Message of the Holy Father Benedict Xvi on the Occasion of the Twenty-Fifth World Youth Day (March 28, 2010)

The Me I Want to Be, authored by John Ortberg, and published in 2010 by Zondervan Press, is a powerful and practical guide to the secret to finding fulfillment in life and to grow in our relationship with Him and to cooperate with Him (2010). The book informs the readers a God’s perfect vision which starts with a powerful promise. All those who trust in God “will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8). God Made us, He knows why we were made and how we can be fulfilled. We made us to flourish, it’s God’s gift, we are moving toward God version because God redeems. The author says that, "There is an enormous difference between following rules and following Jesus, because I can follow rules without following the right heart." (p. 28).

of achieving our purpose in life can be a daunting but awarding task. Christopher McCandless

One organization that is becoming increasingly popular, is the new youth church. These churches are made up primarily of young adults; those that attend gain a sense of belonging by their family-like structures and “cell groups”. They also dabble with the postmodern and nontraditional ways of worship, to attract outsiders, and they have a strong emphasis on missionary work.

Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day that you are born and the day you find out why.” Everyone has their own priorities in life. Each person finding his or her own passion in order to reach one’s full potential. Regardless of whether it is a occupational, spiritual, or emotional goal, everyone should find that aspect in his or her life that sets fire to their soul so much that he or she is willing to do absolutely anything in order to achieve it.

Live in your unique abilities to learn, love, grow and share God's grace and mercy with others to complete your God given assignments. Do not give up on doing all the good you are to accomplish in your work and charity. Your life's story should paint that picture of your face, not my face.

Dean argues that if teenagers don’t have a firm grasp of core Christian principles and instead worship at what she calls “the Church of Benign Whatever-ism” or they don’t worship at all. She claims that it’s because youth pastors and other leaders have” watered down” the message. The first part of the book draws upon extensive research data to diagnose the problem that teens are being taught a brand of Christianity that is shallow at best. Dean lays the responsibility for the emptiness at the feet of Christian parents and churches.

As Kristi Bowman says, “The key to ultimate happiness and fulfillment lies within our own transformation. The more we learn and grow and evolve as we learn and grow and evolve as individuals, the more we will find happiness and satisfaction in relationships, work and life”. Part of life is the choices that a person makes. A fulfilled life is shown through the growth of an individual. According to Faulkner, Robinson and Freeman evidence of an unlived life is defined by the ability to make one’s own way, identify the importance of life and self-deprivation.

World Youth Day is an international event where young people from around the world encounter with the Pope and are invited to experience a deeper faith and closeness to Christ. By sponsoring Indigenous youth the Catholic Church and NATSICC embraces the youth of the Indigenous and opens them up to opportunities and possibilities that would have been impossibly unachievable if reconciliation was not present. It is important to the

Once one determines their purpose, one may achieve fulfilment through living a righteous life. Specifically, by determining ways to benefit and contributing society. Socrates touches on how righteous attributes are beneficial to not only to yourself but to the community as well. “Wealth does not bring about excellence, but excellence makes wealth and everything else good for men, both individually and collectively.” (Plato, n.d.). One may live a fulfilling life through mission work and focusing on the needs of the people around them.

As individuals, we don’t give true value or understand what some people have experienced in their lives, or even understand how those individuals have been impacted by such experience. Let’s be honest, life tends to test us on an everyday basis; we often question what our purpose is in this world of ours—we struggle to find ourselves in today’s society (Corey 2013).

As my ambitions become realities it is important I remain educated to not only ensure my “t’s” are crossed and my “i’s” are dotted, but it is also important for me be able to incorporate my own ideas when possible. Without being properly educated I will not be able to establish a firm basis in which to grow. Matthew 7: 24-27 speaks on having a solid foundation in which to build your life on. As one man built his house on a rock and the other built a duplicate home upon sand. The man whose home was built upon sand was washed away in the storm, while the man whose home was built upon the rock was able to withstand the storm (“King James Version,” 2012). With the proper education I will be able to form a foundation that will be able to withstand any storm, enabling me to rebound when needed. During this process it is important that I remain honest with myself and be able to accept other people’s honest opinions about me. Without honesty personal growth cannot occur and trust cannot be established. But remaining humble is of the most importance. With humility my mind will remain open to the thoughts, opinions, and outlooks of others. This allows for further growth, understanding, and continued blessings. With the incorporation of these values and principles in my upbringing, I have become the determined and independent person I am today. However, these values and principles would not stand so strong without the motivation and support of my family and friends.

Life is a complicated twist of suffering, laughing, and learning all merging to tell a great story - or great many stories. Based on this view, "it is not the end goal or outcome of life that gives life meaning but rather the quality of the story, the quality with which one lives out and develops his or her role."

Therefore, many religious seekers turn back from their religious tradition and find out other religious traditions. The Last analyzation is that most churches does not focus on transforming the society but making congregation immerse only into religious practices. Through this, Christians are looked as people who bring forth not reconciliation and unity into the world, but split and conflict with self-righteousness. From these analyzations, the ministry has a plan to have a new approach for young adults to get the good experience of hope, peace, and unity regardless of their religious background through inter-religious dialogue in a form in which young adults might be interested.

Over the course of LIB 314, Life Journeys, I have become familiarized with a variety of different ideas and concepts that have opened my eyes to the complexity of making life changing decisions over the entire span of one’s life journey. Ford (1987) notes that “we often think of our lives as a journey or a quest for something that is of ultimate importance to us” (pp.10), and defines ‘journey’ as “some persisting entity that is moving forward through time and space” (pp. 17). What is this important “thing” that we are trying to achieve? Well, it’s different for everyone. And on our lifelong quest, there are many sub-goals and important decisions that we need to make along the way. In order to creatively and effectively work through life’s myriad of complex problems, one must be familiar with their identity and self, be able to clearly define and outline the steps to the goal, have a strong support group in place, and be able to persist through failure while maintaining a positive mindset.

Maya Angelou once said, “my mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” She writes of this way to live life not just melting into the routine but expanding into your fullest potential. According to Angelou, there are two ways we can choose to live out our lives: surviving or thriving. Surviving is taking the easy way and just settling for what will get you by; you are getting minimum of life experiences. Thriving is going for things you have no idea if they will turn out okay; you keep going and when you are comfortable, it is time to push harder. There is a motivation to thrive inside everybody, especially in Christians; whether we act on it is our choice. I want to thrive; I want to become everything and more