Barna Studies Teens
A new study by the Barna Group reports that 45% of American teens age 13-18 say the most important part of going to church is worship or making a connection with God. The study also revealed only half as much interest in pray and Bible study. I see this as a strong indicator of the God-shaped hole.
All of us, young and old, are missing something without that relationship with God. And that relationship is typically born, or at least strengthened, by the emotional experience of worship. Many church-goers don’t like references to emotional experience, but love is emotional, and if you don’t feel emotional when you connect with God I would question whether a connection is really being made. That emotion deepens the relationship and brings with it an increased desire to know the object of the love/emotion more. Prayer, Bible study, and obedience will follow out of desire and love, not obligation.
from my notebook 