Getting teens interested

[RCWarrior821]

Can anyone recommend a good book for teens to get them to start thinking about a serious relationship with Jesus? I don’t want to start with the Gospels because I feel it may be too over their heads so I was hopping someone could recommend a book for them that shows them conversion and could get them to start thinking about building a prayer life and personal relationship with God.

The teens are ages 14-16

 

[MatthewBerkeley]

Hi,
I’m 19, and I’ve been involved in a few teen faith groups in the past. My experience is that it’s the one’s who want to learn and develop a relationship who do, and forcing them to go to a class doesn’t really work. I don’t know what level in the faith your teens are, but I get what you’re saying about the Gospels being a bit heavy. Still, I think it’s important that they are familiar with the stories in the Gospels and then they might think of reading them spontaneously. I only read all the Gospels properly earlier this year, even though I was familiar with most of the stories from Mass. And rereading it’s amazing the things you learn that you never realised before!
One idea I had about nourishing faith lives is introduce them to saints. Some of the lives of the saints are inspirational, and they tell of their own relationships with Jesus, which we can strive to emulate. There are so many saints, and they’ve all been through so much - I haven’t read extensively, but my favourite would have to be St Therese, because she’s really easy to relate to, but is just a normal, holy girl, and young, aswell, so she speaks well to all young people. There’s an idea. Btw, her book is called ‘Story of a Soul’.
Hope that’s some help
God bless!

 

[Homebrew_roots]

When I was 18 I read Scott Hahn’s “The Lamb’s Supper” and that did the trick for me. I’ve never looked at the mass the same way since. Other than that I think we should be careful not to always pick books that are too elementary. Teens are smarter than they like to show, they can handle mature books for the most part. Another way of getting through to them would be through other avenues such as short articles rather than books and also videos. I highly recommend the NOOMA videos which can be found on YouTube.com, they are not specifically Catholic but the they are acceptable for all Christians. The NOOMA videos are extremely well produced and I think they may add some spice for the younger (as well as older) audience. Just search for “NOOMA” on YouTube or at the NOOMA website and you’ll find some good stuff. I would recommend the one titled “Name” for starters but there are lots of good ones to check out.

 

[jpk1313]

Get a dictanary of the saints and have them read up on random saints their lives are very inspiring or go down to your local catholic book stor and find some mysticism for begginers type books St. John of the Cross’ dark night of the soul is a classic and is very much a begginers guide to becoming a mystic. I mention mysticism becuse that is what people crave that intense spiritual experience but when they do not know how to get it they turn to other things like magik or drugs. Show them that the church is more than just rules and ceremony.

 

[Shin]

Some of the Don Bosco books are quite entertaining.

 

[kage_ar]

The Gospels are over the head of teens? How unchurched are our Catholic young people?

Walk into any Baptist, Assembly of God, non-denom, etc. next Sunday - to to the 3rd grade Sunday School class - every one of those kids will be able to tell you Christ’s life, his miracles, and the story of his death and resurrection. They will also know the creation account, the lives of Noah, Moses, the major prophets…

If the Catholic teens have not even touched the gospels

Get your hands on the Great Adventure Bible Timeline for Teens - then move through the other Great Adventure Studies.

Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.

 

[whatevergirl]

Can anyone recommend a good book for teens to get them to start thinking about a serious relationship with Jesus? I don’t want to start with the Gospels because I feel it may be too over their heads so I was hopping someone could recommend a book for them that shows them conversion and could get them to start thinking about building a prayer life and personal relationship with God.

The teens are ages 14-16

*I would recommend in addition to buying a book for them, reading the nightly mass readings together as a family, and finding a reflection of the readings that can aid in understanding and discussion. We have done this with our kids since they were little, age appropriate material, and it has been a blessing. My teens are now 13 and 17…

There are other family things you can do to build faith discussions, as well…Advent is a beautiful way to foster a child’s prayer life, too. Praying the Rosary as a family or just with your teens, is by far to me, a great way to meditate on the mysteries…and after you pray the Rosary, then discuss those mysteries with each other, and what they mean to you all.

