When was the last time you needed wise counsel, a warm hug, or even a swift kick in your good intentions? No doubt, there have been times these past several months where any one – or all three – of the actions would have been just what the doctor ordered (or needed to order). Of the many dynamics experienced since the beginning of the “Covid Era,” perhaps the most insidiously dangerous is that of being isolated from the interactions found in receiving wise counsel, a warm hug, or even the proverbial swift kick.

The speed at which information, directives, or best practices are presently changing can leave individuals in very precarious situations when it comes to mental, physical, and spiritual health; especially if the dynamic of isolation is a part of that individual’s existence. Why is that?

Author Larry Osborne, reminds us of one guarantee that isolation brings: what one knows is what one already knows. (Sticky Church, p.44) Warm hugs, wise counsel, or swift kicks are hard to self-administer, and even if we do accomplish some semblance of those actions, the truth is, we will only be doing them in ways that we already know. (Besides that, when is that last time you attempted to kick yourself? Not the best visual.) So, what do we do?

Here’s what we’re doing right now:

• Twice a month (presently on Tuesdays at 7 pm), a virtual check-in happens, where people can share with one another and pray for one another. You can read more about that in this month’s newsletter.
• The Call Tree we’ve had in place since the pandemic began is also a great resource. Calls do not have to go only in one direction. Those individuals are always ready to listen.
• Plans are also being considered about how we can effectively take check-ins and call trees to a new level – one that truly allows for the warm hugs and wise counsel to be a part of our continuing existence, above and beyond any pandemic. Here is why I mention this: if you believe having a way to get that wise counsel, warm hug, or swift kick from people committed to your best future is something you’d like to know more about, let the church office know – through in-person conversation, phone call, email, or snail mail.

God has called us into community. Christian growth happens best in community – a community where wise counsel is heard with open ears; where warm hugs are freely given and freely received (even if those hugs have to be “air hugs” for the time being); and where swift kicks become fewer and fewer as we grow in the grace that is ours in Jesus Christ. Thank you for your continued prayers and support of St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church.

-Pastor David Duncan