Wake Up, Look Up

[Music]

hello everyone thanks for listening to

wake up lookup a podcast where we

connect events happening in real time to

the Gospel of Jesus Christ I'm Zach wck

and this week we're asking the question

can you calendar friendship it's based

on an article I read this week that I

thought was pretty interesting you know

loneliness is a trend among American

adults we've covered that extensively

here on wake up lookup you don't even

need me to talk about it you probably

feel it the article I read in the

Atlantic was acknowledging that in fact

it was saying that part of the reason

for that is because as an adult you're

out of the normal Rhythm like probably

the last time you could think of having

a really robust group of friends was

when you were in school high school

college and part of that was just

because you ran into people you you were

meeting people and making plans you had

more free time and just more social

interaction now you fast forward maybe

you've got a few kids and a job and

responsibilities and it's just hard to

find time and even when you have social

time it's hard to find a window of time

that those you might build friendships

with are also free so this article was

suggesting A New Path forward and that

is that you calendar your friendship

then in the same way you might make a

dentist appointment that you actually

reach out to friends and put a standing

calendar event on your schedule so every

third Tuesday night is when we hang out

something like that because the reality

is social scientists tell us that that

developing social habits need structure

just like going to the gym we tend to

think of friendship as more about

spontaneity but but true lasting

friendship actually thrives best in

structure which is why reoccurring

calendar events might be the best way

forward it also takes less effort

because once you get it on the calendar

if you're like me you can just build

around it it's on there then sitting at

your phone trying to find when the next

available slot is now the whole reason I

bring this up is because I want you to

see yet again the Bible has been saying

this for thousands of years uh

reoccurring calendar events sound a lot

like biblical Community after all in

Hebrews chapter 10 we're told that we

shouldn't neglect spending time together

that that it's a meaningful thing we

should build our lives around time with

other Christians not build time with

other Christians around our lives it

it's a need to be intentional it it's

also the daily Rhythm of the local

church in the New Testament in Acts 2

people are meeting together daily

they're in each other's homes they're

sharing things they're eating meals

together they are doing life together

they've built regular rhythms of time

together uh in Philippians too we're

told to intentionally plan for a time

together to seek it out to build it in

all that to say what social scientists

and journalists are telling you you need

to do build meaningful friendships that

cause you to grow and do it in a

reoccurring way the Bible has been

telling you and your local church is

telling you after all this is where the

church is so far ahead of culture with

things like Bible studies or small

groups at my church we call them circles

regular times of gathering with other

Christians to grow sure but also to have

fun to to enjoy each other's company to

cry together to laugh together to pray

together to do the kinds of things that

friends do and and I say that for a

couple of reasons one is I want you to

feel the confidence of seeing that the

Bible isn't just telling you what you

should do in terms of checking off a

rule it's telling you what you should do

to actually flourish no one knows you

better than the God who created you who

knows the environment in which you are

going to become the best version of

yourself but also your local church is

trying to help you the next time your

pastor gets up and says you should be in

a small group he's really just saying

saying what science and journalists are

saying if you're lonely the church has

an answer for that should you calendar

friendship yes and you should start by

putting a small group a Bible study a

class on your schedule don't build your

spiritual growth and your friendships

around your life build your life around

them hey thanks so much for watching

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