Latest / The Daily Ripples Podcast / October 25 – We Need One Another

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October 25 – We Need One Another · The Daily Ripples Podcast

• 0:00
  A lot of people talk about community and building a community.
• 0:05
  And when I think about community.
• 0:06
  I think about that most of the time, the communities that I'm a part of,
• 0:11
  They didn't start with some big moment or some decision that I made.
• 0:18
  Ooh, I'm going to go find a community.
• 0:20
  It started with somebody just being there for me.
• 0:23
  You know, it might have been someone sitting in a chair at a meeting or it might have been the face in a pew next to me when I 1st came back into church.
• 0:32
  Maybe it's just a phone call.
• 0:34
  Somebody reaches out and then answer it and before you know it, I'm part of a community.
• 0:38
  And today is going to be about how much those small acts of just showing up and being there when people need us, how much they really matter.
• 0:52
  Welcome back to the Daily Ripples podcast.
• 0:55
  I'm Pastor Mike.
• 0:56
  This is Sunday, and today is October 25th, and our entry is named, of course, we need one another. The stone.
• 1:08
  God strengthens us as we walk together in faith rather than trying to journey alone.
• 1:14
  Ripple one is practical.
• 1:16
  Today, I will choose connection over isolation.
• 1:19
  Encouraging someone else, asking for help, or simply being present reminds me that we were never meant to carry life's burdens by ourselves.
• 1:28
  Together, we are stronger than we could ever be alone.
• 1:31
  Ripple 2
• 1:33
  As I follow Christ's example of living in fellowship with others, the Holy Spirit weaves our individual lives into something stronger than any one of us could build alone.
• 1:42
  The Father uses our shared faith, encouragement, and service to strengthen each of us as we grow together.
• 1:51
  You know, It says that God strengthens us as we walk together in faith rather than trying to journey alone.
• 1:59
  And there's a lot of discussion, I know, with people when they come into recovery at first, especially. And, you know, one of the 1st things that I hear newcomers being told, you know, is some variation of, well, keep coming back, you know, come back tomorrow. So why is it important that we attend meetings of recovery?
• 2:22
  Well, showing up in the rooms does more than meet our own need.
• 2:28
  It does more than just help me, and with the newcomer, it does more than just help them, because my presence, our presence altogether tells the new person, especially sitting across the room that I'm available when they need somebody.
• 2:40
  And sometimes who we're, therefore, may not even be a newcomer.
• 2:45
  You know, recently I was in a meeting with a gentleman who had over 30 years of sobriety, but he was there asking for a new sponsor because he needed somebody to walk alongside him.
• 2:54
  You know, many of us have been carried through life for years and years by people who never said a lot.
• 3:02
  They were just there week after week, and that was enough to tell us that we weren't alone.
• 3:08
  You know, in the big book on page 561.
• 3:12
  I believe it's in the appendix one, talks about the AA tradition.
• 3:15
  And it says that we alcoholic see that we must work together and hang together, else most of us will finally die alone.
• 3:22
  So that makes it pretty clear what the alternative is to having a good community.
• 3:29
  The alternative is isolation, and that isolation is dangerous ground, most especially for an alcoholic.
• 3:36
  I know that it was for me.
• 3:37
  You know, I hardly ever was drunk or out of pop, puck, whatever I'm trying to say.
• 3:44
  I was rarely ever drunk.
• 3:46
  or out of pocket in public.
• 3:48
  It was almost always at home in isolation.
• 3:52
  I didn't have any friends.
• 3:53
  I certainly didn't have anybody that wanted to listen to me sharing my thoughts on faith, recovery, or anything of that sort when I was drinking.
• 4:00
  On page 89 of the big book, it tells us that frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives that is certainly become true for me during my time in recovery.
• 4:12
  And then we could take it all the way to the Bible in Ecclesiastes, and that is in chapter 4 versus 9 and 10, says the 2 are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.
• 4:25
  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
• 4:28
  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
• 4:31
  And you know, as I was reading that verse, I couldn't help but think about how, as I get older, I tend to sometimes lose my balance and stumble around a little bit, but I always, it seems like one of those things happen and sometimes they happen just trying to walk up and down, you know, on behind the pulpit, you know, during a church service or what have you, but I'll tell you, there's always somebody there watching me, watching out for me.
• 4:56
  You know, my wife, my stepson, my stepson especially, every time I stumble.
• 5:02
  He's got something to say about it.
• 5:04
  Usually some variation of, be careful, pops, we need you around.
• 5:07
  Well, I had those kind of comments back when I was drinking, that's for sure, because I was just on my own.
• 5:13
  But this verse tells us clearly that the person who falls alone is the one who is in danger.
• 5:19
  And when we show up together, when we are in the rooms together.
• 5:23
  We're making sure that there's someone there when that happens.
• 5:26
  Somebody was there for me.
• 5:27
  And when I was at my lowest, when I had fallen down to my rock bottom, people were there for me.
