We’ve seen the studies. Millennials are the least religiously affiliated generation, according to Pew. Adults under 40 are less religiously affiliated than older adults around the world. Every news report on religious practices seems to point to declining church attendance.
Nones. Dones. Spiritual but not religious. How do we walk alongside our young adult kids as their faith changes in this climate?
The monthly Parent Resources newsletter is designed to encourage and assist the parents of college students. The newsletter regularly features free Bible study guides and excerpts of relevant books connected to the main themes of parenting.
Our students are home—maybe for a long time as colleges and universities continue their efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19. Perhaps your student came home for Thanksgiving and will not return to campus until the new year, if at all. Let's enter into this elongated break with our eyes open and with a spirit of gratitude, remembering that this may be an opportunity to be together in unique ways.
Sandy Schaupp first shared her own experiences as an Asian-American college student and InterVarsity staff worker in 1999. We’re sharing her story here as it first appeared in the Student Leadership journal. It comes from the perspective of a young adult who struggled with her parents as she made a choice of career, wishing for their blessing even as she went against their hopes and expectations. But we aren’t stopping there! We just asked Sandy to tell us how she is doing now that her own children are nearly grown up. You’ll find her latest reflections at the end of this article.
How can we trust God in the dark? Framed around a nighttime prayer of Compline, Tish Harrison Warren explores human vulnerability, suffering, and God's seeming absence as she recalls her own experience navigating a time of doubt and loss. This excerpt from Prayer in the Night (IVP) explores nighttime as a symbol in Christianity and the prayers that go with us in darkness.
I wish I had never allowed myself to become too busy for my kids. The movie Hook, starring Robin Williams as the adult Peter Pan, had just come out. In it Peter is always on the phone and always late for his kids’ games and performances because of work. When we saw this as a family, all the kids said, “That is so much like mom!”
Self-kindness can sound self-indulgent. Self-care, as described in social media posts, often seems merely like baptized hedonism. Self-anything may feel impossible as a parent when we are relentlessly focused on our kids and spouse. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In her book Be Kind to Yourself, Cindy Bunch invites us to be attentive — to what bugs us and to what brings us joy. And she does so in a way that will bring you — and your family — real joy.
We often use the phrase “Nothing is impossible with God.” Mary, however, is called upon not just to use this phrase, but to believe it. In this LifeGuide Bible study excerpt from Women of the New Testament, Phyllis Le Peau explores Mary’s relationship with God and the things she was asked to believe.
The American Psychiatric Association says Gen Zs are more likely than any other generation to report being diagnosed with depression (23 percent), and just over 9 in 10 “have experienced at least one physical or emotional symptom due to stress in the past month, compared to around three-quarters of adults overall who say they have experienced at least one symptom.” In addition, Covid-19 has caused increased anxiety and depression throughout society.
Recently, Cathy Norman Peterson sat down with Elizabeth Pierre, who teaches counseling and pastoral care at North Park University in Chicago, to talk about how parents can support their college students in their mental health journeys.
While we tend to view the work of suicide prevention as the task of professional therapists and doctors, the church can also play a vital role. In this excerpt from Preventing Suicide (IVP), Karen Mason explores some of the myths surrounding suicide.
