Lost?

As a 20 something (30 next month) who was raised in the church and youth group, a friend’s blog kind of hit home today and brought on this thought process (thanks Jon). The church has ministries for children, youth, college age, young married, married with kids, over 40 singles, senior groups, Mothers of Preschoolers, Moms in Touch, Promise Keepers, recovery classes, etc. I’ve always thought that ministries directed toward the 22 - 35ish (especially single) age group are lacking. Maybe I feel that way because I’ve spent the last 4 years single and the last 3 1/2 years in small churches where I just don’t feel like I can find a "fit." That being said, I think part of it has something to do with the lack of interest by those in this age group. We’re a generation of lost souls who don’t even know we’re lost. We fill the voids in our lives with everything BUT God. We pursue relationships, careers, money, travel and experiences and can’t seem to find the time or use for church or God. We climb the corporate latter, only to find that we can never really reach the top. The more money we make, the more we spend and find ourselves increasingly in debt so we reach for that next rung thinking that we’ll find a position to help us make more money and get ahead. We spend so much time at work that we don’t feel we’ve balanced it well enough with a social life so to unwind, we start going out having a few drinks with the coworkers or friends. We hit coffee shops, bars, clubs, concerts and all sorts of other venues to escape the loneliness and quiet of an empty home – and call this having a social life. We want to enjoy life while we are young so we turn into a bunch of traveling addicts and thrill seekers, always chasing the next high. Then we get tired of not having anyone to share these experiences with and the thought of going home (or on vacation) alone again is not appealing so we look for substances to numb us or relationships to complete us. But where do we find like-minded people our own age? Finding someone at work is usually discouraged and besides, it seems most of them are married anyway. Some look at church, bars, events or online dating services with no luck. When we do find that certain someone, we expect physical intimacy to fill this big gaping hole in our lives, only to find that instead of feeling complete, we are left feeling even more empty and lost, thus causing the epidemic of short-lived and unfulfilling relationships and more sexual partners than we can remember. Yet, we still don’t see our need for God. We don’t realize that it’s a "God shaped hole" that nothing else can fill. We tell ourselves how much we love the freedom of our lifestyles, always busy, always succeeding, always on the go, always running from the subtle nagging thought that there has got to be more to life than this.

My question is not WHO is going to reach these people, but HOW do you reach a people that refuse to admit that they are lost?....