a journal for the journey

Statistically Speaking

Many statistics can't be trusted. You'll hear on one national news network that a high percent of Americans believe one thing and the total opposite result on the other channel.  They say that 78.25% of all statistics are not accurate (haha! I made that up!). While many stats are misguided, the one I deal with mostly is not.  

After years of research and working with high school seniors and college freshman, I believe that a range of 70-85% of Christian high school seniors drift away from growth in their faith within 12 months of graduation.  This range is based off of two highly regarded organizations whose research I trust.  

This means that roughly 8 out of 10 Christian college freshman begin to put other things in the place of their relationship with Christ as they start college.  That's staggering, but I believe it.  I believe it because it happened to me.  I believe it because for the past 17 years I have been working in full-time youth ministry and I have seen it happen each and every year.  I believe it because I know that so many Christian high school seniors do not do what it takes to prepare spiritually for college.  

So how does this happen? Well, it's a mixture of a few components, but here is the main one.  For a Christian high school senior, they have had up to 4 major spiritual influences in their life to help them grow to this point in their life.  These four influences are Family, Friends, Church, and Mentors, and these four groups have helped the student build a foundation of faith.  The problem is that when they move off to college, they leave these four influences behind.  It's not that these influences are no longer in their life, but they will become more and more distant as the college freshman lives in this next stage of life.  Then, if you factor in the fact that the social culture in college is often counter to growing in Christ,  you have someone wondering around a new place, looking for something to connect to....and we know the rest of that story!

I believe that if we know the problem, then we can find the solution.  Tomorrow I will post some solutions to this problem as we all try to help college freshman fight against the statistic.  

Dealing With Senioritis

About this time every year, just as spring blooms and the days grow closer to the end of the semester, an intermittent sickness spreads throughout households of those anticipating graduation. Could it be a virus that only affects certain ages at specific times? Might it be brought on by transitional stress at the end of the high school years? Is it contagious and could it potentially become a pandemic? To these and other possible questions: Yes!

This decline in practically every motor, emotional, and sensory function is the affect of a semi-temporary condition known as Senioritis. According to the Senioritis Leadership Association & Council for Kids, or SLACK, Senioritis begins sometime after the start of the college application process and has been known to linger throughout the summer months until the infected moves off to college.  Common symptoms of Senioritis include a basic lack of desire to do anything productive at home or school, and tiredness, even after a three hour nap.  Experts have discovered that this energy deficiency seems to flare up when the affected is anywhere except in close proximally to other inflected individuals in social settings.  The reasons for this is uncertain, but research has authenticated it’s claims.  Other symptoms of senioritis can be, but not limited to, an extreme lack of communication, inability to complete regular household responsibilities, and a decrease in concern for...anything. 

In some cases, symptoms of senioritis have been reported in teenagers as early as the 9th grade. For parents dealing with this condition at home, extreme patiences it required. Treatment can vary and most are deemed ineffective. Studies show that most reasonable attempt to remedy this condition before its natural passing from the system is often met with resistance. Six out of seven doctors agree that the best treatment is prayer and large doses of ibuprofen, for the parent, not necessarily the senior.  Parental caregivers have been known to get through this time quoting such phrases like “This too shall pass”, “They will be gone soon”, and various Psalms on suffering and deliverance.