"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...

Santa Claus Is Coming—with a Lie DetectorGet downloadable PDF.Get downloadable PowerPoint presentation.About/DisclaimerWhat Happened:Santa's watching us. From the time we were little kids, most of us were...

Quick Backdrop:While everything in the Bible is important, Scripture has some built-in words and phrases that serve as clues that we are about to come upon something special. They're biblical rumble strips simi...

My story begins in the same way many other stories begin. I grew up in a Christian home, attended a Christian church and school, and worked for a Christian ministry. I attended Awana, led worship in high school...

I've made several trips to the post office in the past few days, mailing support letters from members of our mission trip team to their family and friends, asking them to support their trip prayerfully and/or f...

After going through one of the most heartwrenching experiences of my youth ministry career, I soon found myself jobless and homeless. I have a wife and daughter who desperately needed me to have an income and a...