Mark Vroegop

When I was a child, I assumed that by the time I reached adulthood I would know most of what I needed to know to work, to parent, and to otherwise succeed in adult stuff. While my parents certainly weren’t perfect, they didn’t give me any glaring examples of inadequacy. They seemed to know how to do their jobs, provide dinner and clothes for us, and guide us in our walk with the Lord. They were a constant source of stability and wisdom and seemed to have answers to my questions.

When I sit across from a student, whether we are out for coffee, lunch, or in the counseling room, I often will hear the words “I just feel alone.” Many middle school and high school students are feeling deep loneliness. They don’t feel like they are known or seen. They crave community but aren’t sure how to get it. Why is it that our teens are more lonely than ever?

You probably saw over a hundred people on your drive to work (or the grocery store) this morning—people in their cars, people on the sidewalk, people handing you a morning latte through the drive-through window. And every one of those people should be in a local church. Why? Here are 5 reasons. People need a right relationship with God. And God is “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).