Building Genuine Connections in a Digital Age

Summary

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The Collage Podcast

Episode: Building Genuine Connections in a Digital Age
Date: August 6, 2026
Host: Jeff (Feed My Sheep)
Guests: High school students from Miller Heights Baptist Church in Belton and Vista Community Church in Temple

Episode Overview

This episode features a roundtable with high school students volunteering at Feed My Sheep, Temple, TX, discussing the concept of community, loneliness, and developing authentic connections in a hyper-connected, digital world. Host Jeff guides a candid conversation that quickly shifts from generational observations to universal human needs for belonging and real relationship, especially within the context of faith and service to marginalized groups.

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Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. Defining Community and Hope

• Community as Inclusion & Presence
  • Students defined community as a place where anyone can come as they are, be accepted, and find understanding.
  • Emmy (Vista): “Community means…a place for anyone to come as they are and just not really worry about what their life situation is like or what they've been through. They can just come and be who they really are.” (05:01)
• Hope Through Action and Faith
  • Students believe the world has hope because they are actively building and investing in community.
  • Cole (Vista): “We're out here, we're trying to make our community better. We're trying to grow community with these people who are struggling and build community within ourselves as well, to grow our relationship in Christ with each other.” (04:20)

2. Paradox of Digital Connection and Loneliness

• Hyper-Connected, Yet Isolated
  • The group acknowledged that social media enables global connection but simultaneously increases feelings of isolation and inability to form deep relationships.
  • Mabry (Vista): "We’re interconnected, but we’re also very lonely because we just do everything over the screen." (09:52)
• Shallow Interactions vs. Deep Relationships
  • Technology makes it easier to hide one’s true self and to disassociate from real emotion and presence.
  • Bella (Miller Heights): “Social media…eliminates the emotional aspect…it's easier to disassociate with what other people are feeling.” (10:56)
  • Elijah (Miller Heights): “You’re kind of presenting a false image of yourself...which makes everyone around you seem perfect. And then you're left struggling with your own inadequacy.” (11:10)

3. Generation Z and The Burden of Loneliness

• Attention Spans and Social Anxiety
  • The group pointed out that short attention spans from constant social media use hinder genuine conversations and increase anxiety in public.
  • Emily (Miller Heights): “If you can't bring yourself to start a conversation with someone…I think a lot of that is to blame on phones. ...no one's gonna approach you when you're on your phone…” (14:07)
• Loneliness in the Midst of Peers
  • Even surrounded by people, many still feel unknown at a deep level.
  • Emmy (Vista): “I feel like I'm surrounded by people, but I'm not feeling known as my true self.” (15:26)

4. The Search for Genuine Belonging

• Challenges and Risks of Vulnerability
  • There’s a recurring fear in opening up and being authentic—if the “real you” is rejected, the sting is deep.
  • Jeff (Host): “I put the real me out there, and I open up and I show you what's going on in my heart, and I get hurt that way. That stings bad. I do that once. I'm like, eh, forget that. I'm gonna put on I'm super cool.” (29:50)
• The Unique Loneliness of Marginalized People
  • The group reflected on the amplified loneliness of the homeless population, who lack both material resources and community.
  • Jeff (Host): “Lack of community and belonging is even bigger and more powerful [than homelessness].” (21:54)

5. The Church, Faith, and Real Community

• Faith as Anchor, but Human Interaction as Necessity
  • While faith provides comfort, true belonging also requires consistent, Christ-centered human relationships.
  • Cole (Vista): “God made us all to have these emotions and these...connections...if we only have community over the phone, it's not the same.” (10:19)
  • Elijah (Miller Heights): “Christ and the church is a very strong common ground…we should use that for everyone around us who shares it.” (45:01)
• Role of Consistency and Inclusion
  • Building real community demands intentional, repeated acts of inclusion and presence.
  • Cole (Vista): “I try and be super consistent in anything I do…building good habits, inviting others in.” (42:44)
  • Unknown Student: “Inclusion is a big part of it…” (41:55)
• Intergenerational Community
  • Real community thrives on connection across ages and backgrounds, not just within peer groups.
  • Emily (Miller Heights): “We need that interaction…advice. Not just from people our age, but people who’ve lived life a long time…people from different phases of life.” (44:23)

6. Practical Steps Forward

• Returning to Simple, Childlike Openness
  • Mabry (Vista): “We need to go back to the basics...like, a child can walk in and make a friend immediately just because they're willing to play together…just keeping it simple and just saying hi.” (43:32)
• Consistency and Gratitude as Community-Building Habits
  • Daily thankfulness and consistent action are seen as foundational practices for nurturing community.
• Faith in Action
  • The group agrees that while digital tools are useful, nothing replaces face-to-face, Christ-centered relationships rooted in love and consistent, vulnerable interaction.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Social media…eliminates the emotional aspect…" — Bella (10:56)
• "You're presenting a false image of yourself…then you're left struggling with your own inadequacy." — Elijah (11:10)
• “I feel like I'm surrounded by people but I'm not feeling known as my true self.” — Emmy (15:26)
• “If you can answer [how to fix loneliness], you better write a book and … you’re going to be a gojillionaire.” — Jeff (Host) (38:22)
• "Inclusion is a big part of it...seeking out those type of relationships where it's not based around social media or screens…” — Unknown student (41:55)
• “I just have to be how God created me to be and to be comfortable within that and the differences." — Jeff (Host) (47:04)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & group intros — 00:22–03:22
• Defining community and hope — 03:46–05:44
• Digital interconnection vs isolation — 07:21–12:34
• Loneliness poll: Are your friends lonely or not? — 13:14–13:27
• Exploration of 'lonely' answers — 13:47–16:23
• Reflection on personal and communal loneliness (old vs young, reaching out) — 16:23–22:42
• Faith, churches, and community needs — 22:42–24:22
• Coping mechanisms for loneliness — 24:22–28:31
• Vulnerability, belonging, and the power of hospitality — 28:31–32:15
• The deeper issues behind homelessness and exclusion — 32:15–36:10
• Universal need for belonging and faith as the common ground — 36:10–41:46
• Practical solutions: Consistency, gratitude, inclusion, childlike openness — 41:46–44:03
• Importance of multi-generational relationships — 44:03–45:01
• Closing reflections & takeaways — 53:04–58:30

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Tone & Takeaways

The episode balances earnest faith-based reflection with candid self-deprecation and humor, particularly from host Jeff. Students and host alike are vulnerable, honest, and hopeful—intentionally bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Actionable Insights:

• Loneliness and the need for real community cut across all ages and backgrounds.
• Digital connectivity shouldn't replace in-person, vulnerable interaction.
• Inclusion, gratitude, consistency, and willingness to be present are practical tools to build community.
• Experiencing and facilitating genuine belonging is key—especially in outreach to marginalized groups.

