What's Next? Trusting God With the Next Step

Man, I’m still feeling all the emotions from our Sunday morning service. Senior Sunday was powerful, and honestly, I don’t know if I’ve ever been so proud or so emotional standing up on that stage. This was my first group of seniors, and they’ll always have a special place in my heart. I’ll remember them forever.

And yeah, I know some of them weren’t too thrilled when I made all the kids come up front during the service—but hey, I warned them. ?

May the 4th Be With You (But This Ain’t Star Wars)

If you were there, you heard me say it’s a special day for a lot of reasons. First off, it’s Senior Sunday. That alone makes it meaningful. But also, for my fellow nerds out there—it was May the 4th. Yes, May the 4th be with you. I had to throw in some Star Wars love, but I made it clear: this isn’t a fictional story.

• We’re not talking about galaxies far, far away.
• We’re talking about something real—this church.
• This moment.
• This mission.

What’s Next?

That’s the question we asked together: What’s next?

Not just for the graduates, but for the younger kids, the parents, the older folks—every single one of us. Because the truth is, we’re all stepping into some kind of next.

For our seniors, it might be college, a job, or figuring out what comes after high school. For some of us adults, it’s trying to figure out what God wants from us now. Wherever we are in life, the answer to “what’s next?” starts with one thing: faith.

We looked at 2 Timothy 1:7 together—

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control.”

That verse hit me hard. It’s a reminder that we don’t have to be afraid of stepping into something new. God didn’t create us to live scared—He created us to move forward in strength, with His Spirit living in us.

You Don’t Need a Resume—You Just Need to Say Yes

I talked to our seniors about how God works. Sometimes we think we need to have it all figured out before God can use us. But y’all—Jeremiah 1 tells us something different. God told Jeremiah:

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.”

God had a plan for Jeremiah before he even knew how to speak. And it’s the same with us. You don’t need a degree or a perfect past or a big platform. You just need to be willing to say, “Yes, God. Use me.”

When Life Gets Hard, Grace Shows Up

I won’t lie—this part of the sermon got emotional for me. Because I know life gets hard. I’ve seen it in the eyes of some of our kids. I’ve lived it myself.

But Romans 5 reminds us:

“Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”

I told our students (and honestly, I needed to hear it too): when life gets hard, it doesn’t mean God walked away. A lot of the time, it means you’re exactly where He wants you to grow.

And the beautiful thing is, grace is always there to meet you. Always!

The Mission Is Bigger Than the Moment

At the end of the day, this life we’re living—it’s not just about getting a diploma or landing the right job or figuring everything out by 22 (trust me, I’m 22, and I’m still figuring it out).

• It’s about the mission.
• It’s about living on purpose.

Jesus told us in Matthew 28 to go and make disciples. That’s not just for grown-ups. That’s not just for people with titles. That’s for every believer.

So if you’re reading this and you’re a student—don’t wait. Don’t sit on the sidelines.
If you’re part of our church—keep investing in the next generation. We need you. They need you.

You Belong Here

To our three graduating seniors (and every student reading this), let me say this again:

• You belong here.
• You always have a seat.
• You’ve got a place in this church, not just as “the future,” but as the present.

Come on trips. Sit in the youth section. Crash lunch with us at Los Arcos.
(Okay, maybe not five times a week… unless you’re buying. ?)

⸻

Thanks for being part of a church that loves our kids, that shows up, that prays, and that sticks with them. Let’s keep asking, “What’s next?”—and let’s keep following wherever Jesus leads.