Jake Kircher

More and more research is showing that many teens end up walking away from church, and possibly their faith, once they graduate from high school. How can we as parents help guide them in their faith so that it becomes personally meaningful and lasting? Based on his book, Teaching Teenagers in a Post-Christian World, Jake discusses some tools to help this process, things we can do to help our children develop a more meaningful faith and some of the factors that hinder this process.

Our priorities are going to dictate what we do and how we respond to life. So what are your priorities and do you really, actually care about the Jesus story?

When Paul prays that "our love may more and more overflow," what did he mean and what does that look like in our lives?

What is communion and why do we do it? We explore three different Bible passages and discuss.

When someone begins a relationship with Jesus, the churchy word for that is salvation; or being saved. But what does that actually mean?

What is prayer and how should we approach conversations with God?

Many people argue against Christianity and the Bible because they feel the Bible condones slavery. What does the Bible actually say about this issue? And is the slavery that is discussed in the Bible the same thing we faced in the 17th Century, or today?

Discussion at the Grace Youth Gathering on January 25th, 2015 by Youth Pastor Jake Kircher, Youth Director Raquel Welsh and Grace Church Elder Emeritus Marcus Asante. Does race, color and differences matter to God? If so, how? Should there be a difference in how you parent kids of different races? Or are their universal things that matter no matter what color you are?

The story of Jonah is one of those funky stories in the Bible that make some people discredit the entire Bible. A man being swallowed by a fish is certainly hard to believe. Is it possible that the story of Jonah is fictional though, and does that change anything about the Bible as a whole? Or is the story definitely historical?

What are the things that usually make you angry? Going deeper, WHY do those things make you angry? What can we learn about our anger from the story of Jonah?

Is the world better better or worse? And when you look at your future, are you fearful or hopeful?

How do we find out how God thinks about us and what does he actually think?

How we see ourselves is a crucial issue that dictates our ability to give and receive love to both God and others.

What does it really mean to be an adult? Being financially independent? Having a job? Having a GOOD job? According to some of the leading phycologists and sociologists, it really can be boiled down to one main thing. And unfortunately, the struggle to embrace that one thing dates all the way back to the Garden of Eden.

During our teen years, a lot is being done to plan for our future, pad our college resumes and figure out what we want to do with our lives. Where does Jesus play into this picture and would God ever ask you to do something you don't want to?

Technology is only going to more quickly develop and change. What does the Bible have to say about our technology use? We can actually learn a lot from rocks and bricks...

As James closes off his letter, he discusses the power of prayer. What exactly is prayer though and how do we handle James' seeming promise that if you ask for prayer when you are sick, you WILL be healed.

Is having money and lots of stuff a bad thing? James starts chapter 5 by warning the rich about their wealth. But what does the warning actually entail and who does it apply to?

What role should planning have in our lives as a Christ follower? And according to the Bible, is planning actually a bad thing?

What does it take to be successful? More so, does God view success in the same way that the world view success?