Category Archives: Media

The First 2 Weeks – A Call to Prayer for those Returning to Campus

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Replace your profile picture with this image to remind others to pray for emerging adults.

Emerging adults are heading back to college campuses.  While this causes many parents to worry, and many religious to fear, it should lead us to pray.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”  Philippians 4:6

Pray, and ask others to join you in prayer.

Kara Powell and Chap Clark in their book Sticky Faith say, “Over and over, students have told us that the first two weeks at college are when they make key decisions about drinking and other high-risk behaviors, right along with choosing whether to go to church or to a campus ministry.”  (Powell and Clark)  While many may not immediately participate in risky behavior, they do make social decisions that determine their social community for several years.

Let us show emerging adults that while on campus…

  • They are still relevant to our lives.
  • Their work on campus is relevant to the Kingdom of God.
  • They are still an important piece of our spiritual community.
  • They are not forgotten.

The purpose of the “First 2 Weeks” Campaign is to remind the Church to support and encourage emerging adults.

This prayer campaign is not just for parents.  It is for youth workers, grandparents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, pastors, friends, and anyone else who cares about the spiritual needs of emerging adults.

As the Church, let us show Emerging Adults through text, facebook, and tweet that they are not forgotten (#first2weeks).  They are not in another reality.  They are not so far away.

Help us build a prayer moment for Emerging Adults by…

  1.  Use the buttons below to like and SHARE this article on Facebook.
  2. Replace your profile picture with the “First Two Weeks” image.
  3. Tweet your prayers for an emerging adult with the hashtag #first2weeks.
  4.  Encourage your church community to join the movement by contacting your youth workers or senior pastor.

May we truly be the body of Christ, not in words only, but also in deeds.

 

Resources

Powell, Kara and Chap Clark.  Sticky Faith:  Everyday ideas to build lasting faith in your kids.

When Dying is your next Career

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PHYLLISI came across a great article this week that I wanted to share with you.  It is entitled, Author Phyllis Tickle Faces Death As She Enjoyed Life: ‘The Dying Is My Next Career’.  The article was written by David Gibson, and was presented by the Huffington Post.

According to the article, “Phyllis Tickle is a Southern-born and -bred mother of seven and a doyenne of religion writers. She is now 81, and a widow living on a small farm in Lucy, Tenn., just outside of Memphis. On the land where her cows once roamed, stray dogs she has adopted and some family surround her. She is being treated for Stage IV cancer.”

Earlier this week, I wrote how Christians need to present a better view of aging and dying.  This article is part of a new perspective.

Phyllis Tickle is a great example of a Christ-follower.  Here are a few of my favorite lines from the interview:

  • OK, now I know what it’s probably going to be, and probably how much time there is. So you can clean up some of the mess you’ve made and tie up some of the loose ends.”
  • “I am no more afraid of dying than I am of, I don’t know, drinking this coffee,”
  • “Christianity is reconfiguring,” she says. “It’s almost going through another adolescence. And it’s going to come out a better, more mature adult. There’s no question about that.”

My favorite is the Title… The dying is my next career.  Her career has been filled with teaching and writing others how to follow God.

Click here for the Article!

 

Getting them to 30 – A Book Review

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Getting to 30 by Jeffrey Arnett and Elizabeth Fishel is an excellent read on a parent’s changing roles during the emerging adult years. The book does a great job of balancing research, stories, and practical suggestions for parents of emerging adults.

In a world that often calls young adults lazy and narcissistic, I applaud the positive perspective of emerging adulthood. They state that both 20-somethings and their parents “generally see themselves as being at a good time of life, characterized by freedom, fun, and excitement, a time to focus on themselves and find out who they really are.” (Arnett and Fishel, xi)

The book gives practical ideas about how parents can learn the “essential art of staying connected while stepping back.” (Arnett and Fishel, x) Parents need to understand that some of the struggle in their relationship with their children is because that, “the maturation process is two headed – Parent and Child need to mature into new roles.” (Arnett and Fishel, 69)

This book does not come from a specific religious perspective, but I believe that Christians will find its information and advice helpful.  It is the best book that I have read on the topic of parenting an emerging adult.

When addressing faith, the book states, “The best way to persuade children of the value of your faith is to show the fruits of it in your life, including your capacity to forgive your sons and daughters for not believing what you believe.” (Arnett and Fishel, 240)  Allowing your children to have true autonomy includes their decisions about faith. For parents who have children who have left the church, this can be a painful process, here is an article that I hope will help you in your journey.

If you have other suggestions of books about parenting emerging adults, please leave a note below.

Dr. G. David Boyd is the Founder and Managing Director of EA Resources, a non-profit designed to equip parents and churches to minister to emerging adults.

The tan-lines of the next generation…

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I saw this comic being passed around Facebook, and I thought that it was worth sharing.

https://www.facebook.com/thewadebowen/photos/a.94430680887.89018.17995575887/10152919317750888/?type=1&theater

I enjoyed the comic, but please note that it is really not the “next generation” who is struggling to put down their phones.

The pervasive use of portable technology affects all of us.

America’s Changing Religious Landscape – Are Christians in Denial?

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2015RLSpromo640x320

http://www.pewforum.org/files/2015/05/2015RLSpromo640x320.png

New research was released this week from the Pew Research Center confirming trends that we already knew were true.  In the last seven years, the percentage of adults (ages 18 and older) who describe themselves as Christians has dropped by nearly eight percent.

