Western Thinking

"The character of a man is not a variable thing, but it follows in certain grooves cut long ago in youth." - Louis L'Amour Trouble Shooter pg. 100

So I've gotten back on a old Western kick (many apologies to my wife) but I came across this quote and it got me thinking about something I read on Mark Oestreicher's blog

"As to the openness of children: Barna Research claims that the overwhelming majority of Christ-followers date their “conversion” prior to 14 years old; indeed, after 14 years old the likelihood of conversion drops drastically....When we combine the “responsiveness” data presented by Barna (and confirmed by thousands of observations by the writers of this letter) and the unique capacity for spiritual development among young teens, we see an extremely narrow opportunity for life-long impact. Working with young teens offers us the opportunity for preventive ministry, whereas ministry to older teens must often be corrective."

I wonder if maybe old Louis was on to something??