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Conclusion

This heartfelt, unscripted conversation illuminates the essential role of true human connection—rooted in faith, inclusion, and vulnerability—in a world teeming with surface-level digital “relationships.” Both the young volunteers and their host express that real change will start locally and ripple outward, as authentic community offers hope and healing in an isolating age.

Transcript

[Mabry]

Foreign.

[Jeff]

Hey, we want to welcome everybody to another edition of the collage podcast. It's good to have you out there. Let me just kind of explain for all of you out there that are listening. We are coming from a little town called Temple, Texas that's kind of in the. In the heart of central Texas. So we're kind of in the middle of Texas. Right off the i35 corridor is the town that we're at. The physical location that we're recording this at is a place called Feed My Sheep here in Temple. Feed My Sheep. What we are is we kind of provide basic needs for those that are probably marginalized by society. Lack of a better way to say, we do a lot more, I would say. But this, if you're going to try to define what we do, a lot of the people that we work with here, they spent the night outside on the street last night. Not all, but that's kind of who we are. That's kind of where we are. We're a volunteer based organization. Organization and we are excited today. Don't know what order you're listening to. Podcast matters none to me. Ok, so we have two different groups of young people here. Okay. And everybody as compared to me is young. Okay. But these are high school age students and they are from local churches here in our area and they are similar. We did a podcast with a group from New Jersey and a group from Memphis that traveled here to serve.

[Unknown Male Student 1]

Okay.

[Jeff]

They volunteered their time and so what I'm going to see is interesting to me. You all don't know anybody from the New Jersey group, do y'?

[Mabry]

All?

[Jeff]

No, they don't because that's New Jersey. Okay. And so they came here. I know the answers to some of the questions that they gave the Memphis group. Y' all aren't from that group, are you? No, just going to talk about some stuff and we're going to look at some stuff because it's interesting to me and we'll kind of go. So we got quite a few people. So kind of tell one person, tell me what church. We have two different churches. So somebody from one church say, hey, I'm from such and such a church and where you're at. So where's our first church? Wants to go first.

[Elijah]

I'm Elijah. I'm from Miller Heights Baptist Church in Belton. Yeah, I'm excited to be here.

[Jeff]

And we better be nice to Elijah because he's all over the book. Like back in the Old Testament, Elijah is like way in that thing. Okay, so Elijah is from Miller Heights Baptist Church.

[Emily]

I'm Emily. I'm also from Miller Heights Baptist Church.

[Jeff]

Well, very nice to have you, Emily. Elijah. It's good to have you, too. Okay.

[Bella]

My name is Bella and I'm also from Miller Heights.

[Jeff]

Nice. Okay.

[Cole]

My name is Cole. I'm from Vista Community Church here in town as well.

[Jeff]

Whoa, I just said that.

[Cole]

I'm Duncan Moore.

[Unknown Male Student 1]

I'm also from Vista Community Church.

[Jeff]

Very nice.

[Mabry]

I'm Mabry and I'm also from Vista.

[Emmy]

I'm Emmy and I'm also from Vista.

[Jeff]

And Emmy's copping some attitude today, isn't she? Like, see that? I'm just picking on her. Okay, so ready? That kind of is our introduction. You got it out of the way. It's not too painful to speak. And so what we will do is I want to pose questions because y' all are here. Ok? So either A or B is occurring here for old man. Ok? Old man. Either A or B.

[Unknown Male Student 1]

A.

[Jeff]

Our world has hope because y' all are in it. The hope of the world is generally out, though we won't. Scripturally, the hope is that Christ is who Christ said he is. That's. That is our hope. But societally, our hope is that teenagers are going to change the world, that the world is going to be better. Ok, so let me ask you this. Let's just go ahead and start with a hard question right off the bat. Does our world have hope or is it hopeless? Right now,

[Cole]

I'd like to say that

[Unknown Male Student 1]

our world has hope.

[Cole]

Okay.

[Jeff]

Why?

[Unknown Male Student 1]

Because, I mean, we're out here, we're trying to make our community better. We're trying to grow community with these people who are struggling and build community within ourselves as well, to grow our relationship in Christ with each other.

[Jeff]

Okay, you mentioned a word four times in that sentence. You said community. So in order to understand that and. Oh, hold on. Vista Community Church. Okay. It's already in the name. Okay, tell me what community means. Like, you're here. We're trying to develop community with these people. What in the world does community mean? We got to define that because it's. If we're going to go from someplace, we got to start from there.

[Emmy]

I'd say community means for our church, just like a place for anyone to come as they are and just not really worry about what their life situation is like or what they've been through. They can just come and be who they really are.

[Jeff]

Okay, very good. Miller Heights, what do you think? Community and its importance to the world. We're going to come back to Hope, because you were right on that. But community, we needed to find early in this one. Tell me the importance or unimportance of community in the world that we live in.

[Bella]

I'd say community gives a group of people individual hope because they're surrounded by people who have similar experiences and understandings of what they've gone through.

