Do You Need a Hobby?

In this episode of Wake Up, Look Up, Pastor Zach explores the surprising resurgence of mahjong and what it reveals about our deep need for connection and community. He reflects on how modern technology has made life more convenient while often leaving us more isolated, and he points to the early church as a model of meaningful relationships. Whether through a hobby, a shared interest, or intentional time together, he encourages listeners to pursue authentic community where friendships can grow and faith can flourish.

Have an article you’d like Pastor Zach to discuss? Email us at [e-mail]!

Creators and Guests

Host

Zach Weihrauch

Follower of Jesus who has graciously given me a wife to love, children to shepherd, and a church to pastor.

What is Wake Up, Look Up?

Check out new episodes of our daily podcast, Wake Up, Look Up, with Zach Weihrauch as he interprets what's happening in our world through the lens of the gospel.

Hello everyone, and thanks for listening to Wake Up, Look Up, a podcast where we connect events happening in real time to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Zach Weihrauch, and in today's episode we're asking the question, do you need a hobby? This is prompted by an article I read recently in the Atlantic by Ashley Parker chronicling her journey into the world of mahjong. I also am doing this episode because my wife has been talking about this a lot at the house. I guess mahjong, the Chinese tile game, is on the rise all over our country. In fact, the author of this article talks about how a casual introduction to the game resulted in a month-long immersion, including traveling to a national tournament in Dallas. Mahjong, is everywhere on social media. Celebrities are promoting it. Luxury, brands are introducing their own tile sets, organized leagues, membership clubs are popping out up all over the country. Which is fascinating for a game that originated in China in the late 19th century and had a, resurgence or an explosion in America in the early 20th century. And here it is again, a bunch of people sitting around playing this fast paced tile game in restaurants, shopping malls, coffee shops, everywhere they can find a space. what the writer talks about though, is so interesting to me in the article is not just the game itself, but the community around it. In fact, she describes playing in the tournament, and even though they were playing in a tournament and there were probably prizes for winning, they were so the conversations were about raising children and marriage and, dreams and plans for the upcoming year. In other words, these ladies are playing a game. I'm sure they enjoy a game that must be fun or everybody wouldn't be playing it. But the game isn't really what they're after. It's the community together. I read this article and I thought, man, isn't it funny that in a technologically advanced age, in an age where the world is literally, in the palm of our hand in the form of our smartphones, we are going back to a 19th century Chinese tile game because we're longing not for another device, but for actual human interaction. You know, the church, when it first formed in the book of Acts, was a similar phenomena. What I mean by that is when the gospel was preached by Peter in Acts 2 and 3000 people believed it. The immediate consequence of believing it is that they wanted to be together. In Acts 2:46, it says they broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. That's because the new birth connected them to the God of creation, the God who said it's not good for man to be alone? We're designed for community. Too many of us are living in a technological isolation. We don't have to leave our homes to watch movies. We don't have to leave our homes to order food. We can live holy, self contained lives except for or that isn't really living. And that's why people are turning to pickleball or mahjong or any number of activities. So I turn this episode now into a little pastoral counsel. Do you need a hobby? Where are you finding meaningful human interaction beyond the tyranny of the urgent? Beyond the patterns of your own family? You need friends. You need community, preferably with other believers who will challenge you and push you and encourage you to grow in your faith. But that challenge and pushing and encouragement can happen at the mahjong table. It can happen on the pickleball courts. It can happen on the golf course. It can happen going for a walk. The only place it can't happen is sitting at home on your couch looking at your phone. You need a hobby. You need to make some friends. And if you've known that for a while, consider this one more push and in that direction. Find something to do. Try a lot of different things until you fall in love with something and then find a bunch of other people who like that too. It will either surround you with Christians who will push you to grow or put you in an environment to share Jesus with people like you who need to know Him. Regardless, we got to spend a little less time on the couch, a little less time on our phones and and find the life that is waiting for us with other people enjoying time together. Hey, thanks for checking out Wake Up, Look Up. For more content, be sure to visit the Christ Community Chapel app or website cccchapel.com.

Have an article you’d like Zach to discuss? Email us at [e-mail]!