I don’t remember the exact date; it’s a bit of a blur, really. The gown felt funny over my shirt and tie (which felt just as funny); like I was drowning in a sea of poly-blends. I was with all the other cotton-poly infectees, sitting down in the front.

Some people looked for their families the whole time; we were so excited to finally get to this moment, even though we really couldn’t fully grasp the significance of it. We were so giddy; we really didn’t pay attention to the guest speaker. Who was this strange person, and why should we listen to him?

Finally, it came time to walk up and get the diploma. A few people tripped but caught themselves, one hand flying up to catch the unbalanced strange geometric hat (was this a hat from the future?), and the other hand trying to balance things like a family of trapeze artists. Finally—diploma in hand—each would turn and smile to the flashes going off.

Some kids eat up the camera like a photo shoot; some kids look for their parents and grin from ear to ear; some kids cry with a rush of emotion that hits them all at once.

Each made his or her way back to their seats; and, as the room slowly filled with graduates, you could feel the desire to throw the geometric hat into the air growing… and growing… and growing…

This was kindergarten.

Isn’t it funny how such a grown-up moment, like graduating from college, can mirror a moment we hardly remember? But, to quote  from The Lion King, it’s the great “Circle of Life.” I have no idea what that means; but I do know this: that I will always be a child in the mind and heart of God, and I think He keeps providing these experiences for me so I can remember that I am His child.

I want to talk to you about staying that child as you navigate through the next couple of years in the collegiate world (for some, this will be three and a half years; for others, 10 perhaps). Whatever the length, we all have a task ahead of us at keeping our faith intact during these formative years. Here are some ideas and, hopefully, some practical tips to use along the way.

Be Child-like vs. Childish

Jesus clearly talked about not inheriting the Kingdom of God unless we become like a child.

Yet over your years in college, so much emphasis gets put on trying to figure out what it means to become an adult. Most popculture, secular sources will focus on attainment of career goals, of material gains and successes. These things often take the place of the “heart work” that is needed to transition into adulthood. As a result, we end up “postponing” that passage into adulthood for a series of reasons.

Brothers and sisters, adulthood is about many things; but ultimately, it is about coming to full maturity in Christ. It’s about doing whatever it takes to inherit the Kingdom of GOD—not of man. This Kingdom is about satisfaction in Christ and coming into the fullest expression of us in Him. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Remain in Me…” When you are a child, you are completely dependent on your parents for everything. This is completely countercultural to a society that tells you to fend for yourself. But to learn to depend on God is at the foundation of what it means to be a Christian.

Even the Son leaned on the Father in the garden of Gethsemane. How can you expect to do any differently?

So, how do you do this practically?

OK, I hate this part. This is the part where I’m supposed to tell you to watch out for what you’re taking into your soul. What I mean is, the moral and spiritual content of all the media you watch—whether it’s music, movies, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, blah, blah, blah… Here’s all I can offer you about that: If your ideal for relationships is personified in a couple that exists only in HD, you have a dilemma.

I was hanging out with a friend of mine who is a film producer. Someone came up to him and said, “Have you heard of such-and-such film? It’s a great movie, etc.” His response was, “That’s great, but could I sit down and watch it with my mother?” Wow, that is

a challenging proposition, but a true one. How does what we’re viewing and listening to affect us? Are we leaning on the Father in the choices we make?

Let Go of the World

I grew up in a “Betamax household.” Yep. That’s what I said. Betamax. “What does that mean?” you might ask. It means that whatever the most popular form of media delivery device there was, I had the other one. VCRs came out. Most people had VHS. I had a Betamax. Video games came out. Most people had Atari or Colecovision. I had Intellivision. Nintendo? I got stuck with Sega.

The list goes on—until Apple. My senior year of high school, my mom got an Apple computer. Finally—I was ahead of the curve! It

took 14 years for it to be realized; but, I was finally ahead of that curve. I can’t tell you the joy I had when it was becoming apparent that Apple was taking over the world of computers. It was exciting for me. I didn’t feel like such a Betamax-loser. iPods are everywhere. Even the Pope has one. Seriously.

