Getting older often gets a bad rap in our culture. We color our hair, hide our wrinkles, and lie about our age because in America there is the notion that aging is a bad thing. In contrast, aging is not something that just magically happens to us once we get the letter to join AARP or we start drawing social security. Rather, the moment we are born we begin to age.

How much do you really know about the later years of life? There are many stereotypes that prevail about aging and these attitudes have subtly crept into our churches and they affect our ministries. Be honest with yourself and see if you have bought into any of these myths.

Memory loss is a normal part of the aging process. People are always telling jokes and stories about how they have forgotten something and it is a sign of their age. I sometimes hear people say that it is a "senior moment." The truth is we don't automatically lose our memory as we get older. In fact, only 2-3 percent of older adults in their seventies and 5-10 ...