Interestingly, the biggest thing Rankin uncovered for me is that while Gen X recognised their spiritual side but didn't trust religion Gen Yers link spirituality with religion and therefore are negative about that too.

In other words we need to think deeply about how we communicate the basics of our faith, like talking about prayer, or even words like grace or sin…which basically lean nothing to your average Yer. I do some work in a school here in the UK and it's really made me work beyond the usual cliches…great stuff.

Really recommend Rankin for his interviews with British young people…so powerful and challenging to the church today.

Interestingly, the biggest thing Rankin uncovered for me is that while Gen X recognised their spiritual side but didn't trust religion Gen Yers link spirituality with religion and therefore are negative about that too.

In other words we need to think deeply about how we communicate the basics of our faith, like talking about prayer, or even words like grace or sin…which basically lean nothing to your average Yer. I do some work in a school here in the UK and it's really made me work beyond the usual cliches…great stuff.

Really recommend Rankin for his interviews with British young people…so powerful and challenging to the church today.

In other words, stand for something because you believe in it–not because it's the cause du jour.

Don't get me wrong, I think that both of those (regardless of how they came to be) are at least educational and can raise awareness. But, I believe there is a difference between talking about a cause and standing/working for a cause. It's as if there is a menu of causes that gives people ADD. I think the opportunity is in helping each other turn awareness into action.

And, for the record, I think it will get better. But there is such a fascination with it right now. It's really no different than what celebrities have battled at some level for years…standing behind a cause for attention, versus standing behind a cause to make change.

Those seem like interesting reads. What was the one largest take-away for you from these books?

Passionate
Searching
Wanting to leave their Mark

That is how I would describe this generation!

As a millenial/Gen Yer I've seen most of us as wanting to act more on things, not just talk about it. Restorative because tearing down old things isn't necessary if they can be restored for something else. Why not use what we've already got? Which is resourceful, too. And dreamer because they want more for everyone on earth, not just themselves or their country. Their/our dreams seem to encompas things way out of the realm of what seems possible. But those are usually the people who do them.

What a fun game!

Wonder if there's big differences between US and UK Gen Yrs. Have you seen the good work done by Phil Rankin, 'Buried Spirituality', and Bob Mayo et al, 'Making Sense of Gen Y'? Both focus clearly on British culture but may be worth the read.