How would you answer statements from young people who felt like this?

Jesus, you're okay for old folks, but quit bugging me now. I've got a lot of living to do.  Maybe when I get old....

You're out of date, Jesus.

It really gripes me that the church says I shouldn't doubt.  They expect me to just soak up like a sponge everything they tell me and never ask any questions.  That's ridiculous!  How can I have a faith that's meaningful to me if I'm never allowed to even think about it?

The Christian life is too dull and boring.

Here I am:  I didn't ask to be born.  I didn't ask to be who I am, yet the Bible tells me that I'm condemned unless I repent and believe.  Frankly, I think life is a trap!

This is a scientific day, Jesus, and you just don't fit.

I don't want to be a Christian because I don't want to give up so many things.  I want to live and enjoy life!

If God is good, why does he let wars go on in this world?

Our church is boring and square.  It talks too much about the past and not enough about now.  It doesn't speak to life today.  It isn't meaningful.  It isn't relevant.

Barbara Jurgensen can and does offer sparkling answers to questions such a these.

When Oscar Hellestad went to China as a missionary in the early 1900s, no one was safe. Roving bands of robbers and plundering war lords with their bloodthirsty followers threatened constantly.  All the Bandits of China is the story of Hellestad and his wife living through perilous adventure - undergoing bandit raids on their home and besiegement of their city, facing near-starvation, traveling over muddy Chinese roads by wheelbarrow, crowding onto the Chinese railroad - when it was working.

The reader steps into the life, frightening, yet rewarding, lived by missionaries to China during those tumultuous days.  This fascinating story shows the courage, dedication and determination as well as the sense of humor of this missionary and his wife.

The stirring events of this story will appeal to readers of all ages - to their love of adventure and their need for inspiration.

In this sequel to her popular Quit Bugging Me!, Barbara Jurgensen explores the common gripes leveled at ministers. Some are brutally blunt - but all need to be heard and answered. As the author puts the preacher under the microscope for closer examination, she discovers, behind his receding hairline, not horns or halo, but just that patch of graying hair to which all mortals are heir.  Her comments are enhanced by clever illustrations.

This is a book for teenagers who feel that their parents don't understand them, for teenagers whose parents are getting them down, for teenagers who want a chance to grow up.  A glance at the Table of Contents reveals both the humorous touch that the author has along with the practicality of her widespread approach:

Are parents part of the human race?  It isn't easy to be a teenager.  They don't understand me!  They forget what it's like to be a teenager.  I want to be independent!

My parents are getting me down!  Do I always have to obey them?  My parents don't like me.  They worry too much about me. They won't let me grow up!

We're having a few troubles at our house.  How can I disentangle myself from them?  How can I become a real person?  I want to grow up!

PARENTS, UGH! will give teenagers a better understanding of themselves and their parents that can help them to ease the strain between the generations and will do this from a Christian perspective. One of the outstanding features of this book is its treatment of problem homes (and every family has its problems).

PARENTS, UGH! seeks to give them special help in this area.