The Christian Youth - AES

All of life can be divided into two parts: becoming and being what we have become. Another way of saying it is that we spend part of our lives learning and preparing and the rest of our lives using what we have learned and being what we have prepared to be. The preparation is usually that part of life that we call youth. Of course, the distinctions are not easily drawn: the challenge is never to stop learning, but while we are, to also be always becoming. The Christian Youth is primarily for young people. It is geared for their problems and challenges. It is mostly, though, about becoming. The first five lessons are for gatherers, those who want to fill their lives with traits that they can draw from over and over: commitment, purpose, decisiveness, morality, and study-the most valuable collection of tools that could be assembled. The last eight lessons are markers on the road. They show us how to take the tools and move toward the goal of service in God's kingdom. The best thing about The Christian Youth is that it is not theory-dry, lifeless opinion handed to us, like a vitamin pill just to be swallowed, not enjoyed. Instead, there are people-in every lesson-real, live people struggling, failing, learning, becoming. Mirrored in these real people we can see ourselves. We can identify with them, their struggles, and their problems. Because of this, these lessons really live.

Chapter topics include: Youth and Commitment; Youth and Purpose; Youth and Choices; Youth and Morality; Youth and Study; Youth and Submission; Youth and Witnessing; Youth and Worship; Youth and Availability; Youth and Expendability; Youth and Dependability; Youth and Cooperation; and Youth and Individuality.