Welcome to the first edition of a new column for The Cross Timbers Gazette. I hail from an editorial background but I may be familiar to some from my business, my jaunt with the City of Highland Village or my enthusiastic personality at church. My momma has always told me, “You’re not loud, sweetie, your voice just carries!” I figured, if it does — I might as well say something good.
I fit in that narrow gap between Millennial and Gen Z, I’ve heard us described as the ‘Zoomers,’ I believe an apt description for us. By the way, to readers who notice my love of the em dash, I feel I must clarify a gripe of mine — the use of em dashes is not an immediate indication of ChatGPT. It is a common grammatical mechanism used commonly for editorial and academic writing, and as a person with ADHD, a necessary device for my shiny-object-fueled rabbit trails.
Those who knew me in my high school years would describe me in a completely different way as people would describe me now. I think a lot in our generation could resonate with that statement — our generation really was thrust into a completely different world than our parents or even older siblings.
That said, there is a lot for us Zoomer’s to hang our hats on, and a lot I think older generations don’t realize. We are leading a quiet resurgence when you look at us by the averages — the lowest amount of total credit cards, most frequent annual church attendance, and the most precipitous decrease of alcohol consumption rates across all generations.
I point all that out to say that we are by far the most hungry generation, and that gumption — if pointed towards good — is a real asset for our community, our churches and our economy. Needless to say, myself and a great deal of us are proud, but nowhere near finished. Some of the loudest voices I’ve heard in any church I have walked into are from our ministers-in-training, young adult ministry leaders and the 18-28 year old base of congregants in general.
Biblical mercy and embodying a servant’s heart has been something hammered into all of us from a young age, but it seems our generation is taking the instruction literally. I went on a date recently — don’t laugh, this is a big step for me. We didn’t do the whole run around with fancy dinner and red roses, instead opting to volunteer with each other.
Zoomers, if you haven’t yet done this as a date, I can’t recommend it enough. Aside from the altruistic benefit of uplifting the community, it’s cheap as well as a great way to see your partner’s heart and how they show compassion.
Servant leadership is an important concept — regardless of your faith background — and one I hope all of us in Denton County can wear proudly. Frankly, when our community is great, I can point it squarely at those who make it their cross to bear — and what fuels my hunger is creating opportunities for all of us to show it more.
Now that our generation is graduating college — we are clawing for our place in the world. That strength — not just to fit into a system or community, but to actively change it for the better is a massive cross to bear. It’s one Goliath I’ve seen our generation stand up to bravely and with full confidence. For me, my way was to start a business and preach the Gospel. For others, it’s to plant their roots in this very special community we have created for ourselves.
And therein lies a great lesson for all of us. When we are called to show mercy, it’s very literal — after all, mercy without action is just mute compassion. To those who follow in Christ’s message, I cannot understate how important this is — it’s the heart of The Beatitudes before The Sermon On The Mount.
But to anyone who calls Denton County home, I could argue it doesn’t matter what it looks like — if it’s spreading the Gospel, providing for other’s needs through volunteering or even within your very own marriage — mercy and intentional action is how we grow. More than that, it’s how we’re remembered — my philosophy is ‘get started early!’
Be a servant. For you, for your community, for your relationship. See y’all next month.
