You Lost Me

I started reading You Lost Me by David Kinnaman.  The book attempts to explain why young people decide to leave the church and rethink their faith.  I have read the first few chapters and thought the following was insightful:

"Most young people are not walking away from their faith; they are putting involvement in their church on hold." 

Do you believe that is true?  False?  A young women named Kelly is introduced on page 27.  She reads her Bible daily and prays regularly.  However, she says she lost faith in the church, not in Christ.  She says it's largely due to:

1. The youth group... she didn’t fit in and no effort was made to help.
2. A campus ministry with quotas for getting people saved.
3. The judgment she endured by church friends.  

So, she left the church, not her faith.  That story piqued my interesting because I know students with similar experiences.  My daughter struggles to fit, to feel comfortable,  despite her efforts to do so.  Thankfully, she now serves in the church and is starting to find her way.  The question I have is... will she attend church ten years from now?  If yes, will she be involved in the church?  If no, will Jesus be part of her life?  Those are important questions that will someday be answered.

Psalm 1 is one of my favorite Psalms.  It says blessed are those who meditate on God's Word day and night and, as a result, they will prosper in all they do.  One purpose of knowing God's Word is to gain the knowledge and the wisdom to ask tough questions... meaningful questions that will develop your faith and impact your life.  There is a saying that goes something like... "If you don't know, then you don't know what to ask."  It's the knowledge and wisdom God promises to those who ask that gives purpose to life.   

Jeremiah 29:11 is frequently quoted to help people struggling with life.  It's a great Bible verse, but often mistakenly left to stand alone.  The real hope can be found when verses 12 and 13 are included... (12) if you pray, God will hear you and (13) if you seek God with all of your heart you will find Him.  The hope and future to which verse 11 refers is God will always be available to listen and be part of your life.  It is during your search for God that you will acquire the knowledge and wisdom to develop meaningful questions.  I have listed a few questions I have asked at one time or another:

1. Does life with God always include traditional church attendance?  Tithing?  Serving in the church?  
2. What is worship? 
3. Who eats the fruit if Eve doesn't eat it?  Adam?  Someone else?  Nobody?  I only ask because three of the first four people in the Bible disobeyed God.  
4. After Jesus foretold of Peter's denial, could Peter have chosen not to deny Him?  If yes, then what (if anything) does that indicate about Jesus?
5. If God isn't all knowing, all powerful, and in absolute control... is He a God worthy of our devotion and worship.
6. Is there a difference between being saved and obeying Jesus?

I have taught my children to form an opinion, especially after we have a discussion.  The topic is irrelevant.  What's relevant is their interest in the topic.  For instance, if my son is interested, he will almost always ask questions.  It's the answers to those questions that help him form his opinion.  If he doesn't ask questions, he doesn't care.  The reality is, when we are interested in something, we want to know more.   

I met my wife in college.  She knew me long before I noticed her.  I finally noticed her because she said hi everyday as she passed me walking to class.  Think about it... I passed her everyday... multiple times some days... as I walked to class... on a university campus.  Years later, she confessed she obtained my schedule so she could arrange to "bump" into me.  That led to eating together in the cafeteria and then hanging out after eating.  I didn't know what hit me.  I was clueless.  But, she was interested, asked the right questions, and now we are married.    

Questions matter... what are your questions?  Please comment or ask a question.

Have a good and godly day.