Following Jesus Into College and Beyond

by Jeff Baxter

When students turn 18 the world expects that they will be fully-fledged adults, yet without a solid faith foundation in a constantly changing society, they risk being pulled in a direction they... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310282632
• ISBN13: 9780310282631
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Zondervan Publishing Company
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 15 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 10 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Identity, Choices, Belonging

This book is targeted at high-school and college age young people, but it is also well suited to junior-highers (particularly as related to identity) and to twenty-somethings who may still be wrestling with the issues it addresses. The author's purpose is to help readers think about three areas of life which he defines as identity, making choices, and belonging, and what it means to follow Jesus through what is often a tumultuous time of life. Jeff Baxter hits issues head on, from dealing with doubts, to pressure and stress, to sexual promiscuity. He talks candidly about the real issues of real life. The author uses a structured and concise approach written in a casual and conversational style that goes right to the heart of each of those areas. I found his treatment of identity and choices to be fast-paced and refreshing, like a cool drink of water on a hot day. The third section on belonging was more like a tall latte, made to savor and to enjoy more slowly. It is the longest section of the three (and rightly so), because it deals with the more complex issues that are involved in relationships with other people. All three sections are divided into four or five short chapters and each chapter ends with questions (to draw the reader into thinking about those topics in their own life), and short lists of web resources and books that deal with them in greater depth. These lists make the book as much a reference manual as a read. It also makes the book valuable and appropriate for parents, teachers, and youth pastors trying to get a better understanding of the young people who are part of their lives. (Full disclosure: I am acquainted with the author because we both formerly attended the same church.)

Set some time aside - you'll never feel the need to piut this book down

It's been a long time since I've read something that is so easy to review as this book was. Jeff Baxter has taken some great, meaty principles and put them into a user-friendly format that any age can appreciate. Although his target audience is the older high school student, there's also a ton of great sideline insights for parents and youth workers. All thoughout these pages, Baxter has assembled thoughts from students in a variety of demographics to show the universal issues they struggle with. Combined with his own narratives of lessons he's learned in his journey and others', the reader walks away feeling like he/she is not alone in following Jesus Christ. Perhaps there is no greater takeaway for the emerging generation than knowing that their story is a part of His Story, and for this reason alone the book succeeds beyond measure. Beyond that, though, this is a solid resource full of academic and biblical thoughts that are easily digestable. Baxter has a way of making you feel like he's sharing the deep secrets of the universe with you while the two of you hang out over a smoothie. That's a rare gift that many readers may not consciously realize, but that's precisely the point. Whether you're shopping for a high school senior's graduation gift, want to help an underclassmen get a better perspective on life, or simply looking to put an eavesdropping ear to the door of 21st Century adolescence, you won't go wrong in picking this book up... and not putting it down.