YOU SOUND LIKE YOU'RE 17

When I started as a youth pastor at 22, I would frequently get accused of being one of the students on our trip.

When I was 25, my claim to fame was getting carded for buying spray paint for a church sign with a bunch of students from our youth group.

Well, today I was on the phone and answering questions for a mom about a spring retreat that we're going on this next weekend, and after about a 50 questions, I told her that I would feel safe taking my own kids on the trip. She then said, "Oh, you have kids? You sound like you're 17".

I wanted to say, "No freaking way!! That's so cool... Yeah, I'm the youth pastor you send your kid to on the weekends and I'm 17?" But I restrained my balding head and just told her I was 36 and had been taking high school students on retreats for 14 years now.

Evidently I need more face time in the main service. Several months ago I did a funeral with a family that has attended journey for like 8 years, and didn't even know we had a youth ministry and just last weekend I answered a bunch of questions for a mom that had missed the information we put in every easter program and the 2 weekends following. Maybe we need like a student ministries booth every weekend or something.