Alive Youth Church Weekly

Alive Youth Church Weekly, Inviting someone to church is difficult. No doubt about it. I’ve always felt that, especially when I was a student. I was never quiet about my faith, I mean, it’s hard to be when most people already knew my dad was the pastor. I was already labeled as “the church kid." I didn't literally get called that, but most people knew it. Being quiet wasn’t the battle. The real tension came in explaining why I went… and then taking the next step of actually inviting someone to come with me. Even with some of my closest friends in high school, there was this unspoken agreement. They knew I was busy on Sundays, and I knew I probably wouldn’t see them that day. It worked. It was comfortable. It kept everything simple. But comfort has a way of quietly keeping things exactly as they are. I think one of the biggest reasons we don’t invite people to church is because we assume it will disrupt what we already have. We imagine it getting awkward. We picture our church ...

Alive Youth Church Weekly, It’s Holy Week. You may have heard this, or maybe you have no idea what that means. If you're like me, the name might sound a little cliché to you. I mean, why is one week “holier” than the others? Shouldn’t every week be holy? I have a habit of downplaying things that sound “too churchy.” The church has its own language sometimes, and it can be hard to catch on and even a bit off-putting to those on the outside looking in. It's a reminder to truly understand your faith. To be able to define what's really happening within your heart and in your faith, not just know the flashy Christian words and habits. At times, I find myself like this during Holy Week. Knowing the words and the basics, but without the deeper meaning. Often, for me, Holy Week means an extra Friday service and a little more celebration on Sunday. Oh yeah, and an easter basket filled with candy, and a really good after-church lunch, with deviled eggs. Should we call them blessed eg...

Alive Youth Church Weekly, When people ask me what I do for work, I sometimes hesitate. Not because I'm ashamed, but because I know what their response may be. Because the moment I say “youth pastor,” people tend to respond in very predictable ways. If you’ve ever had that moment, you know exactly what I mean. And if you haven't, then just trust me. The best is when I am shopping for a youth event and have the weirdest collection of things in my cart. I get questions and weird looks while walking through the aisles. I get it, it's not every day you see a hundred bags of chips next to twenty bottles of shaving cream in the same cart as twelve cases of soda, water balloons, garden clippers, and a stuffed animal. True story.  I don't often shy away from talking about my job, but recently, I have taken note of the answers and the pattern developing. When I tell people I’m a youth pastor, the response is often something like: “Wow, that must be really hard.” “Teenagers these...

Alive Youth Church Weekly, Readers, I write this to you on my 24th birthday. I mention this because I expect texts, Instagram shoutouts, and fantastic gifts from every single one of you.  False.  I've learned that I actually greatly dislike celebrating my birthday and the attention that comes with it. But I tell you about my birthday because I want to share with you 5 things I've learned as a 24-year-old youth pastor. I would love to say 24 things I've learned as a 24-year-old youth pastor, but nobody wants to read that long of a blog, and I'm not completely sure I've learned that many things. At least not 24 things important enough to share. So I am sticking with 5.  Number 1: Busyness will mask itself as fruitfulness.  If you're busy, it does not always mean you are producing fruit. You can mark up your calendar and fill your entire day; you can have every meeting, plan an excessive amount, and go all out for every event and still not make disciples. Busyness ...

Alive Youth Church Weekly, I want to draw your attention to scripture. Specifically, to the book of Ecclesiastes, found in the Old Testament, right after Psalms and Proverbs. And I laugh sometimes cause Ecclesiastes feels like the forgotten middle child. We talk about Psalms and Proverbs a lot, but we don't find ourselves flipping the page a few more times to Ecclesiastes very often. Ecclesiastes is part of what theology scholars call Wisdom Literature. Books like Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes explore how life works, why life is difficult, and what it means to live wisely for God. You wanna see how life can be difficult, give Job a read. But I love the way the writer ends the book of Ecclesiastes. The second-to-last verse summarizes the whole book by saying, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). We don’t read scripture just to gain information. We read it so God can shape our hearts and our lives. The Bible helps us hear ...

Alive Youth Church Weekly, Before you walk into school. Before you see your friends, open that text message, or fall into your routine. Before you let insecurity speak louder than the truth. Pause for a second. You are sent. There is intention on your life. There is purpose in your placement. You are chosen.  Not random. Not an accident. Not overlooked.  1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Let that sink in.  You are chosen.  You are His.  On purpose. God hand-picked you for this place and time. Your school. Your home. Your generation. You don’t just show up at school every day. You are assigned to it. That locker. That classroom. That lunch table. None of it is random.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:14–16, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden… In the same way...