Disconnected or Connected…?

 

 

I was recently part of a spontaneous public survey that shocked me. When I thought about the results I was completely heartbroken.

Over the past few years, my wife and I have decided that we want to use every moment possible to make memories with our kids while they are still living in our home. We are not perfect at this by any means, so I don’t write that to make anyone feel guilty. It has just become a theme in our home that we are trying our best to accomplish. This past week my family (Jaimee, Addy, Mason, Emma, and myself) had a chance to make a memory.

We bought tickets for a concert that was playing at the Portsmouth Amphitheater. It was a fantastic experience and we had so much fun together! Prior to the main band taking the stage, there was an opening act with a talented young female singer. In between one of her songs she asked the crowd of close to 10,000 people, “Who here have parents who are divorced?” …the roar of the crowd literally froze me. She followed up with, “Well, I don’t want to leave anyone out, let me hear from those whose parents are still together?”

This time the silence was deafening.

I had tears in my eyes just thinking of the pain, anger, and bitterness that was carried in the “cheers” in response to the divorce question. I completely understand that there are many redemptive stories that come out of divorce but for that one moment on Sunday evening, it really hit me. People (all of us) are in desperate need of healthy relationships. We need to know that someone is in our corner and will stop everything to be by our side. We long to connect with friends who live life together. We long for our marriages to reflect Jesus’ love, grace, and mercy. Yet, many of us find ourselves alone and relationally bankrupt.

In the book of Acts, we see just how to connect with the Church but also develop our relationship with Jesus. Acts 2:42 says “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

I have had many conversations over the last month of people feeling disconnected. The verse from Acts gives us great instruction on how to reconnect to the Church. How do we live this verse out at Believers Church? It is simple really, join a BeGroup and serve at Believers. Right now, you can sign up for one of our many BeGroup options for our Fall semester here. Also, do not miss this Sunday as everyone will have the opportunity to see the many ways you can serve at Believers Church!

One last thing, for all the parents, my wife and I will be leading a parenting BeGroup on Monday evenings with childcare provided! Please, let’s do everything we can to make sure our kids are cheering when asked “Are your parents still married?”

Pastor Sam