ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ The lead singer of the Christian band Casting Crowns says his work as a youth pastor brings him face-to-face with the needs and problems of today’s teenagers.
Mark Hall told Minnesota’s KTIS radio that what young people need most is the love and approval of a father, or father figure.
A growing problem Hall sees is the constant texting that teens do on their cell phones. He says that since “everybody talks with their thumbs now,” many teenagers “don’t know how to talk to people.”
Mark Hall also observes that with multiple non-stop text messages, it’s hard for teens to escape from the drama of their friends’ lives for some quiet time alone.
But Hall says he’s encouraged that many teens want to volunteer for service projects. When they do that, he says God builds their faith, reveals their talents and shows them that life can have meaning.