I'm speaking at a conference this weekend for a group of about 160 people, mostly high school students. And I'm supposed to explain the Christian faith to them over the course of four 20 minute talks. Whatever you believe, it's a good exercise: how would you explain the way you make sense of the world in terms that make sense to a 16-year old boy? It's been a good challenge for me. I'm trying to explain what it means to live with God. The genesis of the idea came from a conversation I had with my mother-in-law, Penny, many years ago. Here's an excerpt from my book, Penelope Ayers, in which I relate that conversation:

Penny took me to Dante's Kitchen for lunch. Palm trees shaded the entrance, and inside, the walls were painted in vibrant colors—sunburst yellow, teal blue, fire engine red. I'm sure we talked about trivial matters before we ordered our food, but what I remembered later was Penny's question to me. "Amy Julia," she said, "what do you think Christianity is really all about?"

She asked deliberately, as if she had been waiting all morning for just the right moment. I put my fork down and held my hands in my lap. I didn't want to give a pat answer or talk about my beliefs as if I could hand them over in outline form.

"I used to think it was about forgiveness," I said. "And I still think forgiveness is important, but I think forgiveness is just a means to an end."

Penny looked eager, as if I were about to disclose the solution to a mystery. I was afraid I might disappoint her. I talked with people about God for a living, but that fall, I had begun to suspect that I was teaching answers to the wrong questions. Many of the students I worked with seemed to think about their faith mostly in terms of what would happen when they died, that is, who was "in" and who was "out" of heaven. I had started to think that living with God here and now mattered just as much as living with God after death.

I ran my fingers along the edge of the white tablecloth and looked up at her. "And the end, the point, I think, is a life lived with God." For the first time, I put into words what I had been mulling over for months. I stated my new thoughts as simply as I could: "I think Christianity is about God inviting us to live life with Him starting now and continuing on for eternity."

As the waiter began to clear our plates, Penny nodded.

"Life with God," she said. "That's what I want to figure out."

This weekend, I hope that these students will join me in figuring out what it means to live with God, starting here and now, continuing on for eternity.