What the Next Generation Needs Most, with Gabrielle McCullough and Robert Wolgemuth

A generation of young adults desperately need to hear and believe God’s truth. Will you join the fight to help them pursue faithfulness? In this episode of Grounded, guest Gabrielle McCullough shares the challenges that twenty-somethings are facing and why she is excited about what God is doing among them. This conversation will fill you with hope and leave you inspired to pray passionately for revival.

Connect with Gabrielle

Instagram: @helloitsbrie
Twitter: @speakmichelle
Website: https://gabriellemccullough.com/

Connect with Robert

Instagram: @rdwolgemuth
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Robert-Wolgemuth-116574245034109
Twitter: @robertwolgemuth
Website: http://www.robertwolgemuth.com/

Episode Notes

CSB Men’s Daily Bible by Robert Wolgemuth, General Editor. 

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Portia Collins: Good morning Grounded sisters. We are here to declare a state of emergency . . . and it is not the kind that you need these glasses for.

Erin Davis: Oh, looking good, Portia. 

Portia: I’m Portia Collins, and this is Grounded. 

Erin: I’m Erin Davis, and I’ve got mine too. They even kind of match my outfit, but I cannot see anything out of these, which is maybe the point . . . I don't know.

Portia: Me either. 

Erin: Of course, the big news of today is the solar eclipse, which is, you know, the heavens declaring the glory of God that we're going to be experiencing here in the United States and other parts of the world. But we've got some other news we want to focus our time on, and it can feel like an emergency at times. There is a generation of young adults that desperately need to hear God's truth and believe it and live for it.

Portia: Yes, absolutely. And let me give us all a little reminder this morning. We're here to hand out two things that we love: hope and perspective. So, this episode won't be one that points out everything that's wrong. We are not having a gripe session here. 

Erin: Good. 

Portia: We're not pointing out everything that's wrong with the next generation. We won't be spouting a bunch of statistics about how many young people are leaving the church, though, those are alarming numbers. What we're here to do is have a real talk, a real conversation about what the next generation needs most.

Erin: Yep, and we want you to engage. I don't want you to think, I don't have kids. I don't have young adults. This isn't my problem. I promise you, this is for all of God's people. We're not going to settle for a spiritual eclipse, we're not going to let the dark overwhelm the light. And more importantly, the Lord's not going to let the dark overwhelm the light, even the darkness is light to Him. 

So, our guest is going to get you fired up. I'm fired up already just thinking about it. We've been trying to book Gabrielle McCullough for a long time on Grounded, and you'll see why when we get to our conversation. She's a fighter in the best way. She's fighting for the next generation to be found faithful. I think by the end of our time together, you're going to be ready to roll up your sleeves and jump into that fight with her. I think that I mixed my metaphors there. But maybe you roll up your sleeves when you fight. I don't know. But you're gonna get in the game and fight for the next generation.

Portia: Sounds like Popeye.

Erin: Yeah. That’s right.

Portia: Well, listen, Robert Wolgemuth is in the house. You all love it. 

Erin: This is my Robert Wolgemuth move. 

Portia: I was thinking the same thing. We love it when Robert stops by. He's got some good news about what your man needs most. So go ahead and get ready. Matter of fact, I'm going to be getting us grounded in God's Word today. I want you to grab your Bible and turn to Galatians 2. I want you to already be there. 

Erin: Ooo, Galatians.

Portia: Yes.

Erin: I like it. 

Portia: We're going to be taking a look at what the apostle Paul offers as the thing that this generation and really every generation needs most.

Erin: Oh man,we're gonna hear from Robert Wolgemuth we're gonna hear from Gabriella McCullough, and we're gonna hear from the apostle Paul. That's quite a lineup. I'm glad you're here for it. We're also going to have a special prayer time for Joy McClain, Joy McClain leads what we call the GroundedUnderground, which is the prayer team. They pray for you; they pray for us. And right now, their families are experiencing something significant, and we're going to take time and pray for them. So, we definitely want you to be a part of that. 

This is a shareable episode. We want you to let people know what God's doing in the next generation. We also want you to recruit people to pray for Joy and her family. So please, at a minimum, hit that share button. But maybe you text it out. Maybe you let people know you're watching. We always love to hear from you. It's a conversation. It's not just a program with me monologuing up here. If you're watching live, be sure and engage in the chat. We're going to be following up with some of those comments at the end of the episode. 

