Teaching them to leave and lead.

my people

Here’s what we aren’t going to talk about: the fact that a handful of college students I deeply love are graduating in a few weeks and leaving Nashville.

I can’t. Someone mentioned it Sunday at the Vandy baseball game right before we took this picture and I was a puddle before the sentence was even done. So I had to dry it up for this framer. Crazy kidz.

In the last few weeks, one conversation has dominated all my time with college students: what is next. Whether it is graduation or summer plans, jobs or songwriting or finals or relationships, there is a light cloud of stress and worry floating over them all.

But for the five or six graduating seniors? It’s a big thing.

Last week, I was lucky enough to get my paws on a copy of The Catalyst Leader by Brad Lomenick and no kidding [I am totally not getting paid to say this], I feel like it speaks to exactly what these students are going through. Thanks to a lot of airplane time last weekend, I got to read the book and I can’t tell y’all how many times I thought, “oh, the boys need to read this.” or “yes, I’m giving this to her before she moves to DC.”

I emailed Brad and said, “Dude. I’m getting this book for every college senior on the globe.” To be fair, I’m actually not doing that because it would be expensive but I really think this book is that good and relevant.

Being in college ministry must be some tiny degree like being a parent- knowing you are meant to love them smack to pieces while also preparing to let them go and hope they leave well and lead well where they end up. It’s weird. But I am grateful for resources like this that make me feel like I’m giving my little birdies a parachute before pushing them out of the Nash-nest.

My plan is to take advantage of all this free jazz that is being offered because that is a lot of really great stuff to resource the students as they prepare to lead in the worlds they are entering. If you have any college graduates in your life, or young leaders, I cannot tell you how valuable I think The Catalyst Leader would be for them. I learned a ton reading it myself and look forward to talking about it with some friends who have read it.

Pray for those you love who are graduating this spring. Pray for those who do ministry to them too. My eyes are on the verge of tears now just thinking about my daily life without these seniors. When my sophomore small group graduates in two years?

Obviously I will lock them in my basement and never let them leave.

JUST KIDDING. Probably.

. . . . .

What’s the best advice you’d give brand new college graduates?

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