People Who Need People

<p>In his hall-of-fame career as a sportswriter Dave Kindred covered hundreds of major sporting events and championships and wrote a biography of Muhammad Ali. Growing bored in retirement, he started attending girls&rsquo; basketball games at a local school. Soon he began writing stories about each game and posting them online. And when Dave&rsquo;s mother and grandson died and his wife suffered a debilitating stroke, he realized the team he&rsquo;d been covering provided him with a sense of community and purpose. He needed them as much as they needed him. Kindred said, &ldquo;This team saved me. My life had turned dark . . . [and] they were light.&rdquo;</p> <p>How does a legendary journalist come to depend on a community of teenagers? The same way a legendary apostle leaned on the fellowship of those he met on his missionary journeys. Did you notice all the people Paul greeted as he closed his letter? (Romans 16:7&ndash;11). &ldquo;Greet Andronicus and Junia,&rdquo; he wrote, &ldquo;my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me&rdquo; (v. 7). &ldquo;Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord&rdquo; (v. 8). More than twenty-five people in all, most of whom are not mentioned in Scripture again. But Paul needed them.</p> <p>Who&rsquo;s in your community? The best place to begin is with your local church. Anyone there whose life has turned dark? As God leads, you can be a light that points them to Jesus. Someday they may return the favor.</p>