"There's a huge influx in younger people," said Brian Phelan. Specifically, guys in their 20s and 30s, who are taking a leap of faith and coming to church, like Carson Schmidt. "I feel like I've seen more of my friends be more curious about faith, and that's cool," Schmidt said.
Psychology researcher and professor Lisa Miller in her book The Spiritual Child explains that spirituality often increases in adolescence. The teenage brain has a larger gap between experiencing and interpreting than in adulthood. As a result, adolescents' feelings are strong, dramatic and oscillate more wildly than the playground swing you so recently used to push them on.
The people who never feel invisible? They're the ones asking questions. My buddy Frank is seventy-one. When his grandson talks about some video game, Frank doesn't say 'When I was your age, we played outside.' He asks, 'What do you like about it? How does it work?' And he actually listens to the answer.
Part of the answer lies in the visceral nature of the game. Unlike chess, football is physical to the point of absurdity. Grown adults in body armor crash into each other over what is essentially a leather egg. There's drama in every play. You don't need a PhD in physics to appreciate a one-handed catch while somersaulting over a defender like a caffeinated acrobat.
I noticed this shift in my own life when I started having dinner with my partner most nights, phones deliberately tucked away in another room. We made this change after too many evenings disappeared into "just checking one thing" that turned into hours of parallel scrolling. The difference was immediate and profound. Conversations went deeper. We actually looked at each other. Time seemed to stretch in the best possible way.
The Stasi, the secret police, were legendary for their data files. Their work was based on instilling fear, and they induced stunningly amazing numbers of East Germans into informing on their neighbors. Something along the lines of 1 in 6 East Germans were informants, whether out of fear or out of approval of what the East German government was doing.
More than 1,000 Jews, mostly in their 20s and 30s, from around the world united over the past week in New York City to share experiences, hear lectures, make connections and build bridges with relationships. They arrived, spending time in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, from places ranging from Montana to Miami; Brooklyn to Birmingham, Alabama; London to Taiwan; Australia to South America; Singapore, Estonia, France and all over the United States, finding similarities and solidarity in a post-Oct. 7 world.
The Stasi, the secret police, were legendary for their data files. Their work was based on instilling fear, and they induced stunningly amazing numbers of East Germans into informing on their neighbors. Something along the lines of 1 in 6 East Germans were informants, whether out of fear or out of approval of what the East German government was doing.
Younger people definitely laugh (even lightheartedly!) at the things older people tend to do, like napping, playing bingo, or eating dinner early. But recently, the BuzzFeed Community wrote in to share the "old person" habits they've adopted that actually make life way better - and it got such a great response that even more people shared habits of their own! So, from young and old alike, here are some "old person" habits that you might consider adopting for yourself:
Living with family as an adult is often framed as a "failure to launch," but navigating grief at home with my mom and younger sister helped me rethink growth. Living at home in my 20s wasn't easy at first, but after my dad died, living together became a lifeline that transformed my understanding of what adulthood truly means.
BBC Jodie was surrounded by smiling faces at her 21st birthday party, but most were people she had not known for more than a month. The party had been organised for her by the London International Christian Church - a Bible-based non-denominational church, according to their website - into which she had recently been baptised. She was told by her "discipler", or church mentor, she says, that she could not invite any friends from outside the church - only a handful of family members.
I consider my mom the crème de la crème of mothers. She was the involved kind; always pulling out crafts, baking cookies, and making you feel deeply loved. But as a grandma, she's the first to admit things haven't unfolded the way she imagined. I can't think of a time when my three kids, ages 2, 8, and 13, had my parents entirely to themselves.
You didn't just lose a husband-you also folded yourself into his family's grief and stood beside them through their darkest moments. Those ties don't simply disappear because life moves forward. Knowing that firsthand, I want to acknowledge the very human dilemma you are facing. You're balancing loyalty to someone who has been family for a long time with the commitment you are now making to a new partner. These are not simple emotional shifts. They require courage, clarity, empathy, and a whole lot of heart.
When I was eight, my grandmother taught me how to make her famous apple pie. But it wasn't really about the pie. Every Saturday afternoon, we'd stand side by side in her kitchen, her weathered hands guiding mine as we rolled out dough. She'd tell stories about her childhood, ask about my week at school, and somehow make me feel like the most important person in the world.
Recently, I was at a family gathering when I noticed something fascinating. My friend's grandmother, in her eighties, was completely surrounded by her adult grandchildren. They weren't just there out of obligation - they were genuinely engaged, laughing at her stories, asking for advice, and making plans for their next visit. Meanwhile, at another table, I watched a different grandmother sit mostly alone while her adult grandchildren stayed glued to their phones, offering only polite nods and forced smiles.
I have been in a prayer group for a few years now. I enjoy praying and discussing all the ins and outs of the Bible. However, even though spiritually it's enriching, the people are a bit 'meh' - they are a bit of a letdown.
One of the things I enjoyed most about this past holiday season was my mother's absence. From my childhood until I severed ties with her in my forties, Christmas with her was a torment. She had always excelled at humiliation, gaslighting, tirades, and other forms of emotional abuse. But these hardships felt even more acute during a season which extols the supportive family bonds my siblings and I never knew.
