Brian Knack

The Healing is in the Living

Healing through faith

Disconnected from Others – The Breakdown of Relationships and Community

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In a world more connected than ever before, we find ourselves alarmingly alone. We can FaceTime someone on the other side of the planet in seconds, scroll through thousands of “friends” and followers, and share carefully curated glimpses of our lives online. But beneath the surface of likes, comments, and emojis, something’s missing. True relationships and real community. 

There’s a deep ache in our hearts—a longing to be seen, known, and loved not just on a screen, but in real life. A longing for real connection, for genuine community.

We are in the middle of a loneliness epidemic. Across the globe, people report feeling more isolated than ever before. Fractured families, superficial friendships, and a culture of individualism have left us relationally impoverished. Studies show that loneliness is as harmful to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. And it’s not just affecting the elderly or introverted. Teenagers, young adults, married couples, parents—no one is immune.

We weren’t meant to live this way.

Not Good to Be Alone

From the very beginning, God made it clear:

“It is not good for man to be alone.”
(Genesis 2:18)

This statement came before sin entered the world. Even in paradise, with God Himself walking in the garden, Adam lacked something—someone to share life with. Relationship isn’t a human invention; it’s a divine design.

God exists in relationship—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And because we’re made in His image, we were created for community too. We were made to give and receive love, to live in connection, to carry each other’s burdens and share in each other’s joys.

But somewhere along the way, we’ve lost that. Our culture promotes self-sufficiency, busyness, and comparison. We glorify independence and downplay interdependence. We know how to network, but we’ve forgotten how to truly connect.

Fractured Families and Social Media Facades

One of the clearest signs of our relational crisis is the state of the family. Divorce rates remain high. Generational gaps have widened. Many children grow up in broken homes or emotionally absent environments. Meanwhile, parents are overwhelmed, stretched thin, and trying to hold it all together.

In addition, while social media has promised us connection, it often delivers the opposite. We scroll endlessly, comparing our behind-the-scenes to someone else’s highlight reel. Settle for digital likes instead of deep love. We “follow” people we barely know and neglect the ones under our own roof.

We have a connection online, but are lonely in real life. We’ve mistaken exposure for intimacy. And the result is a generation that’s more anxious, more divided, and more relationally malnourished than ever before.

So, what’s the answer? Is deep community even possible anymore?

Absolutely. But it will require us to go back—not to the past, but to the early church.

A Better Way – The Acts 2 Community

After Jesus ascended into heaven, something radical happened in Jerusalem. The followers of Jesus didn’t just form a religion—they became a family. They built a community unlike anything the world had ever seen.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer… All the believers were together and had everything in common… They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”
(Acts 2:42–47)

This is a powerful picture of what real community looks like:

  • Devotion – They weren’t casually connected. They were committed.

  • Fellowship – More than small talk. They shared life.

  • Generosity – They met each other’s needs. No one was left out.

  • Hospitality – Homes were open, and tables were shared.

  • Joy and sincerity – Their relationships were marked by authenticity, not performance.

This wasn’t a utopia. These were real people with flaws and failures. But their love for Jesus overflowed into love for one another. And the world took notice.

In an age of isolation, this kind of community is revolutionary. It’s also something we desperately need.

Rebuilding What’s Broken

So, how do we get there? How do we rebuild relationships in a world of division and distraction?

It starts not with strategy but with character. Before we can restore community around us, we need to let God restore something within us.

1. Love Above All

Real community begins with real love. Not the shallow, conditional love we see in the world, but the kind described in 1 Corinthians 13:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast… It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
(1 Corinthians 13:4–7)

This kind of love isn’t based on feelings—it’s a choice. It’s a commitment to the good of another, even when it’s hard. Love makes space. It sees the best. It stays when others walk away.

If we want to rebuild the community, we have to lead with love.

2. Walk in Humility

Pride destroys relationships and community. It demands to be right, to be first, to be noticed. But humility opens the door to true connection. It says, “I don’t have it all together, and I need you.”

“Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
(Colossians 3:12)

Humility allows us to listen more than we speak. It gives us the courage to apologize. It helps us honor others above ourselves. And it creates the safety where the real relationship can grow.

3. Practice Forgiveness

No relationship can survive without forgiveness. People will hurt us. We will hurt them. The only way forward is through grace.

“Bear with each other and forgive one another… Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
(Colossians 3:13)

Forgiveness doesn’t mean pretending nothing happened. It means refusing to let bitterness poison the bond. It means choosing mercy over resentment.

When we forgive, we don’t just set others free—we set ourselves free too.

4. Put on Love Like Clothing

Paul finishes the Colossians 3 passage with this:

“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
(Colossians 3:14)

Love isn’t just a feeling—it’s something we wear, something we choose every day. Like putting on clothes, we choose to put on love when it’s cold, when it’s inconvenient, when it’s undeserved.

