Ep. 005: YOU’RE MORE INFLUENTIAL THAN YOU THINK! w/ Farj Karimimir

Andrew Marcus:

Hey, this is Andrew Marcus from The INDOUBT SHOW. Today I get to sit down with Farj Karimimir, from Alpha Canada. Now listen, if you haven’t heard of Alpha, they are a fantastic ministry helping people literally all around the world encounter Jesus through a video series, with discussion time in a group. And also, they get to share a meal together, which is awesome. Who doesn’t like a free dinner? So, it’s such a great ministry. Farj is a part of Youth Alpha, and we get a chance to talk together about the importance that the role of a young adult has in the life of a youth. Now, if you’re a Gen Z, a youth, you are looking to young adults for role models and mentors. Are we aware of this reality? And if we are, are we doing what we can to help pave the way for the next generation to pursue holiness and godliness? Something to think about.

So no matter what age you are, however old you are, if you’re listening, there is always someone who is a bit ahead of you, and a little bit behind you. Which means, no matter what, there’s no excuse, where you find yourself on your journey, there’s a place where you can help someone, and you can also look to someone, for mentorship and wisdom. There’s no excuse. So one way we can share wisdom and godliness with this next generation is through our new premium, which is available for free for the month of March. So, you don’t want to miss it. I know with inflation, there’s nothing free these days. Well, there is something free for this month. It’s a book that we have as a resource to you. It’s called The GOOD NEWS. We walk through what the good news is.

And listen, it’s pretty easy to find a lot of bad news these days. It really surrounds us. The news on social media, everything you see on TV gravitates to usually the worst-case scenario. And that’s because the reality is, it sells. Bad news can even fill us in the form of complaint, pessimism and discouragement. We experience so much negativity, that we begin to feel like there’s no good news whatsoever. Well, the good news is, there is! This book points to the best news of all. It’s good news of hope and help for our souls, our longings, our communities, and the world we live in. It is encouragement that is global, and it is available, regardless of merit or resources. It has no price, no expiration date, which is amazing. It is authentic and trustworthy. It is the message from God, and it resides in the person of Jesus Christ.

So this book is a gift for the month of March. You can check it out at indoubt.ca. You’re invited to consider the good news of Jesus. Whether you are exploring for the first time, or you’ve been a seasoned believer, this book is for you. So, we encourage you to get it. You can check it out, again, on the website indoubt.ca. Or you can call the office, 1-800-663-2425. We’d love to hear from you, and we hope this book is a blessing to you. We’re going to jump into our interview now with Farj Karimimir, and we hope you enjoy it. All the best.

All right, we’re here with Farj Karimimir.

Farj Karimimir:

You got it.

Andrew Marcus:

Did I?

Farj Karimimir:

I don’t know.

Andrew Marcus:

Okay, so say it. Say it.

Farj Karimimir:

Karimimir.

Andrew Marcus:

Karimimir?

Farj Karimimir:

You’re speaking in tongues, now. Okay, maybe cut that out.

Andrew Marcus:

Do we have an interpreter in the room? Do we have an interpreter in the room? Oh, boy. Oh, that’s amazing. But bro, I’m so pumped to see you, man. Thank you so much, for being here. Farj and I go back. You’d think we don’t, because I can’t even say his last name properly, but we go back many, many years.

Farj Karimimir:

Many, many years.

Andrew Marcus:

But I just know him on a first name basis, clearly.

Farj Karimimir:

Double digits, right?

Andrew Marcus:

Double digits.

Farj Karimimir:

10, 12, 14?

Andrew Marcus:

Yeah, back in the glory days, man.

Farj Karimimir:

It was great.

Andrew Marcus:

I had hair back then. Now I have hair, but just in different places. It’s coming in… Anyways, I don’t want to talk about it. But yeah, we’re here today together, man, to just talk about life, talk about ministry, what you’re up to. Just the other day, I was sending you a message on Facebook, like, “Hey, give me your number, so I could text you, and then we can be in touch.” And then, he texts me and my phone said, “Farj,” and your phone said, “Andrew.” And then I find out you live like two blocks from my house.

