Let's Talk Tuesday

I'm going to make LTT a regular feature here on the blog. I'll throw out a quick thought and a couple questions, then we'll discuss the topic in the comments section.
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Young people have been making news quite a bit over the last couple weeks:

• A 22 year old opening fire on a crowd gathered in Tucson
• A 17 year old shooting school administrators, then himself in Omaha
• A 13 year old Australian boy, giving his life so his brother's could be saved
• A 14 year old developing an iPhone game that gains the top spot for free apps
• A 17 year old Miss America (You really didn't think I would leave Teresa off the list did you?)

Is this a generation in peril, or a generation of tremendous capacity? Or both?
How do we help those on both ends of the spectrum see how much they matter to God and what they have to offer Him?