austin, Texas: Does my life matter? Am I doing enough for the community? What will my legacy be? The Lord answered her with this: You are an ambassador to the Kingdom of Heaven. And it comes out of Scripture and Isaiah. And so Ludmilla, in this bold move, decides to take a bronze plaque and imprint on it “Embassy of the Kingdom of Heaven.” And she puts it right outside her door on her brownstone in Prague. 

She invited people to just come and sit. She did not consult Pinterest. She did not make big meals. She was not entertaining. She simply invited people into her home. And she listened. And she prayed. She gave them the gift of her presence. And I thought, Wow, am I getting it wrong? Am I focusing too much on the doing and not so much on the being? What if I just really planted myself and showed up in my neighborhood? What if I just showed up?

So I did. I began sitting at my turquoise table. I began showing up, and I began meeting my neighbors. It interrupted my life, but it interrupted it and transformed it for good. And more importantly than my life, it started interrupting and transforming our neighborhood. Today, there are thousands of turquoise tables in all 50 states and 13 countries, and it blows my mind.

We call ourselves front yard people, and we have a scrappy movement that I try to figure out how to lead and manage. But the point is that the table is not the hero of the story. The people are. And the thing that brought us together was that I wasn’t the only one.

God didn’t leave us with a to-do list. He left us as a community. But community doesn’t just happen—somebody has to go first. Going first takes courage. Someone has to be the one to say hello, to push through that mildly awkward moment and say, “Hey, I don’t remember your name.” Someone has to be the first to reach out. Someone has to be the first to invite. 

Be the first to make that connection. What we do in our front yard matters. Front yard people are gospel people, and we are the ones who raise our hands and say, “I’ll be the one.” 

Raise your hand. Say it. I’ll be the one. As we go back into our communities and as we go back into our neighborhoods, declare right now that you’re going to be the one.

Prayer is like exercise. 

We all know the feeling. We want to be doing more, but life gets in the way and we find ourselves saying things like:

    “I don’t have the time.”
    “I don’t know if it’s working.”
    “I don’t feel motivated to do it.” 

The excuses not to pray (or exercise) are endless, but the truth remains—they are both good for you.

The testimony of the Bible is clear—prayer is a good thing. We ought to practice it more. We ought to see every situation in life as an opportunity to pray.

James 5 is a particularly helpful reminder of all the opportunities we have to pray. Let’s look at those one by one and see if we can find fresh motivation for ourselves today.

James starts with one of the most obvious times when prayer is a good thing for us to do—namely, when we are in need of comfort. 

Suffering in this life is a constant reminder of the comfort that awaits us in God’s presence.

We all face tough times, whether it’s a devastating loss or simply the struggles of everyday life. Prayer should be our first response to suffering as we call out to the ultimate source of all comfort.

On the other side of suffering, James 5 reminds us that even in our most joyful moments, we have every reason to pray. It’s easy to cry out to God when we need help, but don’t forget to turn to him when things are going well. 

When people give us unexpected gifts in this life, we thank them. How much more ought we thank God for every good gift he sends our way?

We often tell friends and family in need that we’re sending “thoughts and prayers.” But as believers, we must be careful not to let this become a casual phrase—something we say but fail to follow through on.

One of the reasons we struggle to pray, especially for someone who is sick or suffering, is uncertainty. Deep down, we wonder: Will God really answer?

Maybe you’ve been there. You pray, but you hesitate. You say something like, “Lord, please help Bob… if it’s your will… Amen.”

Of course, God hears this prayer. But Scripture encourages us to approach God with even greater confidence.

Jesus reminds us that our Heavenly Father is the perfection of our earthly fathers—loving, compassionate, and always near. Just as a little child asks their father for help with full trust in his love and care, so too should we pray to our Heavenly Father.

So let’s not just say we’ll pray—let’s actually do it, trusting in the goodness of our God who is able to do all things.

Here is where you might expect a list of tips to improve your prayer life. But really, there is only one: pray. 

