Kevin Bacon & My Theory of Connectivity

It’s been said that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away from any other person in the world.  This concept is commonly called “six degrees of separation.”  
The idea being that in a chain of friend to friend statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps.

If you are familiar with this idea then you are probably also familiar with the popular trivia game called, “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”. 


You may love or hate his work – but the idea is that in six steps you can connect any actor or actress to Kevin Bacon.  In this game the number steps a person is from Kevin bacon is referred to as their Bacon number.

So what’s your bacon number?  How many steps are you removed from Kevin Bacon?  My guess is that if you gave it a good look you are probably closer to Kevin Bacon than you know.  You are probably lower on the Bacon scale than you realize.

The idea that we are all connected shouldn’t really come as a surprise to us.  Think about every time you go to the grocery store or when you are at the mall.  You bump into people you know or you recognize people you haven’t seen in ages.  Around every corner there’s the possibility of connection.

My wife and I play this fun game when we are out together.  We spend much of our time looking for people that we know.  We compete seeing who can find someone first and who can find the most connections.  The only rule to the game is that a connection only counts if you go say “Hi” or “Hey, remember me?” 

The truth of it all is that wired deep inside of each of us is this desire to connect with others and it all started in the beginning.  In the Genesis account of creation we see God in dazzling fashion speaking amazing things into existence.  At the completion of each day of His work, the creator says of His creation – it is good.

There is only one moment in His creative effort where God expresses that He feels something is missing.  It’s the only time He says “it’s not good”.  It’s the only time God says that something more is needed.  And what do you think is the thing that was absent?  That’s right connection.

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

We were created for fellowship and companionship. If you follow the lines of connection through the scriptures you see that the need for connection only grows as God’s creation blossoms.   It began with our connection to our creator.  Then we see connection to our spouses.  This led to connection with children and families; and ultimately to friendships and our fellow man.

Connection is important and because it is something vital in God’s creation, I believe the enemy likes nothing more than to limit and prohibit connection between us, the ones we love, and those who can help us become all that God created us to be.  I think one of the most significant strategies of the devil is to keep us isolated and unavailable for connection.

With that being understood I think there are some things that we need to keep in the forefront of our minds to combat this tactic and fight for the connections that God has designed for us and desires for us.   These are some key thoughts that form my Theory of Connectivity.

1.  Presence Matters – Sometimes the most important thing we can do to fend off the attacks of the enemy is to be present.  All we have to do is show up; to put ourselves in the right situations around the right people.  This alone can be one of the greatest things you can do.

 It seems so simple, and it can be.  But how many times do we find excuses or do we find other things more important than being with God and His people. 

The idea of presence also speaks to our mental state.  Have you ever been somewhere – but not really been there?  Physically you were in the room but mentally you were somewhere else.  You were distracted and disengaged.  Remembering that “Presence Matters” means you set aside everything else and you are present in the moment.  You show up and you engage in what God is doing.

2.  You Matter - We often forget that when we gather as the body of Christ it’s not about us.  It’s not about what we get out of something; it’s all about God and what He is doing.  It’s not about you, but in one way can be all about you. 

God wants to use you and your openness to His leading to help others.  When you respond to how he nudges your heart, God will use that to connect with someone else.  You sharing about your experience can lead to someone connecting with God for the very first time.  It’s more than just you showing up.  It’s about you opening up and being willing to be led by God, because He wants to use you and you matter.

3. Others Matter – It’s important that we open ourselves to others and the roles that God can have in our lives.  You never know who God will bring into your life.  You may meet your spouse, your next employer, or a mentor.  God has an uncanny way of connecting the right people at the right times when everyone is open to Him.

When we remember that others matter it puts us in the humble posture of knowing that we are not alone in the struggles we endure in this life.  It could be a disease, a temptation, or a heart ache, but someone else knows what it’s like to go through what you are going through.  You are not alone and we are reminded of that when we live in connection.


Connection is not only “good” it is necessary.  It is something that as we follow Christ we must remember.   He has designed us and built us for connection.  The church is described as a body with many different parts that need to work in unison.  Connection is a key component to the success of the church.


In a culture that pushes us toward the individual and their desires we must remember these truths and how important it is that we stay connected and we open ourselves up to the deep connections God is weaving in our lives.


Hebrews 10:25 puts it this way, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the day coming when Christ will return.”


So as you enter this New Year, make it a priority to seek connection.  We all need to show up and open up, because we matter.  We are in this together and are not alone.  And as ridiculous as it might seem – the lower your “Bacon Number” the better off we will all be.