Fireside Chat Ministries

Life is hard. I don’t need to tell you; just take a look around! Our news is filled with wars and rumors of wars, famine, pestilence, dread, and fear. An hour in front of the television can fill even a Christian with enough anxiety to last all year. But I don’t think that being tied up in knots of fear and dread is the abundant life that Christ came for us to have!

What are we do to receive that abundant life, and step into the purpose and destiny Jesus called us to?

Step one is turn off the television (read: stop pumping the fear narrative into your home!) and get into fellowship with your family and the community of believers around you. As the quirky character Phoebe Buffay on the popular 1990s television show, Friends, would say, “Go outside and be with the three-dimensional people!” 

Funny as that may sound, there is a tinge of painful truth to it: we are losing our connection to other people in the convenience culture of constantly-streaming media, fast food meals, and the ever-increasing noise of the secular world. 

Isn’t there a better way? 

I believe there is, and one way to experience the abundant life is to share it with others.

God never intended for us to be alone. That’s why every creature in the Garden of Eden had a companion. The Lord never wanted Adam to be alone, so He created Eve in Gen. 2:18. You know the rest of the story…lots of people came from that, and here we are! And as far as we’ve evolved in culture and technology, people are reporting feeling more and more lonely, even in a crowded world. 

According to www.mentalhealth.org, more than 70% of young people have experienced loneliness “some or all of the time” in the last two years! Young people are more likely to connect on social media (or not at all), which can lead to other serious mental health issues. We older adults can probably recall a time when we were more likely to stop over at a friend’s house rather than send a text message or use social media to share information. 

None of those things are bad in themselves, but the abundant life looks a lot more like a Thanksgiving feast than an empty living room. Think about a time in your life when you felt happiest. Who was around you? What were you doing? Some of our best memories tend to involve the people that we love (and probably some delicious food, too!). Imagine if you had a birthday party, and no one came, and there was no cake or ice cream to enjoy. Contrastingly, what if you had the worst day of your life and there was not a soul around to share your burden with? 

Life is better with people.

This past summer, my husband and I both found ourselves unemployed. At the same time. As in, no one was making any money to pay the bills. But God provided for us supernaturally. And it wasn’t a pile money in a pile at our door. No, we were thankfully wise enough to keep showing up in our faith community. 

And the miracles came, one a time.

One person in our small group from church asked if the whole group could pray for us, and our hearts were so encouraged by their support that we barely had time to focus on the problem. And it didn’t end there. 

If one of us had a stressful day looking for work, we would get an encouraging visit from a church member at just the right time. Our mentors took us out to a nice steak dinner to celebrate my husband’s college graduation, and they wouldn’t let us pay. Our group leader made sure our pantry was stocked. Someone anonymously took up a collection for us in our Wednesday night Bible study. And our best friends (who we met at a church group almost a decade ago!) wrote a check for our rent, without even our asking. 

When I said that we wouldn’t have made it without our faith community, I mean it. We would have been homeless by the end of the summer if our dear friends hadn’t stepped up to fill our need. And we didn’t even have to form the words to ask. Our faith community just…loved us through it.

That is the church we are called to be. Look around you: someone needs the gifts you have inside you, whether you can host a small group, cook a meal, write a check, or make a house call. I would encourage you to be brave and take that first step. Put yourself out there, and make a friend. Cook a meal together. 

And invite me over. I just might need your friendship in the future, as you may need mine.

In Christ’s Love,

Mandie

Scripture:

“So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.” – Ephesians 2:7 

3 things to Remember:

1. You’ll get back as much as you put into your relationships. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable, and others will do the same.
2. There is a group of like-minded people around you! Find a common interest to enjoy. If your church doesn’t have a small group with your interests, then start one!
3. You are blessed to be a blessing! And sharing is the best way to do life.