Habits of Hope: Cultivating a Deeper Life with God

38.How to Build Strong Community When You Feel Disconnected

• Ginger Harrington • Season 1 • Episode 38

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 39:18

Send us Fan Mail

Feeling disconnected—even in a room full of people? You’re not alone. In this episode, we explore how to build strong Christian community rooted in Acts 2:42. From the ministry of presence to practical ways Jesus modeled connection, we share encouragement and actionable steps to help you lean in, love well, and grow deeper relationships.

🕊️ Habit of Hope: Community takes commitment—lean in and love well.

🔑 What You’ll Learn:

  • Why showing up matters more than saying the right thing
  • How Jesus modeled community through celebration, sorrow, and everyday life
  • Real examples of doing life together—even when it’s messy
  • Simple ways to take the first step toward deeper connection
  • How to invite others and allow others to love and serve you

📖 Scripture Focus:

Acts 2:42
 “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals, and to prayer.”

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome + Why Community Feels Hard
 01:47 – Habit of Hope & Scripture: Acts 2:42
 05:30 – What True Fellowship Looks Like
 07:20 – We’re Not Meant to Do Life Alone
 08:45 – How Jesus Modeled Community
 16:00 – Invitation and Initiation
 18:10 – Serving and Letting Others Serve
 21:30 – Application: How to Do Community Like Jesus
 24:50 – Show Up in Grief and Celebration
 28:45 – Stay When It Gets Hard
 34:20 – Be an Initiator
 35:40 – Preview: Handling Community Hurt (Next Episode Tease)

📌 Related Episodes:

Share this episode with a friend, your small group, or someone who needs encouragement today. Let’s grow stronger together—because we were never meant to do life alone.


 Habits of Hope Podcast  is for informational and inspirational purposes only. This podcast is not a substitute for professional advice—spiritual, medical, legal, or otherwise.

Transcript from Final Edit

Speaker 2 (00:04.492)

In a world where we can connect with thousands of people online, why do so many of us still feel disconnected? Maybe you find yourself scrolling through social media, seeing updates from friends, but still feeling isolated. Or perhaps you're struggling to find real, meaningful connections in the busyness of life. Community isn't just a nice extra, it's God's design for us.


The truth is we weren't meant to do life alone. God designed us for a real face-to-face community. We were never meant to walk this journey alone. And God uses people like you and me to love, encourage, and support one another in meaningful ways. Let's explore how we can build deeper, God-honoring relationships that bring life and hope. Welcome to the Habits of Hope podcast where we believe


that cultivating a life rooted in hope comes through daily rhythms that help us trust God's faithfulness even in the difficult seasons. I'm Larissa Trequer, also known as Grateful Chick, and I have the blessing of getting to broadcast on Instagram and Facebook and lead a community of women. And I get to also host here with Ginger. So Ginger Harrington is here hosting with me. Hey, friend.


I'm excited to unpack one of my favorite topics today with you. Today's habit of hope is community takes commitment, lean in and love well. And we've got a verse today that we are going to talk about and Ginger, will you read that verse for us?


Hey my friend


Speaker 1 (01:47.054)

Sure thing, my friend. Today we're going to be focusing on Acts 2, 42. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship and to sharing in meals and to prayer. I love the word devoted. Don't you, my friend?


I do, it's a fave for sure.


It's such a key aspect of true community that there is some devotion, affection, and there are real relationships that make a difference in our lives. To be devoted has an emotional element to it, but it also has a level of action and commitment. And for us as believers, this means intentionally pouring into the body of Christ. Community, it's not passive.


It requires us to show up, to invest, to be present and to participate. You know, and Fran, this really strikes me in this post-COVID years in terms of the church. I feel like there's still so many people who stopped attending church during COVID and still have not gotten back to showing up in person, in community, in the body of Christ. And I'm really praying that


this episode will encourage folks who might be in that situation to step out of their comfort zone and get back involved in real time with real people in the body of Christ.


Speaker 2 (03:23.232)

I love that. I'm going to join you in that prayer as well, because I do agree. And devote is such a great word. And it means to give over or direct time, money, effort, et cetera, to a specific cause, enterprise, or activity. You and I were talking about that before we hit the record button about our relationship.


And you have definitely been devoted to our relationship and poured into me and have been intentional even through difficult seasons about the same time. And I just so appreciate all these years of your friendship. So thank you for being one who does this well.


well, it is my pleasure, Fran. And that road goes two ways. This isn't the Ginger and Larissa Club. But I feel like it is a really good example of how committed relationships and friendships in the body of Christ can make a difference, both in our personal lives and in the body of Christ and the kingdom of God.