But for now, oh, the sun's still brightly shining in the sky. It hasn't been eclipsed yet. So, we need some spiritual sunshine. Portia, give us some good news.

Portia: I'm looking out my window, and I don't know if we're gonna see anything. 

Erin: Oh, is it cloudy?

Portia: Yes.

Erin: Bummer. Well, it's shiny here in Missouri. So, after this episode, just hop in the car, P.

Portia: Okay, all right. Well, it may be a day when the sun is eclipsed. But, you know, we are always here to bring you a bright spot. Our good news guests will certainly make you smile. Welcome back to Grounded, Robert.

Robert Wolgemuth: Oh, thank you, Portia. You know, I love Grounded. I'm sneaking in every Monday morning as a man, because I know this isn't for me, but I love it. I often send you guys a “way to go” text because I love what you're doing. 

Portia: I love that. 

Robert: I mean, you started Grounded because of the pandemic, like when you were kids and you couldn’t go out. But then it's Grounded. It's God's Word. So, this is such a special time. Thank you for inviting me to join you.

Portia: Well, we love to have you. It's always a joy. And it's always a joy to get those text messages. So, keep sending them. 

Robert: I will.

Portia: Alright, Robert, you recently had an exciting new project released into the wild. Tell us about the Men’s Daily Bible. 

Robert: Oh yeah, I happen to have a copy of it. It's right here. Yes, yes. It's God's Word, and it's a conversation. So, when Jesus was on earth, and He was having His ministry, He would often say the following, “The kingdom of God is like . . .” Then He would give illustrations on things that were familiar to the people that He was talking to. So, the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, or leaven, or treasure hidden in a field, etc. 

So, what I've done 260 what we call “Insights for the Day.” This is a conversation with a man. I'm pretending that we're sitting at a table, and there's a coffee cup between us. I'm saying to him, the kingdom of God is like one of these 260 insights. It starts with a Bible text, and then I tell a story about something familiar so that the guy goes, “Oh, I get it.” That is the big idea for this project. 

So, I'm so grateful. I'm so excited about it because I know that the women who are listening right now, who are watching right now, many of you have a man in your life. And you would say to yourself, “If there'd be some way to get him into God's Word, I’d jump at it.” That's what this is about.

Portia: So, my man got his copy this weekend, or maybe last weekend. And listen, I tried to find it this morning, so I could hold it up for Grounded. The man has got it in the car. Yes, he has gone to work with it. 

Robert: That’s great. 

Portia: So, he loves it. He was thrilled to get it in the mail. I'm grateful for that as well. Okay, so we're calling this episode, “What the Next Generation Needs Most.” But what about the man in our live? Why do they need God's Word?

Robert: Well, because we have a sin problem—men and women, Psalm 119. And this Word, speaking of light, is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. So, I'm going to stumble. I'm going to get in serious trouble if I don't have the light of God's Word. That's what this is about. And your Grounded girls would, I think, be interested in the insight for the day that I wrote. It's on page 1444. It's called “The Throne.” I tell the story of my late wife, Bobbie. I would walk through the living room really early in dark—0:30. And Bobbie would be sitting there studying God's Word. I love that. I thought that was really great. But I also kind of thought, Well, this is her thing. I went upstairs to work. My office was upstairs. And then Bobbie stepped into heaven in 2014. 

When she studied in the morning, she sat in a red chair. I mean, every morning. So now this is the day after the funeral, the burial. I'm in the house by myself. And guess where I am? I'm walking through the living room. I see the red chair. And the Lord says to me, “Robert Wolgemuth, you've been a lazy man. You have consigned the joy of spending time in God's Word, in My Word, to your wife.” And Bobbie's faithfulness was the incentive that I needed to sit down on that red chair and do this now for myself. 

It's been nine years since I made that promise. It's been unbelievable every single day to soak in God's Word. I'm grateful for Bobbie's example and for her faithfulness, and now I have a chance. I don't have the red chair anymore. But now that I have my precious wife, Nancy, I get up sometimes before she does, and I spent time in God's Word. Bobbie set the example as my wife, a woman, faithful to God's Word. That gave me the motivation I needed to be doing this every day. And so, the Men's Daily Bible came out of that experience.

Portia: Amen, amen, that is such a beautiful testament to the witness of Your late wife. Yeah, I love that. I know that there are women listening who are thinking, Well, if I brought my husband this Bible, or maybe my son, he probably wouldn't even open it up. Do you have any hope and perspective for that woman? 

