I was reading a great article from my friends over at the Fuller Youth Institute today about faith development in teenagers and how it affects the lifespan of their commitment to Christ and it got me thinking.
When I was in junior high and high school I was attending a church from the "believe it because" tradition. Now, overall, I had a fantastic experience that God used to transformed my life BUT when I got to college I was confronted with a flood of confusion over issues that I thought someone had figured out for me a long time ago. Turns out, part of my faith development had been hindered all those years I was taught never to question or explore my relationship with Jesus Christ and His relationship to the rest of the world.
My dream for the students at Cypress is to build into them a healthy sense of faith AND exploration. I want them to know what they believe but also WHY they believe it. I don't want their faith to get pulled out from under them like a cheap rug when someone questions where they stand and I don't want them to embrace legality over relationships with people far from God.
I've included the article in the link below. I know I'll be revisiting it in the coming weeks as I listen for God and discern how we can honor God as a ministry and how I can honor him with my own children as they begin to explore what He's all about!
http://fulleryouthinstitute.org/2008/11/riding-the-highs-and-lows-of-teenage-faith-development/
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