“The only three things inevitable in life: getting old, taxes, and laundry”

My roommate, Peter, and I were sitting in our room together; I was folding the laundry and he was watching Dexter. He started complaining about his laundry. It was still hot from the dryer and piled up next to his chair.

I offered to fold his laundry for him in exchange for dinner at California Chicken Cafe. It was the most delicious dinner I ever had because here is a secret.

I love doing the laundry. Sorry, Peter.

Not everyone enjoys doing the laundry. Or doing their taxes. But one thing we all have in common is this: we are all growing older. And growing older is not a bad thing. It’s inevitable. It’s natural. It brings wisdom. There is an indescribable beauty in the years of commitment to the love and grace of Jesus Christ that I see when I look around in some of the members of our congregation.

Growing old is not bad; we love old. But it’s just not the whole story.

This past quarter, we have been praying that our college ministry would be a place where students could come to ‘Be Known’. Known by the pastors. Known by other students. But most of all, to come and be known by Christ.

Over the past year, my conversations with the 20-25 year olds at Crossway have genuinely surprised me. They want to learn. They want to feel connected. They want to belong. They want to be known. In fact, the three words that they want to hear from us the most?

Tell me more.

They want to come to feel connected, known and understood. They are actively searching for relationship. And maybe the scariest part is that they will go anywhere to find it. The explosion in the use of Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and other social media mediums testify to this.

What would it look like for us to be a place where young people will want to come to ‘be known’? Can you and I take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the 20-25 year olds in our neighborhoods by asking them to tell us more about their stories? About the pains, scars, and burdens they carry? And then point them to a God who already knows and still loves them?