Robert: Wow. That's such a wonderful question. I resisted creating something like this daily Bible that women would give “at” their husbands. I don't want them to give it like, “Here, take this. Do this.” 

At the same time, I think it's appropriate as the mom, as the wife, as the daughter, to say, “Do you know what would really be fun for me to see? What would be helpful to me? What would be meaningful to me is that if you would take a few mornings and spend some time in this.” I encourage newcomers to start with the Gospel of John. Of course, there's the Bible text, it's the CSB Bible text. 

And then, as their companion, I'm sitting there with the man who's got this Bible in front of him. I'm helping him see the gospel or the kingdom of God is like so . . . and it's a conversation. There's no microphone, there's no platform, nothing like that. It's just me. I'm acting like this is a conversation. 

I loved writing like that. I love writing picturing a person sitting there with the text, the Bible texts, which is God inspired and my text—which is interesting, but not necessary. But that would be my great joy, Portia, for men to say, “You know what? This book is so daunting, where do I start?” My plan, my hope, my dream, would be the men would pick this up and say, “You know what? I've got a place to start. Now this is beginning to make sense. I've got a companion to go through the Bible with.” That's the big idea.

Portia: Wow. I see that already as I've seen my own husband, and how he's gravitated. You know, he was carrying another Bible, and he is now carrying this one.

Robert: I love this man. 

Portia: Yeah, I know how much he respects and looks up to you. So, him being able to kind of connect with you in this way is really almost like you taking him by the hand and guiding him through the Scriptures. As a young wife, that just makes my heart leap. So, I want to say, “Thank you. Thank you for stepping into this and committing to this work.” I pray that it will bless many men and women all around the globe. Thank you so much for being with us today,Robert.

Robert: Thank you, Portia. I love being on this side of the camera and being able to say to your friends, the Grounded sisters, I'm proud of you. I'm proud of what you and Dannah and Erin do every single Monday morning. God bless all three of you.

Portia: Thank you. We're gonna drop a link to the Men's Daily Bible in the chat y'all. Check it out. I'm telling you, it's lovely. And you know, Father's Day is coming up around the corner. This is great. Listen to what Robert said. “Don't give at your man.” Okay, do this. Think about your heart behind it. Erin Davis.

Erin: I'm here and ready. Y’all, know I’ve got the next generation of men locked and loaded at my house, and for those guys raising up to be godly men. Think about the young men in your life as well. 

Well, it's time to transition to get grounded with God's people. Gabrielle McCullough, she's with us. She's an evangelist. She's a disciple maker. She's a Bible teacher. And this is her passion: fighting for the next generation to be found faithful. We've been watching her and see her as a voice God is using to call the next generation of young women to Himself. You're gonna love her. Welcome to Grounded, Gabrielle. We're so glad you're here.

Gabrielle McCullough: Oh, my goodness. It is truly such an honor to get to be with you guys. I'm super grateful, and yeah, excited for this morning.

Erin: Us too. Hey, I'm going to start with something from your website. I like to do my homework. And so, I found this on your website, and I honestly, have not stopped thinking about it. Your website says this.

“Whoever wants the next generation the most will get us. Pornography wants us, conservatives want us, liberals want us, social media wants us.” And then you ask this question, and it makes me want to put my head down on the desk and cry? “What would happen if the Church wanted us most?” 

So, tell us what do you think would happen if the Church decided we want them most—more than any other voice that wants them?

Gabrielle: Yeah, it's good. I believe deep in my bones that God desperately wants this next generation. I think there's this invitation from the Spirit to really invite the Church into that work. And so, I think if the Church were to really fight for this next generation, and fight for us to be faithful, that we would see children discipled. We would see schools bought for and people sharing the gospel radically. 

And yeah, I just think it's really easy to look at this next generation and be discouraged by what we're hearing, what we're seeing. There's an invitation for us as believers to take a first step and ask the question of, “Hey, what would it look like for me to disciple the young people around me and actually fight for them to know God?” When we could be discouraged, I really see just an opportunity for believers to consider what their part is in seeing this next generation reached with the gospel. 

Erin: That’s so beautiful, I love that you said the Spirit is already doing it. It's whether we're going to be with Him in His work. 

Gabrielle: Absolutely.

