I have taught and coached young adults now for over 17 years in the public-school system. During my career, I've come to realize that kids today are growing up in uncertain and confusing times, and I for one wouldn't want to trade places with them. In today's world, there is a great need of positive influences and role-models in the lives of children, especially in the lives of young adults who are searching for answers to life's biggest questions. In search of those answers, far too many kids today are looking in the wrong places. They are looking to numerous social media outlets, to celebrities, to athletes, and to pop culture. Often kids today aren't even asking themselves the right questions, the questions that lead to truth, real love, real meaning, and peace and fulfillment in life.
In our ever-increasing secular world, many young adults are not looking to God and Faith for life's meaning and purpose. Many do not grow up in any kind of religious household and sadly are never really exposed to the truth, love, and meaning that only a relationship with God so generously provides. Polls among teens today show that they are increasingly unhappy, and this is occurring today while kids are growing up with more wealth and amenities than generations before. Most children today are educated in public schools where any mention of God, specifically Christ, is outlawed. For the students that do attend weekly religious education classes during the school year, the vast majority are hardly interested, and see it only as something they must put up with until they are freed from their parents' reigns.
Although that is true, in essence, young adults today are not any different from young adults during any other time. They still want to love and be loved. They still want to find their place in the world. They still look to their surroundings for affirmation and for meaning in life. Too often, they end up uncertain about their future and purpose while a relationship with God is frequently absent. I wrote this book in an attempt to share my story of going through cancer and re-evaluating my life and relationship with God. Through this process, I decided to become a teacher in part to share my faith and on pass on lessons of gratitude and wisdom. I hope that the book can help young adults and anyone of any age to find in their lives a greater meaning and purpose, which of course cannot be thoroughly found without God.
Going through cancer at a young age has