When I was asked to write a few entries on health for Westminster’s new blog, I said, sure, I can do that. But very quickly the enormity of what I had agreed to do, temporarily paralyzed the presses in my mind. I recovered by checking the definition of blog—opinions, experiences, observations shared with others on a website. So here you have it—health according to Joan! The most famous modern defin…
Are you an adult who cares for children or teens at home and also has responsibility for caring for elderly relatives or neighbors? If you answered “yes,” you’re not alone. According to a Pew Research Center Report nearly half of all adults in their 40s and 50s have a parent who is 65 or older and are either raising a young child or financially supporting a grown child. Social Worker, Dorothy Mille…
Exactly in line with Erikson’s works, I have found there to be one major “project” of teen’s high school years. That project is answering the question, “who am I?” As Jason eloquently wrote last week, this is a matter of identity formation, and is a psychological priority for teenagers. This stage is something of a nexus of development for youth ministry. Students who have navigated through the first four …
One of the most prevalent questions in the minds of many teenagers is “so what?” If presented with a great deal of information, even a tremendously beautiful view of the world, we as humans are so frequently compelled to try to figure out what to do with it all. This is why so many students will take an advanced algebra class and come home sighing to themselves and asking “when am I ever going to use t…
Let’s play a little bit of catch-up here. For people who are working through the stages of faith, and have navigated to this point, here are some things that we have established. First, I can trust God; he is active and present in my life even when things don’t seem perfect. Second, I have learned that my choices and actions have weight and value in the Kingdom of Christ –my personality, complete with …
