This is long, but worth the read!
Saddle Lights mission is to establish young adults in God's word, and to create cyclists. It has been so hard to articulate the problem that Saddle Lights seeks to deal with in these college students lives, until recently.
Most twenty somethings put Christianity on the shelf following their spiritually active teen years, according to a study done by the Barna Group. It's become an epidemic of this generation, and it's one that we have personally experienced (Jesse and I).
Although our teen years were filled with Christian teaching, youth group, and fellowship, the 18-24 year old journey was one of floundering in the water to re-figure out ourselves, our beliefs, and what role (both in time consumption and intentional lifestyle changes) the church and Christianity were going to have on our futures. Our generation, we, had become so jaded about the church and its dysfunctions that we really didn't want much to do with it; we stilled believed in Jesus and that believing in Him was the only way to be saved, but we thought we could find a church online to listen to, and other believers or 'cool' people to hang out with instead, like through running, cycling, art etc.
We had heard the Word for so many years that we felt too familiar with it. What I mean by this is, we felt we knew the major life lessons and principles of it, without needing to actively study it again. After all, we'd been studying it for around 10 years by the time we'd graduated college. What else is there to know? The other side of this is today's teens and young adults are finding it popular to live a double life; i.e. to see how good they could get at deceiving both sides of the crowds they ran with. It's becoming a deadly poison wrapped with a bow and box labeled "cool, smart, fun, cunning." Apparently, the better you can deceive, the cooler you are.
What else is there to know than we already knew about the Word? A lot. More than we realized, or could have imagined. Somehow leaving the comfortable and supportive community of teenage believers at our old church, getting into a new bigger ocean at college, and then getting married left us more confused about our faith than sure of it. The foundation that we thought had been so strong and secure was crumbling beneath us. The whole 'coming together as one' thing for marriage required a lot of give and take, change of routine and accomodating, as well as a change in communication styles. This uproots a lot of the way a person views God, others, and relationships, especially when you heap a world of responsibility (which feels all of the sudden) onto their shoulders and ask them to float. They just start to sink.
Then what happens? They try to redefine who they are and what their purpose is in life all over again. Questions start rising, like:
How do I have faith and focus my life on Christ, while being married to a person that makes me angry and drives me crazy?
How do I juggle a job and the pressures of performing with the responsibilities at home?
How on earth do I manage my money?
What does God say about it?
Sex isn't working like we thought, where do we go for help?
I am battling depression and anger, from work, to friends, to home; help!
We are so alone, we can't make any friends, and we don't fit anywhere, we're just hurting.
Work is getting out of control; it's ruling my life and destroying me, what do I do?
I am pregnant, I don't know how to be a parent, what am I doing?!
And on top of all of this, you expect me to spend time studying the Bible? Why would studying it matter? I already know what there is to know, and I get enough from my online webcasts. I can't even pray, let alone read it!
Human nature shows that these questions lead to increased comfort eating, money seeking, corporate-ladder-climbing, television watching, spending-sprees, and other attempts at filling the hole in their heart that just keeps getting deeper.
If they could choose to intentionally be plugged into the Word of God, reading it daily and being transformed by the renewing of their mind in Christ Jesus, instead of the renewing of their mind on Lost and every other television show, friend, alcholic drink, song, or empty plight, their lives would be changed forever. They would live by wisdom and understanding. They would be filled up inside again. Their marriages would be changed forever. Their health, their finances, their jobs, their diet, their children, their frienships, their hope, their purpose....it would all be changed forever.
Barna's surveys also show that this twenty something young adult age group is the most resistant to and least receptive of all age groups (on average)to change in their lives because of their faith or active involvement in a church (small groups, bibles studies, prayer, etc).
Getting them into an environment that breaks down their walls, comfort zones, and barriers to open their ears, hearts, and eyes to Jesus and the power of His Word is what Saddle Lights is all about. Out on the open road, with an active and supportive family of riders and staff, facing intense challenges day in and day out, while studying real life applications from God's word is life changing, habit forming, and healing.
This is what we're about. This is what we're called to, this is the change we want to see. Young adults: the next generation of our church leaders, living exemplary lives as followers of Jesus Christ, established on His word.
Will you help us? Help us get this off the ground, we need your prayer support. We need your financial support. See our website at www.saddle-lights.com for Donation details.
Blessings,
Kelly
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