Pray right now. Pray an hour from now. Pray when you go to bed. Pray when you wake up.

Much like your workout habits, your prayer life won’t get better if you don’t work on it. Prayer is a daily practice—something that gets stronger the more you do it.

So, pray without ceasing, and watch your faith grow stronger every day.

Talk to God. He wants to hear from you.

The teenage years are weird. 

In the middle of it all, you might find yourself wondering: 

Let’s break it down into some practical steps you can take right now to grow in your relationship with God, and be faithful in your teenage years.

Your faith isn’t just something your parents believe—it’s something you can own. If you grew up hearing Bible stories, great! But now is the time to really dig in and understand who Jesus is and why his love matters in your life.

Try This: Pick a book of the Bible (like John or Romans) and read a little each day. Keep a journal of questions and insights as you go. Engaging with the Bible on your own in a deeper way will be a blessing to you in all areas of life.

Let’s be real—most people learn by watching. And you’ve probably seen firsthand that what people do matters more than what they say. The same is true for faith.

Take a look at the people around you who are strong in their faith. Maybe it’s a youth leader, a mentor, or a parent. What do they do that shows their love for Jesus? How do they treat others? How do they handle stress or challenges?

Your own faith will grow when you surround yourself with people who are serious about following Jesus. Find community in a youth group, a Bible study, or friends who encourage you in your walk with Christ.

Nobody gets this Christian life perfect. You’re going to make mistakes. The real question is: What will you do when you mess up?

Some people try to hide from God when they sin, feeling like they have to “clean themselves up” before coming back. But Jesus already paid the price for every mistake, every failure, every wrong choice.

Jesus doesn’t push you away—he invites you closer.

If you struggle with a particular sin, don’t ignore it or pretend it’s not a big deal. Confess it to God, seek accountability, and ask for his help. He is faithful to forgive and restore.

Try This: Read Psalm 51. King David wrote this prayer after a massive failure, but he didn’t run from God—he ran to him. Let it be your prayer when you need a fresh start.

Think about your closest friendships. How did they grow? By spending time together and talking. Your relationship with God works the same way!

Prayer isn’t about saying the perfect words or only coming to God when you need something. It’s about having an ongoing conversation with him throughout your day. Thank him for good things, ask him for guidance, and bring your struggles to him.

If you followed the direction of #1 above, you already have a notebook at the ready…use it to record prayers, too!

This is a noisy world. Now more than ever, it’s easy to get lost in the voices—social media, influencers, friends, culture—all telling us what to believe and how to live. But only one voice leads to truth: God’s Word.

If you want to know what’s right, what’s true, and how to live a life that honors God, the Bible has the answers. Make Scripture a daily part of your life, even if it’s just a few verses at a time.

Do This: Memorize one verse a week. Start with Psalm 23 or Philippians 4:6-7. Ask your parents or a friend to do it with you!

Right now, you’re probably thinking a lot about relationships. That’s normal.

Even if marriage seems a long way off, what you believe about love, relationships, and commitment is already shaping your future and your faith. 

Culture offers a lot of opinions about dating and relationships, but God’s design is clear: marriage is a picture of Christ’s love for his church. Dating is simply the initial step toward a possible marital relationship.

Honoring marriage includes treating dating in a respectful and God-honoring way. It requires that you keep your relationship pure and God at the center of it. This is possible, but it is not easy, especially in your teenage years.

Note: If your parents have rules in place around dating, honor them. It may not seem like it now, but you’ll be glad you did.

Your relationship with Jesus isn’t just about big spiritual moments—it’s about daily steps of faith. Some days will feel strong and full of joy, and others will be harder. But every step matters.

God isn’t asking you to be perfect. He’s asking you to trust him, seek him, and follow him one day at a time. And as you do, your faith will grow, your love for Jesus will deepen, and you’ll see that walking with him is the greatest adventure you could ever choose.

So keep going—he’s walking with you every step of the way!