• 5:32
  And so now, because of the grace that I received through that, my responsibility is to be there and to show up for other people.
• 5:41
  The same principle of the power of our presence holds up in our churches as well, our local congregations.
• 5:49
  You know, as with anybody, especially back before I was, you know, a pastor and required by calling and employment to show up every week.
• 6:01
  You know, some Sundays, you know, back in the day, I was on the fence about, you know, even going to church, as I'm sure many of us are at times.
• 6:09
  But even on those days when I would attend, I would be blessed by it, you know, and it would show that I'm connected to the other people in that room in one of the 1st places where I started to really experience community again after years of isolation after those years of my alcoholism and atheism and other things, then... One of the 1st places I found connection was when I was called and led and explored and listened to that still small voice telling me, you know, that
• 6:40
  I might be wrong about everything and why didn't I go back to a church to try to figure out, you know, what it was all about and listen with, you know, humility and openness rather than my preconceived notions and expectations that I had nursed and built for about 15 years.
• 6:56
  And I was, of course, you know, welcomed and accepted, you know, for where I was, you know, right when I walked into the door.
• 7:04
  And through that process, the other people being there, and me witnessing the lives and the love of all the people around me, it helped develop and form the faith that eventually lead me here.
• 7:17
  And I know that God leads each of us to different places, and I'm not saying that if you attend church regularly every Sunday, you're going to find yourself within a number of years to be called as a preacher, or pastor, minister, or prophet, or prophetess or anything of that sort.
• 7:30
  But God does have an individual call and a plan for our lives, and God's call always comes with a community.
• 7:37
  And the relationships get built in those, That practice of showing up week after week.
• 7:45
  And that way when a spiritual crisis came in my life, when I was stuck in the depths of my alcoholism and despair and depression, it was people in that local congregation that actually led me into the rooms of recovery.
• 8:01
  Hebrews 10, 24 and 25 tells us, and let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.
• 8:14
  You know, the writer of Hebrews tells us that he treats meeting together as a habit that you build, and then encouragement that we receive, is the result of sometimes simply being in the room and listening to what our higher power, who might use to call God, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• 8:31
  He works in us. And our willingness is how we cooperate with that.
• 8:36
  Romans one and 12 tells us, that is that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.
• 8:42
  Paul, the apostle, expected to be strengthened by the church he was visiting.
• 8:47
  You see, that encouragement runs in both directions.
• 8:50
  And I could tell you, as a pastor, I am certainly encouraged, when new people come into the local congregation, and also, when all of my regular people that I'm used to seeing week after week, are all there on the same Sunday.
• 9:03
  And since this is Sunday, and this comes out at 4 AM, if any, from my local congregations are listening this morning, that's your call to be sure to be ready, you still got time to be here.
• 9:14
  This 1st ripple today says that today I'll choose connection over isolation, that could be encouraging someone else, asking for help or simply being present, reminds me that we were never meant to carry life's burdens by ourselves, that together we're stronger than we can ever be alone.
• 9:30
  You know, about a week and a half ago, I connected with a man that I've seen in the rooms for years and years.
• 9:39
  He often sits by himself and people may come and speak to him, but he's just, he's one of those people that I would classify as maybe a little bit of an introvert, but over the past week, you know, after I reconnected with him about a week and a half ago and made sure that we had each other's numbers.
• 9:56
  I encouraged him to call me anytime he needed anything.
• 9:59
  It's just one of those things that, you know, especially men talking to men and women and talking to women in recovery meetings and conferences and groups, you know, often we'll say, well, give me a call sometime if you ever need anything.
• 10:10
  But I think you could tell that when I said it, I really meant it.
• 10:14
  And so over the past week or so.
• 10:18
  You've had several phone calls.
• 10:19
  And my part in that was, I had made the offer and the invitation, but then I had to follow through because when he actually called me, I had to answer the phone.
• 10:31
  I know that's a strange thing for a lot of us, you know, especially these younger generations, everything's on text, but there is that connection that comes when we actually hear another person's voice, and when we are sharing our troubles and concerns with someone else, and we hear their verbal feedback and response.
• 10:49
  I mean, obviously, I think as we all know, face-to-face conversations are where we feel the most connection.
• 10:55
  But on the phone is the next best thing.
• 10:58
  But all I did is I think back about it was I answered the phone and I listened to his concerns. I may have offered one or 2 words of just encouragement, not really advice, just letting him know that I understood what he was going through.
• 11:12
  And at the end, his only response was that it really helped him just to have someone to listen.
• 11:19
  And man, that's been true for me too.
• 11:21
  I know when I had the courage to pick up that £1000 phone back when I was struggling in those early days of my recovery, and even sometimes today, it's hard for me to pick up the phone, but I have good friends, like, you know, my regular co-host, Corey here, who I know that I can reach out to and rely upon when life gets rough.
• 11:39
  And it's good, you know, just as a little personal aside, as a pastor.
• 11:44
  It's good to have friends that are not connected to ministry, because those are the people that I can truly be myself with, and people who understand that pastor is a calling and a role that I have, and in many ways, it defines me as a person, but I'm still a human being. I still have faults and failings.
