Much like a fifteen-year-old learning to drive a standard transmission for the first time, conversations with young people begin awkwardly, and usually they end unexpectedly. One word answers may easily become the norm. There is a major disconnect between young people and adults, and it is time for a crash course in conversations with young people. RISER is the way that author Greg Joiner invites adults to take the first steps in the direction of a young person. Dr. Greg Joiner has written RISER to transform the way we communicate with our children and other young people. It all comes down to one thing. Communication. Some argue it is the bedrock of everything there is. It has been described as “the art of being understood.” The most sacred gift we offer another is the willingness and ability to gently step next to them in honest, respectful and authentic conversation. To talk. To listen. To know and be known. To engage, not as in a swordfight but in the way one would help a small child to cross a street. To be aware of entering into sacred space, where we take off our shoes approaching the holy ground of their most intimate treasure – their thoughts, their heart, their vulnerabilities and their insecurities. It all comes down to communication. Communication requires watching, waiting, observing before pouring. We think we’re communicating when we ask a simple question, “Have you finished your homework yet?” the minute we walk through the door. But we are not. With this simple intro to the night ahead we lose them as they emotionally slink out the back door even as they sit silently at the dinner table. We try with words, many, many words. Each word matters, and less is more. Without communication, we have no connection. Without connection, we have no relationship. And people wonder why Millennials are the way they are. Ask any of them: Nobody listens. And then comes RISER: Reach beneath the surface Investigate with powerful questions Stay present in the moment Explore possibilities Respond with permission About the author: Greg Joiner, D.Min, has worked closely with young people for over 20 years. He currently serves as the Student Ministries Pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, TN. Greg received his D.min in the area of Youth, Family, and Culture from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2015. Greg also holds an ACC in coaching through the ICF. Greg and his wife Ellen, live in Nolensville, TN with their two children. Together they own beatboxfit, a fitness studio in Brentwood, TN. www.beatboxfit.com
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