don’t miss this article on cnn.com about kenda dean’s book, almost christian. the money paragraph:

No matter their background, Dean says committed Christian teens share four traits: They have a personal story about God they can share, a deep connection to a faith community, a sense of purpose and a sense of hope about their future.

**notice she doesn’t say “…and a fun youth group!” but, i would like to think that those four key qualities could be foci of our youth ministries.

THIS JUST IN: kenda’s response to the article with an important clarification on one point.

AND NOW, THIS JUST IN: kenda responds with more, this time about the title of the book and the title of the article.