TOGETHER

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Psalm 133:1(NIV)

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live TOGETHER…

I was offered a rare treat yesterday.  Beth, Ian, and I went over to a long-time partner church, Riverside Nazarene, to worship with our son-in-law (that still seems weird to say).  Alex was a part of their praise and worship team yesterday.

Riverside Nazarene is a satellite of Xenia Nazarene Pastored by a dear friend and powerful COMMUNITY advocate, Mark Atherton. 

Like I said, Riverside has been a partner in our recovery church framework for some time.  They offer Celebrate Recovery on Wednesdays as well as passionately SERVE their community with meals, food, a safe-haven, and judge-free acceptance for the addicted and seeking.

And yesterday as their Pastor Jason opened the day with this passage from Psalms and exhorted the IMPORTANCE of community and as Pastor Mac shared a heart-felt message as to the roles and importance of friends, I was reminded of this little quote.

“Imagine how our own families, let alone the world, would change if we vowed to keep faith with one another, strengthen one another, look for and accentuate the virtues in one another, and speak graciously concerning one another. Imagine the cumulative effect if we treated each other with respect and acceptance, if we willingly provided support. Such interactions practiced on a small scale would surely have a rippling effect throughout our homes and communities and, eventually, society at large.” - Gordon

In other words, what if we EMBRACED COMMUNITY?

Pastor Mac made an interesting observation in his talk.  He said, “How do we often most severely punish our most egregious offenders?  We place them in solitary confinement.”

Think about that.

When we are INTENTIONALLY disconnected, we suffer.  We ALL need companionship.  This has been true from the beginning.

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.

Genesis 2:18 (NIV)

If you have been a faithful reader of the OFH, then you have seen me share this quote from one of the foremost authorities in the United States on the opiate epidemic we are facing…

Opiate addiction not only promotes isolation it makes it preferable. Heroin’s isolation needs community response – Sam Quinones

This isn’t exclusive to the addicted, no, we all need community. 

Period.

So here is your task for today. 

Who will you provide some “community” for today?

Is there a widow that could use a visit or a phone call?

What about that one you haven’t seen at church in a few weeks?  Maybe they need a cup of coffee & a little community?

Or do you need to pull yourself from the isolation and find a place to connect? 

Reach out to me, I will do my best to connect you!

Remember, community is GOOD and PLEASANT!

We have all known loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community. – Day

We become human only in the company of other human beings.  And this involves both opening our hearts and giving voice to our deepest convictions. ...When we shrink from the world, our souls shrink, too. – Loeb

So have a blessed day TOGETHER!

I love you all…

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE