A few months ago, my wife and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary in Europe. One city we visited was Venice, where one evening we purchased tickets to hear Vivaldi's Four Seasons performed by a famous vio...

"Amen" (Revelation: the last word of the Bible). Scripture ends with the word amen, which means "let it be so." We also use amen to close our prayers, and amen often is uttered when we agree with someone...

"I will write My law in your heart" (Jer. 31:31). I have been a professional writer for a long time. When I was a teenager in high school, I began writing for certain magazines and journals and never have ...

If you need a humorous indoor activity, try playing Photo Op. Invite the teenagers to bring an assortment of baby photos and/or early childhood photos (or digital photos to be displayed on a computer) to th...

"In those days, magi came from the East" (Matt. 2:1-12). The biblical saga of the magi, as found in the Gospel of Matthew, is worthy of rereading each year. It is a saga filled with hope, wonder and a guid...

"In the beginning..." (Gen. 1:1). Scripture reminds us that all living things have a beginning—and that beginnings are important as we consider our place in the world and where we hope to arrive. Begin...

Here's a fun indoor game for those cold afternoons, and this one can be set up with minimal supplies. You'll need five or six children's sand buckets and a sleeve of ping-pong balls or super balls (all ...

"I bring you tidings of great joy" (Luke 2). One of the most popular Christmas carols is "Joy to the World," a hymn written by Isaac Watts in the early 1700s. What makes the story behind this hymn so remarka...

"Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or unfavorable" (1 Tim. 4:2). Not long ago, our congregation began a two-year process of strategic planning. We began to discuss our strengths, challenges, opp...

"He was in the world and the world came into being through him" (John 1:10). If there is one theological word that describes the uniqueness of the Christian faith, perhaps it is incarnation, which means ...