It happens to me at least once a week. Someone asks to connect with me on the business media site known as Linked in The purpose behind the invitation is to build ones' own personal and business network; a series of "Facebook" looking business connections designed to further your career by enlarging your reach to like-minded business professionals. The fact is that it has proved very successful since its inception and provides a platform for everyone from entrepreneurs to entry level workers just being introduced to the marketplace. But that's not why you should sit up and take notice of the power of LinkedIn.
Over the last weekend I was reminded again of the power and reach of a shared story. Somehow, our ever-faithful Australian Shepherd, Mocha, or should I say, our daughter's dog, you know; the one living at my house, eating my food, and being taken out in the morning by me; you know, that dog. For reasons that might never be known, when letting her out on Friday night, she did what she has never done before; she bolted off into the night and Debbie and I spent the next several hours combing the woods, riding the streets, checking every hole, ditch, and side street we could think of in search of our precious Mocha. All for nought. My wife spent most of the weekend calling or visiting the local dog shelter, talking to people in the neighborhood, and even notifying the police department, as well as printing posters, talking with folks at church, and even consulting the experts. No success. We prayed, yes for our dog; remembering that people are always more important than animals, but seeking the Lord's help in finding our pet. No news Saturday, or Sunday. And then today, we received a call from a man, not more than a mile from our house, who because his neighbor saw our post on "Facebook", was able to call us and return our precious Mocha. To say that we were thrilled doesn't begin to cover it. But, what was really in play here? Nothing less than the power of a shared experience. The man who helped us, owned another dog, realized when Mocha arrived that she was well cared for, reasonably healthy, and conveyed a look of being out of place. This good samaritan was motivated to do everything he could to find the owner, because dog owners share a common experience; they generally love their animals and are concerned for the owners who miss them.
We experienced a similar shared connection years ago, when as a young couple, newly arrived in Ankeny, Iowa, for graduate school, and knowing no one, found themselves with a desperately ill child, alone in a sea of faces, all attending the same church service. We knew no one, literally strangers surrounded us,but several couples took us aside, prayed with us, and then several of these unnamed believers, drove us, or should I say, escorted us to Blanks Children's Hospital in Des Moines, where our son, Daniel could be evaluated and attended to.
And that, my friend is what made the first century church unstoppable. They recognized the power inherent in their shared experiences- persecution, death, and separation from family, just to name a few and because of that were drawn together like never before, or maybe since (Acts 2:42ff). Their prayers and care for their community became the witness that could not be ignored, the compulsion that could not be silenced. One of our leaders at Bethel is famous for saying, "Aren't you glad you have a church family?' And so we should be, but that's only part of it. My wife has argued vigorously for some time that we should channel those shared experiences with, for example, our animals, or other shared connections, into a far reaching strategy for reaching our communities for Christ. Just imagine if you will, the power of attraction that is communicated when a dog owner suddenly realizes that the interest we shared in his pet is only exceeded by the love we manifest for his life, his family, and his soul.
Now there's an answer for our "dog eat dog" world. :-)
MJC
