Deep-End Discipleship

 “ The Lord responded, ‘Don’t say, ‘I’m only a child.’ Where I send you, you must go; what I tell you, you must say. Don’t be afraid of them, because I am with you to rescue you,’ declares the Lord.” - Jeremiah 1:7-8 CEB - Maybe it is a conversation with your parents where you know what you want to say and you are afraid of the ramifications. Perhaps it is a problem you see around you that needs to be taken care of but you are unsure if anyone will take you seriously. Maybe it is a good friend that you know is making an awful decision that you are hesitant to really bring up for fear of messing up your friendship. We all have times in which we feel powerless but know there could be something more for us. Jeremiah was a young prophet that didn’t think he had anything to offer or anything worth saying. Instead God insisted that Jeremiah go where God sends him and speak what God tells him. And then God reassures Jeremiah that he shouldn’t even fear because G...

“Little children, I’m writing to you because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus’ name. Parents, I’m writing to you because you have known the one who has existed from the beginning. Young people, I’m writing to you because you have conquered the evil one. Little children, I write to you because you know the Father. Parents, I write to you because you have known the one who has existed from the beginning. Young people, I write to you because you are strong, the word of God remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one.” 1 John 2: 12-14 Sometimes we can feel limited because of our age. Maybe people tell us “you’re too young to do that, or think that.” Maybe we assume that people think less of us because of our age. This is something that I have thought about a lot in my life and especially when I started working in youth ministry. I kept thinking, how am I supposed to teach people about God when I am still young and learning so much myself? I would get caught...