Because friends, you might not know this, but there are so many times in years past where I've been ready to throw in the towel or been afraid to step forward and try something new. And Larissa is a rock star cheerleader. She's got the gift of encouragement on overdrive and I've been able to benefit from that. And so that's just.


two personal examples on the difference that devoted relationships can make in the body of Christ and their friendships. And I think, you know, I think sometimes when it comes to church attendance and being involved in a Bible study, we get so focused on going to the service or helping with the kids ministry or something like that. And we have to actually be intentional about building relationships with people in the body of Christ.


Speaker 1 (05:29.742)

because it takes more than Sunday morning at nine o'clock in the worship service to be able to build relationships. There is such clarity in these few words in Acts 2 42. It's an action-packed verse centered on the concept of community and intentionality. What are they devoted to, right?


Yeah, that's a great question to ask.


And these are the components of the early church teaching fellowship. And that is that gathering together of people in relationship in the body of Christ. They're also sharing meals. I love having people over for dinner. And one of the reasons why I love to have people over for dinner is there's something about the conversation around the dinner table.


Right? I-


about food and talking with people. It just opens the door to building relationships and sharing life. There's just so many parts of this. And also prayer. When we pray with other people, we connect with them on a deeper level. And I know in our small group at our church, we spend a fair amount of time sharing prayer requests and challenges that we're facing and then truly praying for one another. And it's a game changer.


Speaker 1 (06:49.57)

And been really interesting to see how God has knit the hearts of the people in our group together through prayer. So I love that this verse incorporates both key aspects of the church and the community of people who make up the church.


Cause here's the truth. This will preach. It's preaching right back at me.


But here's the thing, and Larissa, you know this so well, we are not created to do life on our own. God created us and in the church, we are one body to do life together. And we know that one of the things that God commanded is to love thy neighbor. So obviously community and relationships are important to God and an important part of how we live out the Christian life.


back in Jesus' day, there was no internet, right? And the only way to love thy neighbor was actually to connect with them in person, to be there for them. We can't love people in our community just by way of text or just on social media as much as those things are handy and helpful, but they can't be the only thing that makes up community. We actually have to roll up our sleeves and physically participate.


Amen. And that's where that participation comes into play. And so let's talk about what it means to devote yourself to a community of believers because we want to know how this works. And so Jesus modeled this beautifully. He did not live in isolation. He was intentional about connecting with people in everyday life. He went to where the people were. He paid attention and truly saw people. He celebrated and


Speaker 2 (08:40.418)

He mourned with them. He stayed even when things were really uncomfortable. He encouraged others through his presence and his words. He met needs and brought hope and healing to many people he encountered. So let's unpack this in more detail, because that's an extensive list. So what can we learn from Christ and how can we put it into practice as we invest in community? And so I'll begin.


This is one of my favorites. Jesus was intentional to go and see people. He didn't wait for people to come to him. He went to them. He traveled to different towns, met people at Wells, joined in celebrations, and participated in daily life with others. And I love this aspect of Jesus, and we know all this because we read it in the Bible. He also stopped and paid attention when people needed him.


Jesus never treated people as interruptions, and this is so good, because I, ugh, this has been me in the past. Like, I've got a task, I'm on my way to something. And Jesus never saw people as an interruption. He met people where they were without judgment. He took time to meet their needs, whether it was healing the sick, speaking to the outcast, or pausing on His way to perform miracles. He never wasted an eyeball.


to eyeball opportunity. And some of those stories are my favorites and they just, can just make me weak because he was so intentional. So any thoughts on that Ginger?


I'm feeling convicted here. I'm going to tattle on myself. My husband, Mark, is a missionary to the Marines with an organization called Ton Tavern Fellowship, relates to where the Marine Corps started. He has got such a heart for ministering to Marines and it's not unusual for him to say, Hey, can we have a bunch of


Speaker 2 (10:22.615)

Okay, okay.


Speaker 1 (10:43.874)

fellas over tomorrow night for dinner. And I will be honest, I'm not always very ingrate. I'm not very always, wow, I really can't talk. I'll be honest, this sometimes is hard for me, that spur of the moment, which kind of makes me think of interruptions. If I have leeway in my schedule, I'm happy to do that. But every now and then he'll ask and I've got things piled up and plans made and it's not.


easy to shift and make that happen. I don't always respond very graciously right in the moment. I'm much better if we plan it ahead, I've got it worked into my schedule, and I think that's understandable. However, it's an area for me to grow in.


