The BackdropDo we need church?We can get sermons online. We can get worship songs from iTunes. We can meet a Bible study group at Starbucks. That's three big staples of church: community, teaching and worship. ...

The BackdropPrayer—you know you need to do it—but let's face it: It's not your best subject. In fact, it's hardly anyone's best subject. Why is that? Maybe it's because results often are not immedia...

The BackdropPraying is not difficult. Anything we say to God is a prayer. However, to make sure we know how to pray, Jesus got very specific in teaching us how.The WhatBelow is Jesus' model for prayer from Matt...

"When He went ashore, He saw a great crowd, and He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things" (Mark 6:34).See ItAt this particular moment, J...

The Backdrop:Depending on how long you've walked with Christ, there's a good chance you've done a good number of devotionals similiar to this one that you're doing right now. You've probably grown some and lear...

The Backdrop:Where is God?You may have found yourself asking that question lately. As this devo is being written, the events of Sandy Brook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., are less than a week old. Of cour...

Transitioning from one year to the next gives us a great opportunity to step back and evaluate where we've been and where we may be going. In the first of two year-end youth group devos, our Bible guru helps yo...

Have you ever wondered if you could pass God's smell test? Did you know He had a smell test?Follow your nose through the passages below. Each time you see a reference to smell, note who is doing the smelling an...

The BackdropGod reveals. It's what He does, and He revealed Himself in one sure-fire way for us to know Him: through His Word.The WhatThis devo is fairly simple. Each passage below is from a different era of Go...

The BackdropDavid was having a moment in Psalms 19. You can feel it in the opening of the psalm. He was overwhelmed with wow on how the beauty of nature points to the glory and the work of God. Those wow moment...