Adrift
“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NAS) Are you one of the many hurting souls who feel adrift and disconnected from life around you? Author and speaker Thelma Wells has written about throwing out the lifeline. She writes, “Do you ever feel like you’re bobbing along in a life raft on life’s seas while everyone else is safely aboard the luxury...
read moreDeserted
“Many things create islands of people’s lives. We all find ourselves in situations where we feel isolated from others because we think they cannot truly understand our circumstances. As a result, a feeling of loneliness descends… soul-loneliness. It makes me cry out to be connected to someone who understands without words or explanation.” — Jennifer Rothschild In the movie Castaway, starring Tom Hanks, he is stranded on a deserted island alone for several years with no human contact. In his desperation for someone to talk to, he...
read moreNever Once
NEVER ONCE By Matt Redman Standing on this mountaintop Looking just how far we’ve come Knowing that for every step You were with us Kneeling on this battle ground Seeing just how much You’ve done Knowing every victory Is Your power in us Scars and struggles on the way But with joy our hearts can say Yes, our hearts can say Never once did we ever walk alone Never once did You leave us on our own You are faithful, God, You are...
read moreWe Need Each Other
“Today, if I had to answer this question, ‘Where is God when it hurts?’ in a single sentence, I would make that sentence another question: ‘Where is the church when it hurts?’ We form the front line of God’s response to the suffering world.” — Philip Yancey The scripture is very clear about how we were created to need each other, how interdependent we are as various parts of the body and how we need each other to be complete. An example of this in nature is zebras and wildebeests. Julie Ackerman Link describes this vital relationship,...
read moreAvoidance
“When you’re down on your luck, even your family avoids you – yes, even your best friends wish you’d get lost. If they see you coming, they look the other way – out of sight, out of mind.” ~ Proverbs 19:7 (MSG) We’ve all heard the old familiar saying “to avoid someone like the plague.” None of us has ever had personal experience with the devastation of the plague but we all have our own ideas of what this saying means. Another example of avoidance is the horrible picture we have in our minds of the effects of leprosy on the human body and...
read moreAlone In The Dark
“…You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.” ~ Matthew 5:14 (MSG) How dark can dark get? For the most part most of us don’t know that because we are rarely in total darkness. There are the sun, moon and stars that put off light in nature. Then there is electricity that produces various types of lighting for us. We realize how dependent we are on electricity for light when the power goes out and we continue to routinely flip switches although we know the power is out. In those instances we have generators,...
read moreReach Out
There is a gospel song from the 1970s that responds to these feelings expressed in ALONE IN THE DARK: REACH OUT By Charles F. Brown © 1971 Word Music Reach out and touch a soul that is hungry, Reach out and touch a spirit in despair. Reach out and touch a life torn and dirty, A man who is lonely if you care! Reach out and touch a friend who is weary; Reach out and touch a seeker unaware; Reach out and touch, though touching means losing a part of your own self…If you dare! Reach out and give your love to the loveless; Reach out and make a...
read moreNeed For Nurture
“Each of us is made for community; isolation and loneliness are among the most painful of human experiences.” — Bill Crowder What do babies expect when they cry? They expect their needs to be met, and so they are programmed to cry desperately louder and louder until they get a response. They are inconsolable until their needs are met. How sad and tragic to think about innocent babies whose needs are not met due to negligent or abusive responses to their needs. Many babies are actually physically abused because they’re crying. The...
read moreLiving In A Bubble
“Being included is at the heart of the gospel of Christ.” — David McCasland We may not recognize the name David Vetter, but most of us are probably familiar with the movie that was loosely based on his life entitled, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. David was born with an ineffective immune system. He had to subsist in sterile chambers and could have no direct contact with the outside world. He was touched only through special plastic gloves and the chambers were kept inflated by air compressors that were so loud it made communication...
read moreThe Power Of Withness!
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14(NAS) The holidays can be a very difficult, painful, lonely and stressful time for many people. Some of the many different reasons can be isolation, painful memories, and grief over loved ones that aren’t there, financial strains, and various mental and emotional battlefields. Often there is a feeling of being disconnected. Lisa Whelchel speaks to this in her book Friendship For...
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