I appreciate your honesty.


Well, I felt like it related. Here's another one that Jesus modeled for us in community. He celebrated and he mourned with people. And, you know, when we step back and think about Jesus is the Son of God, God incarnate, and he's walking in the earth in human flesh, going to weddings and weeping with people at funerals. Yeah. How extraordinary.


is that, that he fully entered into human experience, and we are all the better for it. But so much we can learn from how Christ engaged with people. He attended weddings, shared meals, rejoiced with others, and he also entered into their sorrow. I'm thinking specifically how he wept at Lazarus' tomb, even though he knew that he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead in just a few minutes.


Speaker 1 (12:32.864)

But he entered into the sorrow. He's weeping with Mary and Martha, the family of Lazarus, entering into their grief. And so it's very powerful. He showed up for it all. And this is life. It's part celebration and sometimes it's part mourning.


sometimes messy, sometimes smooth sailing, and real community embraces both the joys and the sorrows of life. And I love that Jesus modeled that for us. Here's another one. Jesus stayed and loved people even when they did not understand what he was doing. And we can see quite a few examples of this in scripture. I'm going to refer to just a couple. When Lazarus died,


Martha was upset that Jesus didn't come sooner. He waited a few days before he came. In another instance, Jesus broke bread with Judas during the Last Supper, even knowing that Judas was getting ready to betray him. And Peter didn't like how Jesus was handling things in the Garden of Gethsemane. He took matters into his own hands and cut the ear off of a soldier. And then later, Peter


denied Jesus, but Jesus stayed. He loved people even when things weren't going well, even when people made mistakes or flat out sins. When people denied and betrayed, He did not abandon them. And I know that Jesus does not turn His back on me and I am so grateful for that. Jesus remained present even when people questioned Him.


Even when people misunderstood his purpose from Peter's denial to Judas's betrayal, Jesus showed up in love and that is so powerful.


Speaker 2 (14:33.876)

Amen. Amen. And this leads nicely into another point we want to share. Jesus encouraged people through His presence and His teaching. Jesus went about everyday life, walking and talking with the disciples and others as He went from place to place. Jesus didn't keep His wisdom to Himself. He walked with His disciples, teaching and exhorting them, ready to share truth wherever He went.


We can get caught up in this whole ministry is ministry. A lot of people who get paid vocationally are the ones that are supposed to be doing ministry. Where's our role in that? And yet, we're just called to do everyday life. We live it every day and we can do it naturally like Jesus did when we're being intentional. And even if you don't feel called to teach, you can still share what God is showing you, your testimony and personal journey.


can be a powerful encouragement to others. So remember this, Jesus did all of this while living among the people. He loved and lived as one in a community with others. He was not self-centered. He was others-centered. Another thing that we learned from Jesus' walk on earth is that Jesus also did a lot of inviting. And this is hard for a lot of people.


He invited the apostles to pray with him. He invited the woman at the well into forgiveness of sins and into new life. He invited the lame man to take his mat and walk. Jesus didn't wait to be invited. He did a lot of the inviting. And I know it is hard for a lot of people to do the inviting. And even someone like me as an extrovert, it's harder now in this season.


to invite. You understand this invitation situation for sure.


Speaker 1 (16:29.186)

Yes, I sure do. It reminds me of something that the Lord gave me in Holy in the Moment, and that is every relationship begins with an invitation. That is so powerful when I think about it. When I think about the relationships in my life that have been impactful and joyful and just a special part of life, I am so grateful that one or the other of us


took the initiative and made an invitation to connect beyond, hey, how are you? My name is Ginger.


Yeah, that's a great point because I've heard you say that before. Every relationship starts with an invitation. That's good. Another thing that Jesus shows us is he allowed others to serve him and to serve alongside him. And again, this is another point that can be really hard for some. Jesus allowed Mary to wash his feet with perfume and he invited people like the apostles to serve alongside him. He did not do


all the serving himself. And I think this is a key point because so many people don't want to be served or won't allow others to serve them. And we need to allow people to operate in their gifting.


the years I've known a few people who get to be a little territorial when it comes to their ministry or their area of service and one of the challenges of that is one we can wear ourselves out if we're not sharing the opportunities to serve with others and then even I think more importantly it doesn't allow


Speaker 1 (18:12.152)

people to get the experience of participating, serving, developing, and growing in their giftings and ministry. So I hope I'm not stepping on anybody's toes because that can be, it can be hard. It can be hard. And I have experienced that myself. I could remember one time when we were in Okinawa and I had been leading worship music and the team of folks had asked me to take a different position that next year, but


