Homegrown High School Ministry

"A high-school administrator, youth pastor, and a trauma counselor walk into a podcast studio" sounds like the making of a bad joke, but no funny business here! Well, maybe a little funny business...

Assistant Principla Dr. Marla Cobb, youth pastor Sean Musgrove, and trauma counselor and youth leader Jenn Hand share their unique perspectives working with high-schoolers. This interview took place on October 20th, 2024.

When you're a family of eight, the father's a pastor, and your six kids are scattered across various public, private and home school settings, you'd think the opportunity for Satan to seed division, jealousy and rebellion would be ripe...

...and yet, the Alfords are as united as they come. Through questions about dating, "siblingship," school, and expectations, listen to how the Lord has guided them every step of the way.

Only a few months separated living on the "front lines" as high-schoolers to working on the "front lines" in ministry. Were they ready for the shift, and what is it like leading in the church as a teenager?

Special guests: Brayan Ramirez, Co-Leader of the Middle School Community Group, and Keylon Plemons, Worship Co-Leader at The Greenhouse.

We kick-start a brand new season of "Homegrown" as we leave Injection behind and move to a new season, The Front Lines, where we talk to those who are on the, you guessed it, "front lines" of teenage life: high-schoolers, college kids, parents, youth pastors, guidance counselors, etc.

In this episode, we ask four high-schoolers:

1. What are 3 things you experience that adults aren't fully aware of?

2. What are 2 things you think about more than anything else?

3. What is the biggest question you're still wrestling with in your personal walk with Jesus?

"Lord, let this season be beneficial to anyone who's invested in the next generation of Jesus-followers!"

Why are the worst people I know Christians? If their God is like them, I want no part of Him or His religion!

The Injection series comes to a close as we take on this final "Q." Todd Humbert (pastor of The Greenhouse church), Chase Toomey (music director at Greenhouse and math teacher at MCHS), Wendy Cook (youth leader at Relentless church), and Henry Cook (sophomore at MCHS) all hop on the episode to discuss what we can do as the church to keep from pushing non-believers further away from Jesus and instead bring them CLOSER to Him.

This week, Julia Erman shares with us her experience with the character of Q4: "The Confusing God," which asks the question(s), "Why does God allow us to hurt? Doesn't He love us? Why doesn't He intervene?"

If you've ever wrestled with the paradox of God's goodness/omnipotence and our struggle/suffering, we pray you find this episode both encouraging and helpful.

Have you heard before / have you thought before: "Isn’t science disproving God, or the need for one? Haven’t advances in the biosciences revealed answers to questions that we previously thought only 'God' could answer?"

Man. This can feel like such a stalemate: a spiritual God vs. a material science. But we hope you see through our conversation it's not a battle at all, and it never has been.

"Homegrown" takes a turn away from Injection this week to talk with Logan Kerr, a current Advisor of the UTK Ambassador Program and a previous Admission Counselor at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville (and she also just happens to be Erick's sister). Logan offers advice to college applicants followed by her observations of "faith on campus."

Welcome back to the Homegrown Podcast! In this episode, we sit down with Jenn Hand and one of our CGers, Lizzy Alford, and discuss Q2 ("The Brutal God"), as well as some fun convo on the Enneagram.

Hop in to Episode 2 of the Homegrown Podcast to dive deeper into the Injection series and hear the breakdown of Q1 - "The Exclusive God:" Can't we just believe in all the gods - all the religions? Can't they all be pointing to the same "God"?

Let's discuss!