Why young adults are waiting to grow up

Some terms to describe "young adults who are waiting to grow up"

• Waithood - No longer children, but not yet regarded as adults, they are stuck in a period of "waithood".
• "Bamboccioni" (big dummy boys) - describes Italian men in their 20s and 30s who still live with their parents.
• "yo-yo generation" - of young people in the UK that move back home after university.
• "youthmen" - In West Africa, "youthmen" are young men who haven't yet attained adulthood in society's eyes. 
• "freeters" - in Japan describe a legion of young people unable or unwilling to get a "proper" job.
• "slackers" - in the US describe a legion of young people unable or unwilling to get a "proper" job.

How to define someone as adults?

• - age - 18, perhaps, or 21
• - In the Middle East it's marriage
• - In Southern Europe, it's becoming a parent. 
• - In northern Europe it's leaving the parental home.

Why waithood takes place?
- Financial security
- High rates of youth unemployment
- the economic crisis that began in 2008
- the restructuring of economies in the developing world.
- failed economic policies and corrupt governments.
- "Economics is important, but culture plays a crucial role too," says Steven Mintz, a historian at the University of Texas at Austin. "In the past, people aspired to be older. The dominant culture was an adult culture, which was associated with sophistication, worldliness and experience. Today, that has been inverted. Youth culture is the ideal - most people aspire to be younger, not older, and it is youth culture that is seen as more thrilling than anything that adulthood has to offer.

Consequences of waithood?
- young people's willingness to find work in the informal economy
- to migrate
- to affiliate themselves to revolutionary/radical causes as responses to a situation
- a factor in the growth of the so-called Islamic State
- more and more young women remaining at school, finishing their degrees and also becoming more and more independent and not relying on marriage
- young people choose to scope out their options on the job market rather than start on a career
- save up for travel instead of a house
- take a series of sexual partners instead of settling down
- Instead of figuring out how they fit in, they are working out their own identity

Example
- Many of the activists that took part in the 2011 string of protests
- that came to be known as the Arab Spring were
- young, educated but socially excluded, with plenty of spare time on their hands.
- The past decade has seen a rise in the number of protests in which young people feature prominently,
- from Mozambique to Greece, to the UK.

Source: Why young adults are waiting to grow up, http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34679621

I only have ONE LIFE to live, therefore...

Pastor Bee Tin (Lean Jeanne)
Tabernacle Church of Singapore
24.10.2015

God will not shortchange us. I believe all the leanings and experiences that we have are to be of use by God.

When I was struggling with 2 commercial job offers, Pr David gives me the advice below:
One cannot serve 2 masters
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭24‬ NIV)

Tabernacle church emphasizes on hospitality, i.e. welcoming people to stay in the house for even more than a year.

How do you know which are the avenue God would like you to serve Him?
a) What do you see yourself in 2/5 years time? (VISION)
b) How are you going to achieve? What do you need to do? (MISSION)

I think the church is doing a good job in increasing the relevance of church to the society/world.

We go into full time not because we can't find a better job but we can and we are responding to His calling to serve Him. Do not have this kind of mindset to go into full time.

There is only one life so make sure my life truly counts

Directive counselling vs (indecisive counselling) 'Probing'/'Guiding' counselling
SOS counselling has a principle where you can't make decision for the person who is seeking help. So what I do was to keep asking questions like what do you think and analyse the pros and cons of the situation in the hope that the person would make a wise decision by himself or herself. But I believe there are correct/wrong decisions, good/bad decisions. For example: the addiction in drugs is bad and we need to stop it.

4 Tracts
1. Biblical
2 Management, leadership and spiritual
3. Counselling
4. Cross cultural

Meaning of Shortchange
- to give less than the correct change to.
- to deal with unfairly or dishonestly, especially to cheat.

The Fundamental Issue of Youth: Value, Leadership Skills, Revelation of Knowing who God is?

Youth Pastor Jonathan
Halogen Foundation
Singapore
23.10.2015

- Putting up my pastoral hat, it is good to have programme/activities to enhance value and leadership, but being a youth pastors for 7? years, I think the young people nowadays don't have value nor leadership issues but the revelation of knowing who God is.

- Many people view beatitudes as a PROCESS towards achieving an end but I am more inclined to think that God view the 'process' as an END itself. It is not like I have completed 'poor in spirit' or 'mourn' or 'meek'. Not treating 'all these things will be given to you as well' but to seek first the kingdom of God first. (Being vs Doing)

- Not on the rock does not mean on Peter church will be built but on the truth which Peter has revealed by the Father where Jesus is the Messiah, the son of the living God.

- It's easy to have programme or training to improve value and skills but it's difficult to help believers to really embrace the importance of truly understand who God is and therefore understand ourselves better. When fundamentals are right, for example we know that God will provide everything then our behavior/thought would not be worries.


The Beatitudes
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭1-12‬ NIV)

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ NIV)

To the church in Ephesus
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. (‭Revelation‬ ‭2‬:‭1-4‬ NIV)

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭13-19‬ NIV)

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭19-20‬ NIV)

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, (‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭15-18‬ NIV)

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ (‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬ NIV)

WP Cultural Programme 26-27 Sep 2015

THE DANCE

THE DANCE

Written by Alex tang

(Adapted from ‘Tales from the Monastery: Spiritual Formation the Asian Way p93)

“Come dance with me,” God invited, extending his hand.

But I do not know how.

“Don’t worry,” God said, “just follow me”.

He smiled, as he [took hold of] my hand,

His [grip] was gentle, but I felt deep scars on his palms.

The music was already playing when we reached the dance floor,

The music of eternity,

Of love given and lost,

Of longing and emptiness,

of pain and forgiveness.

We began to dance, initially [clumsily without grace],

with my two left feet, stepping on and stumbling over each other.

“Just let go, give yourself to the music, he said.

Soon, the awkwardness was gone, as I learned to let go,

and follow his lead, letting the rhythm of the music fill my being.

Round and round the dance floor

we move as one.

One in mind,

One in Spirit,

One in soul,

one with the Lord of the dance.