Love is what binds broken relationships back together. Love is what knits the community into unity.

Practical Ways to Reconnect

Here are some real steps we can take to rebuild relationships and community in our lives:

  • Be intentional – Don’t wait for connection to happen by accident. Pursue people. Send the text. Make the call. Invite someone over.

  • Be present – Put the phone down. Look people in the eye. Listen with your full attention.

  • Be vulnerable – Share your story. Let people in. Authenticity breeds intimacy.

  • Be consistent – Relationships grow over time. Keep showing up.

  • Be part of a local church – The Church isn’t perfect, but it’s God’s design for community. Find a group where you can grow, serve, and belong.

We Were Made for Each Other

God never meant for us to walk alone. From the Garden of Eden to the early church to today, His design has always been the same: family.

Not just the family we’re born into, but the spiritual family we’re born again into through Christ. A family where love is the rule, not the exception. A family where grace abounds, truth is spoken in love, and everyone has a place at the table.

In a world of fractured relationships, Jesus is still in the business of healing, restoring, and reconnecting.

So maybe it’s time to stop scrolling and start sitting with someone.
>To stop isolating and start inviting.
>To stop hiding and start healing.
>To stop living on the surface and start going deep.

Because the truth is, we’re better together.

Key Scriptures to Reflect On:

  • Genesis 2:18 – “It is not good for man to be alone.”

  • Acts 2:42–47 – A picture of radical, Christ-centered community.

  • 1 Corinthians 13 – The love that sustains relationships.

  • Colossians 3:12–14 – Clothing ourselves with humility, forgiveness, and love.

Next Up: Disconnected from Truth – A Culture Adrift
Rise of anxiety, depression, addiction, and suicide—symptoms of a lost self

Want to stay connected?
Join my email list to get fresh updates on new blog posts, upcoming book releases, and encouraging insights to help you reconnect with God, truth, and purpose. If you do this, you will receive a gift! The First Chapter of God’s Broken Vessels. I promise no spam—just real hope for real life.

👉 Subscribe now and be part of the journey back to wholeness.

Disconnected from Ourselves—The Crisis of Identity and Meaning

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We are living in a time of unprecedented access, opportunity, and technological advancement. And yet, beneath the surface of our curated lives and glowing screens, there’s a quiet desperation. Mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and addiction are at all-time highs. Suicide has become a leading cause of death in many countries, especially among young people. These aren’t just isolated symptoms—they’re signs of a deeper crisis. A crisis of identity. A crisis of meaning. A disconnection from who we really are.

We’re a generation that has everything except the answer to the most basic question: Who am I?

Lost in the Noise

In an age of noise and distraction, silence has become a rare commodity. And with the noise comes confusion. We’re told that we can “be whoever we want to be,” that “truth is relative,” and that “identity is fluid.” While those messages may sound empowering on the surface, many are discovering that they leave us more anxious, more fragmented, and more exhausted than ever before.

We swipe, scroll, compare, and perform—hoping someone will affirm us, validate us, see us. But the more we chase approval and identity through the lens of the culture, the more distant we become from our true selves. There is not just a disconnect from each other—there is a disconnect from ourselves.

That disconnection comes with a high cost. It shows up in skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression. Manifests in addictive behaviors that promise escape but never deliver peace. It reveals itself in the painful decision some make to end their own lives, because they’ve come to believe that their life has no meaning.

But what if the real problem isn’t mental illness, addiction, or even despair?

What if those are just symptoms of something deeper?

What if we’ve forgotten who we are?

Known and Loved

Amid all the cultural noise and confusion, there is an ancient truth that cuts through the chaos like light through fog.

Psalm 139 offers a stunning declaration of our true identity:

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me… For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb… I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
(Psalm 139:1, 13-14)

Let that sink in: You are known. You are seen. You are handcrafted by God Himself.

Before a single person affirmed you, before you could produce or perform or impress, you were already deeply loved.

This truth isn’t a sentimental bumper sticker—it’s the foundation of who we are. God didn’t make us by accident or assign us value based on performance. He formed us with purpose, on purpose.

When we forget this, we begin to define ourselves by what we do, how we look, who we’re with, or what others think of us. And when those things fall apart—as they inevitably do—we fall apart too.

But the God who formed us in the womb hasn’t changed. And He hasn’t forgotten who we are.

The Culture Can’t Define You

One of the most dangerous lies in today’s world is this: “You are whoever you say you are.”

It sounds empowering. But it places the crushing weight of identity formation on your shoulders. You’re left to manufacture your worth and your identity from scratch, every day. That’s not freedom. That’s a heavy, exhausting burden.