I bought the book My Dear Young Friends, by Pope JP2 which my son enjoyed…he didn’t pick it up as eagerly as I might have liked…lol…but eventually he read it. It’s a fabulous book for what you are seeking.

Dive into the Gospels together as a family. It’s amazing how teens open up…and question their faith even. That’s a good thing, gets healthy conversation going. Be ready to answer the questions, and learn and grow as a family.

God’s best for you and your kids. *

 

[djeter]

I have another thread dedicated to this but Fr. Robert Barron’s The Strangest Way is a great read and puts Catholicism into a different light.

a reading selection here

and Fr.Barron’s video on the book.

I’d find three or four good books and have them choose which one and present on it.

payingattentiontothesky.com/2009/12/07/practices-of-the-christian-path/

dj

 

[ElectricMayhem]

Just a thought…

Teens need authentic and discipled ADULTS in their lives demonstrating the skills of faith…not another book or program- they have too much of that already. In other words, if you want teens to know what it means to be catholic and do catholic things, they need to be with ADULT catholics who do catholic things.

 

[djeter]

Just a thought…

Teens need authentic and discipled ADULTS in their lives demonstrating the skills of faith…not another book or program- they have too much of that already. In other words, if you want teens to know what it means to be catholic and do catholic things, they need to be with ADULT catholics who do catholic things.

Granted but there is never a guarantee for a mentor relationship. Whereas a good book can be tremendous gift. But no guarantees for that either…

 

[ElectricMayhem]

Granted but there is never a guarantee for a mentor relationship. Whereas a good book can be tremendous gift. But no guarantees for that either…

i’m not talking about a mentor, but rather a discipled community.
no teen has even been impressed by my book collection…or even cared…or even asked about it. And no teen has ever thanked me for a book or program i recommended. the only books that teens read for me was the ones i assigned to them.

 

[Seatuck]

What about one of Amy Wellborn’s Prove It books?

 

[djeter]

i’m not talking about a mentor, but rather a discipled community.
no teen has even been impressed by my book collection…or even cared…or even asked about it. And no teen has ever thanked me for a book or program i recommended. the only books that teens read for me was the ones i assigned to them.

Well my point was that none of this can be proven as the most efficacious approach. I agree wholeheartedly wiht you on the importance of a discipled community.

 

[djeter]

Are you familiar with J. Budziszewski?

During the 1990s, J. Budziszewski rose to prominence as one of the leading intellectual lights among Evangelical Christians in America. A political theorist with a special interest in the natural-law tradition, he was highly sought as a speaker at conferences organized by groups such as the InterVarsity Fellowship and Campus Crusade for Christ. A principal theme of his many talks to American campus groups is captured in the title of his 1999 book, How to Stay Christian in College.

For some Evangelical Protestants, then, it came as a jolt when, on Easter Sunday 2004, Budziszewski was received into the Catholic Church. J. Budziszewski teaches in the departments of government and philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. His most recently books are What We Can’t Not Know: A Guide (Spence, 2004) and The Revenge of Conscience (Spence, 2004).

J. Budziszewski received his Ph.D. from Yale in 1981, and is a professor in the departments of Government and Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. Budziszewski is an ethical and political philosopher. He is also a nationally-known authority on the tradition of Natural Law, which is germane to intelligent design because natural teleology is at heart a design concept.

Much of his work focuses on the repression of moral knowledge — on what goes wrong when we try to convince ourselves that we don’t know what we really do. Another of his interests is the intersection of philosophy with theology. Budziszewski’s scholarly books include Evangelicals in the Public Square (2006), What We Can’t Not Know: A Guide (2003), The Revenge of Conscience: Politics and the Fall of Man (1999), and Written on the Heart: The Case for Natural Law (1997), which received a Christianity Today book award. Budziszewski’s works appear in both scholarly and popular venues, and he has also written several books for young people.

I’ve devoted a post to him, a link to his conversion story, and reading selections from a well argued piece called The Illusion of Moral Neutrality – probably too hard for teens but something you all might enjoy. Find it here:

payingattentiontothesky.com/2009/12/09/reading-selections-from-%e2%80%9cthe-illusion-of-moral-neutrality%e2%80%9d-by-j-budziszewski/

dj