Millenials...what do we do with them?

I hear this all the time...ALL THE TIME!! It is either this thought or the thought comes through that they are spoiled and entitled, usually together.

"These millennial's have no idea what work really is. How is the world going to function with them in society?"

The church leaders that I have come in contact with use these same words. So we are not immune to the negative cat calls that we are throwing out at a whole generation of young adults.


Are there people in the millennial generation that are entitled, of course, however to be fair this is with every generation. Unfortunately we look at our own generation with rose colored glasses, we do not see what was really there because the generation after us is the worst of all time, THEY did not have to deal with what I went through.

Mennenials are not entitled they are impatient.- Dr. Carl Stevens

I really love this thought from Dr. Stevens. Looking at this idea it comes off in two ways. 1. The generation that is here chomping at the bit, and is ready to impact the community where they live and work. 2. What will we as a church do to help impact this generation that wants to make a huge  impact?


Looking around there is a generation of people that are seeing the world through different lenses that I may. They can see people and their communities in a way that I would not have thought of yet, and they are really, I mean REALLY talented. Most of this generation that I have worked with or had meals with are passionate about something greater than themselves. They are looking for a place to use their talents and energy into something that is beyond themselves. This can seem that they are entitled because they want to take down the top of the mountain before taking the first step.


In college I remember being that way. Wanting to do was to preach and teach. Wanting to find a church that would take a risk on me and walking through sermon prep and guide me as I used what God had given me. There are always a few churches, usually small ones that were willing to allow people to test out our skills and passions on them. Those poor churches never stood a chance with pastors like this. Looking back I wonder what they thought of all those "young" preachers coming through, nervous and shaking, unsure of who they are and what they were doing. Bless them for allowing these "entitled" preachers to want to be in the pulpit.


Restore has been finding more and more "entitled impatient millennials" coming through the doors each week. Seeing the passion in their lives, seeing that they are so impatient to use what they have. If we do not capture this passion and amazing abilities, they are going to go somewhere else to find someone that will see their impatience and throw it into something greater for their communities.


At Restore our theme is that " We are a church for the rest of us", what does this mean for OUR millennial generation that has come to us. That has placed themselves at Restore and want to be used. At Restore we want to help ALL people find what God has gifted them with and place it in an area that will impact Marshalltown.


At Restore:

• We are gospel Catalyst
• We Worship Passionately
• We Celebrate Kids
• We LOVE Marshalltown

We believe that God has something great for all of us. This post is calling out only ONE generation, however I am doing that because so many people ALL over pull this generation down. I am calling out to the millennials that are in my community. We want to help you become Gospel Catalyst and love your city. Letting God work in you and through you. YOU are not an entitled generation, it drives me crazy to have the click bait or the media drive the nails into your coffin without giving you a fair shake.


Churches send us your millennial generation, if you do not want to build into them. Leaders, we need to STOP, throwing this generation under the bus.


This millennial generation is so talented, they see things that I cannot see right way. They want the whole mountain, and they want it now. The mountain they want? Is to impact the community that they are in. Using as many people that we can to impact OUR community. Millennials included. We at Restore love Marshalltown.

The words I am afraid to hear...Happy Father's Day to Zexy Killah

I love being a father, it is right behind being loved by God and being married to Sarah. After Sarah and I were married I was excited to be the guy whose kids ran to him and called him dad. I will admit there are times when I want to change my name from dad to "super awesome and talented guy". Although in a recent search on a name generator website I found that my name is Zexy Killah. Sarah still refuses to call me this but I am working on it.


Maybe that is what I should work on this week while Sarah is gone is to have the boys refer to me as Dad "Zexy Killah". But all that aside, there is one thing that I am terrified I will hear and I am sure that I will hear at some point in the next years. Our family is Transracial through adoption.

"You are not my dad."