[Jeff]

Okay, agree. Great answer. Okay, important. So we would say community. So we would look at that and you would say hope. Okay, so then we're going to. Already. We're going to head off to left field already on this, okay? So as another old deal, and we're going to come back to the hope because you don't want the weight of the world being upon y' all of y' all are going to be the ones to change the world. That is an unfair. Okay, unfair thing to put on on any generation. Because if I was posing that to y', all, I'd go, hey, dude, why doesn't your generation do something? Y' all the ones who got us into this mess. Fair answer. And I'd go, no, I want to pick on your generation. So we're not going to. We're not going to stereotype that. But we're going to come back to this because y' all both were both groups, okay? And we're not. Okay, there's not one team or another. We're going to intermix from here on. There's not going to be. Hey, this group, okay, answer. According to it, y' all both mentioned community. Both. Both knew it was important. I would be willing to bet you have two employees out there. Chris is one over here, youth pastor who's doing these things. A, to teach you service. You have to learn that. B, to bring y' all together as a group that you're more tightly knit together. Community. Community. Miller Heights. Y' all are over there, same deal. We're here. We want to serve and we need you. But out of that, if you just served and you don't meet anybody and you don't develop community, you're missing the mark. Okay, so I will ask you this question. Sociologists would say, okay, that's like people who study y'.

[Mabry]

All.

[Jeff]

Okay? So they would say. I was like, I hope I said the right word. Could you add that? Look, I'm like, I think that was right. I don't think they study dinosaurs. I think that's another thing. Okay, so sociologists studying Yalls generation. I forgot whether y' all are X or Z. Whichever one y', all, I think y' all are Z. Isn't that right? I think y' all are Z right now, which I don't understand all this stuff, okay? They say, here you go, Community. We're going to come under that vein. There has never been a group that's ever stepped foot on the planet that has as global reach as Yalls generation, okay. Through social media and through such like that. You could sit in this room and I'd say, hey, do you have any friends in Uzbekistan? I picked a country. That's it. That's. I think I didn't make it up. I think that's a legitimate one. Okay? So I know I didn't make it up because they got a certain kind of sheep that I really want the hunt that only lives in that country. So that's a whole other bad reason why I know that place. Okay. But so they would say I could ask you, hey, do you have a friend in Russia, China, Nepal? Well, yeah. Oh, yeah, I've got several friends that are there because you know them on there. You're connected through TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, these platforms that you are connected. So there's interconnection. You would know, maybe quicker than what the world would know what happened in Germany today because your friend is over there and they texted you last night. Oh, my gosh, you're not going to believe what happened today. Okay? Connectedness. Never been an interconnected group like Yalls. But then, ready, here's the kicker. They would also say there has never been a more isolated and lonely generation that has ever walked the face of the planet before Yalls. How can the two coexist? You're interconnected over here. But they would say lonely and isolated. Never been a generation that is more isolated and lonely than Yalls. Fair. And you can disagree. This is just agree or disagree.

[Unknown Male Student 1]

I'd say I agree.

[Jeff]

Tell me why. But is community important?

[Emily]

Yes.

[Jeff]

But then Yalls generation desperately lacks community.

[Mabry]

Well, I think it's because, like, now we're all, like, concerned with communicating over the phone. And so it's like my little brother, for example. He'd rather get on the games and play with his friends than actually go and hang out with them in person. So I think that like, like eliminates, like, personal relationships of, like, community. And so that's why I think, like, we're also. We're interconnected, but we're also very lonely because we just do everything over the screen.

[Jeff]

Golly. Anybody else? This is a. This is brilliant, brilliant discussion.

[Cole]

I'd say, like, wrong going off of Mavery said, like, over the phone. Like, God made us all to have these emotions and these. These connections.

[Jeff]

Whoa.

[Cole]

And it's hard to have these, like, emotional connections with others if we're, like, on a screen. Like, you have to interact with each other, like, together, and that's what community does. And if we only have community over the phone, then it's hard to. Like, we may be talking to each other and it may be quick, but it's not the same. And so that's why we need to be together.

[Jeff]

Interesting. Didn't even think we're going to go this direction. We're going to go way off in the direction. Tell me, what do you think? Community.

[Bella]

I think, like, social media and people talking to each other online and on the phone, it just eliminates the emotional aspect of it. Like, it's harder or it's easier to disassociate with what other people are feeling.

[Jeff]

Fair.

[Elijah]

Like, you're kind of presenting a false image of yourself to those around you. Like, you can. Like, whenever you're texting or even calling, you can present whatever image of you you want others to see, which makes it. Which makes everyone around you seem perfect. And then you're left struggling with your own inadequacy.

[Jeff]

Ah.

[Emily]

I think it's so much easier to hide everything when you're not face to face with. When you're not with somebody, you can't see their body language or their tone, and you can't understand them on that level that you can when you're in person. So, like, texting, you could type any word you want, and you can't. You can't convey that tone. Especially in this culture where, like, it's. It's not cool to text paragraphs, and it's not. It's not cool. It's not like, no, sorry, man.

[Jeff]

Man, doggo. My kids. No wonder they're like, dad, you suck. Three paragraphs later, I'm like, could you please explain and reiterate the fact that, like, oh, that makes sense.

[Emily]

And it's partly because you get bored just reading what someone is saying.

[Unknown Male Student 1]

That goes back to, like, social media is, like, this made our attention span so short that, like, we can't. Like, I feel like a vast majority of our generation can't sit down and have a genuine conversation like this right now. I feel like somebody would get bored. Like, some people in the generation would be like, man, like, I really need to get on TikTok right now.

[Jeff]

Yeah. Hey, ready? If that's you, get off. We don't need you on the podcast. Right now. Could care less. Like, I'm just kidding, so. But I agree. Interesting. So we're going to go around the room. Okay. Not to pick on anybody. Don't say your name. Well, just. And not even pick on you. If you had to describe most of your friends. Okay, so we would say friend. We're going to define it as a tight knit group. Those people that I know pretty well, whatever, however you're defining that. Lonely. Not lonely. Okay. So we just go around one word you got and start lonely or not lonely.

[Elijah]

I would say not lonely.

[Jeff]

Not lonely. Okay.

[Emily]

I would say lonely.

[Jeff]

Okay.

[Bella]

I would say not lonely.

[Jeff]

Not lonely.

[Cole]

Not lonely.

[Jeff]

Not lonely.

[Unknown Male Student 1]

I'd go not lonely.

[Bella]

Okay.

[Mabry]

I would also say not lonely.

[Emmy]

I'd say lonely.

[Jeff]

Fair enough. Okay, interesting. Because y' all are sitting across from each other that way you copied off of her exams. He's like, I'd say, oh, lonely me. I'm just kidding. Okay, interesting. So then we're going to go on both. So we'll start with the lonely side. Why would you say that?

