January 25, 2012 UP Close and Personal

Yesterday I made a presentation about the Millennials, those born between 1980 and 2000. My focus was on their characteristics, as demonstrated on a survey, and what our response, as leaders here at BBC, out to be.

According to the survey, Millennials really do want parental involvement (60%)in their lives and they want mentors(40% have one). They believe they are responsible to make a difference in the world (90%) and that it is their role to serve others (75%). They are not religious, but identify themselves as spiritual (75%) with only 35% attending regular worship services.

The morning I made the presentation, my Bible reading took me to Genesis 49:28 which talks about Jacob blesses each of his twelve sons with "a blessing that was appropriate to him." The idea of a father blessing his sons took me to Ephesians 6:4, Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. And then Titus 2: 3-5 Similarly teach the older women to live in a way that honors God, They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead they should teach others what is good. These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their own homes, to do good and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.

So, as I distill all of this, it appears that God has ordered us as older men and women to bless the younger by teaching them in a way they can receive how to live in such a way that they honor God. And a life lived to honor God will be a satisfying and joy-filled life.

Current research tells us that this generation growing into adulthood all around us want what we have to offer. They want mentoring. The survey (about the Millennial generation) appears to communicate that young people today are seeking the involvement of older adults in their lives. We are being given an opportunity, no, we are being welcomed into their lives to influence them. Our challenge is to rise to the occasion, to interact with them in such a way that they can receive our counsel, to interact in such a way that they do feel blessed.