Review Of Raising The Bar By Reid

In Raising the Bar, Reid discusses how to minister to the youth in the midst of today’s culture. He discusses the difference between the worldly view of adolescence and the biblical view of adolescence, relating that students need to be held to a higher standard. He also addresses the need for prayer and some practical ways in which to improve one’s prayer life. In addition, Reid addresses the need for biblical truth in the life of a student and the responsibility of adult leaders to feed them that truth. Each of these areas of discussion has given me greater understanding of how to work with the youth of today and have better equipped me in my own walk with Christ.

One thing that I found very interesting in Reid’s book is the notion that adolescence does not equate to immaturity. Reid spends the entirety of chapter four discussing the ‘myth of adolescence’, and the false notion of a ‘time out’ between childhood and adulthood (58). Reid explains that “the concept of adolescence has lead our culture both inside and outside of the church to fabricate two myths about youth…it encourages teenagers to behave like grade school

Prayer is something that I often fail to make a priority. It is not because I do not want to make it a priority, but because I get busy, fall asleep, or simply forget. I know that without a prayer life, I cannot expect to lead people in the way that God has called me to. Reid suggests reading the bible, keeping a spiritual journal and following a pattern. While I already do the first two, his third step is what really caught my attention. I think I often become overwhelmed with prayer because there is so much to pray about, so much direction and understanding needed, so much thanks to be given, and so many people to pray over. The idea of following a pattern will definitely help me to pray more in depth and