[Emily]

Well, I would say that because there are so many. Like, okay, for example, you look at any given person's screen time. It's sometime in like four hours, for a week, for a day.

[Bella]

What?

[Emily]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

Who does that? Okay, fair enough. Okay, fair enough. Okay, fair enough.

[Emily]

And I think it's because we're just like so consumed with this little thing in our hands. And I think you can have lots of friends or not, maybe you can have close friends and maybe that makes you not lonely. But if you're in public and you can't talk to anyone if you like, because I think anxiety plays a role into this too. If you can't bring yourself to start a conversation with someone. I think a lot of that is to blame on phones. And I think it's horrible because in public we can just like, look at our phones and pretend to be doing something. And it's just like, like no one's gonna approach you when you're on your phone and no one's gonna talk to you or start a conversation with you. And you're not gonna start a conversation with anyone when you're just like enthralled with this tiny rectangle that you took out of your pocket five seconds ago. And I think that really sucks. And I think a lot of my friends and me too, I like, I. I think as people, we can't interact with other people very well in, like, a normal way. And I think that makes us pretty lonely.

[Jeff]

Okay, what do you think? Give Me, a lonely.

[Emmy]

I'd say I'm, I feel not necessarily lonely, but I feel like I'm surrounded by people but I'm not feeling known as my, like as my true self. Like I agree with what you just said. Like everyone's always on their phone and it's constantly like a fast paced world. And I feel like, like I feel like God is a very relational God. So I feel like he, like he desires a relationship with us and we desire that with him and other people. So when that's not met, it's kind of like a downer because it's for example, like I have like some of my friends, they're like, you know, they have social media, they're always like on social media. But, and we're friends. But you don't like, I can't. You don't, you know, like you don't really know them like as a person and they don't really know me as a person because we never like, you don't have those heart to heart conversations. And I feel like that's a firm like base for a friendship. If you really want to get to know someone truly, you have to like ask them questions about themselves and like know each other personally.

[Jeff]

Okay, interesting. If we, before the podcast, I would have bet any amount of money we weren't even going to be talking about any of this. It wasn't the direction we were going to go. This was going to be the standard, hey, how does it feel to be a teenager working with homeless people? It's kind of scary. And I kind of get worried about this and really appreciate the fact that I eat today and they didn't. Okay, no. Ok, so then if I say to you, and we're going to come back to this because that was an. Both of these. Both of these, absolutely profound. And we're going to come back to the I'm not alone, all that stuff, the incorrect answers. Ok, I'm just kidding. There's no incorrect answer. But this, if you listen to the weight of those words, even hearing what you just said, I found myself. I'm 56, I'm old. Okay, you know what? If you want to see Jeff look really, really isolated and really, really uncomfortable, put him in a room with a bunch of people. And guess what? I don't even, didn't even think about that of what I do. Okay? I don't want to look lonely. I don't want to be like the chump who doesn't know anybody. Really don't want to go talk to anybody. Because I'm not too sure they're going to ask me dumb questions. And I really don't want to answer the dumb questions. Okay. Or talk about this. What do I do? I grab my phone and I just scroll through the news stuff and read something so I look like I'm doing something so nobody bothers me. Okay. The loneliest I have felt in my life, just for me, is been at those moments that I am with other people. You put me in a hall. Like I can remember. Like if you said, Jeff, tell me about when you felt the loneliest. Ninth grade, walking into Temple High School the first time, and I didn't know anybody at the moment. And you walk in, we didn't have cell phones back then, and you're like, oh, crud. And then you have to make this mental decision of where am I going to try to fit in? Because you don't want to be that one chump who's standing by himself that nobody's talking to. Don't want to be that lonely. And then this brilliant weight. Brilliant. Wait, okay, can you imagine this? If we're talking community, loneliness, okay? We would say in here we desire interaction with people. Matter of fact, we would even say as people of faith, that's how we were designed. Scripturally says, it is not good for you to be alone. Kind of at the get go of this whole little shenanigan stuff called life in humanity could have stopped. God is all knowing, he knew all. And at creation, if it was good for one to be all he needed and if it was simply that, if it was simply God and the interaction with Adam, then it stops right there. But he said, it is not good for you to be alone. I'm going to give you a companion. Okay? And then we look at that, Then we look biblically. You go way down. You know, one is good, two is even better, and three is even better than two. Cord is stronger interaction. And so we just talked about this. Okay, how lonely is it? You know, you're going, we're all tired of this game. I can't say. It would seem. I'm tired of the game, like, of superficial. Say the same question, answer the same question. Conversations that occur over and over, who wants that? You know, I'm tired of playing the game because like in my world, okay, I'd like to be real, but, oh, that's Jeff. He works with the homeless people. He's a really good person or a really bad person, depending on the person. And so you play the part accordingly. I'd like to be Jeff and what you talked about. Here you go. You know what? It can feel kind of lonely. I can be around all kind of people, but I know they don't know me. I want to have deep interactions. I want to have conversations in a safe space with these people, because that's how we're made to be. God desires that. He desires interaction with. With us, and he also desires us to have interactions with others that have that depth. Okay, so let me ask you. When I say this sentence, I think the number one thing that we are addressing here at Feed My Sheep is lack of community and belonging. And I do not say the sentence. The number one thing we are addressing is people don't have a house to stay in. I think we touched on it right here. We're saying the same stuff. So then I would say to y', all, then, we're going to now make a circle that makes better sense. Okay? I would say our mission here is we feed those that are hungry physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Does a house have anything necessarily to do with that? Be nice. It's nice to have a house. Nobody. So with it, I'm saying nobody should be outside and sleeping on the street. In a modern society that we live in, we have enough resources and we have enough stuff that that should not be how Temple Texas functions. So I am not advocating that it's all right for people to sleep on the sidewalk, okay? Not saying that at all. I'm saying what's even bigger than that? Lack of community and belonging is even bigger and more powerful than that. So let me ask you, how would it feel? You go to school and you have legitimate concerns, and you go to your first friend, and you really hope they want to talk to you or church. That's a safe spot. Okay? Safe spot. And you go to church and you go, man, I really want to talk to some people about some real struggles that I have. And you can't. Nobody talks to you. Nobody does anything. What does it feel like? I don't know anybody. What is it?

