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In this episode of Wake Up, Look Up, Zach tackles the growing crisis among young men in America, prompted by alarming statistics shared in the Wall Street Journal. Zach discusses how men aged 25-34 are increasingly disengaged, with many unemployed, living at home, and struggling with mental health. He emphasizes that this issue isn't just a societal problem but also a church problem, as these men are not developing into leaders or strong partners for marriage. Zach calls on older men in the church to mentor and disciple younger men, inspiring them to live with purpose and meaning, and points to Jesus as the ultimate answer to this crisis.
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What is Wake Up, Look Up?
Check out new episodes of our daily podcast, Wake Up, Look Up, with Zach Weihrauch as he interprets what's happening in our world through the lens of the gospel.
[Applause]
[Music]
hello everyone thanks for listening to
wake up lookup a podcast where we
connect events happening in real time to
the Gospel of Jesus Christ I'm Zack
wrock in today's episode we are asking
for somebody to save young men this is
prompted by an article that was in the
Wall Street Journal this week with
devastating news as to the reality of
where young men in America are now for
the purpose of this conversation the
definition of a young man is a man
between the ages of 25 and 34 so kind of
that young adult age group an age group
where life really uh historically has
kind of started to happen beginning your
career you're beginning a family not So
Much Anymore let me lay some stats on
you of men in this age group uh
currently in America only 89% of them
are working now these are prime working
years it means 11% of men in the early
stages of their career are not working
at all it's about
700,000 less than that number should be
also 20% of them are one in every five
are living at home with mom and dad
8.6% of men in this age range are
unemployed and not in school and not in
training meaning they aren't doing
anything uh actually young men in this
age group just in general spend on
average 6.6 hours a day non-sleeping
hours totally alone two-thirds of men in
this age group say that nobody knows
them very well and that the suicide rate
in this age group is up
30% since 2010 in other words whether we
realize it or not one of the most
significant problems in our country is
young men being unfulfilled not working
not having families not providing for
those families being mentally and
emotionally unhealthy you might even
know this personally if you're a man in
this age group or have a family member
who's in this age group this is a
problem by the way it's not just a
problem in our country it's a problem in
our church because after all young men
in this stage are not developing into
the leaders that we need them to develop
into they are also not becoming marriage
material at least not healthy marriages
so that increasingly even if you're a
young woman and none of these stats
apply to you you go looking for a man
who you think is worth marrying and
they're harder and harder to find this
is a tremendous problem it is also by
the way our problem and by that I mean
it's the local Church's problem we have
to take seriously that no one else is
coming along to save young men it is our
work and by the way I have in mind
mostly here older men the Bible is full
of admonition for Old Men to shape
younger men older women to shape younger
women there's a generational burden that
exists in the church for one generation
to shape and disciple the one after it
and we need to get busy doing that guys
when you hear those stats I know what
you're thinking you're thinking what a
lazy generation when I was that age I
was already doing this I already had
that listen even if that's true let's
set that aside for a minute and say hand
ringing gets us nowhere pointing a
finger gets us nowhere we got to roll up
our sleeves and begin to get in the
lives of these young men to inspire and
motivate them to live lives of meaning
and purpose it is our responsibility
also if you are a young man in this age
group listen you can't sit around
waiting for meaning and purpose to find
you get busy chasing the things that God
has told us bring meaning and purpose to
life find a role in the Kingdom begin to
take seriously your faith share your
faith find a job and do it to the glory
of God whether you find it personally
fulfilling or not part of what's
paralyzing young men in this generation
I think is this idea that every job or
every relationship has to be this life
defining satisfying experience listen
making friends having a job meeting a
girl getting married these things are
messy they're hard they're difficult and
also wonderful and often times you got
to push through the difficulty to get to
the really great part and then parents
we have to move this for the Next
Generation if you're raising a teenage
son start taking seriously the work of
making sure he does doesn't end up here
in 10 years have conversations about
work about relationships about sacrifice
about service about meaning and purpose
cast a vision challenge him to live a
life worth living listen young men being
unhealthy I believe inven means everyone
is unhealthy so let's begin to pray
let's begin to disciple let's begin to
parent and let's move the needle on this
issue help isn't coming from outside but
it doesn't have to because the answer to
who will save young men is Jesus Through
the work of the local church hey thanks
so much for watching this video while
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