Maturity Rarely Happens Solo
As a young Christian attending seminary, I once heard a sermon in chapel that explained God’s goal for us is to become mature. The message was good, but the messenger never explained what maturity is and ...
Manifest Destiny: Transformation Is a Two-Way Street
“Don’t cry! More white people will come next week.”These words exploded in my mind as I struggled with the lock on the back of our rented trailer. I stood breathlessly for a few moments as I a...
Faith, Doubt & Dark Nights of the Soul
After I embraced the Christian way at 19, I enjoyed about 18 months of doubt-free Christian living. I read the Bible for long stretches, prayed a ton, talked to all kinds of Christians and listened to all kinds...
Staying Faithful Against the Odds
Urban youth workers must have faith. “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it,” Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:24. God loves our young people more than we do.I extend this word of encou...
Leaving High School To Play Professionally in Europe
Jeremy Tyler, a 6-foot-11 high school junior whom some consider the best American big man since Greg Oden, says he will be taking a new path to the N.B.A. He has left San Diego High School and said this week th...
Youth Volunteering Dips for First Time Since 9/11
Volunteering has helped define a generation of young Americans who are known for their do-gooder ways. Many high schools require community service before graduation. And these days, donating time to a charitabl...
Immigrants Lose Freedom & Maybe Child Custody
When immigration agents raided a poultry processing plant near here two years ago, they had no idea a little American boy named Carlos would be swept up in the operation.One of the 136 illegal immigrants detain...
Plan B Available to 17 & Older
The federal government said yesterday that it will allow the sale of the morning-after pill Plan B without a prescription to women as young as 17, a move that would make the contraceptive available to minors fo...
The Feedback Void
If you teach a second-grade Sunday School class, you can tell by kids’ participation how you’re doing. If you volunteer in the parking lot ministry of your church, the cars either get parked or they...
Embracing Your Artists & Creative Kids
Recently I was attending a gathering of artists and arts leaders when one stood up and said: “The artists of this creative age are the wedding planners for the wedding feast that is to come.”Wedding...