[Emmy]

Yeah, I'd say. I'd say it feels pretty lonely, just like we just talked about, because, you know, people desire to be fully known. And when you're not, it's. It does feel lonely sometimes. So I feel like church is not like the building, the actual structure is not a holy place. It's not somewhere where, like, you can come and you'll be saved. But it all happens inside your heart. It all happens with you. It's in between you and God, and it's not something that you can do on your own. Because God's always there for you. And he's not just in the church. He's always. He's everywhere. And you can't just go to church and be like, well, I went to church, but I don't feel any better. So I guess God's just not real, because that's. That's your. You're the one who's not looking for Him. You have to open your eyes and see him all around you, not just in some holy place you think. Think is just going to save you.

[Jeff]

Okay, I'm going to ask you a loaded question on top of that one. I'm not picking on you, am I? Okay. Okay. Got it out of that. So let me ask you, what are you willing to do to stem off the feeling of being lonely? Anybody? What are you willing to do to make sure you're not lonely?

[Emmy]

I mean, I'd say, you know, I rely on God to not. Because I know that he's truly, like, the one who knows me personally. Like, so I feel like when I. When I think about God, when I pray to God, I know that he hears me. I know he knows my thoughts and everything I'm thinking. So to counteract being lonely, I don't have to worry about, like, if other people, like, I don't.

[Mabry]

I don't.

[Emmy]

I feel like I don't really worry about if I'm friends with actual people, because I know that there's one, like, one true God who does care about me, who does know me. And I feel like he can satisfy that greater need of feeling, like, you need to. Need to be known by, like, people on this Earth. Because I feel like God does satisfy that need. But it still is. Like, I still do want to be, like, truly known by friends. And I am. Like, I do have friends that I am truly known with, but it's just. Yeah. Life.

[Jeff]

Okay. And let me ask you, can it be a dangerous slope to be on where you realize I am really, really lonely and I'm tired of being by myself?

[Cole]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

How I feel like.

[Cole]

Okay.

[Unknown Male Student 1]

Yeah. I feel like whenever we've had guys come into. Me and Cole are in the same grades. We have the same small group. And so we'll have guys that come in and they just sit there and they're quiet. Because our group functions differently than our generation. I'd like to say okay, because.

[Jeff]

How's that?

[Unknown Male Student 1]

Because we are able to sit down, put our phones down and have genuine conversations. Once, twice, pretty much. I'd say What? Every time we hang out? Just about. And so I feel like we're definitely different than the core of our generation, the vast majority of them. And so when people. New people come into that group and they'll see that they'll be. I thought, there's a chair.

[Bella]

My bad.

[Unknown Male Student 1]

I thought people were. People were, like, weirded out by it because it was almost so unnatural to them that people were actually having genuine conversations and that we could actually get something out of it. It was somewhere that could really be a safe space that could, like, you could truly trust in. And I feel like that comes into play with our leaders on Wednesday night. Our leaders there. I feel like you can always confide in them. Chris, as well, Gracie. Like, they're just great people who you can always go to, and they're always. They're not going to be people that are sitting on their phones and not really listening to you. They're going to truly listen to you and be there for you whenever you need them.

[Jeff]

Okay, what do you think? What are you willing to do? What is it? Maybe not positively to make sure I'm not alone.

[Emily]

I think sometimes, like, I know I should go to God when I'm lonely, but I think a lot of times it just feels like, oh, I can. I can fix it with other things. I can, you know, if I just, like. I don't know, if I just talked to people more, it'll be better. And then you feel like you've overshared and, oh, if I just. If I just, I don't know, read books because the characters make me feel like I. Like, they remind me of me, and I see myself in them, and it makes me feel less lonely. It makes me feel like I'm understood. Then you're not really fixing the problem. You're just delaying the effect of it. It's like this fake solution that feels fine, but it will never really satisfy that, like, ache for being known and being understood.

[Jeff]

Okay, good. Not good. That is not good. But ready? Interesting. Interesting. I will tell you as an old man, okay, you can find relationships that are not positive, but they make you feel not lonely.

[Elijah]

And I feel like a big part of this issue is on all of us, really. Like, I remember I was the new kid in a new space, and, like, right off the bat, these two guys came up to me, and I was immediately one of them. There weren't any questions. They just welcomed me in, and I felt immediately at home with them. That, like, that was so surprising at the time, but that, like, why isn't that the norm? Like, why can't we just. Whenever we see a new person, person you never even seen before, haven't met, why can't you accept them just as you accept other people? Like, yeah, and this is something we all should probably step up on.

[Jeff]

Yeah. And I'm not picking on anybody here because this is just intriguing to me. We're talking as adults, okay? So we have now left generation. Okay. So now nobody's watching this, knows. Am I talking to young people? We're talking to adults that are trying to navigate life. So now we've transcended. We don't really care about youth group anymore. Now we're trying to figure out this isolating, sad, sad, difficult world that has mechanisms in it that feel like they are facilitating belonging but are actually trapping us more and more in isolation. And we acknowledge at the start it's not how we're made to be, and we don't feel good in it, but yet it gets more and more and more in that direction. And then I get it. So at the end of the day, the answer for me is like, is that God loves me more than I can understand. I rest in that truth. But even in the midst of that can be extremely lonely. And I start trying to figure out community. And I insert this word over and over and over in my explanation.

[Bella]

It's.