Farj Karimimir:

It’s insane.

Andrew Marcus:

So it’s like 15 years, and there’s no excuse. We could have been best friends.

Farj Karimimir:

Divine appointment by God.

Andrew Marcus:

Man, it’s crazy. I’m so happy to see you, man.

Farj Karimimir:

Thanks for having me, man.

Andrew Marcus:

Fill me in, man. Fill me in on what’s happening in life. What are you up to? Because it’s been a long time. And just let our listeners know what’s going on.

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah. So I’m from the Vancouver area, West Coast, Best Coast. I live on the outskirts of Vancouver, to clarify, in Langley. But you know when you live out on the outside, but you’re still claiming Vancouver? That’s me, man.

Andrew Marcus:

It’s like when I used used to live in Surrey, and I never wanted to say I’m from Surrey. So I’m like, “Oh, I’m kind of like Langley border.”

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah. But I’m ashamed to be attached to that, I feel.

Andrew Marcus:

I know.

Farj Karimimir:

We’ll pray about that, later.

Andrew Marcus:

But I’m honoured, now. I made it. I made it out.

Farj Karimimir:

You made it out. It’s great.

Andrew Marcus:

It’s a big deal.

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah, I live in Langley, and I attend a church in Vancouver, and it’s been awesome. And what else? Yeah, I work for this organization called Alpha Canada. I work with our youth team, so that’s been about two years now. It’s been so much fun, Andrew. It’s been so great. It’s been a dream job of mine, honestly. I feel like I’m in my sweet spot, right now. And I get to… The best part, when people ask me, “What do you do for your job?” And I’m like, “To really put it truthfully, I just sit, and listen to young people, and work alongside youth pastors, and youth workers across Canada.” And it’s been a great joy. It gives me joy. I go home at the end of the day, and I’m like, “Man, I’m just so grateful.” I was just talking to a friend yesterday, and I’m like, “Man,” I just was telling them some of the stories God is doing across Canada. And just leaves me inspired. And thank God that I get to be part of this next generation rising up in Canada. So it’s huge, man.

Andrew Marcus:

That’s amazing, man. And what would your job description be, with Alpha Canada?

Farj Karimimir:

Title, it would be Alpha Youth Coordinator. So a lot of project management, helping out. We just released a new resource last year called, Life on Purpose. Four weeks, four episodes. So basically, it’s created as a launchpad for student evangelism, and for students to be sent on mission. We released that almost a year ago now, so that’s really exciting. So, I was helping a lot with that, just project manage, and just help quarterback that. So, that was a big project. That was probably one of my biggest projects that I got to be part of, right from the beginning. Because originally, I got hired on for a different role with Alpha, and then it transitioned to a full-time youth role.

And from time to time, just being able to be at different events, that’s huge. And kind of see different parts of Canada, and kind of see different ministry contexts. It’s so huge, because you see same heart, same mission, but the value is still there for everyone. Just like, “Hey, we want to see the next generation rise, and for them to go and share the gospel in their schools, on their sports teams, and so on.” So to put it short, it’s just really just listening to youth pastors, how we can also support them, when it comes to evangelism, and different tools and resources to take back to their youth ministries. And yeah-

Andrew Marcus:

That’s awesome, man.

Farj Karimimir:

It’s been huge, yeah.

Andrew Marcus:

Working with youth is super fun.

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah. So important, man.

Andrew Marcus:

It’s just so life giving. And I think about it all the time. I have two kids, one’s almost five, one’s almost two. And I have this window right now, where I’m a huge influence on their lives. And then I know that window’s short. And then, they’re going to grow up, they’re going to become a youth, and then I’m like the last person that’s going to influence them. So we’ll talk about that a little bit later, about the importance of a young adult in the life of a youth. But I just remember doing a lot of youth ministry at the church that we even were a part of in Langley together, back in the day. And it’s a huge… Ministry it’s super important.

