In this special back-to-school episode of Every Day Matters, Pastor Jeff welcomes his youngest daughter, Kate, a senior at Centennial High School, for a candid conversation about growing up in a pastor's home and navigating faith in public school. Kate shares her testimony of trusting Jesus at age seven and reflects honestly on the pressure she felt in middle school to appear perfect, along with the lie that people only valued her because of her dad. Over time she has learned that her relationship with God does not depend on performance, and that the church community around her has become one of the greatest gifts of her life.
Kate opens up about what it looks like to shine her faith daily among friends who do not share it, from praying with a classmate in chemistry to inviting people to church even after repeated no's. She talks about serving across multiple ministries at Rolling Hills, from preschool to student worship, and how that consistent involvement has shaped her confidence and prepared her for the eight international mission trips she has taken to the Amazon and Moldova. She also shares how her cookie business, Baked to Decorate, grew out of a desire to fund those trips and now helps her sponsor a child overseas, turning a simple hobby into a way to point people back to Jesus.
Jeff and Kate close with practical encouragement for parents and students alike: stay consistent in church, build godly friendships on purpose, and let daily time with God shape how you show up everywhere else. Kate's story is a fresh reminder that faith was never meant to stay inside the church walls. It grows in classrooms, cookie orders, and everyday conversations, proving once again that every day really does matter.
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