Millennials are leaving the church, and they are not alone as they exit.  The article states, “While the drop in Christian affiliation is particularly pronounced among young adults, it is occurring among Americans of all ages.”

Generational Replacement and the Rise of the Unaffiliated

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/12/millennials-increasingly-are-driving-growth-of-nones/

 

Some people respond to these statistics with a shrug of shoulders, while others feel as if the sky is falling.  Rather than ignoring the problem, I believe that these statistics should cause Christians to act as the men of Issachar who, “understood the times and knew what Israel should” (1 Chronicles 12:32).

EA Resources is committed to providing resources to parents and churches working with emerging adults.  If you are passionate about seeing Millennials return to faith, and seeing churches equipped to change their community, join our team!

David Boyd 1 (1)Dr. G. David Boyd is the Founder and Managing Director of EA Resources.  If you would like to invite him to speak for your community, you can contact him at gdavid@earesources.org.

 

 

Professor Threatens to Fail the Entire Class

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What is the state of higher education in our nation?

Recent news coming from our nation’s universities can be described as anything – but pretty.

What happens when those within the system attempt to stand up against a flood of negative student, staff, or institutional behavior?

Recently, a professor at Texas A&M Galveston wrote an e-mail to his strategic management students that they were a disgrace, that they lacked maturity — and that he would fail the entire class. Irwin Horwitz, a proProfessor fails classfessor in the university’s department of maritime administration, decided that he had to act.

“Enough was enough,” Horwitz said. “It became apparent that they couldn’t do just some of the most simple and basic things that they should’ve been able to do at that point.”

Here is the full article.

The professor stepped down from teaching the class, and the class will now be taught by the head of the department.  The institution gave a public statement saying that the students will not be failed as a class, but will be judged according to their own individual work.

This story should raise questions about the roles and rights of students and professors.  Academic institutions are not controlled by the pursuit of knowledge.  They are governed by the flow of money which unfortunately tips power in favor of the consumer (who are the current and potential future students).

New Seminar: Trusting Them, Trusting God

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10070036 from Flickr via Wylio

© 2012 moodboard, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

On Thursday, May 7, Christian Life in Farmington, MN will be hosting a seminar for parents entitled,

“Trusting Them, Trusting God: Allowing Our Children to Grow in the Decision-making Process”

The conference will begin at 6:30 PM.

The ability to make decisions is crucial to your child’s entrance into adulthood, but many parents struggle to step back and allow their children to make choices (and sometimes fail).  In this conference, we will explore the biblical basis for allowing our children to make decisions, and how to equip them to make good decisions.  We will explore the difficulties they face when making decisions in today’s culture.  Ultimately, this conference will encourage your heart, and call you to renewed faith in God.

This workshop is completely free.  You can help us prepare by RSVPing at HMeyen@christianlifeschool.org.  

Free Skullcandy Headphones for Sharing EA Resources

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EA Resources is hosting a contest to give away a free pair of Skullcandy Hesh 2 Headphones (Black or White).  hesh 2

Here is how you can enter:

  • Every time you share any article from EA Resources or Morethanabeard.com by Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.  (Must be shared publicly on your timeline.)
  • If you tag someone in that share, you gain an additional entry.
  • You can earn up to 2 entries per day.
  • Please tag me on Facebook (David Boyd) and Twitter (G. David Boyd).

Rules:

1.  This contest is off-limits to direct family of David and Rachel Boyd (Sorry, Aunt Leza! You are our FAVORITE supporter!)

2.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

3.  Contest will end on April 22.

What are you waiting for?  Start Sharing Today!

Essential Website Resources for those Ministering to Emerging Adults

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Lgroup of eaast week, I shared some free on-line resources for parents of emerging adults.  If you missed it, you can find it – HERE!

While there are not many free on-line resources for those seeking to help emerging adults, here are a few that I have found essential.

  •  FullerYouthInstitute.   I appreciate all the work done by Dr. Kara Powell and her team.  The link above provides many free resources to churches.
  • SSEA.org – The Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood is an organization launched by Jeffrey Arnett.  They provide a listing of free resources for those interested in studying young adults.
  • Chuck Bomar’s Blog.  Chuck has written several books about college ministry and the changing world of emerging adult faith.
  • CollegeLeader.org.  An organization that has spun off from Chuck Bomar.  The blog is not regularly up-dated, but contains articles that apply directly towards those doing college ministry.
  • EA Resources – Emerging Adult Resources is my favorite – of course!  Our desire is to design and publish resources for churches, parents, and emerging adults.   Click here, if you want to join our team to make this happen.

If you would like to recommend a website to this list, please contact Dr. G. David Boyd at gdavid@earesources.org.

Great Website Resources for Parents of Emerging Adults

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Photo Courtesy of Aaron Robert Photography. Copyright 2013. www.aaronrobertphotography.com

Parenting an emerging adult is not always easy.  EA Resources is designed to provide resources to equip parents to prepare them for the journey ahead.

Here are some great sources to bookmark, or to subscribe to their e-mail subscriptions.  They provide great insight into the challenges faced by emerging adults and their parents.

About Parenting

Relevant Magazine

College Affordability

Saving 4 College

Boundless

Sticky Faith

Center for Parent and Youth Understanding

If you know of a resource, please send me a link at gdavid@earesources.org.