· HAPPY NEW YEAR- NEW SERIES
· WHY-WE LOOK AROUND AND SEE/HEAR PAIN
NEXT FEW WEEKS SCRATCH THE SURFACE LOOK AT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
A FEW THOUGHTS
1. NOT MEANT TO BE IN PLACE OF A COUNSELING SESSION
2. WE ARE NOT TRAINED PSYCHOLOGIST
3. TOPICS- LONELINESS/DEPRESSION/ANXIETY/ANGER
4. WE STRONGLY BELIEVE IN PRAYER- TODAY WE PRAY
5. WILL NOT PRESENT IN A WAY THAT YOU LACK FAITH
IDEA- PRESENT A PROBLEM- PROVIDE AN ANTEDOTE
· I WAS A SENIOR IN HS-PARENTS WERE MOVING
· THEY WERE MOVING IN JANUARY
· I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE IN THE FALL
· LIVED IN DOWNTOWN SECTION-WEST CHESTER PA
· MOVED TO A FARM IN LOWER DELAWARE
· SUNDAY NIGHT- DARK- WAKE UP NEXT DAY-HOUSE
· WALKED INTO NEW SCHOOL NOVEMBER
· NEW LUNCH WAS COMING- 11:50AM- SCENE
WEBSTER DEFINES LONELINESS:
WITHOUT COMPANY- CUT OFF FROM OTHERS-
PERCEIVED FEELING OF ISOLATION
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THERE? ARE YOU THERE NOW?
LONELINESS DEFINED
“AN UNHEALTHY STATE WHERE WE DESTRCTIVELY FEEL THAT WE ARE ALONE, NOT RECOGNIZING GODS PROMISE TO BE WITH US ALWAYS.
REASONS FOR LONELINESS
5. TECHNOLOGY
4. RELOCATION (CHANGE OF JOBS/STATES/COLLEGE)
3. LIFE TRANSITION/AGING (DIFF ACTVITITIES)
2. LOSS OF LOVED ONE
1. FOCUS ON SELF
STATEMENT FROM NY TIMES ARTICLE
EVEN BEFORE THE ONSET OF THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC, APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THE US ADULTS REPORTED EXPERIENCING MEASURABLE LEVELS OF LONELINESS.
RIGHT NOW STATISTICS SAY BETWEEN 25-33 % LONELY
GENESIS 1:3-5
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” EDITSLIDE
GENESIS 1:9-10
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
SCRIPTURE GENESIS 1:12
12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,
GENESIS 1:18
18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
25 God made all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
GENESIS 2:18
18. THE LORD GOD SAID, “IT WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR MAN TO BE ALONE. I WILL MAKE A HELPER SUITABLR FOR HIM.
POINT NEMO
· FURTHEST POINT FROM LAND
· MAYBE YOU ARE SICK OF PEOPLE?
· JESUS SOUGHT SOLITUDE (DIFFERENT ISOLATION)
2 TIMOTHY 4:9 APOSTLE PAUL IS WRITING FINAL WORDS
Paul wrote 2 Timothy a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his death in AD 67. (NERO LOSING IT)
Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to
Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. (PAUL IS USED TO COMPANIONS)
12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.
16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth
PICTURE OF TOM HANKS AND WILSON
· SCREENWRITER WILLIAM BROYLES JR
· WENT REMOTE CARRIBEAN ISLAND-SURVIVALIST
· SOCCER BALL WASHED UP ON SHORE
· KNEW ENOUGH TO
SOLOMON THE WISEST OF MEN WROTE 5 BOOKS
ONE NAMED ECCLESIASTES WHERE WE GET EKLESIA
ECCLESIASTES 4:10
10.TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE, BECAUSE THEY HAVE A GOOD RETURN FOR THEIR LABOR. IF EITHER OF THEM FALLS DOWN, ONE CAN HELP THE OTHER UP.
BUT PITY ANYONE WHO FALLS AND HAS ONE TO HELP THEM UP.
ECCLESIASTES 4:11-12
11. ALSO, IF TWO LIE DOWN TOGETHER, THEY WILL KEEP WARM ALONE? 12. THOUGH ONE MAY BE OVERPOWERED, TWO CAN DEFEND THEMSELVES. A CORD OF THREE STRANDS IS NOT QUICKLY BROKEN.