Have you noticed a difference in the last few years? I know pandemic kind of stopped everything, and I guess you weren’t able to travel for a while, or do any kind of events and stuff. But do you see anything in the young people that maybe there’s anxiety, or things that have come up, where you’re hearing from youth pastors like there’s a big change within the youth ministries?

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah. In partnership with Barna, we just released a resource called The Open Generation, and that really gives us an invite to… I’ll talk about two resources. Actually, let’s just hop back a bit. I’ll talk about the resource that they previously released, called Reviving Evangelism in Canada. And it kind of talked about the next generation, the context in Canada, and what that looks like currently. And it kind of paved the landscape of the state of the union of the church in Canada, but also for the next gen. And it’s crazy, because they released a stat, saying 46% of Gen Z prefer to see faith in action, than just in words. And that’s huge. And I can go on a bit more.

But to dive a bit deeper into that, they really kind of showed us, “Hey, what does Gen Z really care about? Where’s some social stuff they care about?” So some of the stuff, it’s even mental health is one of the first things up there. Climate change, and just poverty. So, those things really matter to Gen Z. And then as Alpha and Barna, we’re just trying to see like, “Hey, what are some ways we can navigate to help with youth pastors and youth workers, to engage these kind of conversations with next generation, Gen Z, and just Gen Alpha even rising up, now?” So, that’s one of the tools.

And then we released just recently, in partnership with Barna again, and a few other organizations like World Vision and so on, it’s called The Open Generation. That just released in, I just want to say, maybe in October, this past year, in 2022. And it’s such a great tool. There’s so much insights and data to dive into. They did this research, and gathered data over 25,000 youth. So, it’s huge. They have a global report, but also one for Canada, too. Man, I just read through that, and I’m just so, at the same time, just encouraged by Gen Z’s heart for the Bible, for their friends to come know Jesus, but also their heart for evangelism and mission.

Also just for different issues, just injustice, racial injustice, climate change, and some of those things I’ve listed, mental health and so on. So man, for us, it’s just more so like, “Hey, how can we bring more awareness? How can we support youth pastors and youth workers in the work they’re doing?” So, Alpha’s never the hero of the story. We believe that youth pastors and youth workers are the heroes, and we’re just partnering with them, the work they’re doing, and just providing resources for them. So yeah, man, it’s huge-

Andrew Marcus:

That’s huge.

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah. Huge data that’s come out, and so much help. It’s helping me, in terms of like, “Man, how do I engage?” I’m part of a church in Vancouver. I’m helping out their youth ministry. And I’m just like, “Okay, this resource is there. It’s available.” I’m using it to inform myself, but also just how I engage with Gen Z, in conversations and so on. So yeah, great booklet out there.

Andrew Marcus:

That’s huge. And I think it’s so important for the young adults who are listening, right now. You kind of mentioned youth pastors, youth workers, these are the heroes. And it’s for the young adults who are watching or who are listening right now, you play a huge role in Gen Z. Like I said, I have my kids for just a moment to be an influence, but young adults have a long window, a big window of time to really invest in this next generation. I think it’s important to use these tools, find out ways to equip yourself, so that you could be a blessing to this next group. Get involved in a youth group. Are you involved in a youth group in Vancouver? Is that what you were saying?

Farj Karimimir:

I am, yeah.

Andrew Marcus:

Of course, it’s probably huge for you.

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah.

Andrew Marcus:

The one thing that’s really hard about youth ministry are the ice breakers. Sometimes, I just leave the room. I used to leave them. I’m like, “I’m not going to drink that poison. Are you kidding me?”

Farj Karimimir:

I feel you. I’m not the biggest games guy. Even just friends now, they’re like, “Oh, we want to play cards.” I’m like, “Yeah, I think my mom’s calling me.” I’m holding the phone upside down. Just on purpose, joking around, I’m like, “I think I got to go.” But no, it’s-

Andrew Marcus:

So that’s probably hard for you, then. Youth ministry, bro, it’s like you got to be into the games.

