21 and Over

21-AND-OVER-Poster1[1]Last weekend, Rachel and I went out to see a new movie.  I was hoping for something with a little action; however, my hopes were dashed as soon as she said the name Nicholas Sparks.  So we arrived early for Safe Haven, and I got to do my favorite thing about going to the theater – watch the trailers.  After watching one of the trailers, I felt sick to my stomach.  Continue reading

Five Dos and Don’ts when dropping off your college student

Sterling College Students from Flickr via Wylio

© 2011 Sterling College, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

Fall is upon us, and many campuses, are many schools are welcoming another record-breaking number of students.   It is a good idea for parents to have a role in the higher education of their children, but what is that role?  Are they simply there as pack mules for an over-abundance of clothes and a mini-fridge?  Continue reading

“Why Millenials are leaving the Church?” – My Voice in the Conversation

church

There are many articles circulating around the web about why Millenials are leaving the church.  I am not a Millennial, but having worked with this age group within the church for the past twelve years, I have a few thoughts to add to the conversation. Continue reading

Establishing Autonomy- A Developmental Task of Adulthood

 

Young Woman Working OutThe first major task of adulthood is to establish autonomy.  An individual’s ability to achieve personal autonomy is crucial for personal maturation.  James Fowler, a  developmental psychologist describes personal autonomy as,

…a person who has a sense of independence, an ability to stand alone, if necessary, on matters of principle.  She has clear identity boundaries that Continue reading

Develop Community- A Developmental Task of Adulthood

What does it mean to become an adult?  In order to reach adulthood, the individual must accomplish three developmental tasks:  establish autonomy, develop community, and discover vocation.  In this entry, I will briefly explain the task of developing a community, and its importance to human maturation. Hands Continue reading

Discover Vocation- A Developmental Task of Adulthood

589707_49030396[1]The childhood questions, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  becomes central in the mind of emerging adults.  The third developmental task of emerging adulthood is to discover vocation.  Vocation is a means by which the individual fulfills purpose in their life.  “We do not live by breath alone, sex alone, success alone, and certainly not by instinct alone.  We require meaning.  Continue reading

Defining Adulthood

 

Little Boy Dressed up Talking on Cell Phone

In order to aid adolescents during the maturation process, we must have an idea of what being an adult is all about.  Adulthood is something that is hard to define.  Humans do not step over a line of maturation that instantly makes them an adult.  Maturation is a gradual process, and leaves many individuals at various ages asking the question, “Am I there, yet?”   Sharon Parks describes the difficulty in defining what it means to become an adult.
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Premature Intimacy

the guy and the girlI believe in purity. I believe in purity rings. I believe in setting physical boundaries in relationships in order to keep from hurting ourselves and others. This is something that is often taught, lectured, and discussed in Christian circles. However, I think we are missing something. Something BIG. Continue reading

Don’t Do the Math.

DontDoTheMath[1]I hated math all through school.  I remember pounding through assignments day after day.  Being a perfectionist, I always had to first do the problems, and then go back and check them again.  I wasn’t bad at math, I just didn’t like it.  To all of you who for whatever reason are looking for a reason NOT to do the math, Continue reading