It was the first time I'd ever led worship and I was really enjoying it. And I was like, okay, Lord, this other jobs kind of intimidating to me. I'd really like to stay doing worship. But he basically said, over, move over, let our friend Jana do what she does best. And I've got something else for you. And that opened the door for.


me to become a speaker because I started speaking in front of a large group every single week for two years. And it also had a lot to with me becoming a writer because I wrote the material that I spoke before the large group for two years. Anyway, maybe that's an aside, but it is a part of community and serving alongside one another. It's giving other people opportunities.


alongside with cheering other people on to step into new things when it's a little intimidating.


That's so good, Ginger. And I got to witness that firsthand. And our friend, Jana is amazing when it comes to worship. I get to be front row in her using her gift. And because you stepped aside with a little bit of trepidation, you turned around and blessed so many of us. And so it was twofold. Everybody won in that situation when you stepped away, but you had to be intentional and obedient. And that's not always easy. Yeah.


Speaker 1 (20:09.646)

And then I think even more personal piece of this is sometimes it's hard to let other people serve us and help us when we have needs. I can think of a time in my life where I was very sick and our children were young and I needed help. And it was so hard to ask for help. It was so hard to accept help. And yet at the same time, I was so grateful. There is a piece of humility in being able to


let other people serve you, particularly for those of us who are usually the ones doing for other people.


It doesn't come naturally for us. So I love these practical pieces that we're kind of starting to talk about. So let's get more specific and talk about practical steps to doing community like Jesus. And this is one of my favorite parts of our podcast is being able to kind of unpack this and give some practical ways of living this out. And so on one of these, it's show up, right? So Jesus showed up. And so how can we practically do community like Jesus? Be intentional about engaging with your church.


small group, workplace, or even your neighborhood. Relationships don't grow without presence.


That's so important, Larissa. And something that comes to mind when we're talking about this is we all live a busy life. Yeah. And in order to make room for more community in our lives, it may require us reordering some activities and priorities. It may require letting go of something to be able to add something. We're not saying just add, add, add, add to your life, but ask the Lord where He wants you to participate.


Speaker 1 (21:53.144)

Friend, if you are a believer and you are not in relationships with other Christians in some form or fashion, whether it's informal or formal, ask the Lord to open the door and provide the opportunity for you to connect with at least one Christian friend. It will bless your socks off, even if that friend is imperfect.


Absolutely. I love that. And it's just such a great reminder about being intentional in the everyday and also the ministry of errands. Like this is something I got to do with you for several years and I miss it. I'm not doing it as much in this season. And so I'm going to try to be creative, but you don't run errands by myself. And a friend of mine was talking about that. were just recently talking about that. She's like, it is so not fun.


They chime in with that.


Speaker 2 (22:50.872)

running errands by yourself, but wow, when we're together, it's so much more fun. And that's naturally doing your everyday stuff like Jesus did. Jesus didn't drive to the mall, but he walked to the well, let's say, and we're able to talk to each other, encourage one another. And sometimes in those kind of down moments where we can be more transparent with each other, things come up where you can have some great conversations. And so it's very practical.


And it's, I say, I think I share this because I think it's a little easier than we think to incorporate it into our daily life.


You know, and again, your brig is so many things to mine and I love that. That's just how the Lord works. This is why we want to be in community is because someone else has something that blesses us or encourages us or sparks an idea. And we wouldn't have had that idea if that person wasn't there. here's a couple of other ways to show up and actually be in person in relationship with people, walking partners. we all need to exercise.


Right


And so why not team up with a friend and exercise together? Then you're getting a twofer, right? Absolutely. Prayer partners. I know at times in my life, I've had people say, Hey, would you be a prayer partner with me? And it opened the door to some really growing and supportive relationship. And I'm very grateful for that. So that's a couple of things, showing up.


Speaker 2 (24:02.893)

Love those.


Speaker 2 (24:07.342)

you


Speaker 1 (24:24.802)

Someone in your neighborhood has a need show up with a meal. Yeah. Send a card to a friend. mean, that's not an in-person, but it is being attentive. Yeah. Here's another one. Send sympathy cards. Just a couple of ideas there. Let's move on to another one. And that is share your God given gifts to bless those in your community. We're blessed when we're able to use our spiritual gifts, but even more so the purpose.


Hmm.