Erin: And whatever the Spirit’s doing, I want to be a part of. We said that at the top of the episode, and I felt like this was important. This is not an episode where we pull out all those scary Church stats. It's not an episode where we kind of wring our hands and act like, “Oh, no! What's God doing in the next generation?” But briefly, what are some of the specific attacks you feel like the enemy has sent towards your generation?

Gabrielle: Yeah, man. I mean, there's so much we can go into, like a statistic that came out a couple years ago was that 4% of this next generation has a biblical worldview. I think there's a specific attack on truth. I'm 22 years old. I grew up in Minnesota, and so many of my friends, like they just held to this relativity around truth. They did not believe there to be an absolute truth, much less an absolute truth to come from God's Word. 

And so, we see a generation that I think in a lot of ways is spiraling. Kind of like Ephesians 4: being tossed to and fro by every wind and wave of doctrine. They're confused because they do not hold to a belief that God's Word is absolute in truth. 

And so, I think out of that spiraling we see a rise in depression and anxiety and a mental health crisis. The rise of pornography in the way that that has, has completely brought about so much destruction to this next generation. 

And so, I think the root of it is a lack of belief that God is the one who has authority, and that He is the way the truth and the life. People are spiraling out of control as a result of that. 

Erin: That authority piece is huge. It's not necessarily that young people don't have access to the Word. I mean, maybe the greatest access to the Word in all of time, but they don't believe it is the authority in their life. And of course, there's a spiral. There's a lot of chatter about young people leaving the Church, leaving the faith. I love that your kind of mission is not just to call people to become Christians, but to be faithful. Like there's a continuity of that. 

What do you think? Is the hype accurate? Is your generation really struggling as much as the numbers seem to indicate? Or are there layers? What do you really see? 

Gabrielle: Yeah, of course, there are layers. I mean, the statistics are true. I think droves of young people are leaving the Church and not wanting anything to do with God.

I always tell people, anytime someone asked me, like, “Hey, why do you believe in this next generation?” My response is always, “I don't. I don't have faith in Gen Z. I have zero faith in my own generation. But my belief and my faith is in God and what I believe God wants to do in this next generation.” 

So, when we look at God's Word, like from Genesis to Revelation, what God continues to do generation to generation is He continues to raise up a remnant of people to be faithful to Him, like no matter what is going on. Throughout all of history God has always been faithful to preserve a people for Himself. 

And so yeah, it could be really easy to get discouraged and confused. But I just believe God is going to continue to do what He's always going to do; that He is going to preserve people for Himself and reconcile people in this next generation into a right relationship with Him.

And I'm watching it happen. I just had a little baby four months ago, and so I've transitioned off of our church staff. But for the past couple years, I've been working with college students here in Waco, Texas, specifically at Baylor. I just get to be kind of in a front row seat watching God do incredible things among young people. We are watching a small remnant of people that really are hungry for God. They're watching their peers just run towards destruction, and they can see clearly, like, “My only hope is in Jesus.” 

We're seeing young people that love God's Word that are desperate to share the gospel with others and want to pursue holy lives. The pastor of our church, Jonathan Pecloota, has been kind of on this rampage of watching college students give their lives to Jesus at different gatherings. It's crazy to see the revival that I really believe God is doing. I'm not surprised because it's just what God has always done. He's always been faithful to draw people to Himself. And so, it's fun to see, that's for sure.

Erin: I'm so grateful for that. I don't know what's going on with our tech. We're having like a Grounded eclipse, but we're gonna keep talking. We're gonna let the Grounded team figure it out, because I can hear you, and you can hear me.

Gabrielle: I love it. 

Erin: Gabrielle, I was teaching just a couple of weeks ago, and a woman that was sitting at my table and I just kind of defaulted into griping. I wish we hadn't. But we did it about how many friends we know that have protocols. And this young woman at the table who was a college sophomore, I believe she very sweetly looked us in the eye and said, “There's revival in my generation.” 

Gabrielle: Yeah. 

Erin: My spirit stood at attention, like, “Oh, yes, you're right.” That's the story that we need to be telling. So, I'm so glad you're telling that story. Gabrielle, I had a humbling moment just a couple of minutes ago when I realized I'm twice your age. I’m about to turn 44. But I do want to take responsibility. Where have we as Christian women over 40, failed your generation? Where are we contributing?

