Finding your Yes to God as a Young Adult

Finding your yes to God as a young adult is not always a dramatic moment. Sometimes it starts at a line dancing night. Jim sits down with David James, a 24-year-old Mission Service Associate at Heritage retreat center in Sharon, Georgia, who is weeks away from entering the Catholic Church at Easter Vigil. A former Baptist from South Carolina, David shares how frustration with a Sunday social culture, a Catholic young adult community, and 210 acres of sacred Georgia ground became the unlikely path to his yes. His story is a compelling window into why young adults today are turning toward the Catholic Church in growing numbers.

What’s in this episode:

• David's journey from Baptist church life to OCIA and Easter Vigil
• The role of a vibrant young adult parish in welcoming new questions
• Why young adults are turning to the Catholic Church in record numbers
• The sacramental life as a daily structure for devotion and belonging
• Heritage Retreat Center and its roots as Georgia's first Catholic settlement
• The MSA program and what a year of service and faith formation looks like
• Radical hospitality as ministry and offering work to God
• Saint Carlo Acutis and using technology for the good of the Church
• How witnessing guests arrive worn out and leave renewed shapes a young person's faith
• The glowing rectangle problem and why real encounters with God require presence
• One resource every Catholic family should know: The Catechism of the Catholic Church
• Book he is currently reading: Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor by Allen Hunt and Rome Sweet Home by Kimberly Hahn & Scott Hahn
• Advice to his younger self: Find the Catholic Church a lot sooner than I did
• Final wisdom for listeners: Don't be afraid of your faith; be Christ to others through your faith

Resources Mentioned:

Heritage Retreat Center – Georgia's historic Catholic retreat center and home of the MSA program

Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor by Allen Hunt – A conversion story that inspired David as a new Catholic

Rome Sweet Home by Kimberly Hahn & Scott Hahn – A conversion story David read alongside his own journey into the Church

Looking for meaningful ways to deepen your family’s connection with God outside of Sunday Mass? Download our free guide to discover 10 practical and fun faith-based activities that will bring your family closer to Christ—no matter how busy life gets. From sharing gratitude at the dinner table to watching faith-filled media together, these ideas make living your faith easy and enjoyable.