Connection - On Letting Division Cease (Focus 4 of 5)

Consider this ice breaker as you gather for the Spotlight.

Is there a topic/idea/zeitgeisty-something that you wish you knew more about exclusively for the sake of being better at participating in conversations?

Now that you've broken the ice, get into the idea of this Spotlight with another question - this one about missed connections - by watching the video below.

(And welcome, by the way! It's great that you're here!)

See what this Spotlight—and series—is focused on.
Tap on the words "Focus 4" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.

With all that being said, let’s pray for nearness with this video.

How do we make the most of our connections? 
It starts by paying attention to them and making sure we don’t suffer from missed connections. It might be true that there are more connection points in your life than you think. 

Watch this retelling of a story in which the early Christians were failing to notice some of their connections.

Let's get back to those Craigslist missed connections. First of all, this one is...wild.



Setting aside how heartbreakingly well-written this post is…

Identify your missed connections.

Not connections that are 50 years old—the ones that are happening right now. Considering the connections you might be taking for granted is an example of “not holding back” part of your life from God—specifically, your relationships.

For motivation, see how highly Jesus places human relationships in this brief exchange:

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:28–31

Jesus wasn’t even asked about the second greatest commandment.
He wanted to include it.
So should we.

To do this, make a list of people, identifying one unique person for each of the bullets below.

• One person you know is lonely.
• One person you often see around holidays that you won’t see this year. 
• One person you see regularly whose whose name you should probably know - but you just haven’t got around to it yet. 
• One person you have keep meaning to forge a stronger relationship with but, you know, life.
• One person you have a fairly strong connection with that, in retrospect, is surprising. (An unlikely connection.) 
• One person you believe you could help.

Now go through the list and mark each person with the letters S (for stranger), A (for acquaintance), or R (for relationship.) You'll use this list a bit more in the serve section. For now, before moving on, share any observations you made about your list - something that surprised you, is interesting to you, or called you to task. 

Let’s put radical listening to work again this week.
Start by reviewing Radical Listening through this video… which honestly requires radical listening to pay attention to from start to finish. (But it’s a great summary!)

Last Spotlight, you were asked to find and radically listen to at least three minutes of content you knew you wouldn’t agree with.

Share how that went with your group (if you’re doing this Spotlight with a group).

(If somebody chose to listen to something you agree with, that’s OK. This part is not about viewpoints, it’s about connection points.)

Today, you have the opportunity to combine Radical Listening with Missed Connections.

Select one of the people on the list you made in the Learn section and put a time on your calendar to connect with them this week.

When you do, ask how they’re doing and resolve to listen radically.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
James 1:19–20

To answer before listening—
 that is folly and shame.
Proverbs 18:13

For the rest of the people on your list, here's a suggestion: What could be accomplished if you invested just 10 minutes into each of those potential connections this week?

Feel free to submit a prayer request by filling out the below form.
(If you choose to make your request public, you'll see it display in the Current at the end of the Spotlight along with anyone else who did the same.)

Pray through your requests—together—as a group.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.

Listen and pray along with this interactive presentation. 
Follow the presentation to pray through the hymn Brothers, Sisters, Let Us Gladly.

and, if you’d like to, listen to the whole song uncut here:

Let's wrap things up by taking a look at what's Current at Illume.

Tap on the buttons in the frame below to see what’s currently happening at Illume—information on everything from current and upcoming online content to live events and opportunities to serve in the community can all be found here.