The Catch is a community, and because of that, we are the body of Christ. The body of Christ is a community. But there are other communities we live in, too. A community is a group of people sharing something in common and interdependent on one another. As a community, we have come to need each other.
Need is a good thing. There is a false sense of “macho” that tries to not need anyone or anything, but that is really a pitiful weakness masquerading as strength. Need does not make you weak; it makes you wise, because we were meant to need. We were born this way. We need God. We need each other. We were not made to be alone. The first man, Adam, found that out. The strong person is the one who is fully integrated into his or her community. And to be integrated is to need and to care — to care about the people in our lives. The degree to which we are integrated is the degree to which we will be effective as Christians in the marketplace.
Think of the people you need every day in your surrounding community. You actually depend on these people. They are the tellers, cashiers, mechanics, techies, operators, receptionists, hair-dressers, police and fire personnel, waiters, bartenders, toll-takers, newspaper delivery people, mailmen and women, and lifeguards in our lives whom we see — some every day. We count on these people doing their jobs. If my newspaper doesn’t come, it can affect my whole day.
We can pass these people — in a sense, use them — every day and not even acknowledge them. Or we can notice them, acknowledge them, and let them know how much we appreciate them. As Christians in a secular community, we should be the prime appreciators on our block. It gives the Gospel of Welcome a good name. We are community people. All the way around. The more communities, the better.
And if you receive any benefit from the Catch community, there is a solid group of MemberPartners who make this possible. If you’d like to acknowledge them, we’ll pass that on, and we hope that you might want to become a MemberPartner, too, so that more people can continue to benefit from this community.
Blessed is the man who knows his need
Blessed is the man who knows how to plead
For in the pleading he will find
His pride had made him blind
For in seeking the soul is satisfied
And in knocking the door is opened wide
– from the song, “Blessed is the Man,” by John Fischer
To listen go to http://johnfischer.bandcamp.com/album/johnnys-cafe song #9.
Speaking of community, listen to our interview with Bryan Burton for a timely discussion on the current state of the church in America.
John Fischer The Catch 
Great Catch!
Yes John, we would all do better to recognize our need for each other. This is so very true when it comes to customers and those who serve them. Instead of appreciating the people you listed, customers sometimes feel a sense of entitlement. “I’m paying so you better do your job to my standards” Instead, customers should be more appreciative of those who offer what they need.
It works both ways. Those in business sometimes think of customers as too much of a bother. As one who’s worked in restaurants my whole life I KNOW just how that can be.
I once read a reminder for employees about how important the customer is. Without the customer, we can’t stay in business and don’t haver jobs. So our need for one another is mutual, and we should always see each other that way.