Gabrielle: Man, that’s such a humble question to ask. You know, I think in a lot of ways our parents’ generation are almost more concerned with kind of going through the motions of Christianity, and are taking their kids to church and kind of putting on this facade of cultural Christianity. Like, “We go through the motions, we go to church, we do the right things.” There wasn't always just this simple, pure pursuit of, “Hey, we want to be devoted to Jesus. We want to follow Jesus with everything.” And so, I think a lot of young people watch their parents’ kind of put on their Sunday best and go to church and kind of have this moral image of being a Christian, but not living it out in their day to day. 

I think young people are so desperate just to see something authentic, like to see something real. I don't think they watch their parents confessing in front of them and handle conflict in front of them and really struggle. I think there's kind of been this gap of like, “Hey, I've seen this picture perfect, do the right things, kind of check the boxes. But I haven't seen what it actually looks like to authentically follow Jesus in your mess and all.” 

And so, I think there's a humility, even as older people with your children or with other girls that you disciple, to just kind of show them behind the curtain. Show them like, “Here's actually where I fall short. Here's what my relationship with Jesus authentically looks like.” Bringing them into the brokenness. I feel like a pivotal shift for me in my in my discipleship in my walk with the Lord was when older women brought me into their home to see the mess and the craziness and taught me what it looked like to confess it and to authentically walk with Jesus. It wasn't this picture perfect thing, but that Christ was meeting them in the mess and redeeming their brokenness.

Erin: And Gabrielle, that is so sobering to me. I mean, I think it's so easy to default to thinking that being a Christian woman means: here's a list of does and don'ts. You're right, who would want that? Who needs more things to do and more things to try hard not to do? We need God's Spirit at work. And so, thanks for being so honest there. We're calling this episode, What the Next Generation Needs Most. If you could boil it down, if you could simplify it, what is the message your generation most needs to hear?

Gabrielle: There are so many things. I think most simply, the thing that I'm constantly begging God for is just that this next generation would truly hunger for Him; that we would hunger and thirst for righteousness. When there are so many people that are spiraling out of control and it feels like the destruction in the sin feels so much more evident these days, it seems really clear the ways that this next generation is pursuing their sin and their flesh. And so, I think most simply just praying that that young people would hunger for God; that they would hunger and thirst for righteousness; that they would be desperate; that there would be nothing on earth that they would desire beside Him.

Erin: You know, no revival happens apart from prayer. It's not because God can't—God can do anything at any time in any generation. But we just know from the history of revival that we pray, and then the Spirit moves. So let me take just a minute right now and pray for your generation. Thanks for sharing your heart. 

Lord Jesus, we love You, and You love every generation. You are a generational God from generation to generation. And so, I want to repeat everything Gabrielle just said. I pray that You would give her generation and every generation after her a deep hunger for truth, and that it would not be satiated by anything else, not be satiated by influence, not be satiated by performance, not be satiated by accomplishment. Those things are not truth. They're there. Sometimes they are gifts You give us, but they can't satisfy in the way You can.

So I pray that You would raise up a generation so hungry for truth that they would turn away from every other voice. God, that there would be a huge remnant, not a tiny remnant, a huge remnant, and Gabrielle's generation that will seek Your face and declare Your glory. Help us to know how to partner with the Spirit. It's in Your name I pray, amen. 

Gabrielle: Amen. Thank you so much. 

Erin: Well, it's fired up. Thank you so much for being on Grounded. We're gonna point people to your website so they can learn more about you. But keep being a freedom fighter for your generation. We need you to do that.

Gabrielle: Thank you so much, Erin. It's been such a gift.

Erin: Thank you. All right, Portia is getting ready to come on here to keep us grounded in God's Word. But as she does, let me ask you this question: I'm teed saying this to myself as much as I'm saying it to you, “Are you struggling to hope that the young person in your life could actually turn from a life of sin?” You hear Gabrielle, speak about her passion for Jesus and you think, That could never happen for my son, for my daughter, for my grandchildren, for the people in my community. Are you struggling to believe that they would want the freedom that only comes from Christ. If that's true, don't click away, because Portia girl, you go ahead and hop on here. Portia girl is going to give us some fresh hope from her own story and God's Word. So P., keep the whole train rolling and get us grounded in God's Word.

Portia: That interview was the perfect lead in to us getting into God's Word this morning. If you're Grounded regular, then you probably heard me share a time, or two or three, about how the book of Galatians is among my favorites. Growing up in a believing home, I was familiar with the stories of Jesus. My mama and my grandmama taught me a lot about the person of Jesus, but I have to admit that I did not truly know Him. I didn't know Him on a personal and intimate level until much later in life. 

