You're listening to the Passion City Church DC podcast. To learn more about Passion City Church,

including our gathering times in Atlanta in Washington, D.C., visit us online at passioncitychurch.com.

Well, I've entered the sixth grade, and I'm 90 pounds soaking wet, a few inches beneath

five feet tall, actually more than a few.

And like most middle schoolers, my motives are clashing.

I still want to be a kid.

I still want to play backyard baseball after the bell rings,

but a new desire arises.

Look cool, be cool, fit in,

and hopefully the girl eight inches taller than me might,

oh, just might, have a crush on me.

And so the clashing of motives like most middle schoolers

manifests in my fashion.

I begin wearing combos like Nike's and knee-length cargo shorts, spary top-siders and sports tube socks,

Abercrombie polos and athletic shorts,

athletic gear and Timberlin boots.

Anything that will make me look like a My World 2.0 Justin Bieber, but also play baseball like Derek Jeter.

So a miracle happened when one day a magic pair of jeans appeared on my bed when I got home from school.

They were perfect jeans.

Soft and stretchy, slick and sporty, perfect for playing sports but also looking cool. So I wore them religiously. And finally, a confidence built

up at me. I am cool. But quickly that confidence collapsed because one day I finished the sweaty walk home from school,

come into my mom's room and said, Mom, I'm going to need more of these.

...