Jennie Allen on Good Morning America
T. J. Holmes Interviews Jennie Allen
FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
T. J. Holmes: We are so excited to have our next guest in the studio with us here canceled, author of The New York Times bestselling book. Find Your People Build: A Deep Community in a Lonely World. Everybody, please welcome the founder of The If:Gathering, a gospel-based women's organization. Jennie Allen! Hello~ How are you doing?
Jennie Allen: Great to be here. Thanks for having me.
T. J. Holmes: Good to see you and that smiling face. You say the inspiration behind the book came from a mission trip you took to Uganda. Please explain why.
Jennie Allen: Yeah, I mean, it actually was a moment.
I was driving in a van and I look over and these two women are carrying baguettes in their heads to go get water.
And typically, of course, that would evoke compassion. And instead, I was jealous of these two women that were giggling together and getting up. And you could tell they had so much joy. And it bothered me. I thought, what am I missing? And so I moved to Dallas, Texas. And I thought, how can I do this differently in a suburb?
I mean, obviously not Africa. But I thought, is it possible to live more connected? Is it possible for me to need people and to actually connect with people in a deeper way than we do in the U.S.?
T. J. Holmes: So now I have given what we've all just gone through in the pandemic. Loneliness has been a bigger deal a bigger issue than ever. Now, you talk about a good village and why it is so critical right now. Why is a good village now more important than ever?
Jennie Allen: Yeah, it is.
I mean, we are coming out of a season, hopefully coming out of a season that has been more isolating in our lifetimes than we've ever had. But as a generation, we are the loneliest generation ever to live on the earth and nobody's arguing it.
And the reason why is because when you look back throughout history, all of the time, people have lived in little villages and they have connected and they have taken care of each other. And now we are very independent. In fact, we pride ourselves on our independence, and it's broken. It is not working. People are more anxious and depressed and lonely and suicidal than they've ever been.
My friend Curt Thompson, he's a psychiatrist, and he says, we're all born into the world looking for someone, looking for us, and that we never stop doing that all of our lives. We're looking for someone looking for us.
T. J. Holmes: You got the nice nod from our stage manager over there with you said everybody's boy looking for somebody and they're looking for us. So you know how this thing can go. This comes to the point where our Faith Friday, I guess we ask you, we turn over the floor and ask you to give our viewers some inspiration going into the weekend.
Jennie Allen: Yeah. You know, I mean, as I think about this, I think this is so overwhelming to know where to start.
And the first thing is just that you notice he's already around you. You probably have people you work with or neighbors or friends. This doesn't have to be your three best friends that are exactly your age, this really should be a village of people around you helping you do life. And so those people can come from all over.
So first notice. Second - Initiate. Don't be afraid to ask someone for coffee. It is awkward. I mean, especially with somebody that you've known for a while. It feels like that awkward friend date where you're like, I don't know how to do this, but I'm telling you always it's awkward, and yet it's worth it.
And then lastly, there is a time when this will get hard and messy and you say you don't walk away just because of an argument.
You don't walk away because it seems like we need to learn words like, I'm sorry and you forgive me, and how we make this. Right, but this is possible.
T. J. Holmes: That is a wonderful message and is the simplicity of it as well.
I think you're right. We are sometimes scared to do the smallest thing to say, hey, let's go grab a bite.
Let's go grab a coffee together. And we'll everybody know we. The University of Arkansas. Yes. Go on the campus at the same time. You all get it now. And so good to have you here. Congrats on everything you want people to know. You can find the book. Find Your People Building Deep Community in a Lonely World, Wherever books are.
So thank you so much. For being in the studio with me.
Jennie Allen: Thanks for having me.
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