Backpack Guessing Game

This intriguing back-to-school challenge makes a wonderful icebreaker (or a prize package) for your first meeting of the new school year. Purchase a backpack, fill it with various school supplies (e.g., pencils...

Therefore, Imitate Christ

"Dear friends, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good" (3 John 1:11, NIV). Some years ago, my parents travelled abroad, and each brought back items they believed to be of great value. My father had pu...

Youth Group Devo: Timekeeping with God

"Because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever" (2 John 1:2). We keep time many ways. A clock can tell us the minutes and hours of a day. A calendar offers us a glance at a year. A hist...

Youth Group Devo: In Memoriam

"Greet the friends by name" (3 John 1:14). One defining experience of my life was losing a close friend when I was in the seventh grade. One of my friends, a high school sophomore at the time, was hit by a c...

Youth Group Devo: Looking Ahead

"Remember your Creator in the days of your youth" (Ecc. 12:1, NIV). One of the most difficult aspects of being a teenager is having a limited perspective. In other words, teens have difficulty with seeing a ...

Youth Group Devo: Stay Sharp

"If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success" (Ecc. 10:10, NIV). When I was a boy, my father frequently sent me out in the summertime to chop down small ...

What’s in a Name?

"A good name is better than fine perfume" (Ecc. 7:1). Some years ago a prominent televangelist and national leader was disgraced by the revelation of many improprieties and weaknesses of character. More re...