Loneliness Could Kill You!

I came across a recent study, that given a message I just preached a couple of weeks ago (Connecting), peaked my interest.  In the study (as reported here) researches determined the following:

…loneliness and isolation are as damaging as obesity. The impact of loneliness has also been likened to smoking 15 cigarettes a day or excessive drinking.

and

…people who said they were lonely, felt socially isolated or lived alone, had a 30 percent increased likelihood of death.

Whoa!  Who would have thought that loneliness was that bad for you…wait…hang on a second, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard something about being alone somewhere before, now where was that…

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him. – Genesis 2:18

Oh, yeah that’s right, now I remember!  God literally created us to long for relationships, both horizontal and vertical, human and divine.  The three most essential connections for a meaning-filled life are:

1. Connecting to Christ (restoring our relationship with God)
2. Connecting to His Church (embracing a mission bigger than ourselves)
3. Connecting with other Christians (enjoying life with others who are headed in the same direction)

At Friendship Church we believe that these connections are absolutely necessary and do everything we can to help you become relationally satisfied.  As apart of this passion we have created small groups that you can connect with throughout the week so that you can connect with other people going through the same things you are, so you can grow deeper in your faith, and so that you can begin to establish a great support group around you.

Our next round of small groups kicks off after Easter, are you in?

Dave