Generation Z? Who is Gen Z and what do we need to know about them?

So, last week began a Series called "Not-So-Popular Truth of GENERATION Z" and the response was overwhelming! If you didn't get a chance to listen or read, you will definitely want to start with that one. READ PART ONE HERE! Seriously, you really want to get all the stats & details in that 1st post! Go to INTRODUCTION HERE.

Last week's post includes the introduction & explanation of this series as well as the first of the guest posts by Tanner Starr.

​I invited them to share with us how they would answer this question:
and Jesus asked," Who do YOU Say that I Am?"
I am so excited to share this series with you!! I have no doubt God will use these young ladies in great ways for the Kingdom! He already is!

These young ladies have blown me away with the wisdom in these posts! It is so exciting to see them blossom in so many ways! How great it is to see there are young people with a heart so in touch with Jesus, but to then realize that I KNOW these girls! Wow. I am so blessed!

I see God raising up this generation right in front of our eyes!
My heart swell to see them hungry. Asking the hard questions to know Jesus for themselves!

I am going to let Katelynn Bryan take it from here and I will tell you some exciting news about this young lady in a few minutes!

Generation Z? Who is generation Z and what do we need to know about them today?

I have heard quite a bit about the millennial generation. The good and the bad. Although, until today, I haven’t heard Generation Z as a term.

Without even knowing it what they were called, I know many young people who fall into this category. I teach a youth class and my son-in-law is a youth pastor. Some of you prefer toddlers to teens, but I love tweens & teens…some days more than others, but you know what I mean 😊

It blesses my heart to see them grow from ‘children’ to ‘young adults’ and learning to own their faith because they believe it, not because we tell them to.

According to an article in the New York Times, children born from 1996-2010 are coined ‘Generation Z’.

5 INTERESTING FACTS about GENERATION Z:
1-Gen Z is the 1st born into smart phones & social media
2-Safety has greatly influenced the parenting of this generation because of 9/11
3-This generation grew up in the recession and war
4-Gen Z is much more private after seeing Millenials reveal all through social media
5-Risky Behaviors Survey from CDC says high schoolers drinking at least once has declined to 66% from 86% in 1991 and of this age who never/rarely wearing seatbelt has declined to 8% from 26% in 1991

The article quoted someone as saying this Generation Z is shaping up to be minded more like their grandparents or great grandparents who came up in the war and depression era. More realistic thinking, more frugal, more inventive in ways to attain a goal. 

God is raising up some warriors in this generation and I want to introduce you to just a few of them. eek...I'm so excited!

These young ladies are wise beyond their years. They have a love for Jesus. They have a fire in their heart for Him. These girls have come up in a time where they heard, or saw, what living in a daily relationship with Jesus was. They listened. They asked. They watched, and then they wanted it for themselves. They are walking with, not just talking about Jesus.

God is raising up a generation who is not ashamed. I see this group strong and assured in ways I haven't seen before. They express this heavenly relationship openly and in a way that truly influences the world around them. 

He is raising up a generation of boldness. They look past colors and cultures. A generation who sees Jesus as the point of focus, not which church building you attend or which music you choose.

Y’all! I am already seeing amazing things happening! I am privileged to know many young ladies that fall into this group and a few and I am excited to share some of their heart with you! I wish I could invite you over to sit and talk with them! We would eat something (probably junk), talk real life. Listening to the struggles they face trying to live righteous and navigate relationships and decisions about their future. You would be amazed at the wisdom from these girls that range in age from 16-24. It blows me away. If we can't have a party, this is at least a chance to hear their heart for Jesus..

I invited them to share with us how they would answer this question:
and Jesus asked," Who do YOU Say that I Am?"

I am so excited to share this series with you!! I have no doubt God will use these young ladies in great ways for the Kingdom! He already is!

They were willing and even excited to share with you what Jesus is to them. You will hear the authenticity. Many young people can quote scripture and answer with all the correct church words, but when it comes to who YOU say Jesus is, personally, it gets a little deeper.

Some of the girls love to write, others only write only if they must. But in their words, you will hear true love for Jesus ringing out.

I see God raising up this generation right in front of our eyes!
My heart swell to see them hungry. Asking the hard questions to know Jesus for themselves!

HERE WE GO .... Several others to follow soon! Keep Watch!

​
​We NEED a young generation of strong warriors! We NEED a church that is not afraid to stand up and stand out for Jesus. We NEED the guts of this new generation!
And they NEED us! To rally with them & join in. Their ways and insights may be different than past generations, but if Jesus is front and center, that is all that matters.

Will you join me in praying for this young generation as they fight daily against an enemy who wants to destroy them. Will you pray for our generation to step up to encourage, equip and support them as they rally the troops for God’s Kingdom in this crazy time in our world?!

