"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 ...

"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...

A word to younger youth workers: You will get older, and there are lessons from childhood to be rediscovered. The students I teach have no clue how old I am and probably don't care. When I tell them my age (...

The spiritual maturity of families is as diverse as the spiritual maturity represented in the teens of a youth ministry. Of all the contrasts we navigate in youth ministry (e.g., male vs. female; middle school ...

"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...

"And the word became flesh and lived among us" (John 1:14). When I was in college, our family hosted a student from China. This experience was beneficial in many ways. We learned some Chinese vocabulary, c...

"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 ...

"Fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim. 6:12). When I was a teenager, I had several good friends. It seemed we were always together; and if one of us found ourselves in trouble, we were all in trouble. Likew...