[Jeff]

Something must be wrong with me. If I was just this. If I was faster, I could start, and then people would like me on the football team. If I was smarter, if I was this, if I was this, if I was nicer, if I. Oh. Oh, crud. I opened up too much. I told them too much. I went this direction. I showed him my real self. Oh, my gosh. And then, Lord forbid. Ready? Here's what's really scary. You get down to it. Like, let's pretend we don't really know each other. I'm picking on you again. We don't know each other. And I put this little fake me version out there. You don't like it? Oh, well, it doesn't matter. That really wasn't me. I put the real me out there, and I open up and I show you what's going on in my heart, and I get hurt that way. I got hurt. That stings bad. I do that once. I'm like, eh, forget that. I'm gonna put on I'm super cool. Joke around. Act like a fool, Jeff. That's what everybody will like. Okay, Community. Can you imagine for y'? All? Just try to picture this. You are. You're y' all okay? Grown adults, community matters. Maybe you haven't made the best decisions in your life. You have made decisions that have had some ramifications that are not the best. Your family said, hey, see you. You do that, you ain't coming back here anymore. So your family is right or wrong. Okay? I'm not going down that path. Okay? Right or wrong. They said, you do that, you. You're not welcome here anymore. Family gone, that part of it cut off. Okay? You're in a town you don't even know Temple Texas. You don't even know where it is. We can go downstairs. There's a lot of people who don't even know where Temple Texas is on a map. So you didn't end up in this town because you know what? I've got these. No, I end up here because I don't even know why Bell County Jail released me in Temple Texas. And I'm here, okay? Don't have friend support, don't have family support, okay? Imagine how lonely that would be for the people that are here that we are serving. And then. Ready? This is kind of cool. Okay? Not cool. That's sarcasm. Okay, If y'.

[Cole]

All.

[Jeff]

Because I'm looking. So everybody out there, no offense to anybody sitting at the table, they are dressed like. You saw everybody here, they are dressed like. I'm middle class America, which you have every right to be. Like, you didn't dress up that way and go, hey, I'm going to. No, this is. That is 100% fine. Okay? I am too. Okay, here it is. I go to the gas station that's one block from here, and I walk in and I say, hey, I'd like to use the restroom. And they go, yeah, it's back here to the right. Here's the key. Okay? Anybody here in the line that is homeless, that doesn't look like us, they walk in there and they say, hey, I'd like to use a restroom. We don't have a restroom. They will not serve them. You walk to any place, any of the restaurants are, and I. I get it. Somebody would go, ah, whatever. Okay? We walk in, you get treated this way. They walk into a restaurant, the people that we serve here, they're going to be watching them like a hawk and go, what do you need here? I'm just sitting down because I need some air conditioning. I'd like. I'm going to order something now. We're full right now. Okay. And you have nobody, you know, no family connection, you don't have a cell phone because you've already lost that. Can you imagine how lonely that might feel? Unbelievably lonely. And do you think might possibly you would go, man, you know what? It'd be really nice if I could have a couple hours where I just felt nothing. Terrible response. Or you know what? I'm going to get in this horrible relationship where terrible things are going to happen to me. At least somebody's nice to me and I sort of belong as long as I play the rules over here, which I don't really like the rules. But I'm not lonely. Okay, you can see why am I saying community is the thing that we are providing and it is the thing that what's interesting on the reason we're staying on this, because this matters, okay? It matters. We would say here the topic of homelessness is not as important as the individual person who is homeless, okay? The person matters over the topic. We would say individual people that need community and worth and dignity. It matters. And so what we interesting on this because if you. Anybody. So if anybody's listening to this, that's going, there's no such thing as God, then how in the world can we all be so similar in our needs of what we have in this world if we were not all created by the same creator? We all share this need for community, this need for belonging, this need for care, true interaction. I'll tell you a weird little tidbit about me. I don't listen to words. I look at nonverbal communication. I look nine times out of 10 and watch people's eyes and the words. Everybody's got words. Eyes don't lie. They show the sadness. They show the hope. They show interaction. We said this. Real community and belonging is understanding, nonverbal communication and what's going on. Anybody wants to deny that, then why in the world do you have to put eight jillion disclaimers on every text to make sure somebody is not mad at you? You do the same words. I could sit here and I could go, hey, hey, man, sorry to be picking on you. Okay? You know I'm joking. We're getting along. And you could see. Oh, man, he was just laughing. We were just messing around. You can read what's going on. The visual cues of interaction. That's how we are made. But yet we let that go by the wayside. And even not picking on church drives me crazy, okay? I'm old. Not sure that. Okay, I'm not sure interaction alone, solely on a computer watching a worship service is truly community. You can hear the Word of God. I think God can speak and can be used through that. But that in of itself is not solely the complete answer to community. It is a necessary tool. Okay? Not denying that, not saying it's not a good thing, but if you confuse yourself and to think this is. I'm man, it's like in it, if somebody going to Miller Heights, going to Vista, and they never stepped foot and never truly interacted with the people and never saw what is going on, I'm not sure you could go. You really understand what it means to be in community with us. Not unfair for them to do that. And I would not deny the fact that God can feed them that way, but to truly understand community. Okay, so I would say with y', all, it is interesting to me, interesting to me that yalls understanding at yalls age, even of how important it is to have interaction with other human beings, it matters. And it's not always easy. And it's messy and it's nasty and it's ugly. This interaction with people, last time I checked, Jesus was like, I don't know, the best communicator that's ever walked the face of the Earth. And he had a group that he would have called his friends, the disciples and such. They walked together. I mean, they were tight. They didn't get it at all while he was there. And even at the end, Jesus himself, he knew what was going on. And so we look at this interaction. He was human. He was God made flesh. He was human. Okay, at the Garden of Gethsemane, what does he do? He's there. He understands what's coming. He tells his friends, hey, just stay up with me tonight. Not asking too much. Just stay up with me tonight and let's do this and come on. And he goes, and they can't even do that. Lonely. And then he comes to the places now, okay, I don't want this. Take this cup of suffering from me. But now ultimately, I want your will to be done. Sadness, loneliness. But he truly succumbed to God's will. We're made for that. Okay, so hopefully we'll go down there and we'll. We'll see and we'll work with the people and. And what's interesting to me, okay, this is what's intriguing to me. You go listen to the older podcasts we have, any of our people that we have down there, almost the details of the story are going to look very different, hopefully. I'm hopeful that y' all don't have some of the same stories that I've Sat in here and heard from our people. But hurt is hurt, okay? So hurt is hurt. What's interesting is Yalls story and the story of you name the person down there and what they're saying about how lonely it can be in this world. Same sentence. You want to think that there's a whole lot of difference between people that have houses and people that don't. You're sadly mistaken. At the core level, if we say the core level is community and belonging to that's a map. That's the one we're going to die on that hill. Community and belonging is that. Then we'd go, man, we're not very different. Our economics may be different. Okay? So we'd look at that and we would look. So then all of that there must be. You can't leave this big giant question out there and this one is one of those questions. You put it out there. If you can answer this, then you better write a book and make it a self help book and you're going to be a gojillionaire, ok? Because if you can answer this correctly, this simplistically, ok, then you are rich and there's a lot of people that are making a lot of money answering the same question. What do we do about this? What do we do about a world that we now have determined it can be lonely? Not everybody has to be alone. We've seen some positive models of man. We got a small group and man, it's healthy and we come together and we do this stuff. Good. We got a youth group. We come together and we're truly there for each other. Good. What do we do about this world that we're in that is heading more and more lonely? Okay. Not that y' all are going to have kids like tomorrow, like when you get married, when down the road down that when life is right for you and if that is God's will in your life, all of that stuff. Okay? Unless something changes, your kids are going to be even more lonely and isolated than y'.

