Student Ministries Letter | September 2026
This summer I picked up a new hobby – electric guitar. Man, it’s fun! I’m having an absolute blast exploring tone-shaping and fretboard navigation.
One important concept I’m learning is how to make sure your electric guitar doesn’t get lost in the mix. When you’re playing on your own, it sounds amazing to create a huge guitar sound that fills the whole room. But when you’re playing with a band, that big sound competes with all the other instruments. As a result, you leave the sound guy with only two choices: leave the electric up, making everything sound muddy and chaotic, or turn it down so the vocals and other instruments can shine through.
What’s that got to do with Jesus? I’m so glad you asked.
There is nothing more important, exciting, inspiring, or life-giving than the gospel. It’s the best news every moment of every day. But for many of our middle and high school students, this incredible gospel can be experienced like that poorly balanced electric guitar on a Sunday morning. Big-picture, cosmos-sized theology can become background noise when we don’t help them connect it to their real-life experiences.
There are a lot of voices, influences, demands, and expectations competing for your child’s attention and affection. You and I cannot silence all those other instruments. But we can learn to preach the gospel to them in focused and intentional ways that cut through the mix and make a real impact.
Here’s the tool I want to put in your parenting and discipleship toolbox:
“What does the gospel say about that?”
Not just, “What does the gospel say?” or “Remember the gospel.” Rather: “How does the good news of Jesus bring hope, clarity, correction, and direction to this specific situation?”
On the car ride to school, in your bedside prayers, when they’re sharing something difficult or exciting, ask the Holy Spirit to give you the words your child needs to hear – the gospel hope that will cut through the mix and ring in their hearts like the intro to Sweet Child O’ Mine.
Let’s get better at sharing the good news of Jesus with our kids. We will hit a lot of wrong notes along the way. But with practice, and the Lord as our teacher, we will get better at helping the gospel cut through the mix.
PS — Let’s jam sometime. For real. On the guitar, the gospel, or both. 🙂
for the kingdom,
Ryan Carson
Pastor of Student Ministries
