The Youthfront Book Shorts have been released by Barefoot Publications. I served as Editor for this series. The title I'm featuring today is The Art of Unknowing by Maureen "Moe" Lunn.
Moe had been involved in our ministry for a couple of years as a college student when she became a seeking doubter. As a result of her pursuit of truth accompanied by endless questions, Moe and I became good friends. I loved her honesty and openness to new ideas. I remember telling Moe that if you aren’t willing to change, then you love yourself more than you love the truth.
In The Art of Unknowing, Moe shares her journey through being involved in youth ministry to becoming a youth worker. Her journey took her from certainty about everything to embracing the art of not knowing. Moe’s story will be helpful to many young people who are currently in the same place Moe found herself as an older teenager. Moe’s story is also valuable for youth workers who have youth like her in their youth ministries.
Moe describes how important it was for her to be okay with saying, “I don’t know.” Her descriptions of the environment that kept her connected to faith and Christian community are important issues for youth workers to contemplate. There are so many young people like Moe in our churches. The question we must ask ourselves is, Are our churches safe and generous places for young people to ask hard questions, be honest about doubts, and find faithful spiritual guides who will journey with them toward sustainable and life-giving Christian formation?
Moe’ s story will be helpful to many young people who are currently in the same place she found herself in as an older teenager. Moe’ s story is also valuable for youth workers who have youth like her in their youth ministries.
*The cool thing about this book short series is the fact that they are downloadable and can be reproduced by youth workers to engage in conversation with their volunteer staff for the purpose of training and shaping the ethos of the youth ministry of a church.
Love it. I will check it out. I might pass it on to my grade 12's.
Posted by: kolby milton | November 29, 2011 at 05:08 PM
Wow, thanks Mike! Interesting choice of photographs, but I guess it adds to the mystery of it all. :)
Posted by: moe | November 29, 2011 at 06:36 PM