My first few years of being a Christian were extremely exciting. I was 19 and just old enough to have made a small mess of my life, so repenting was easy. I welcomed the saving grace of Jesus Christ. A new life required a new set of friends, new job, and new outlook. Several years raced by and though there were ups and downs, life was grand for the most part. I had gone back to college and was involved in various leadership opportunities at my church. I surrounded myself with great Christian friends and had a supportive family.

In the past few years my wife and I have become empty nesters. One of our children graduated from college last year and the other one is attending a Nazarene university. When kids move away, parents have the opportunity to be reflective and remember all of those moments that led to the empty nest. It is hard for me to do that without going back to my college years--after all, I met my wife there. Now with our daughter at the same school, it seems that our family has come full circle.

"It sort of makes me mad when I hear people say, 'be yourself.' I am trying to be myself. But I need help figuring out what that looks like. It's like they think I should already know." -Sophia, 17

Dear Maurice,

I wish you and Benita could be with us here. The mountain air is crisp and the snow-capped peaks provide a majestic vista on the horizon.

News of your continued solid recovery from heart bypass surgery in the weeks since we were with you has buoyed our spirits. Keep up the good work!

The poor, backward town of Itapucumi, Paraguay, did not have much of a future to offer five-year-old Miriam Merlot. Her single mother had left her in the care of her uncle, Silverio, in order to find work in the city. When measles outbreak hit the area, Miriam fell ill along with many others. The nearest hospital in the capital city of Asunción offered free medical care, but getting there cost money. Hope slipped as more and more people died. Surely frail little Miriam?s life was at risk.

It happens several times every week. Someone calls, asking for advice as they try to transition mom or dad to an assisted living facility (ALF) or a nursing home.

Most of my 40 years of pastoral service have been with older adults. However, never has there been a time in my ministry when I have had so many inquiries from adult children as now.

It seems nearly everyone I meet is wrestling with issues that pertain to their elderly parents or grandparents.

Mark Holcomb is the general president for Nazarene Youth International (NYI). At the General NYI Convention in 2009, he was elected to this role. He is university chaplain at Olivet Nazarene University (ONU). Previously, he was on the ONU faculty and has also served as a local church youth pastor. Mark and his wife, Terry, have two adult daughters, Kristin and Kelli, and three grandsons, Brayden, Jackson, and Bradley.  

Where were you born and raised?

Nearly 36 months ago, at the beginning of what is now referred to as "the great recession," a pastor invited those in the Sunday morning worship service needing a job or wanting to improve their current employment situation to come forward and pray. Soon, people were kneeling from one end of the wooden altar to the other responding to an offer of spiritual support and divine guidance in their search for employment in what was to become the worst recession in the U.S. since the Great Depression (1929-39).

"The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:39, NLT).