Speaker 1 (24:54.848)

of our spiritual gifts is to bless and edify the body of Christ. And that's what we're talking about here. Community of believers, bring your gifts, step forward, be willing to grow in your gifts and share those with your community. Each one of us is given some kind of spiritual gift as well as talents and resources that we can share with others. And so I think that's really


both a fun and important way that we serve in the body of Christ, but we also develop relationships and support and help one another when we're sharing our gifts and others are sharing their gifts with us. Yeah.


Yeah. And along those lines, another way that we can walk like Jesus did and do community well is celebrate and mourn with your community. And we saw Jesus do this brilliantly. Doing community well, like Jesus did, will not always be fun. People die, they get divorced, children walk away from the faith. Life is very hard and challenging, and we are called to be there for one another.


And life is fun and full of exciting opportunities. And this is where we get to celebrate with our community. And really, a lot of people who listen to my broadcast hear me say constantly that we need to be better at mourning with people in the church, especially as the church. Like, should know how to do this. And we don't do messy well and we are grief averse both in the church and outside. But I also think we don't celebrate well.


for whatever reason, maybe because we're adults and we're not kids anymore. So we don't have that fun factor that's always kind of in front of us. But we get to do both. Like I talk so much about grief and I think I talk equally about celebrating. So find reasons to celebrate with your community as well. I had a friend that we had a little snack dessert.


Speaker 2 (27:02.766)

party after we voted last year. She's just like, Hey, I've got some goodies. Let's sit in the car and celebrate that we voted. And we did. I mean, there's not a national celebrate with your friend in the car with Mexican pastries day, but there should be. And it gave us something kind of fun to do together after we did the practical everyday thing.


That's a great idea. Another important way that we can show up and grieve with one another is to send sympathy cards. you know, back in the day, I can remember seeing a list of the number of cards that my mom received when her mother died back in the eighties. And we're hundreds of cards that were sent in sympathy of


her mother's passing, move forward 25 years when my mother passed, I think I received maybe five sympathy cards. And I'm not complaining. I'm just acknowledging there has been a shift in how our culture supports one another and expresses sympathy and care when someone has a death in the family.


and they're grieving. And I think that in the body of Christ, we can do a better job of that. And I'm trying. I bought a whole pack of sympathy cards and I just have them in my drawer so that when I hear of someone who has lost a loved one, I can go ahead and do it right then. Because if I wait, I probably will forget and get busy with other things. And my heart wants to be there for that person.


Great point, I love that.


Speaker 1 (28:45.976)

So here's another one. Stay when it gets hard.


And this is something that, you know, if we do not have emotionally healthy relationships, if we don't have a level of healthy self-concept or healthy mindset thinking patterns, it can be very easy to cut bait and leave when there is conflict or challenge or someone frustrates you or disappoints you in a relationship. And we miss so much when we don't stay.


and work through the hard places and value the relationship. Now I will acknowledge that is a two-way street. Yes. And so if the other person isn't willing to stay when things get tough, that's another scenario. But it's important to not give up too easily on relationships and Christian community because


The church is not made up of perfect people, but we can stay the course and not give in too easily. Disagreements, misunderstandings, challenges, they do happen sometimes. Hopefully not every day. And when we stay engaged, we learn and grow, and it also enables God to work through the struggles. Jesus stayed, even in difficult moments, He stayed. And this makes me think of Romans 12, 18.


Yeah.


Speaker 1 (30:19.564)

which says, if possible, as far as it depends on you, because it is a two-way street, live at peace with everyone. While we cannot control others, we can choose grace and perseverance in relationships. And this takes me back to our episodes on choosing grace over grievance, loving other people like Jesus, and the forgiveness episode that we did. And I'll put those in the show notes for anybody who wants to go back and check those out.


Yeah, that's so, so good. Another one, and Chris, this is one of my favorite ones, encourage others. And you don't have to have the gift of encouragement to uplift someone. You talked about gifts, and some of us haven't given the gift of encouragement, but I believe we're all called to encourage on some level. Encouragement comes in many forms. Give a kind or an encouraging word, sharing what you've learned in scripture, praying for someone.


or simply being a good listener are always ways to encourage. We don't have to make it this big deal. We don't have to stress out about it or make it hard. It's again, a part of what we do every single day. Send that text, make that call, pay attention to what encourages you and make the effort to then do the same for others. We talked about because of the way Jesus


led and walked here on earth to allow your community to love you. And again, we know that a lot of these are not easy, and yet the Lord makes it possible for us to do this. So community is a two-way street, as we've talked about. It isn't just about serving others. We must learn to be gracious receivers as well. Be open to receiving love, help, and encouragement. It's humbling, but it's how healthy relationships work in a very practical way.


