Hyped for Depth

Alive Youth Church Weekly

Hello students, leaders, parents, and friends.

As we step into a new year, I have been thinking a lot about what this season means for AYC. A new year often gives us a moment to pause and reflect. We think about goals, vision, dreams, and where we want to grow. While change and growth can happen at any time, there is something meaningful about a fresh start. It gives us space to be honest about where we are and where God might be leading us.

This year can be an opportunity to leave some things behind and start new habits. To let go of what no longer helps us grow and to be more intentional about our faith and our community. As a ministry, this is a chance to focus not just on what we do, but on who we are becoming. Our prayer is that this new year would be about direction, depth, and building something that truly lasts.

So I invite you to join me in intentional prayer for Alive Youth Church in 2026. Let us pray for our students and for the new people God will bring into this community. Pray that we would choose depth over surface-level faith. That we would grow closer to Jesus, build Christ-centered friendships, and walk in wisdom, love, and peace.

There is power in prayer. It shapes our hearts and aligns us with God’s will. But prayer also leads to action. Let us be a ministry that prays often, listens closely, and moves in obedience when the Lord calls us forward.

Hyped for Depth

We live in a world that loves the surface.

We love quick laughs, loud moments, highlights, and hype. We love what feels good right now. Even in church and youth group, it is easy to stay on the surface. The games are fun. The music is loud. The room is full. Our friends are there.

None of these things are bad. In fact, they are often signs of a healthy and growing ministry, one that is excited about Jesus.

But they were never meant to be the foundation.

Surface-level faith feels alive when everything is exciting, loud, and hyped. But it struggles when things get quiet.

Depth is the key.

Depth is what keeps you steady when the lights turn off and the crowd goes home. Depth is what remains when worship feels hard. When prayers feel unanswered. When following Jesus costs you something.

Jesus never invited people to a shallow life. He invited them to a deep one.

He often pulled away from the crowds. He went alone to pray. He asked questions that made people uncomfortable. Jesus spoke often about roots, soil, and foundations. And if we are being honest, that is the least exciting part of any plant. Nobody gets impressed by dirt. We admire the tree that produces fruit, the flower with bright colors, and the parts that are visible and beautiful. We rarely stop to appreciate the brown, messy soil underneath it all.

But there is something important there.

The fruit only exists because of what is underneath. The color, the growth, and the life we see above the surface all depend on what is happening below it. Without healthy soil, strong roots, and living water, nothing grows.

Our faith works the same way. The visible moments matter. Worship, community, joy, and celebration are beautiful. But they are not possible without depth. They are sustained by time spent with God when no one else is watching. By roots growing quietly in Scripture and prayer.

Every real relationship requires depth, and our relationship with Jesus is no different. What happens beneath the surface with Him is what gives life to the joy, the hype, the fun, the jumping, the loud singing, the crazy games, and all the moments we love. Without that depth, we are left with nothing more than surface-level excitement, and it fades almost as quickly as it begins.

Bear with me as I throw in another analogy. With no youth service this week, you are in for a slightly longer blog post. A preacher’s gotta preach. Sorry, not sorry.

In Matthew 7, Jesus talks about two houses. One built on sand. One built on rock. On the surface, both houses looked fine. You could not tell the difference until a storm came.

Storms always reveal what is real.

One house is built on a strong foundation. When the winds blow, and the rain comes, it stands firm. The other house, built on sand, faces the same storm but shifts, collapses, and falls because it lacks stability.

I am no builder. In fact, I am probably one of the last people you would want swinging a hammer. But I do know this. Foundations matter. They provide stability. And there is no better foundation to build your life on than Jesus.

Roots, foundations, water, storms, fruit, soil, rock, sand, plants. How many things can we analogize here?

If you got lost along the way, here is the heart of the message. There is a struggle between depth and surface-level faith. And it's a costly battle. One that is shaping this generation. So, if you read this and want to dive a little deeper, I encourage you to wrestle with these three questions:

1. How can I grow deeper roots and pay more attention to what is happening beneath the surface?

2. How can I build my life on a strong foundation, one that will stand when storms come?

3. How do I resist the urge to chase what looks good on the outside and instead invest in what truly matters?

I will leave you with one last thought and a challenge:

Depth takes time.

That is why it is easier to stay shallow. Shallow faith is quick. It does not require much from us. We show up, feel good, and leave unchanged. But deep faith asks for your whole life. Your habits. Your thought life. Your private choices.

I have been personally challenged by this, and I want to extend that challenge to you. Check your roots. Remember your foundation. Seek depth in your relationship with Jesus, because everything else flows from it.

The hard part is this. No one claps for roots. They are hidden. They are not flashy or impressive. But God is not calling us to be impressive Christians. He is calling us to be rooted ones. People who know Him, not just know about Him. People who love Him when it is quiet. People whose faith does not disappear when the moment ends.

Choose depth. It leads to a life that lasts. Through the storms and beyond the hype.

See you for Christmas Eve services at 12:30, 2:00, 3:30, and 5:00pm.

And if I don't... I'll see you in the new year.

2026 is the year Alive Youth Church gets hyped.

Hyped for depth.

—
Isaac Fehlen
Youth Pastor