Funny that the symbol for this company is an apple with one bite taken out of it. No doubt, it’s a reference to Sir Isaac Newton and his moment of genius that occurred under an apple tree. It reminds me of another moment, under a tree a long time ago, when innocence was tempted. When becoming master of one’s own destiny was dangled in front of someone’s face. But it also reminds me of

the danger of worldly possessions and how they can “possess” your heart. Look, there’s nothing wrong with stuff. But Jesus clearly said you can’t have two masters and that you will lose your faith in the process of gaining the world.

I’ve been there, in my heart. I pretty much still struggle with materialism. College students now spend upward of five billion

dollars a year on clothes and shoes. You make an average of $800 per month from jobs, etc. Most of that is spent on entertainment or clothes. If you have money for $150 jeans, maybe you could actually start tithing? Something to think about…

It’s hard to hold on to faith when you’re clinging to the world.

Schedule Time with God

I’m serious. People need their quality time with each other to talk, to process, to express how they’re feeling. That’s what it means to be in relationship. If you don’t spend time with people you care about, you grow distant from each other. Do the same with God.

So often we treat our relationship with God like He’s this weird, awkwardly rich uncle who’ll give us whatever we want; but we don’t really want to spend time with Him. So you have a long week, and Friday comes or Sunday, even. Don’t just give God an hour. Go for a walk. Be silent. Spend time in His Word, and then reflect on it.

If you have time to go to the gym every day, you have time to seek Him. A good idea for a quiet time is in the morning, when you first wake up. Give yourself some space to be still and to hear Him speak. Start your day by reading a psalm or a devotional. It doesn’t have to be a lot—just a paragraph. If you’re distracted, reread it. But be diligent in digesting His Word.

Grow in Your Prayer Life

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself if you’re still talking to God the same way as when you were 5? Often as we get older, crisis happens in our lives; and the way we’ve related to God in the past doesn’t fit the complexities of life anymore.  Consequently, we lose faith because our 5-year-old view of God hasn’t grown, but the rest of us has. So be open to your prayer life changing. This is part of the deepening of your relationship. How much time do you spend talking to God, versus listening?

Another type of prayer happens in corporate worship. Over the past years, I’ve seen college students specifically become more and more disenchanted with external forms of worship. Are you scarred by bad hand-motions from days of youth group past? Believe me, God understands your pain. However, that doesn’t mean you’re “above” corporate prayer and expressive worship.

What it means is that your soul is longing for more intimate expressions of faith. It’s gotta all lead somewhere. Real expressive

praise and exaltation of God is supposed to lead us to silence. We’re supposed to run out of things to say about God.

Words can only do so much. But when you love someone, you still say you love him or her. Some people feel like that’s personal, and they don’t feel comfortable praying out loud or raising their hands, etc. However, we are the mystical bride of Christ. That means when we come together to worship as a body, it’s not about us individually; it’s more about the body. We’re coming into it from different walks, but we need a common way of communing with the divine Lover.

One time, a young woman said to me, “Why do I need to come to church? I can have my relationship with God anywhere.”

I replied, “You don’t know how God wants to use your worship to inspire someone else.”

Grow in Your Sense of Family

God is a family of three persons: Father, Son and Spirit. When you are in relationship with Him, you are caught up in the middle of a divine family. In that, we are given a true taste of what familial love is supposed to represent. To be blunt about it, God wants you to experience Him in the midst of all your human relationships, but specifically in community. When we learn how to love

people consistently through commitment to friendship and forgiveness, a glimpse of the unconditional love of God is shown to us. When you and your best friend get in a fight and then reconcile , you’re only doing that because of what Jesus did for you at

the cross.

Grow in Jesus

Sometimes, in our pursuit of theological truths, we focus so much on God’s wisdom revealed in Paul’s letters, or the struggles of the Old Testament people, that we forget about the fact that God Himself lived among man for 33 years! What does Jesus say? Do you focus more on theology than remembering the story? God did not just come to die on a cross for our sins and rise from the dead; He came to show us how to live. Compared to some in history, Jesus didn’t say a lot in His three years of ministry; but what He said continues to baffle and confound the hearts of us all.

Singer/Songwriter/Worship Leader Matt Maher’s 12-track Essential Records debut album, Empty & Beautiful, will be in stores April 8, 2008. Visit www.mattmahermusic.com for more information.