Those who plant only for their own benefit will harvest devastation from their selfishness, but those who plant for the benefit of the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. So then, let’s work for the good of all whenever we have an opportunity, and especially for those in the household of faith.

Galatians 6:8-10

One of the things I enjoy most is great conversation. Dinner parties, small groups, church events and – best of all – one-on-one over a cup of coffee. I had that opportunity again this morning, and I am grateful.

This is where I have the privilege to listen, to get to know people; and – when we are newcomers in a place like Tarboro – begin to build relationships and learn on a deeper level than more casual conversations typically allow.

I am particularly interested in what the church can be, and do, in terms of helping to promote relationships of mutual support, encouragement, and accountability – especially among men, and in particular at the porous interface between the congregation and the greater community.

We live in a moment where isolation is on the increase, vulnerability is viewed as weakness, and – this is no coincidence – the U.S. is experiencing, according to the office of the Surgeon General, “a public health crisis of loneliness.”

Church attendance is not down because people do not need to be connected; I believe it is down – in large part – because people do not know how.

“Disconnection,” the Department of Health and Human Services went on to report, “fundamentally affects our mental, physical, and societal health.”

So this morning I was looking in Galatians so I could find the “Fruit of the Spirt” passage. But I overshot and found myself reading the above few verses in chapter 6. The words here really grabbed my attention so I thought I would highlight them in this space.

This scripture gave me pause, especially in terms of what I am up to on a day-to-day basis. Most of all the encouragement to “not get tired of doing good.”

Community heals:

There is a sense in our culture that the practice of non-partisan non-sectarian non-judgmental community is all but irreparably broken. But I refuse to believe it is too late to repair the damage.

If each one of us makes the prayerful effort to reach out to just a couple of people, risk being a friend, and invite somebody to enter even the periphery of community, then what becomes possible is everything.

For younger men, studies report, isolation is not only a risk but, to an alarming extent, a fait accompli. I believe one imperative of our faith is to reach out beyond our more comfortable associations and to offer the gift of relationship.

One of scripture’s most essential messages is this: that we were created for community. In our own small way, and in response to God’s gracious invitation to us, each one of us can begin to repair the soul of America. – DEREK