Farj Karimimir:

Honestly-

Andrew Marcus:

And the weird ones, that are very uncomfortable. Could you think… I’m going to put you on the spot, of a game that you’ve done at youth, where it’s like, “This is terrible. I feel very uncomfortable”? Because I can think times.

Farj Karimimir:

I wasn’t there recently, but I know a friend in youth ministry, he’s a youth pastor, and he just recently had to get his legs waxed. And I’m like, “Lord, I would never want to be that guy.”

Andrew Marcus:

Was he generally a pretty hairy man? Because if I had to get my legs waxed, I’ll tell you, it would really hurt.

Farj Karimimir:

Honestly, when I saw the before and after photos, I was like, “Wow, I did not know you’re that hairy.”

Andrew Marcus:

Oh, gosh. See, that doesn’t seem like an icebreaker.

Farj Karimimir:

No.

Andrew Marcus:

I feel like icebreakers, you get to know somebody. It’s like, “How am I going to get to know someone, while waxing their legs?”

Farj Karimimir:

True. That’s not an icebreaker.

Andrew Marcus:

That’s not an icebreaker.

Farj Karimimir:

I should clarify, icebreakers…. Yeah. When it comes to icebreakers-

Andrew Marcus:

But no, but it’s true though, because that’s all they do though. They do the fun game.

Farj Karimimir:

They’re not crazy fun. They pump the kids. They come up front. You don’t know where you’re signing up for.

Andrew Marcus:

Oh, that’s the one thing that I was nervous about.

Farj Karimimir:

And then as a youth leader, if you get called up, you go up-

Andrew Marcus:

You have to.

Farj Karimimir:

You don’t… You have to.

Andrew Marcus:

They are looking up to you. You can’t just back it.

Farj Karimimir:

No, people are calling your name.

Andrew Marcus:

It’s game over, man.

Farj Karimimir:

They’re championing you. You have to go up. So yeah, so many different games. We got a game here today, right, you were telling me that we’re going to do?

Andrew Marcus:

We got a game here, and I’m not going to wax your… We’re going to wax his legs today, actually. Are you okay with that?

Farj Karimimir:

I’m not okay with that. My heart low-key just dropped for a brief second.

Andrew Marcus:

Okay, so we’re not going to wax your legs. But I’ve seen the weird concoctions, where they make drinks and try to get people to drink. And I’m like, “I’m not going to drink poison for the Lord.”

Farj Karimimir:

McDonald’s in a blender.

Andrew Marcus:

Oh, yeah. Terrible, man. Did you do that?

Farj Karimimir:

Once.

Andrew Marcus:

Really?

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah, we survived. We’re out here to tell the story.

Andrew Marcus:

We’re out here to tell the story. He made it.

Farj Karimimir:

I made it through. Survivor.

Andrew Marcus:

Survivor. Oh, you should have a shirt, “I survived a blended burger, a blended Big Mac. I’m a blended Big Mac survivor.” But, I didn’t like the waxing, I didn’t like the drinks. I didn’t like the blender stuff. Yeah, I didn’t like the getting dumped with some kind of liquid, and get all wet. We’re not going to get you wet. We’re not going to wax your legs. We’re going to play a game that I think is not… It’s not going to be invasive. You’re feeling okay?

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Andrew Marcus:

I feel your lip is quivering a little bit.

Farj Karimimir:

No, I’m great.

Andrew Marcus:

We’re going to play Still Small Voice. Now, Still Small Voice… I’m going to get you to get those headphones. Very similar to Jimmy Fallon, with the Whisper Challenge. We just basically took the Whisper Challenge, and we baptized it, and now it’s called Still Small Voice. But we’re going to play some music that’s pretty loud. But it’s gospel music, so don’t worry.

Farj Karimimir:

Come on, Phil Wickham, or something like that.

Andrew Marcus:

So, we’re going to place some music pretty loud. You’re not going to be able to hear me, but you have to read my lips.

Farj Karimimir:

All right.

