Growing Up in Christ by Terry Overton
Devotional for Youth: Growing Up in Christ
By Terry Overton
Today’s children and teens are exposed to complex problems that their parents may not understand. Young Christians are bombarded with multiple options for solving everyday problems through social media. Where do they turn to find answers? Where can children and teens look to find guidance from Scripture? In order to provide a Christian perspective to problem-solving, the author of this devotional book decided to take a different approach. Terry Overton was determined to find out what problems middle school children and teens were worried about the most. While visiting her grandchildren one weekend, she asked her granddaughter to send topics to her so that she could write a devotional about the topic. In a matter of weeks, not only did her granddaughter send her topics, but the other grandchildren and their friends sent topics of concern. Once the author wrote a devotional for a topic, it was sent to the teen requesting the devotional. Soon, these requests were happening in real time. Students sent text requests about problems happening in school and asked what should the student do? How should this be handled? This devotional book is a collection of those requests and devotionals. The youth requests included bullying, handling anxiety, death of a pet, difficult dating, commitment, responsibility, forgiveness, God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and talking to friends about Christ, as examples. This devotional book is a conversation starter for children and teens who seek to know more about how God wants us to think and act when faced with everyday problems.
The author was somewhat surprised at the topics the teens requested. These kids wanted devotionals ranging from God watching us at all times to participating in sports. It is interesting to see how often kids think about God especially in light of a recent study posted by Barna.com indicating that only 34% of teens read the Bible once a month or more. It shows us that even if teens are not reading the Bible regularly, they often think about God. A devotional full of teen topics can assist teens with their thinking and their faith.
For parents and grandparents who might be reading this, here is the important message: young Christians think a lot about how God wants them to handle situations. They think about interactions with their peers, teachers, and others, and seek guidance from a Christian perspective. Young Christians may not always show that they are thinking about their faith, but they often are. The devotionals included in this book span a variety of topics that might be used for conversation starters and additional Bible Study. It is the author’s hope that young Christians will find guidance between the pages of this book.
Blessings to all,
Terry Overton
Available now on Amazon.com
