On this episode of Gospelbound, bestselling author ‪@jennieallen‬ joins us to share insight into her new book, "Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World.
She writes “We spend our evenings and weekends tucked into our little residences with our little family or our roommates or alone, staring at our little screens. We make dinner for just us and never want to trouble our neighbors for anything. We fill a small, little crevice called home with everything we could possibly need, we keep our doors locked tight, and we feel all safe and sound. But we’ve completely cut ourselves off from people outside our little self-protective world. We may feel comfortable and safe and independent and entertained. But also we feel completely sad.”
How, then, can we find joy through deep community? As Christians, we commend faith in Jesus above all. You can have great friends and still go to hell. But community is still important for everyone, certainly for believers. Next to Christ, Jennie writes, “relationships are the greatest gifts we have on earth and simultaneously the most difficult part of being alive.” When those relationships revolve around God, we enjoy a fulfilled life. And from that abundance, we bless others. When those relationships don’t revolve around God, we’re apt to idolize them. The pressure sometimes even kills those friendships, as our friends inevitably fail us. And we fail them.
‪@jennieallen‬ offers her own life as a cautionary tale but also shares wise advice. I promise, you can’t go wrong following this line she gives to new staff with IF:Gathering: “Find an imperfect church fast, and start serving in the nursery.” Jennie joins me on Gospelbound to discuss the difference between complaining and vulnerability, the importance of time, and the complication of ministry relationships.
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