Andrew Marcus:

So, I don’t know if you’re good at reading lips.

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah.

Andrew Marcus:

So, I’m going to say a couple things-

Farj Karimimir:

We’ll try.

Andrew Marcus:

And you’re going to see it, so we’re going to go for it. Here it is, still Small Voice, to get to our youth games that are Godly. That sounds loud. Are you ready? Can you hear me? You can’t hear me right now? No, you can’t. Okay, you’re shaking. Okay, so here’s the first one. Alpha is a nine-week series. Alpha is a nine-week series.

Farj Karimimir:

All right, go again.

Andrew Marcus:

Alpha is a nine-week series.

Farj Karimimir:

Wow.

Andrew Marcus:

Okay. I’m going to say one word. Alpha. Alpha. The music is so loud.

Farj Karimimir:

After.

Andrew Marcus:

Alpha.

Farj Karimimir:

All right. The first one I thought you said, “How many cheeseburgers did you have?”

Andrew Marcus:

Oh, gosh. Alpha is a nine-week series.

Farj Karimimir:

Oh, man. I’m sorry.

Andrew Marcus:

He’s terrible at it. He’s terrible. I’m going to do another one.

Farj Karimimir:

All right.

Andrew Marcus:

You better get this one.

Farj Karimimir:

Did you say another one?

Andrew Marcus:

Okay, yeah. He better get this one. If he doesn’t get this one, this is bad. He could lose his job. All right. Nicky Gumbel. Nicky Gumbel.

Farj Karimimir:

Cup holder. Teacups.

Andrew Marcus:

Nicky Gumbel.

Farj Karimimir:

Aw, man. I give up.

Andrew Marcus:

Okay, last one. Christian faith. Christian faith. Christian faith.

Farj Karimimir:

Long faith. Reaching faith.

Andrew Marcus:

Christian faith.

Farj Karimimir:

Great faith. Life and faith.

Andrew Marcus:

Last time. Christian faith.

Farj Karimimir:

We should quit this game.

Andrew Marcus:

Okay. Yeah, we quit. That music, if you can hear that, that’s pretty loud.

Farj Karimimir:

That is loud.

Andrew Marcus:

Okay. So the first one was-

Farj Karimimir:

Low-key made me anxious.

Andrew Marcus:

Low-key. Let’s talk about mental health. First one was, “Alpha is a nine-week series.” That was the first one. The second one was, “Nicky Gumbel.” You had to get that one, man.

Farj Karimimir:

Oh, man.

Andrew Marcus:

And you said, “Teacups. Little teacups.”

Farj Karimimir:

Nicky will be disappointed.

Andrew Marcus:

So Nicky, if you’re watching… Yeah, he’ll be pretty upset. Third one was, “Christian faith.” You got, “faith.”

Farj Karimimir:

I got, “faith.”

Andrew Marcus:

But you were like, “Great faith. Great faith.”

Farj Karimimir:

“Reaching faith.” I was just going off.

Andrew Marcus:

“Reaching faith.” You were reaching. Okay, so we didn’t get you wet, we didn’t wax you-

Farj Karimimir:

Praise God.

Andrew Marcus:

But we played. Yeah, praise God. Let’s continue. Specifically, I want to talk a little bit about… We have a lot of young listeners, young adults. What would you say the role of a young adult in the life of a youth?

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah, I think it’s so pivotal. I’m just going to make it a bit more personal, here. I just think about the leaders of my life, when I was a teenager in high school, and what a huge impact they had over my life. Man, I can list stories after stories. I remember there was a moment when, man, I did not want to go to youth. It was just one of those nights. It was a Tuesday night. I did not want to go. I just came home, had a bad day at school. And I remember my youth pastor texting me, he’s like, “Hey, are you coming out tonight?” And I was just like, “Oh, probably not.” And he texted me again, closer to the time, “Are you coming tonight?” And I was like, “Oh, I don’t feel like coming out.” And I think I might have invited him, in terms of what was happening, and what I was feeling and stuff.