[Mabry]

All.

[Jeff]

Unless something changes. So what do we do?

[Unknown Male Student 1]

I feel like for us that's said because we had Emily and Emmy say lonely and the rest of us said not lonely.

[Jeff]

Right. And I went with her answer.

[Unknown Male Student 1]

So I feel like what we can do is we can. Inclusion is a big part of it and that if y' all are included in groups where like me and Colts group inclusion, just having y' all hang out with us and then you can have those conversations or kind of how you were saying you're seeking out the Lord. You can be seeking out those type of relationships where it's not based around social media or screens, and you're based them around real conversations or around Christ.

[Jeff]

Go ahead.

[Cole]

I think there's two things. These two things, like, I really try to focus on on in my life and like my everyday life. First one is consistency. I try and be super consistent in anything I do. Like, consistent in your faith consistent, even if it's just simple as praying every night. Try and be consistent that and consistent in your community and just building good habits, inviting others in. I think the other one is just being grateful because that can go a long way. Like, I try and take time out of my day to just think of one thing I'm grateful for that day because one that can just like, bring a lot of positive energy and like happiness to your life. And if you're positive when you're out with in your community, then it could be very contagious. And I think it's a great way to bring others together.

[Jeff]

Agreed.

[Mabry]

I think that we need to go back to the basics because in the Bible it talks about having a childlike faith. And it's like if you go to a children's park, like, I can, like a child, a true can walk in and make a friend immediately just because they're willing to play together. And so I think we just need to go, like, go back to like, just keep it simple. And it's like, I think that's really cool how you can like, go like just show up and like, oh, hey, you have a truck. I want to play with the truck. Let's play. So I think just like kind of find like a common ground and like just keeping it simple and just saying hi.

[Jeff]

Yeah, agreed.

[Emily]

And I think we're going to need a lot of help, like, not just from God, because, like, we can't do anything without him, but. But also it shouldn't just be on this generation fair who just. Because we're technically like the future of

[Jeff]

society, whatever that means. Yes, agree.

[Cole]

Yes.

[Emily]

Like older people. We need that interaction. We need that advice. Not just from people our age, but people who have experienced, people who've lived life a long time or just like people from different phases of life. We just, we need more people. And not just people our age people, all sorts of people, people younger and older.

[Jeff]

It's almost like a biblical model was laid out for us back in the day of that. You need the older ones teaching the younger ones and the younger ones, like this mentorship type deal that we Work together and we navigate life together.

[Elijah]

And kind of like it was said before, like we need to find common ground with each other. I feel like Christ and the church is a very strong common ground. So that's why I guess like in the secular world there really can't be a whole lot of common ground between people. There's no, there's no similarities that would incite you to want to actually be with this person and interact with them like you said earlier. But then as Christians we know that we have very strong common ground. We should, we should use that for everyone around us who shares it.

[Jeff]

Yeah. So what it like to like in the interest that's a whole. We could have three other topics that could come out of this. Like that one, Moral relativism. That there is only a right. According to me there is not a universal truth. So then there's really not a common ground in that theory. So we have nothing really to come together on. Because if it's right for you, it's right ain't right for me. So then okay, interesting. Whole other deal. But you're right. We come together. I like this. Come on. Why does it stop waiting for us? Everybody make it a priority for all. Okay, what are you going to say?

[Bella]

Yeah, I was gonna say yeah. You have to have that Christ centered relationship to not feel lonely. It is so important to have those hard conversations, those deep conversations to build that like bond, that like brother, like love that you have for one another. And you're not going to feel lonely if your relationships are centered in your faith.

[Jeff]

Okay, fair, interesting.

[Bella]

If you have those friends that are constantly there for you in Christ, you're not going to feel distant, they're going to be close to you. They're going to love you.

[Jeff]