And so, reading the book of Galatians completely changed how I began to know Jesus and be known by Him. I was a young woman in my twenties. I had found myself caught in a relentless, vicious, brutal cycle of legalism and lawlessness. On one hand, I was chasing fulfillment through legalism. I thought that if I could do enough and keep enough laws then I had done it. And then on the other days, I was chasing what I thought was freedom through sinful indulgence. The cycle was brutal. Honestly, it broke me. It broke me. But my brokenness served a purpose in that it led me to God's Word. I was desperate for truth. 

So, I turned to the Scriptures, specifically the book of Galatians. And let me just tell you, it was nothing fancy on why I picked Galatians. That particular night, I just picked it because it was six chapters, and I knew I could read it in one sitting. But it was God that led me to that book. I know that now, and He met me in the Scriptures. 

So, I want you to listen to what the apostle Paul says in Galatians chapter 2, and we're going to pick up at verse 20. It says, 

So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

God’s Word for God's people. 

And by the way, I just want to make a quick note, I made a last-minute change. I read that from the New Living Translation, instead of the CSB because I felt like I wanted you to hear it in that translation. 

Now, let's pick up the apostle Paul. What he's saying here, to be crucified with Christ means that our old selves are bound by sin and the law and are put to death, and now Christ lives within us. This is not a mere metaphorical change. It is a real transformative shift in our identity and existence. Our generation, much like the generation of Paul's time, were tempted to find identity and worth in what they had done or what they could achieve or their possessions. But Paul invites us and them to look beyond our accomplishments and our failures, and to look to the grace of God, which offers us true life and freedom. In Christ our lives are not defined by our efforts or our failures, but by the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

As we meditate on the powerful truths of Galatians 2:20, the verses that we just read . . . In fact, I really want to tell you, if I could read the whole book to you, I would, because it's so good. It is so good from start to finish. But I want you to understand this, let us not only consider how God's Word and understanding the grace of God transforms our lives personally, but also let us consider how they drive us into the lives of others. 

With the gospel of grace, the same grace that has transformed us, it has hit square in the heart of our minds and transformed us into beautiful masterpieces of God's glory. That is the same grace that we should be ready for others to receive. God desires to use us as vessels to spread the good news of His grace to others. And now, practically, there are steps that we can take to do this to be active participants in God's work. 

First, we can trust fully in the sufficiency of God's grace for ourselves. And for others, God's grace is sufficient. We can also pray diligently for the salvation of others. And finally, and Gabrielle talked about these, we can be evangelists of the gospel. In doing so, we become active participants in God's mission to redeem the lost. God desires to use us to graciously redeem the loss. Are you ready to get on that mission field? Erin?

Erin: I am ready. Put me in, Coach. I don't want it to be said that I didn't fight for the next generation. Thanks for that word, Portia. I know how much you love Galatians. I love that God used it to transform your life as a young woman. So may He do that in many, many other lives. You stick around P., we're gonna pray for Joy here in just a minute. I want you to be a part of that. 

This is typically the point in the episode where we point you to a tool, and we say we want you to use it to stay grounded in the week ahead. And of course, we want you to stay grounded. But today, I want to take a little different approach. I want to remind you that you (see my finger pointing toward you in love?) are the tool God wants to use. Psalm 145: 4–6, let me just read it to you as I've got it right here in my Bible. Psalm 145: 4–6: 

One generation shall commend your works to another,
   and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
   and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
   and I will declare your greatness.

I love Gabrielle's perspective, to be a part of what the Spirit’s already doing. And the Spirit is calling the next generation to God. The Bible gives us this assignment: “declare the works of God to the next generation.” That doesn't give any qualifiers about what your family looks like, or what your job is, or what your giftings are. One generation declares your work to the next so your life Gabrielle said this. 

I felt deeply convicted by it. Your life sends a message to the next generation. Your prayers send a message to the next generation. Your commitment to loving . . . that's why. Your commitment to loving and living out God's Word sends a message to the next generation. Eyes are watching. Hearts are longing to live free. And so, instead of asking for a tool to help you impact others, why not take some time this week and pray for God to use you as that tool. You heard Gabrielle say to invite a young woman into your life and live authentically before her. That's the assignment. 