And I just remember he sent out probably four youth leaders, right to my house. They walked over, for like seven minutes. I used to live so close to the church. They walked over, picked me up, and came to church. And honestly, I just remember as… I would’ve been probably grade 9 or 10, and I was just like, “That meant a lot to me.” I didn’t say anything to them, in that moment. But I was just like, “Man, this is special.” Four youth leaders that I loved dearly, they came and picked me up, and walked to youth. So, that was huge.

And then there’s other stories about, when I was just playing hockey, and my youth pastor came with just a cardboard box. He had just gotten a new MacBook, so he just basically ripped it off, and just made a sign out of it. It was pretty nice. So he brought it out, and he brought like… I’m not kidding, Andrew. He brought in probably 10 youth leaders, and I just had this little mini fan base on the little corner, at an ice rink in Vancouver. And I was just felt like… Yeah. I just felt like, “Man, I feel so loved, right now.”

So that being said, man, I just look back at stories, after story, and story, and I’m just thinking about youth leaders, and all the young adults that were just involved in my life. And I just remember, man, they were there, they were present, they were listening, they were loving me. And I just look back. It’s been huge. Even my youth pastor. My youth pastor, you know Ben Woodman, he was my youth pastor.

Andrew Marcus:

Yeah, amazing guy.

Farj Karimimir:

Amazing guy, yeah. And even just last week, we’re just catching up. We’re talking on the phone. We’re on the phone for about an hour or so, I want to say. But I’m just like, “Man, I’m just so grateful that I still have that relationship there.” I’m still calling my youth pastor. He’s still my youth pastor, to this day. And I’m like, “Man.” The positive that he put into me as a young person, I’m just seeing the fruit out of it, even now. So, it’s huge. Even just to see the tables come to full circle, and we get to even… At some point, we got to work a bit on few projects, on certain Alpha projects. So, that’s been huge. And I just see God’s grace over that. It’s been huge in my life, and I’m just so grateful for it.

So that being said, I think when it comes to young adults being involved in the local church, and being involved in youth ministry, it’s just so important, I think. The role and influence that you have into a young teenager is huge. I think it just brings impact, right away. I think sometimes for youth ministry, we’re looking for leaders just more outspoken, or just like extroverts-

Andrew Marcus:

Outgoing.

Farj Karimimir:

Outgoing and all that jazz. But I’m like, “Man, over time, I’m just looking for faithful leaders, people that are just committed to youth ministry, people that are just believing in the next generation.” That is huge. You don’t need a flashy person to come in, or anything like that. You’re just looking for faithful leaders. And I think the leaders that I had in my life, there weren’t flashy. They were just faithful leaders. Some of them happened to be introverts. I’m an extrovert. So, just the dynamic of that. It was sometimes interesting, but I knew I was loved, and I knew I was cared for. I knew that I could call someone, no matter any time, and they would listen to me. I could bring my questions to them, and they would answer them, and answer it with love. I think there’s that connecting point.

It’s just like I heard someone say this, is that, “Connect before you correct.” And I think I really had those leaders in my life, that they connected with me, before they corrected things in my life. So I think when it comes to a life of someone in a youth… If there’s a young adult that’s listening right now, and just not really serving in any church ministry role or whatever that looks like, I highly encourage you to check out a youth ministry at a church, if your church has it. Or another church that might have it, and just help out with their youth ministry. Because the next generation is so important. They’re the ones that are going to be setting the culture.

And I think sometimes, when it comes to young people, we look down at them. And I think 15 year old Jimmy, he’s a world changer. Because man, he’s going to be setting the culture. He’s the future of the church. So what does it look like to put all our investment into Jimmy, 15 year old Jimmy? And I look at youth leaders who have done that, over time. It’s huge. One of my goals, Andrew, is this, is that, man, I’d be able to walk through a grocery store, and be a student… One of my students that I got to disciple, and see him with his wife and his kids. Man, that’s discipleship, right there. And you see him raising his family, and that their kids are just followers of Jesus. That will just warm my heart.