Just say yes when someone offers something. Say yes to the meal being delivered. Say yes when someone wants to mow your lawn or walk your dog. Try to find ways to say yes before always saying no. And again, I know this isn't easy. This is easier for me, but I know it's not easy for others.


Speaker 1 (32:36.846)

I want to go back to encouraging others for just a second. Something that is been on my heart the last couple of days is that sandwich concept of when we need to give constructive criticism or point out something that could be perceived as negative. When we can sandwich that between a positive and an encouraging comment, it enables that person to receive


what we're, you know, what we're trying to talk to them about in a different way. And it keeps them from getting discouraged. If all you ever do is point out where someone needs to improve or what could have been better, it's really easy to get discouraged. And so just remembering that an encouraging word goes a long way, particularly if you have to address something that falls in the realm of critique.


Great point.


Well, here's one last one before we wrap up today, and that is be an initiator. All of these things we talked about in terms of Jesus' example, and then we came back around to them with the practical pieces. And so here's that last one. Don't wait for others to reach out to you. Be willing to make the first move. Introduce yourself, invite others, whether it's out to lunch or simply to make an introduction.


It's been interesting, even just in a church service, challenging myself to introduce myself to the people sitting around me, because it's usually different every week, opens the door for some really great conversations. And a few weeks ago, I did that with the woman. She was new to the church and she ended up staying. She's jumped right into our Sunday school class. really met a need in her life. And she's been a delightful addition to our group. And that would have never happened.


Speaker 1 (34:38.048)

if I had not introduced myself to her after the service. And sometimes it does feel a little awkward to introduce yourself to someone and invite them to your Sunday school class when you haven't even met them before. But it's worth doing.


great point. love that. And that goes back to where we talked about earlier, everybody wants to be invited. And I've gotten to the point where I'm okay if I look silly, I'll say to somebody, Hey, I don't recognize you. And they may say, I've been coming every week for several months. I'm like, oops, sorry. Anyways, we have a Sunday school class. It's still really nice to meet you officially. So yeah, so it's okay to be


It's still nice to meet you!


Speaker 2 (35:23.618)

forgetful and to not always do things super smooth. It's messy. Life is messy.


Mm-hmm. Sometimes it is. Well, let's wrap this up. We got one thing that we did not talk about that we want to tease for next week. So why don't you do that for me, my friend?


Yeah.


Speaker 2 (35:39.872)

Okay, so this is handling community challenges. And when we encounter challenges in community, it's important to remember the failures of people do not change the faithfulness of God. Instead of withdrawing, we can ask God how he wants us to respond, whether that's extending forgiveness, setting boundaries, or finding new ways to engage. And Ginger, I know you have something you want to


share about this, but handling community challenges is very real and it is something that we all are going to have to grow in.


Mm-hmm. The reality is there is no perfect church and no perfect community, and that's okay. Yeah. Because we're not perfect either. So, we'll just all be in the imperfect club together and let God work in our lives and grow us through the challenges that do come up in building community. Because community


So


Speaker 1 (36:39.202)

Sounds great in theory, in reality, it can have some challenging moments. And we're going to talk about that next week.


I know many of us have experienced that. How do we stay committed when church or relationships don't meet our expectations? We're planning a follow-up episode where we'll go into navigating church hurt, conflict in Christian communities, and how to heal while staying engaged in the body of Christ. For now, let's acknowledge that struggles in community are real and that God calls us to navigate them with wisdom and grace.


If you've ever felt overlooked, hurt by the church, or unsure of how to handle conflict in community, be sure to join us for the next episode where we'll unpack these topics in depth and provide practical steps for healing and restoration.


Friends, I want you to think about how you can be intentional in community this week. Don't put it off. Don't put it in that it'll be nice for later category, but put it on your schedule for this week. Whether it's reaching out to someone that you know is struggling, joining a small group, visiting a church, getting back to church, or simply showing up consistently, ask God to guide you in strengthening


your relationships as you become a community builder. And if you've struggled in community, know that you're not alone. Healing and restoration are possible and we'll talk more about that in our next episode. So until next time, remember you were made for connection. Lean in, love well and grow together.


Speaker 1 (38:28.77)

Share this episode with your friends or a small group. This could be a powerful way to encourage your community. And if this episode has blessed you, please take a moment to subscribe, leave a review, because that makes a powerful difference in helping this message get out to others. And together, let's commit to building the habit of community.