True followers in every generation

Okay, it was bound to happen. We heard from somebody between boomers and millennials. Actually, two somebodies. Two Gen Xers have written me feeling left out. This is good. That means there are at least two of you out there passionate about following the Lord. I’m sure I will hear from more.

It seems that I am not alone in forgetting Gen X. My research turned up the fact that CBS recently did a study on the generations and completely left them out. I dug up a few humorous comments about this since discovering I am not alone in this oversight.

“I’ll be honest, though one of the most famous songs of our generation is ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ from the movie The Breakfast Club, we don’t really care if you forget about us. Honest.”

Or this one: “Gen X was apparently out of the building during roll call, probably too busy taking care of an elderly parent while sending an Uber to an unemployed millennial child and arguing with a post-millennial about why the WiFi is so slow.”

But this is my favorite: “As a member of Gen X, I am 100% cool with being left out of this mess.” Now that should resonate with all of us.

Of course there are Gen Xers seeking Jesus in the marketplace as intently as any boomer or millennial ever will. These generational characteristics are full of gross generalities, but they do have some truth about them and mostly indicate major trends. And there will always be exceptions.

One of those Gen Xers is none other than our MemberPartner, John Shirk, who has been a BlogTalkRadio guest talking about his unique ministry using poetry slams to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has made amazing inroads into the bohemian enclave in inner city Chicago. That sounds like a bona fide Jesus Freak to me.

These two Gen Xers holding forth their faith in their generation remind me of the time Elijah called out to the Lord, “I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too” (1 Kings 19:14). To which the Lord replied, “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel — all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18).

Thankfully, God has His true followers in every generation. We may not always know about them, but they are there. An important thing to remember when we discuss these generational trends — and we will.