Andrew Marcus:

That’s huge, man.

Farj Karimimir:

That’s the prayer, that’s the goal. And I think just young adults being involved, I think it’s huge. And if the young adult is just not attending a church… I don’t know. I feel like, let’s kind of say this, but I just want to encourage you. Because I know there’s been friends in my life, and just other people, that sometimes we just attend a place, but not serve. So, I just want to say this. Don’t be a guest at your home church. Be involved, host well, lead well, serve well. I think it will just bless the church. But also, it will really bless you. I think there’s something really special about serving. It’s giving your time, your resources, your money, and all that kind of stuff. It’s an investment. And why we do that in investment? So that other people could come and encounter Jesus, in such a profound way. So man, this is what we love, and it’s what we do.

Andrew Marcus:

It’s huge, man. And I really like how you even just shared a few of your stories, where some youth leaders, young adults, came to your house to get you, when you just did not want to go to youth, or the hockey sign. It’s like sometimes we think we need to do some crazy thing, to show love, and to just kind of help a young person. But, those are simple things.

Farj Karimimir:

100%.

Andrew Marcus:

They were just present. So just encouraging you, if you’re watching, you don’t have to be extroverted. Like you said, you don’t have to be introverted. Whatever you are, doesn’t matter about personality, doesn’t matter about anything. It’s just being present and showing that you care, I think speaks volumes to a lot of youth. So, I think it’s important to do that. And it’s cool to see the fruit of that in your life. That’s so cool, man.

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah, it’s huge.

Andrew Marcus:

Before we wrap up, remind me some resources that you mentioned before, and any other resources that you think would be really helpful for our listeners.

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah, I think I love-

Andrew Marcus:

To even help us understand the next generation.

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah. I love Barna stuff. They have been a huge help. Even just me, just reading… There’s some of the research that we got to be part of. The data they’ve pulled, it’s huge. Yeah, I highly recommend checking that out. There’s so many resources out there. I know Fuller Institute, they’ve got some brilliant resources out there for youth leaders, but also youth pastors involved. So those are some of the stuff that I highly recommend, right now. The Open Generation, by Barna, and Reviving Evangelism in Canada, both by Barna. They’re huge, so check them out.

Andrew Marcus:

Yeah, that’s awesome. And check out Alpha Canada, for youth. Youth has a specific… They have their specific thing. Didn’t Ben and Jason do it together?

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah, we have the current Alpha Youth series, that we released in 2013. And we just released a refresh, where we featured some couch conversations of some students. So, we replaced the street interviews with some couch conversations with Gen Z.

Andrew Marcus:

Oh, that’s cool.

Farj Karimimir:

Yeah, we just updated that segment, and some of the resources that come with it for leaders, and just table hosts and stuff like that. But yeah, that’s one of our resources. But we also have the Life on Purpose, which I mentioned earlier. It’s a four-week series, four episodes. Highly recommend that. I recommend starting off with Life on Purpose, and then diving into the Alpha Youth series.

Andrew Marcus:

That’s awesome, man. I appreciate you spending so much time. Thanks so much for tuning in for this interview. Farj, you’re such a gift, man. Such a blessing to all those around you. And just remember-

Farj Karimimir:

Thanks for having me.

Andrew Marcus:

And remember, young adults who are watching, you are more influential than you think. I think it’s just really important to know that you have purpose to pour into these young people, who are desperate for mentors, desperate for direction, wisdom, all that kind of stuff. So, don’t just shy away. Be involved in your local church, and they need you. The next generation needs you. So thank you so much for all you’re doing, man god bless you, and we just appreciate you spending some time with us.

Farj Karimimir:

Thanks for having me, man.

Andrew Marcus:

Awesome, man.

Hey, thanks so much for joining us today. For more great content, check out THE INDOUBT SHOW on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you stream your podcasts. We hope you enjoyed it today. Feel free to check out indoubt.ca. We have some great resources available to you. Have an awesome day.