Culture tells us to define ourselves by our achievements, our sexuality, our trauma, our political views, or our social media persona. But none of those things have the authority to tell you who you are. They’re unstable. They shift with trends, opinions, and emotions. And when we tether our identity to them, we end up constantly trying to earn or maintain a sense of self.

The result? Anxiety. Depression. Burnout. Addiction. Even suicide.

We are not to be the architects of our own identity. That role belongs to our Creator.

Identity in Christ

So, how do we recover what we’ve lost? How do we reconnect with who we truly are?

The answer isn’t in more self-help books, personality tests, or online brands. The answer is in Jesus.

When we come to Christ, something radical happens: we are new. The old self—the one we define by fear, performance, and the world—is put to death. And we have a new identity that’s unshakable, eternal, that has its roots in love.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
(Galatians 2:20)

Your identity isn’t something you have to manufacture. It’s something you receive. In Christ, you are:

  • Forgiven – Your past doesn’t define you anymore.

  • Adopted – You are a child of God, not an orphan trying to earn love.

  • Free – You are not bound to the opinions of others or the mistakes of your past.

  • Empowered – You are filled with the Spirit of God to live with purpose.

This isn’t a surface-level makeover. It’s a complete transformation—from the inside out.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
(Ephesians 2:10)

You are not an accident. You are not a mistake. You are God’s masterpiece.

And when you know who you are in Him, everything changes.

From Fragmented to Whole

Rediscovering your identity in Christ doesn’t mean you’ll never struggle again. But it does mean that your struggles no longer define you.

You are not your anxiety. You are not your trauma. You are not your addiction. You are not your worst day.

You are who God says you are.

When you start to live from that place—from the secure foundation of knowing God loves you and chose you—things begin to shift. You stop chasing worth in places that can’t give it. Stop needing the world to validate you. Start walking in freedom.

You become whole again.

Not because your circumstances change, but because your identity is something deeper than your circumstances.

Coming Home to Yourself

Perhaps the greatest journey we can take is the journey back to ourselves—the person God created us to be before the world told us who we should be.

That journey starts by quieting the noise of the culture and tuning in to the voice of our Creator.

It begins when we stop asking, “Who do I want to be?” and start asking, “Who does God say I am?”

It deepens as we open Scripture, spend time in God’s presence, and let His truth wash over us again and again.

And it continues every day as we choose to live from our identity in Christ, not for it.

Final Thoughts

The crisis of identity in our world today is real—and it’s deadly. But there is hope.

You don’t have to lose yourself in numbness, addiction, or anxiety forever. Don’t chase meaning in places that leave you empty. Don’t wear a mask, perform, or hustle for your worth.

You can come home.

Home to the One who made you, knows you, loves you, and calls you His own.

And in Him, you’ll find what your soul has been searching for all along: meaning, purpose, belonging—and your true self.

Key Scriptures to Reflect On:

  • Psalm 139:1-18 – You are known and wonderfully made.

  • Galatians 2:20 – Your old self is gone; you are alive in Christ.

  • Ephesians 2:10 – You are God’s masterpiece, created for good works.

Next Up: Disconnected from Others – The Breakdown of Relationships and Community
Rise of anxiety, depression, addiction, and suicide—symptoms of a lost self

Want to stay connected?
Join my email list to get fresh updates on new blog posts, upcoming book releases, and encouraging insights to help you reconnect with God, truth, and purpose. If you do this, you will receive a gift! The First Chapter of God’s Broken Vessels. I promise no spam—just real hope for real life.

👉 Subscribe now and be part of the journey back to wholeness.

A Fractured Nation

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A Fractured Nation

America is a fractured nation. We are fractured, disconnected, and broken people. This is the introduction to a series I’m calling Reconnected: Rediscovering Spiritual Restoration and God’s Purpose for America

Something is deeply wrong.

We feel it in our hearts, we see it in our streets, and we scroll past it every day on our phones. America is fractured and disconnected. We are more divided, anxious, and isolated than ever before. From political polarization to mental health crises, broken families to fading faith, our society seems to be unraveling thread by thread.

Despite unprecedented technological advancement, endless entertainment, and constant connectivity, we are lonelier and more overwhelmed than generations before us. Our wealth has increased, but so has our sense of emptiness. Our voices are louder, but we speak less often in love. Community has given way to consumerism. Faith has been replaced by feeling. Conviction has collapsed under the weight of convenience.

We’re drifting.

The statistics confirm what our hearts already know:

  • Depression and anxiety rates have skyrocketed, especially among young people.
  • Suicide is now one of the leading causes of death in America.
  • Marriage rates have plummeted, families are fractured, and church attendance is at an all-time low.
  • Our politics are toxic, our friendships are shallow, and our collective hope seems to be fading.

But what’s truly behind this slow collapse?

At its core, I believe our greatest problem today isn’t political, economic, or social. Those are symptoms. The root is something deeper—more spiritual. The root problem is disconnection.