Zeke said it in passing this past year and I could feel my heart rip from my chest. I do not think that is what he meant to say, I think at that moment he meant to say something like, "I don't like you, or you are a bad dad" because I had just told him that it was time to go get ready for bed and read a book or two.


I fear for this, I play the words through my mind at times trying to find out how I will react when I hear my kids say this to me. But that moment when he said it, I.Broke. I could feel myself crushed from the inside. I scooped him up and went upstairs. I fell into the rocking chair in the changing room. And I wept while I held him.


Now you have to understand that Zeke is pretty in touch with his emotions and he has a very tender heart. He will be crazy and bouncing off the walls one minute with his brother and the next moment he can be on the floor playing with a little baby in a very gentle way. Zeke started to cry into my chest.


As I held the child who made me a father for the first time, I feared the reality of this happening again. When it happens for real, not just a passing 4 year old saying something, but for real.


I know that it will be in anger or frustration. Maybe he will say it because he is confused or had been teased at school because his family is different than others. Maybe it will happen because some stranger makes a moronic comment about us as a family (It still happens, and yes my kids can hear you).


Now as Father's Day gets closer I am one day closer to hearing the words that I have feared since I heard the words that I longed for more than anything else. How will I react when my kids say those words?


I hope that I scoop them up, walk to a couch or rocking chair and hold them close. Let them cry, let them pour out their fear and anger into my chest while I weep with them. (there must be dirt in the air near my computer, I better have that checked out)


I feel that this is a reflection on what God does for me. There are times when I have yelled, "You are not my Abba" in what I do and say with my life. I may even call those things out to him in a moment of anger or fear. He does not push me out and throw me to the curb, I feel that my Abba scoops me up, finds the nearest chair or couch and holds me close. Letting me weep into His chest at times pounding into it with my fists because of how angry I am at that moment.


I pray that I can react that way with my kids. I fear for that day to come. I do not long for it in the slightest. However when it does come I hope that I hold my kids close and let them pour out their fears and anger.


Happy early Father's Day!!
- Zexy Killah

The big ask...holding back nothing.

Often this is how I feel when I am trying to ask for something big from God. I dance around the real thing that I want from God. A little over 2 years ago I was challenged in a life group that I was in. Our leader Pete shared that his challenge for us this week was not to ask God for things that were small but to really go after and ask for what we wanted God to do in our lives.

"I wanted God to do something big but I was terrified He would actually do it."

In the picture above my son is dancing to the Beach Boys "Barbara Ann". They love when I put the old vinyl on. You see they go all out when the songs comes on, I wonder why they are so into it? Part of it is that they are kids and they go all out in most of what they do. In my life in November 2014 I wanted God to do something. I wanted God to do something big in our lives but I was terrified He would actually do it.

I know that for me fear is one thing that holds me back from really going after what I know God has called me to. For a long time in my life this was how I felt:

It used to be that I never felt safe with myself unless I was performing flawlessly. Unwittingly I had projected onto God my feelings about myself. I felt safe with Him only when I saw myself as noble, generous, and loving, without scars, fears, or tears. Perfect! -Brennan Manning

For the longest time I felt as if I had to have it all together to go after the BIG ask from God. November of 2014 Sarah and I were asked to leave all that we knew in Minnesota and move to a town in Marshaltown, IA to help plant a church. At that time were were also in the waiting process to be matched with a baby (who turned out to be our youngest). So my big asks were this: God I need you to either send us to Marshalltown or leave us here and have us matched with a baby by Christmas (about a month). 

In that month of asking BIG, God provided a job opening near Marshalltown and matched and placed a little boy in our arms. 

What is your BIG ask? 

Maybe you are having some tough times in your personal faith? Maybe you are feeling as if you do not matter to God? 

In my life we have a few big asks right now. 

At Restore we have some really big asks that we are praying for. 

I want to challenge you to call out for at least 1 big ask this summer with me. What will you write down and pray for each day? What happens if God wants to answer your prayers and he is just waiting for you to ask BIG of him?