|
Quotes:
You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church . . . And Rethinking Faith David Kinnaman As a consequence many of today's exiles, while they are not political exiles in the Old Testament sense, feel isolated and alienated from the Christian community--caught between the church as it is and what they believe it is called to be. [pg 77] They [exiles] are not disillusioned with traditions; they are frustrated with slick or shallow expressions of religion. In some of our research, we discovered a common theme to be "I want to be part of Christian community that is more than a performance one day a week." [pg 78] They [exiles] have not found faith to be instructive to their calling or gifts. . .The ways career and calling connect to faith and church community seem to be missing pieces in the puzzles for many young exiles. [pg 78] "I wish the church-at-large would understand that our children are called to mission fields that aren't located on a globe but may be more culturally impacting than mission fields we currently recognize." [pg 80] Could it be that the growing desire for mainstream influence among the younger generation is the work of God--preparing them to bring restoration and renewal to our culture? [pg 103] I am concerned that too many Mosaic Christians are so interested in pursuing the good, the true, and the beautiful that they forget to acknowledge and draw near to the source of those pursuits--Jesus. [pg 103] Oh, no single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!' [by Abraham Kuyper] I believe that the Christian church in the United States has a shallow faith problem because we have a discipleship problem. [pg 100] "Now I am focusing on going deep with a lot fewer young people." [pg 124] If churches are too big to provide that level of life-on-life focus, can we grow the next generation of Jesus's disciples? [pg 125] This generation wants and needs truth, not spiritual soft-serve. . .This is a generation hungry for substantive answers to life's biggest questions. [pg 127] The issues and debates are not unimportant, but the relationships in Christ are of paramount importance. [pg 146] "Sometimes I wish I could just push the belief button." [pg 188] Not all of us may agree with everything these young exiles say and do. I believe, though, that we ignore the institutional doubts of the next generation at our peril. [pg 191] I believe unexpressed doubt is one of the most powerful destroyers of faith. [pg 192] We cannot argue anyone--young or old--out of doubt. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. But we can try to appreciate how doubts affect real individuals and walk with them as they face vexing questions about life, God, and themselves. [pg 197] "And one has doubts about one's doubts." In a misguided abdication of our prophetic calling, many churches have allowed themselves to become internally segregated by age. [pg 203] I am saying that our programs need to be reevaluated and revamped where necessary to make intergenerational relationships a priority. [pg 204] If you are a young Christian, whether a nomad or an exile, pursue wisdom from older believers. [pg 204] Ask yourself how available you have been to younger Christians. [pg 205] Frankly, deep relationships happens only be spending time, and big chunks of it, in shared experiences. [pg 205] For me, frankly, the most heartbreaking aspect of our findings is the utter lack of clarity that many young people have regarding what God is asking them to do with their lives. [pg 207] They have access to information, ideas, and people from around the world, but no clear vision for a life of meaning that makes sense of all that input. [pg 207] Jesus knew his followers. If our churches are too large to cultivate this type of knowing, then our ministries are likely too large to disciple as Jesus did. [pg 209] Our children can't "catch" what we don't already have. [pg 209] One of the big lessons I have relearned through this project is that we don;t have to agree on everything to remain in Christ-centered community. [pg 214] "When you're honest with your story, when you share the truth about who you are and what you struggle with, you give others a tremendous gift: the gift of going second." [pg 214; John Acuff] "Let's wear our mistakes like a red badge of courage, for the blood soaked in our bandages is not ours, but from the One who healed us." [pg 215; Michael DiMarco] "We need to rediscover the Bible's grand narrative and teach an all-encompassing, multi-dimensional gospel." [pg 216; Krish Kandiah] "But spiritual growth is hand-crafted, not mass-produced. God does not do "one-size-fits-all." [pg 217; John Ortberg] 'For too long, we have assumed that we do good youth or young-adult ministry when we separate kids from the rest of the church. . .We have segregated (believe me, this is not a verb I use lightly) students and young adults from the rest of the church--and it's hurting their faith." [pg 227; Kara Powell] "Holding older adults accountable for discipling younger people will provide sustainable connections between generation." [pg 228; Chuck Bomar] "Too often I summarized Scripture rather than sharing it with them directly. I promised to pray for them at some later, undisclosed time rather than praying for them right then and there." [pg 231; Mark Matlock] "Real substance is the one great foil to the faux world of marketing. That's why authenticity is viewed as today's highest virtue, even when it's ugly or vicious." [Jedd Medefind] Random Assorted Quotes
The biggest mistake you could ever make is to live your life like you'll get another chance to experience all the beauty that surrounds you. - Unknown |
Finished:
July 2019 Peary: The Explorer and The Man John Edward Weems July 2019 You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church . . . And Rethinking Faith David Kinnaman June 2019 The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God Brent Curtis and John Eldredge June 2019 Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences Howard Gardner May 2019 The Love of God Oswald Chambers May 2019 The Silmarillion J.R.R. Tolkien May 2019 The Origin of the Universe John Barrow May 2019 The Power of Prayer in a Believer's Life Charles Spurgeon (compiled by Robert Hall) May 2019 Last Train to Paradise Les Strandiford May 2019 Rewire Your Heart David Bowden March 2019 The Return of the King J.R.R. Tolkien January 2019 The Two Towers J.R.R. Tolkien January 2019 The Fellowship of the Ring J.R.R. Tolkien December 2018 The Dialogue: Conversations about the Nature of the Universe Clifford Johnson October 2018 Wonder: From Emotion to Spirituality Robert C. Fuller October 2018 Kill the Spider Carlos Whittaker September 2018 The Sense of Wonder Rachel Carson September 2018 The Life of the Creative Spirit H. Charles Romesburg August 2018 The Explicit Gospel Matt Chandler July 2018 Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen July 2018 Faith Forward Future Chad Veach July 2018 The Diversity of Life E.O. Wilson June 2018 The Invention of Air Steven Johnson June 2018 How We Decide Jonah Lehrer June 2018 On Intelligence Jeff Hawkins and Sandra Blakeslee May 2018 Why? What Makes Us Curious? Mario Livio May 2018 The Wonder of Birds Jim Robbins March 2018 The Nature Fix Florence Williams March 2018 Spiritual Power Sherwood Eliot Wirt March 2018 Empowering Leadership Michael Fletcher March 2018 Yawn: Adventures in Boredom Mary Mann December 2017 In the Heart of the Sea Nathaniel Philbrook July 2017 Living Water Brother Yun July 2017 Endurance Alfred Lansing June 2017 The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor Gabriel Garcia Marquez June 2017 The Wild Places Robert MacFarlane June 2017 The Complete Idiot's Guide to the World's Religions Brandon Toropov and Father Luke Buckles June 2017 The Shack W.M. Paul Young June 2017 How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking Jordan Ellenberg May 2017 Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen |
