During a Sunday morning service years ago, our pastor asked the congregation to gather in small groups to pray for one another.  My group included a teenage boy and his mother. We took turns expressing prayer needs, but when it came time to start praying, the boy turned to his mother and said, "Mom, you're going to have to help me with this." His mother prayed aloud, one sentence at a time, and he repeated what she said. Clearly, this young man had never learned how to communicate with God outside of religious rituals. He was certainly old enough and smart enough to talk to God Continue Reading

She was raised in a Christian family, and she was frustrated. No one seemed able or willing to provide her with satisfactory answers to her big questions about life, God, and reality. Halfway through high school, she abandoned her religious upbringing. It happens far too often, doesn't it? A young person has questions, but instead of engaging them and helping them wrestle through to the answers, adult Christians (including parents) often prescribe more devotional experiences as the answer. However,  encouraging the emotional side of faith more does nothing to satisfy the Continue Reading