"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet..." (Ps. 119:105).During my childhood, I often carried small paperback books in my pocket. Then one year a teacher gave me a small packet of poems. She told me, "Carry one of th...

"To you I lift up my eyes" (Ps. 123:1).We have probably heard the expression: "Dangling a carrot in front of someone's nose."This concept goes back to earlier times when farmers used to dangle carrots and other...

This is an indoor game that requires no set up or preparation. Here's how it works: Invite a volunteer to inspect an area of the room carefully (an office desktop, bookshelves or kitchen works well for this). T...

"But we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor" (Heb. 2:9).Many years ago, a friend related a story from his childhood. He had grown up in a g...

"But in these last days He has spoken to us through a Son" (Heb. 1:2).When I was serving a rural North Carolina congregation in the mid 1980s, I became quick friends with one wonderful family. This clan lived a...

"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God" (Luke 1:30).Most of the news we listen to, and perhaps the news we relish, is bad. We seem to have a penchant for the tragedies of others, for th...

"You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at His birth" (Luke 1:14).A few weeks ago, my wife and I discovered some old family video—on VHS! Here we rediscovered some rare family footage that ...

This is a fun gift-exchange game—if this is part of your youth group tradition. Invite each teen to bring a wrapped gift (set a dollar limit) to the youth meeting and place all of the gifts in a pile.&nbs...

This is a fun, yet helpful game that you can use to benefit a local food pantry or other outreach to those in need. This can be played individually or in small teams. Give each teenager a dollar bill. Trav...

"But I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I heard from the Father" (John 15:15)We find it difficult to fail, but often we find it more disconcerting when friends fail us. That ...