No two people witness events in the same light. Ask any police officer about accident reports—five witnesses will tell five different versions of the same event. The five groups of Palm Sunday witnesses 2,000 years ago had different perceptions when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. The whole city asked: "Who is this man?" Each group had its own answer to the question (Matthew 21:10).

Young adulthood has changed. No longer have most graduating college seniors successfully negotiated the journey of identity formation, knowing who they are and what they want to do for the rest of their lives. At the same time, college-aged (18-25) people are more removed from "adulthood" than perhaps ever before in history.

Four twenty-somethings from Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) in Nampa, Idaho, give us their thoughts on growing up and the church.

Many churches feel pulled in two directions at once. On one hand, the churches want to speak to people in ways they can understand and connect with. They sense that talking about the gospel and "doing" church in the old, familiar patterns may no longer reach their world, effectively. On the other hand, they worry the effort to become "relevant" might give away too much of their core identity and dilute biblical truth.

Recent research by pollster George Barna has been interpreted to describe what he feels is a growing disenchantment by some believers with the traditional ways of doing church. As a result, he established a Council of Senior Advocates to examine the situation and offer insights targeting solutions. Dwight M. Gunter II, pastor of Trevecca Community Church of the Nazarene in Nashville, was invited to serve as a member of this council.

Some time ago, blazing fires torched expensive homes in the Malibu hills of California. After the melee, victims stepped forward to harshly criticize, of all people, the fire department.

Why? Firefighters ceased spraying water on homes having any trace of fire. Considering such structures doomed, they dropped back to "uncompromised areas."

A cute newspaper cartoon caught my eye several years ago that illustrated an important reminder. It pictured two contestants competing on a television game show. Ted, contestant #1, could not hit his buzzer quickly enough to answer a single trivia question. His opponent always buzzed in first and answered the last 200 questions correctly. His opponent? God. Makes sense—God knows infinitely more than Ted or any of the rest of us will ever know!

"I'm a terrible wife. A failure!" Maria* huddled in the corner of the couch as she spit out these words. We were seated together in a counseling room in the psychiatric unit of the local hospital. Maria had been admitted several days earlier following a suicide attempt. As she talked, the picture emerged—she was a responsible career woman overseeing a staff of 30 and was comfortable with her husband in their empty nest years.

God will take us through if we cooperate. In every situation, there is a right attitude that can be taken. At every turn there is a Voice saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21). We do not have to work out the strategy of victory for every circumstance.

We have to choose once for all the will of God, get a holy heart, then commit ourselves to the principles of the Bible. In every questionable issue, we need to find the Christlike attitude to take, then act accordingly and let God do the rest. In other words, obey and trust. Try it.

God will take us through if we cooperate. In every situation, there is a right attitude that can be taken. At every turn there is a Voice saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21). We do not have to work out the strategy of victory for every circumstance.

We have to choose once for all the will of God, get a holy heart, then commit ourselves to the principles of the Bible. In every questionable issue, we need to find the Christlike attitude to take, then act accordingly and let God do the rest. In other words, obey and trust. Try it.

"Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil. With this silver I've bought your soul, I ransomed you from fear and hatred, and now I give you back to God."