So, speaking of praying, as I mentioned at the top of the hour, we do want to take some time to pray for specific prayer request for Joy McClain. Joy McClain is an essential part of the Grounded team, almost always behind the scenes. We'd love to have her as a guest. But she leads the Grounded prayer team, and her granddaughter Layla is having a terrifying surgery today. I wanted you to see her face. Look at that sweet girl, just four months old. I believe she is having brain surgery to remove a very scary mass. And Joy, her name is accurate for who she is, her eyes are on Jesus. She is praying faithfully, but we are going to pray for her and for that sweet baby. 

I want to say the enemy of our souls hates the next generation. He would kill all of our children if he could. I'm not making that up. Scripture tells us that He came to kill and destroy. And yet we have great hope. We need to fight. We need to fight for the next generation in so many ways. And here in just a minute, we're going to fight for this sweet baby in prayer. 

Joy and I were texting about this just this weekend, as her family was getting ready to face this very intense trial. Joy said, “God is who He says He is. Through all the treacherous valleys He has requested I walked through, He has truly been my shepherd in every sense.” It makes me sad, happy, and inspired to read those words, because I know what they're walking through. 

So, Joy has labored in prayer for you. I mean, labored. She watches your comments. She knows what's going on in your life. She mobilizes the prayer team. She loves you. And she wouldn't say you owe her a thing, but I think it's time to do the same for her and to fight for the next generation for this sweet baby girl in prayer. 

So P., join me back on here. We're just going to put our hands towards the camera like we'd like to do sometimes on Grounded as our way of laying hands on sweet Layla and on Joy and on their family, and I'm gonna pray, 

Jesus be merciful. We pray that You would be merciful, and that this scary, scary procedure would go perfectly today. We pray that the entire mass would be removed from Layla’s brain. We pray that as she recovers, that You would give her comfort. We pray for her mama, her daddy, her brothers, and we pray for sweet Joy, who we love so so much. And as a freedom fighter herself, Lord, we pray that right now that Your Spirit would be like a quilt that wraps around her heart and her mind, 

Lord, we pray for this baby girl to be fully healed and that she would become a part of a generation that stands tall for You and Your Word. It's hard to trust You with these things. It's hard to understand why baby girls get tumors in their brains. But we know You're good, and we're going to lean hard into that today. So we pray to see You move today at the hands of the surgeon, that You would make this baby well. It's in Your name I pray, amen. 

I want you to keep praying for Layla. I want you to keep praying for Joy. I want your heart to be gripped by them today. That's one way you fight for the next generation. So, we'd love you, Joy. I don't expect you're watching this now. But maybe you'll catch it later. We'd love you. We stand with you, and we stand with that sweet baby granddaughter of yours. We look forward to hearing how God raises her up as she navigates this challenge. Portia.

Portia: What a good episode. 

Erin: Truly.

Portia: I mean, what good for God's glory. The comments have not disappointed. It's just they are locked in. They are locked in. And Janelle says this, “What a humbling question, ‘Where have we women over 40 failed our generation?’ We need to hear this, even if it hurts.” 

Erin: Yeah. Portia as Gabrielle said that, I know that I've showcased a version of Christianity that was works based and made me look good. I'm so glad she called us out on that. 

Portia: Yeah, Megan said this, “So good. Seeing Christianity really lived out like she talked about has been so helpful. We are all beggars looking for bread.” I’ve got one more. This is from one of our Grounded team members, Ashley. 

Erin: We love Ashley.

Portia: I know me too. She said, “As an old Gen Z-er, this was so good. There's hope for our generation yet. Don't give up on us.”

Erin: Ooh, let that be the exclamation point, ladies. “Don't give up on us.” Thank you, Ashley. Ashley is one of the voices you see in the comments for every episode of Grounded. She loves you. She loves the Lord. And so, they're out there, young women faithfully serving Jesus. They're out there. 

Well, thanks for being with us for this Grounded.It was a great episode, and we've got another one next week. Book nerds, next week are for you. Did you know that April's Christian book month? So the Good Book Mom will be with us. She's got a list of recommendations. Portia and I are bringing some recommendations of our own. And we're doing the biggest giveaway in Groundedhistory next week. So, we don't want you to miss it, with some insights about how to influence your local library too. So, it's gonna be a great episode. Don't miss it.

Portia: Absolutely. Let's wake up with hope together next week on Grounded.

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