• 12:03
  I still have struggles.
• 12:04
  I still have times when I fall.
• 12:07
  And like that verse from Ecclesiastes tells me sometimes I need somebody else to help me stand up.
• 12:12
  Romans 1215 tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.
• 12:18
  And miss Paul's instructions for us to be with other people.
• 12:21
  You know, our presence with others comes before we ever offer a single word of advice.
• 12:26
  In the big book on page 97.
• 12:30
  It says your telephone may jangle at any time of the day or night.
• 12:34
  You know, our recovery program fully expects phone calls to be a part of this life.
• 12:39
  And so answering one, well, as I've worked through the steps, every time I answer the phone, I consider that to be part of my 12th step work.
• 12:48
  You know, on page 94, it tells us actually he may be helping you more than you are helping him.
• 12:53
  And that's certainly true because when I have those phone calls, I do receive that sense of spiritual satisfaction and growth that comes with knowing that I've done something that I should be doing.
• 13:05
  So for anybody who's feeling isolated right now, there is community out there, and all that it takes is the courage and the willingness to reach out, to pick up that £1000 phone and give somebody a call.
• 13:19
  If you've been putting off making a phone call today, maybe this is your time to pick it up, make that call, most especially for those of us who are alcoholics, and if you're struggling with something that really makes you think that the only way to deal with it is to take a drink of alcohol, then today, your encouragement, your role, your calling, is that before you pick up that drink, call somebody else in the program who knows exactly what it's like,
• 13:46
  who will never judge you for it, but will be there to offer their presence.
• 13:51
  Sometimes their guidance, but more importantly, their community with you.
• 13:58
  That 2nd ripple told us that, you know, following Jesus' example of living in fellowship with others that the Holy Spirit weaves our lives into something stronger than any of us could build alone.
• 14:10
  And it's important that we're there for each other.
• 14:13
  You know, sometimes it's answering a phone call, but sometimes it's taking more concrete action, things that you wouldn't necessarily think of as, you know, 12th step work or as carrying the message, but it is a matter of practicing these principles in all of our affairs.
• 14:28
  You know, I've got an example for my own life from this past week, there was a friend who was running behind, and there was a meeting that he needed to be at, and he, and he had, you know, a younger one with him that needed a little bit of care.
• 14:42
  And all he did was the friend reached out and called me and said, hey, could you pick up something?
• 14:48
  on the way that I need.
• 14:51
  Well, I was also running a little bit behind, but I knew that I could make time to get it done.
• 14:57
  But then I remembered that my wife was actually already out and about, and she was going to end up at the same place that the 2 of us were going to be.
• 15:05
  So I reached out and collaborated and got her on the phone and said, hey, pick up X, Y, Z and kind of told her why.
• 15:14
  And of course, you know, she did the same thing.
• 15:16
  You know, she, despite what others may think, who may know both of us in person, she does often listen to me. But she and I worked it out together and we took care of it, and it was just a small errand, but it reminded me of what a community offers to each other.
• 15:31
  I get to receive from it and even more than that, I get to give in it.
• 15:36
  And that giving brings real spiritual satisfaction.
• 15:40
  You know, Galatians 62 tells us to carry each other's burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.
• 15:46
  Well, the law of Christ, as we all know, comes down to those 2 greatest commandments, to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
• 15:57
  On page 97 again, in the big book tells us helping others is the foundation stone of your recovery.
• 16:04
  A kindly act once in a while isn't enough.
• 16:07
  Then backing up to page 84.
• 16:09
  It tells us that we will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
• 16:14
  And that's one of the promises that we find in the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous.
• 16:20
  And that's truly been the case that I've seen in my life.
• 16:24
  And so, if you're listening, still, at this point in the episode, your challenge today, because we do live one day at a time in this, is that to reach out and contact one person that maybe you wouldn't otherwise have called today.
• 16:39
  Call somebody from the runes or simply sit with somebody new at church.
• 16:44
  And if you're the one struggling, pick up the phone and call somebody to help you yourself.
• 16:50
  You know, God strengthens us as we walk together.
• 16:54
  And walking together, starts with showing up, starts with our willingness.
• 16:59
  Let us pray together.
• 17:01
  Father God, thank you for the people you have placed in my life.
• 17:05
  Through your Holy Spirit.
• 17:07
  Help me encourage others and receive their encouragement with humility, shape me through the example of Jesus.
• 17:14
  Amen.
• 17:15
  Well, that's our episode for today.
• 17:17
  New reflections, devotionals, are published every day at dailyripples.com.
• 17:22
  If you want to write in and tell me who showed up for you this week or give us any feedback on the podcast, our email is wave at dailyripples.com.
• 17:32
  And now, as always, may you go and do all the good you can, for all the people you can, and all the places you can, and all the ways you can, and may you do it all as long as you ever can, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
• 17:50
  May you go in peace.
• 17:51
  Amen.