We Are So Back: Here We Go Again

Alive Youth Church Weekly,

We are so back.

Every Tuesday, we put out a short post for you to read, think about, and carry with you throughout the week.

This isn’t just another post to scroll past. Real thought and real prayer go into these words. This is written just for you, with the hope that God might use something here to encourage you, challenge you, or remind you of what matters.

So stay tuned each Tuesday, take a few minutes to give it a read, and let’s see what God has for us each week. 

Please never hesitate to reach out. You can always contact a leader, contact youth pastor Isaac through email (Isaac.Fehlen@wsfc.org), through social media (@alivewsfc), or find us Sunday nights at 6:30 PM at Alive Youth Church (3094 Gehlar Rd).

We love to see you and hear from you throughout the week!

Keep reading for this weeks thoughts:

Here We Go Again

School season is officially upon us.

For parents, that can often feel like a blessing as schedules return to some sense of normality.

For many others, the days of going back to school are long behind them, and fall arrives without much changing.

But for students in middle school and high school, this season can come with a whole variety of feelings.

A new school year can be exciting. Seeing friends again. Walking into a new building. Meeting new people. Stepping through the doors of new opportunities.

But it can also be scary.

There can be anxiety about walking into a classroom where you don’t know anyone. Pressure to perform. Fear about friendships changing. Stress about grades, sports, expectations, and everything else that comes with being a student.

Wherever you find yourself this fall, I believe this new season comes with an important job for all of us.

Parents, this is more than simply returning to a normal schedule. This is a big next step in the life of your student. Pay attention. Ask questions. Listen. Understand that what may seem small to you can feel enormous to them. Be ready to walk alongside them, encourage them, pray for them, and point them toward Jesus.

For those of us who are out of school, please pray for this school year. Pray for our students. Pray for teachers, administrators, coaches, counselors, staff, and everyone who walks through the doors of our schools each day. Our schools need to be covered in prayer. They need people asking God to bring peace, wisdom, protection, hope, and the light of Jesus into those hallways.

And students, you might have the most important role of all.

Be open to being surprised this year.

Whatever expectations you are walking into this year with, whatever fears, worries, hurts, excitement, or uncertainty you are carrying, leave room for God to surprise you.

Leave room for God to shatter what you thought was possible.

Be open.
Be ready.
Expect God to move.

Expect Him to move in your classrooms.

Expect Him to move around your lunch tables. Or in the car rides down to Taco Bell and back. 

Expect Him to move through your friendships.

Expect Him to move on your teams, in your hallways, and at your school gatherings.

And maybe most importantly, expect Him to move in you.

Jesus tells His followers in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world.”

Students, your school is one of the greatest places you have right now to live that out. I’ve said It many times the last few weeks, our schools are our most important and most successful mission field. And you are on the front lines.

There are people sitting next to you every day who need encouragement. People who feel alone. People searching for purpose. People carrying things you may know nothing about. And every day, you get the opportunity to carry the love, joy, peace, kindness, and hope of Jesus into their lives.

You don’t need to have everything figured out.

You don’t need to know the answer to every question.

You don’t need to be the loudest person in the room.

You just need to be willing to follow Jesus wherever He has placed you.

And that brings me to the one thing I want every student to remember this year.

I can’t tell you every problem you’re going to face.

I can’t promise that every day will be easy.

There will probably be days when school feels amazing and days when you don’t want to walk through those doors. There may be friendships that change, tests that don’t go the way you hoped, moments of embarrassment, disappointment, pressure, fear, or uncertainty.

I wish I could give you the perfect answer for every one of those moments.

But I cannot. 

But there is one truth I know you need this year:

Be with God.
Stay close to Jesus.

Jesus says in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches, apart from me you can do nothing.”

Before you worry about having the perfect school year, focus on staying connected to Jesus.

When you’re excited, stay close to Jesus.

When you’re anxious, stay close to Jesus.

When you feel alone, stay close to Jesus.

When things are going better than you imagined, stay close to Jesus.

When things are going completely differently than you planned, stay close to Jesus.

There is nothing that staying close to Jesus doesn’t make better.

Pray on your way to school. Read His Word. Talk to Him throughout your day. Invite Him into your friendships, your decisions, your worries, and your opportunities. Pay attention to where He might already be working around you.

Because I don’t think God is waiting for you to graduate before He can use you.

God can use you right now.

Correction, God is using you right now.

And he’s already working in you.

Your classroom can be a place where someone experiences the kindness of Jesus through you.

Your lunch table can be a place where someone finally feels welcomed.

Your team can be a place where you choose encouragement instead of tearing people down.

Your friend group can be a place where someone sees what genuine faith looks like.

Your school can be different because followers of Jesus walked through its doors believing that God is already there and ready to move.

So, Alive Youth Church, as you step into another school year, don’t just ask God for an easy year.

Ask Him for a year where you become more like Jesus.

Ask Him to use you.

Ask Him to open your eyes to the people around you.

Ask Him to give you courage when opportunities come.

Ask Him to surprise you.

And above everything else:

Be with God.
Stay close to Jesus.

I can’t wait to see what He does this year.

- Isaac Fehlen