WB 500
Welcome to the 500th new Wesley Bros Comic!
Baber ident 300
I made my first break into comics at the age of 13 in 1994. I was a winner of the Richmond Times-Dispatch youth comic contest. They were tired of old people making comics about teenagers, so they invited teenagers to write comics about ourselves. It was a fabulous growth and learning opportunity for me, and I made monthly comics for RTD for about 6 or 7 years. Now I’m a 42 years old youth pastor, and thought it would be ironic to make my 500th Wesley Bros about a middle-aged guy trying to relate to the next generation.
The great thing about working with Gen Z and Gen Alpha (yes, friends, we’ve already moved into yet ANOTHER generation, apparently), is that for all that is distinct and different about their culture and experience, they still want what all of us have always wanted: adults who care. You don’t have to speak the slang (no cap, bruh) or do the TikTok dance trends. In fact, it’s best if you don’t try. Teenagers want adults who don’t try to be kids. You just have to love them for who they are today. Take an interest in the things they are interested in, even if you don’t get it or like it yourself. You don’t have to like what they like. Showing the love of Christ is not about assimilation or uniformity. It’s seeing the beauty of the living Christ in your neighbor. And if they don’t see it yet in themselves, you love them in such a way that they may just start to find self-worth and feel that immense love of God for them, too.
Having just spent 2 straight weeks with my youth group through VBS and a youth choir tour, I find myself both exhausted AND renewed with hope at the love and joy I find in today’s youth. I am seriously entertaining the idea of making this week’s comic a summer series with John and Charles touring with a Glee-like Gen Z youth choir. If you have any great youth choir stories, send them my way and we’ll see if they inspire some future comics!