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The Messy Walk Podcast

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Walking with Jesus...every single day...is hard. The best word we know to describe it is...MESSY! Join Pastor Adam and co-host Stephanie Shelton every week as they approach the Christian walk with honesty, openness, transparency, and humor. You don't have to do this alone, and you don't have to pretend that you have it all together. New episodes drop almost every Wednesday.

256: Dear Church, Love Gen Z — Dear Church, Stop Trying So Hard to Be Cool
The Messy Walk Podcast
256: Dear Church, Love Gen Z — Dear Church, Stop Trying So Hard to Be Cool

Recent Episodes

Aug. 26, 2026

256: Dear Church, Love Gen Z — Dear Church, Stop Trying So Hard to Be Cool

As culture changes rapidly and churches' continue the unending pursuit of engagement with the people around them, it can feel like many pastors and spiritual leaders only want to chase trends to maintain relevance. However, the apostle Paul and the other early disciples of Jesus did not make eloquent speech or flashy antics the focus of their preaching because they knew that Jesus is the main attraction. Pastor Adam and special guest Olivea Cook maintain that an overemphasis on trends or looking
Aug. 19, 2026

255: Dear Church, Love Gen Z — Dear Church, We Don't Hate You

Between 1997 and 2012, a whole generation of people was born and named "Generation Z." Now, as Gen Z reaches adulthood, their lifestyle choices and perspectives differ from those of older generations in matters of daily life, social mindsets, and even faith. Pastor Adam is joined by his special guest and daughter, Olivea, to provide insight into the minds of older and younger generations and to tear down the overly simplistic assumptions made about Gen Z rejecting Christianity and the Church. *S
Aug. 12, 2026

254: Stop Borrowing Tomorrow — What If I Fail?

Many people put much of their identity in their performance, and with the stakes so high, the fear of failure is scarier than just about anything else. Unfortunately, if fear keeps us locked up, we will never try anything, and the outcome of staying safe is sad and disappointing. At the very least, giving in to fear of failure demonstrates a lack of faith. Pastor Adam and Steph attempt to unravel the confusion of what we do with who we are and assure us that failure is an event, but defeat is a
Aug. 5, 2026

253: Stop Borrowing Tomorrow — What If Everything Falls Apart?

We work so hard to build up what we have and keep our lives secure. If we could predict every event that happens to us, we would protect everything we could and maybe worry less. Sometimes we worry ourselves sick over what will happen in the future, fearing that all our efforts will crumble. Yet we cannot really know what will happen, and we do not have the control we so desire. Unforeseen circumstances will come, but the freeing truth of reality is that we were never meant to hold our own lives
July 15, 2026

252: Stop Borrowing Tomorrow — What If I Don't Have Enough?

One of the oldest fears in human history is this: What if I don't have enough? We all have real needs, we all want security, and we all have felt stressed about how to make sure we are not left empty-handed. This is not just an occasional concern—it's constant, and it does not discriminate among the poor, the middle class, and the wealthy. Only God can carry the weight of our security. Even as we are often convinced that contentment is just one purchase away, Pastor Adam and Steph once again red
July 8, 2026

251: Stop Borrowing Tomorrow — Why We Worry

Why are we carrying burdens God never asked us to carry? Most of us have a list of things we're worried about. In fact, we've become so accustomed to worry that we don't even recognize that we bring it with us everywhere we go. We dismiss our inner turmoil and fear as just part of being a responsible, realistic human being. Meanwhile, our culture is producing worriers at an unprecedented rate, driven by 24-hour access to news and social media, with the average person checking their phone hundred

Recent Blog Posts

Aug. 26, 2026

Why Gen Z Sees Right Through Cringe Church Marketing And What They Want Instead

When churches attempt to reach younger generations by adopting awkward slang, overly produced media moments, and desperate stylistic trends, they often achieve the exact opposite effect. In this post, you will discover why Gen Z craves raw honesty o…
Aug. 19, 2026

Why Gen Z Doesn't Hate the Church: Misconceptions vs Reality

Gen Z does not hate the institutional church; rather, they are often simply exhausted by performative religion and crave spaces where they can ask hard questions without judgment. In this deep dive, we explore why older generations frequently misrea…
Aug. 12, 2026

Separating Performance From Identity as a Christian Leader

When your entire self-worth is tethered to your latest accomplishment, every single misstep feels like an existential crisis. This comprehensive guide explores how high-achieving Christians can stop tying their personal identity to their daily perfo…