Isn't it interesting? Like I like this. Even so geographically, we didn't rehearse it, what you said about consistency. So then like this we just said consistency again. You're there constantly for the person. It is this and you're there for them over and over. So like I do the chaplain stuff for the men's soccer team, not for United States. Thank goodness. God, that was horrible. That's a whole other discussion. But for umhb, so I do that. And last year we were on a journey to understand what excellence is. Excellence is not a place. It is doing the little details correctly over and over and over and over and over and over and over. Excellence. That's excellent. Consistency is the road that leads to excellence. So we look at that and so we have this discussion really interesting. And I hope, I hope, okay, that your parents or me, like, it's intriguing. I like decent depth of conversation. Like we've had it here. Like, we're going, man, this is kind of interesting. We're all kind of alone, you know, but we're also connected, which is good. And the thing that connects us is we have this faith in that, you know, at the end of the day, God has to be who he says he is. It must be. It has to be. That's our only hope, okay? In that I don't have to be something. I don't have to create myself to be something that I'm not. I just have to be how God created me to be and to be comfortable within that and the differences. That is because the world wants us all to be the same and to look the same and be the same and act same, all this whatever. I have to be comfortable in the differences. I am in the giftedness. That is very different. But we come together and we go down and we serve. And we realize the thing that draws us together is not that y' all are the haves and you're going to go serve the have nots, but we are all in the same boat. We desire this interaction, we desire this relationship. And we're tired. What I like your answers are always solid in that we say, I can't do this. I cannot be a good enough Jeff to make myself happy. Because at the end of the day, everything that always occurs, I know Jeff. And at the end of the day, when I'm closing my eyes, I'm really disappointed because Jeff was not the perfect Jeff he wanted to be. Hadn't hit that day yet. Hadn't even hit the hour. That, man, doggone Jeff, you knocked it out of the park. That was one solid perfect hour. Not going to happen. But I live in this truth that God still loves me, even though I don't understand it. And even on those days, even more importantly, that I know it's the truth. It is the cornerstone of everything that I am. About that God still loves me. Because many days when I'm closing my eyes, Jeff does not love Jeff. And you go, man, doggone it, nobody could possibly love me. Look at my day. But yet I have to come back to this truth. God does and he knows all community. And then out of that, I want to respond out of that love to others and to share that love. It's an overflow of my heart. I don't try to go and get everybody into my community. I just want the love that is God, that is inside of me, to flow out and to pour onto other people that I happen to come in contact with with. And they are, at the end of the day, the community that we're talking about. I don't really care if everybody thinks that I am their best buddy. I'd like to believe that they all knew that I love them in the appropriate way, but hopefully that somehow they got a reflection that there's a God that loves them even more. Community. So interesting conversation. That wasn't even anywhere where we were going to go. Okay. Anywhere. Okay. And so interesting topic. I'd love to take it up again because we had we about four more in it that were topics in it, and to look at that and maybe you'd listen to it and you go, man, I'd like to do that again. And you bring up the topic. Here's what we're going to talk about. But I know y' all got to get. We're going to get on to the next little chapter here. It is good to have y' all in this. It is good that you all understand at your age, the cornerstone and the bedrock of everything must be this relationship with God. Because without that, everything falls apart. Okay? And then that. Then we have to also understand that solely in of itself is not. Is not everything that we're about. We have this interaction with human beings that also plays part in this relationship. Gets complicated when you start adding that component into it. And I'm with you. Like every day I do this discipline. I'm one like, to the nth most. It drives me. I do. I'm a repetitive type person. So, like, at the end of each day, okay, at the end of each day, just try to reconcile on it. I will text. I have an activity. I will text somebody my highlights from the day. So I'm always looking for moments during the day that were good. It's a discipline because you don't really look into do that. So every day I text it and then every mor. So at the end of the day, I'm proud of the day. And you go, man, I did this. That was kind of fun. Podcast here will be one.

[Elijah]

Man.

[Jeff]

It was kind of fun. We talked about this. That was a highlight. Okay. And this was a highlight. And this was a highlight. And you start looking. When you're looking back at the day, you're like, doggone, that was a pretty good day. And you do that every day. And then every day when the alarm goes off, I got the same song. I listen to Every morning, okay, I listen to that song, I wake up, and I always say, man, I've waited my whole entire life for today. I'll only have one shot at this day. I'm so glad that God did not take me last night. I get one more shot at this thing. I'm excited about that. And so we start each day and we look at that and define who God is going to put me in contact with that I somehow can possibly reflect his love. Don't know. It's an interesting adventure. And some days I do it good, some days we do it bad. But in that, God's love for us does not waver. And some days I feel connected, and some days I feel really lonely. God's love for us does not waver. What you all just described and what we serve here, the world desperately needs community. And you mark this, okay, this is coming from an old guy. I believe this, and I'm going to die on this hill. How homeless people and communities interact and work together within this in the whole United States will change diametrically and quickly by what's going on here at Temple Texas, period. And it's not going to come from the strong to the weak. It's going to be coming from the weak out. And people are going to look and go, what is going on different in Temple on Avenue G? How does this happen? And you're going to see how people get treated with community. And then we're going to go, we're going to change Bell county, and then out of Bell county, we're going to change this, and then we're going to change Texas. It's going to start here because we realize the importance of community, and we're tired of living in an isolated, lonely world. We don't think anybody should have to do that anymore. Going to change right here, and you're going to be proud. And we're going to look back because we're going to do nothing. God is going to do it because he always, always uses the weak. Always uses the weak. And so they're going, man, there's no way that should have happened. That's the God that we worship. So great conversation. Y' all got to get on to lunch. Appreciate it. And we still got more work to do out of there. Seeing a lot of stuff. We're going to go serve food for a little bit, and then y' all are going to go get food. But when you go down there, when we leave this, and for all of you, even in this room, wouldn't it be Sad to have left this room and feel lonely when there's a whole bunch of people that are crying out saying, I'm tired of being alone. Kind of sad. Okay. Doesn't have to happen. Change is a interesting thing of discipline and consistency. Okay. So appreciate everybody. Yeah.

[Mabry]

Thanks for having us.

[Jeff]

Oh, thank you. It was fun. Yeah, it was.

[Emily]

It was a lot.

[Jeff]

It was decently fun. And your answers. Okay. Keep this in mind. I'm not picking on your generation. We talked. We started as, hey, got some high school kids we're going to talk to. And we quickly transition to highly intelligent adults.

[Elijah]

Okay.

[Jeff]

Interesting stuff and depth to the conversation. I'll pick on adults real quick. I can bring a whole pile up. Ready? We ought to do it. I'm going to pick on them real quick. I'll bring a bunch of adults from all of Yalls Church. I guarantee it's way more superficial and way more surface level discussion than what we just had right there. Okay, I'll pick on them. There you go. There's a challenge. And so out of that, because everybody's, oh, that's just how it is. That's just how things are. I'm not lonely. I make $250,000 a year. How could I possibly be lonely? Shut up. I didn't say that out loud. Okay? But I appreciate y' all being here. And I will say to everybody out there listening, okay, I agree with you. This is not the generation that's going to carry everything to the gates. It's not their responsibility. It's a group of people, you included. If you're hearing this, you are part of the solution with God as the cornerstone to answer what is going on here in Temple Texas to provide community for everybody. I cannot make sure everybody has a house and takes advantage of that. I can make sure everybody should have the ability to be reached and have community and have somebody that cares for them that is doable. That's how we're going to change the world through this God, who is going to do it through us and for us. So amen to that. Done with that. Okay. Apologize to the adults that are listening to it. You're not stupid. Congratulations on the job and glad you got a promotion and all that stuff. Okay, so that's it. We're going to go down and we are going to serve. So I appreciate you all being here. Yep.

[Mabry]

Thanks for having us.

[Jeff]

There you go.