I remember having a few good friends in my high school years who influenced me in both positive and negative ways.  The opinions of my friends were far more important to me than the opinions of my parents.  There were many times I would lie to my parents by telling them I was going to ‘youth group’ at the church, when in fact I went to the local movie theatre with friends instead.  Since they both ended at the same time, there was no problem of my deception being discovered.  Just as the influence of peers and friends plays a major role in the social and life development of an individual, in the same way, I have found this to be true in my faith development as well.

The most awkward times of our lives are the teenage years.  These years are filled with brutal changes in hormones, brain development, physical changes, attraction awareness, and the infamous constantly asked question, ‘why?’  It is during this stage of life we begin to challenge everything we have been taught, questioning all opinions and rationale.

Moving from a child stage of faith to a young adult stage is very much the same.  We suddenly begin to question our faith. Continue reading →