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OUR LONELINESS EPIDEMIC
Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
August 23, 2026

You can be surrounded by people and feel completely alone. You can share a home, a workplace, even a bed with someone—and still feel disconnected.
That’s because loneliness isn’t really about being alone. It’s about not feeling connected.

This Sunday at Springcreek, we’re talking about OUR LONELINESS EPIDEMIC—why loneliness affects people of every age and stage of life, how it can pull us into a downward spiral, and what we can do to break the cycle.

Loneliness isn’t shameful evidence that something is wrong with you. It may simply be telling you, “Pay attention. Something needs connection.”

And when it does, there are two directions we need to move:

Reach up. Reach out.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Keith said, “Loneliness is about not feeling connected, not about being alone.” What is the difference between loneliness and simply being alone? Have you ever experienced loneliness while surrounded by other people? Conversely, have you experienced being alone without feeling lonely?

2. Read Psalm 142:4–5 and Psalm 25:16–17. What do David’s words teach us about loneliness? Why is it important to recognize that spiritually mature people can still experience profound loneliness?

3. The message described a downward spiral: Pain → Passivity → Pity Parties → More Pain. Which part of that cycle do you think is easiest to get trapped in? How can pain cause us to withdraw from the very relationships we need? What are some ways our thoughts and behaviors can unintentionally reinforce our loneliness?

4. “You may not have chosen your loneliness, but you can choose how you respond to it.” What does taking responsibility for our response look like without blaming ourselves for being lonely? What is one healthy action someone could take when they recognize they are becoming isolated?

5. Discuss the idea of “bids for connection.” What are some small ways people make bids for connection that we easily overlook? Think about your closest relationships: do you tend to turn away, turn against, or turn toward? What might “turning toward” look like this week?

6. One of the surprising claims in the message was that solitude can actually be a remedy for loneliness. How is solitude different from isolation? Read John 8:29. How did Jesus’ relationship with His Father affect His experience of being alone? What practices help you experience solitude as time with God rather than simply time away from people?

7. The message compared loneliness to physical pain—an early warning system telling us that something needs attention. How might thinking about loneliness this way change the way we respond to it? Instead of merely trying to escape the feeling, what might loneliness be telling you about your relationships with God or other people?

8. The message ended with two simple directions: “Reach Up. Reach Out.” What would each of those look like practically in your life right now? Identify one way you can intentionally reach up toward God and one way you can reach out toward another person this week.