SCHOLARS DON’T JUST THINK THIS WAS FOR MARRIAGE
PASTOR RICK WARREN SAID MOST DEAL LONELINESS BY/WITH
WORKING-WORK MYSELF TO DEATH/WAKE UP REPEAT
MATERIALISM-I WILL PURCHASE ENOUGH THINGS TO REMOVE THE LONELINESS IN MY HEART
ALCOHOL-DRUGS- ISOLATING MORE
SEXUAL ESCAPE-SLEEPING NEXT TO ANY WARM BODY
FANTASY-PORNOGRAPHY- LIVE A LIFE THAT’S NOT REAL
HAS YOUR SADNESS ERASED YOUR JOY?
HAS YOUR LONELINESS ECLIPSED YOUR FAITH?
ARTICLE HEADLINE
RESEARCHERS FROM AARP AND STANFORD UNIVERSITY FOUND THAT THE GOVERNMENT SPENDS MORE THAN 6.7 BILLION ANNUALLY ON ADDITIONAL MEDICAL COSTST FOR MEDICARE RECIPENTS WHO LACK SOCIAL CONTACT
SLIDE 16: VIVEK MURTHY
LONELINESS IS LIKE SMOKING 15 CIGARETTES A DAY IN TERMS OF ITS IMPACT ON OUR HEALTH AND WELLBEING
SOLUTIONS SLIDE
1. RECOGNIZE/REALIZE GODS CONSISTENT PROMISE TO BE WITH US. (MATT 28:20)
2. GODS DESIGN FOR US TO LIVE IN COMMUNITY
GENESIS 1:26
Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness (ESV SAYS AFTER OUR LIKENESS)
GOD HIMSELF IS IN COMMUNITY
PARACHERESUS (DIVINE DANCE FATHER/SON/HS)
3. SERVE-IS ANYONE GOING TO BENEFIT FROM MY LONELINESS?
4. THERE ARE SO MANY PLACES TO SERVE IN THE CHURCH- TO SERVE OUTSIDE THE CHURCH)
CONNECT
· JUST OUR CHURCH-CONNECTING POINTS
· MENS STUFF/WOMENS STUFF
· KIDS MINISTRY (NOT JUST BABYSITTING)
· YOUTH MINISTRY
· JOY GROUP
WE ARE THE CHURCH-WE ARE COMMNUNITY- WE ARE NOT PERFECT- WE CAN’T MEET EVERY NEED
MAIN ANTEDOTE TO LONELINESS IS- COMMUNITY
· ELIUD KIPCHOGE-RUNNER FROM KENYA
· 2016 WON GOLD MEDAL
· WANTED TO RUN 26.2 MILES IN 2 HOURS OR LESS
· 2017 NIKE HOSTED BREAKING2 EVENT (25 SECONDS)
· 2019 VIENNA WITH 120,00 FANS AND TEAM TO HELP
· ELUID BREAKS THE RECORD
YOU SEE CELEBRATION BY THOSE RUNNING WITH HIM?
DIDN’T COUNT.
· SURROUNDED BY A GROUP OF PEOPLE- HE WAS ABLE TO DO WHAT OTHERS THOUGHT WAS IMPOSSIBLE
· WHAT IF WE SURROUNDED OURSELVES WITH PEOPLE WHO LOVE GOD AND LOVE OTHERS
TODAY I’M SORRY
· APOLOGIZE FOR THE LONELINESS
· WE WANT TO CLOSE BY OFFERING YOU A CHANCE TO HAVE SOME PEOPLE PRAY WITH YOU/FOR YOU/OVER YOU.
· ONE PRAYER DOESN’T ELVIATE LONELINESS
· JESUS UNDERSTANDS LONELINESS
LAST WORDS TO HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED MOST IN JOHN 16:32
“BUT THE TIME IS COMING-INDEED ITS HERE NOW WHEN YOU WILL BE SCATTERED, EACH ONE GOING HIS OWN WAY, LEAVING ME ALL ALONE. YET I AM NOT ALONE BECAUSE MY FATHER IS WITH ME.”