We are disconnected from the very Source of life.

Disconnection Is the Real Crisis

Let’s name what we’ve lost:

  • Disconnected from God – We’ve pushed Him out of our schools, our laws, our conversations, even our churches. We’ve built a culture on self, rather than on our Savior. And in doing so, we’ve severed ourselves from the only One who gives us true life, peace, and identity.
  • Disconnected from each other – Our relationships are strained. We’ve replaced community with individualism, deep conversations with tweets, and authentic friendships with filtered snapshots. We gather in crowds but feel completely alone.
  • Disconnected from truth – In a world where “your truth” reigns supreme, the concept of absolute truth is mocked. We no longer ask, “Is it true?” but instead, “Does it feel right?” As a result, we’re confused, misled, and wandering in a fog of opinion and emotion.
  • Disconnected from purpose – With God out of the picture, many no longer know why they exist. We hustle and grind for success, approval, and distraction—yet find ourselves burned out and hollow. Without an eternal anchor, our lives become aimless.

The more we try to fix ourselves without God, the worse things seem to get. Self-help can’t heal a God-sized wound. The ache in our souls cannot be satisfied by progress, politics, or personal growth.

We don’t need more information—we need transformation.
We don’t need more connection—we need to be reconnected to the One who made us.

How Did We Get Here?

Over the past century, America has undergone a slow but steady drift from God. While our nation was never perfect—and never a theocracy—it was once broadly shaped by Judeo-Christian values. Faith in God, biblical morality, and reverence for truth were commonly accepted.

But somewhere along the way, we began to believe the lie that we could do life better without Him.

We traded truth for tolerance, and in the process, lost both. We replaced reverence with relevance, morality with relativism, and conviction with comfort. Church became optional. The Bible became offensive. Holiness became outdated.

In our pursuit of progress, we disconnected from the very foundation that once held us together.

And the results have been devastating.

The Good News: There Is a Way Back

Here’s the hope that holds this series together: We can be reconnected.
Our brokenness is not the end of the story.

Jesus didn’t come to condemn a fractured world. He came to heal it.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” — Luke 19:10

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

God is not distant. He is near. He’s not waiting with crossed arms to scold us—He’s waiting with open arms to restore us.

If we are willing to return to Him, we will find what we’ve been searching for all along.

What This Series Is About

Over the next several posts, we’ll explore the core areas where America has become disconnected—and how we can be reconnected through God’s truth.

Each section will dive into one specific fracture in our society, pairing honest reflection with hopeful solutions grounded in Scripture:

  1. Disconnected from God – The root of all our disconnection and how to restore intimacy with our Creator.
  2. Disconnected from Ourselves – Identity confusion and healing through Christ-centered truth.
  3. Disconnected from Others – Rebuilding real relationships in an isolated world.
  4. Disconnected from Truth – Standing firm in God’s Word in a culture of confusion.
  5. Disconnected from Purpose – Recovering our eternal calling in a world chasing temporary meaning.
  6. How We Got Here – A look back at the cultural drift and how to resist it.
  7. The Way Back – Practical steps for personal and national restoration.
  8. The Church’s Role – Becoming the community the world desperately needs.
  9. Healing the Nation Starts at Home – Revival starts not in Washington, but in homes, hearts, and local churches.

This isn’t just about cultural commentary—it’s a call to action. Not for Washington, but for us. For you and me. Revival doesn’t begin in the halls of government; it begins in the hearts of God’s people.

So How Do We Heal What’s Been Broken?

We start by facing the truth: we are broken.
>We admit our drift.
>We confess our need.
And then—we turn back.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” — 2 Chronicles 7:14

Healing is possible. Restoration is real. I talk about it ALOT in my book, God’s Broken Vessels.
But it begins with reconnection—to God, to His Word, to His people, and to His purpose.

Let’s Walk This Road Together

This journey isn’t about blame—it’s about hope.
It’s not about pointing fingers—it’s about opening hands.
It’s not about fear—it’s about faith.

As we move forward in this blog series, I invite you to come with a heart ready to be challenged, encouraged, and changed. No matter how far you’ve drifted, you are never beyond the reach of grace.

We were never meant to live disconnected and fractured.
The gospel is the story of reconnection.
And that story isn’t over.

Let’s find our way back—together.

Next Up: Disconnected from God: The Root of All Disconnection
How secularism and self-reliance have severed us from the Creator—and how we can return.

Want to stay connected?
Join my email list to get fresh updates on new blog posts, upcoming book releases, and encouraging insights to help you reconnect with God, truth, and purpose. If you do, you will receive a gift! The First Chapter of God’s Broken Vessels. I promise no spam—just real hope for real life.

👉 Subscribe now and be part of the journey back to wholeness.