Young Adults, Friendships, and Winona Lake
I just returned last Thursday from Winona Lake, Indiana, so I'd like to share a little from my trip. Some of you know that I received degrees from both Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake and that I worked at the college for a number of years as a Resident Director. My friends in California always ask me why I enjoy going back to the Midwest for vacation. They think I'm crazy, but I tell them that I have a lot of good memories out there and I really do like the seasons. Well, maybe just the time from May to October because the winters can be brutal. I also go back to work for CE National on different projects that I'm doing for them. There's some beautiful landscape out in the Midwest and some great people as well. Some of my closes friends still live back there. I love California, and I'll always be a West Coaster at heart, but there's something relaxing about the middle of the States that I like to return to and walk a slower pace.
A friend and his wife picked me up from the airport. He's in his early twenties and was a former RA (resident assistant) of mine who worked with me at the college. He's a great person and even
though we have a lot of years between us, I don't feel "older" than him. We have a mutual respect for each other, and in many ways, what we share is a great example of a true mentoring friendship. I have many friends who are in their twenties and I truly value who they are as people. Young adults are the same wherever I go. They each have their own uniqueness about them. Although they may have different values from each other because of where they were raised, they're still young people navigating together through life.
One evening I was invited to a small group of twenty year old. Usually, if I'm in a young adult small group, I'm leading the discussion and questions, but that night I was just a silent observer. It was interesting to hear their conversations as they led each other through the evening. It's a different perspective when you are quietly listening rather than leading a group. Nothing earth shattering, just normal thoughts I hear from young adults around the country. There were questions about the future or theological issues that interested them. All normal stuff from the view of those who have lived twenty-five years and are entering into a new world called adulthood.
I had many conversations with other friends out there. We talked about Post-modernism, politics, remodeling, Cubs and Pirate baseball (which is an oxymoron because we all know that neither the Cubs nor the Pirates really play baseball) and whatever else came to mind. I took a walk down to the Village, an artisan street full of shops by the lake, with another good friend and former RA. We watched cyclists race by the Village shops as we shared about the things God is doing in our lives. There were a lot of laughs and plenty of Midwest cooking. It was a very relaxing and encouraging week for me, and as I was leaving to head back to the busyness of LA, I thought to myself,"How blessed I am to have these friendships in Christ!" Young or old, it's all good in Jesus.
A friend and his wife picked me up from the airport. He's in his early twenties and was a former RA (resident assistant) of mine who worked with me at the college. He's a great person and even
though we have a lot of years between us, I don't feel "older" than him. We have a mutual respect for each other, and in many ways, what we share is a great example of a true mentoring friendship. I have many friends who are in their twenties and I truly value who they are as people. Young adults are the same wherever I go. They each have their own uniqueness about them. Although they may have different values from each other because of where they were raised, they're still young people navigating together through life.One evening I was invited to a small group of twenty year old. Usually, if I'm in a young adult small group, I'm leading the discussion and questions, but that night I was just a silent observer. It was interesting to hear their conversations as they led each other through the evening. It's a different perspective when you are quietly listening rather than leading a group. Nothing earth shattering, just normal thoughts I hear from young adults around the country. There were questions about the future or theological issues that interested them. All normal stuff from the view of those who have lived twenty-five years and are entering into a new world called adulthood.
I had many conversations with other friends out there. We talked about Post-modernism, politics, remodeling, Cubs and Pirate baseball (which is an oxymoron because we all know that neither the Cubs nor the Pirates really play baseball) and whatever else came to mind. I took a walk down to the Village, an artisan street full of shops by the lake, with another good friend and former RA. We watched cyclists race by the Village shops as we shared about the things God is doing in our lives. There were a lot of laughs and plenty of Midwest cooking. It was a very relaxing and encouraging week for me, and as I was leaving to head back to the busyness of LA, I thought to myself,"How blessed I am to have these friendships in Christ!" Young or old, it's all good in Jesus.
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on Monday, May 14, 2007 at 11:24 AM.
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Good entry and good seeing you out in Winona Lake!
I enjoyed reading the post... and the Pirates do play baseball!
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