Hey Ladies! Boy, do i have a treat for you today!!! 
​
I have a new online blogger friend that speaks volumes to me through her posts. I wanted to share one I knew we have all had to deal with at one time or another...COMPARISON!

I would like to say that we Christian women don't let that game play in our heads, but we do....even on Sunday morning as we enter the sanctuary and catch a glance at another wearing that cute dress that we tried to justify, but just wasn't in our budget. 

Yep...we all struggle at times. I think this post will give us all a new perspective on how harmful this game can be if we allow it.

So welcome Jill E McCormick like she joined us for lunch!! :)  Take it away Jill!

​The Bible tells me not to do it, but I just can’t help myself. I do it every day, multiple times a day. It’s almost involuntary like breathing.

I compare.

This topic isn’t new to the blog (The one thing we all do and How comparison leads to shame, fear, and a faulty view of God), but the good news is that we can begin opting out of the comparison game altogether with three game-ending strategies.

But first, it’s important to understand that comparison starts when we’re doing the same work as others and notice different results.John the Baptist was on the “repent-and-baptize” scene for a while. He had followers upon followers, even disciples. Then Jesus entered stage left in John 3. Jesus started baptizing people in the countryside. As one commentary explains, “John had introduced Jesus to the world, but now Jesus seemed to be drawing John’s followers away from him.”

Our comparison starts this way too. We are doing the same work as someone else: working full-time, parenting, working out, cleaning house, and prepping meals. Then we notice that our work doesn’t seem to be measuring up. As fellow writer Lynn Hughes says, “If she does A + B + C, and we all have the same hours in a day, then what on earth is wrong with me?”

Comparison eventually leads to dehumanization and exaggeration.I’m sure that John’s followers were complaining out of sympathy and love for him when they said, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

The disciples start by saying, “that man” instead of the name of Jesus. Their language takes out the personal and replaces it with a generic descriptors. John’s disciples are so jealous they can’t even say Jesus’ name.

They also end with an exaggeration: “everyone is going to Him.” Okay, I wasn’t there, although my 7 year-old did ask me the other day if I was alive 1,000 years ago, but I digress. I’m guessing that “everyone” is not accurate since John was still baptizing people. We know this because it says in John 3:23, “Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.”
When we compare, we dehumanize those we are comparing ourselves to and we exaggerate their accomplishments. Have you ever said something like, Well, she always looks fabulous or You know her, never a hair out of place? We can’t even bring ourselves to say the name of our perceived competitor. Then we toss around exaggerations like “always” and “never.”

So, how do we end this game?

1. Comparison ends when we understand that what we have is from God.John doesn’t get drawn into the envy and comparison game his disciples are trying to play. We can learn from what he says in verse 27: “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of Him.’”
We don’t need to compare when we understand that God has given us what we have, just as God has given to others what they have. Artist and writer Ruth Chou Simons writes, “So much of becoming who our Creator made us to be begins when we recognize that all that we have is given not gotten.” John understood that God made him to be the one who was clearing the way for Jesus to spread His message. John was given that role; there was nothing about it that he earned. What have you been given?

2. Comparison ends when we understand that He’s the main attraction.John knew that he was the opening act to Jesus’ main attraction. In John 3:30 John says something that I struggle with everyday, “He must become greater; I must become less.”
God has something specific for us to do. His plans for us always involve loving Him, loving others, and glorifying Him. I love what the Bible Study Fellowship commentary says, “Ask for grace to be faithful in ‘little things,’ and He will put you in the place where you can best express the gifts He has given you.”

3. Comparison ends when we understand that God provides for different people in different ways.Throughout our history, God has provided for and interacted with different people in different ways who are in similar situations,
God appeared to Moses in shrubbery but revealed Himself to Elijah as a still small voice. God gave the Israelites manna and the Jews living water. When Lazarus died, Jesus spoke with Martha to grow her faith, but He simply cried with Mary. Why does He have different responses to different people? Timothy Keller explains it this way, “Different hearts need different things from the richness of God’s glory.”
Our lives are about Him—they’re not about us and what we have (or don’t). The comparison game is one that we don’t have to play. It has a clear start that we can nip in the bud. It leads us to places we never thought we’d go. But it’s in our power to stop playing. Comparing doesn’t have to come so involuntarily. I can choose to be a part, and I am sitting this game out.

Jill E. McCormick helps high-achieving women lean less on self and more on the God of amazing grace so we can live in Christ's freedom and light.
She lives in Texas and loves Jesus. She blogs regularly at
​Jill E. McCormick- An Achiever Goes Rogue
Go Check her out & show her some love! I think you will enjoy her perspective! 

​Love Y'all,
Sheila