On the noonday news, I heard that retail sales for Halloween-related goods (costumes, candy, other spooky paraphernalia) was not only in the black but significantly higher than last year’s. It seems that many in the western world, especially here in the United States, are using the festivities of Halloween as vehicle to “escape”, even momentarily, from the stress and pressures of life as well as to entertain children by dressing them up and allowing them [...]

In 2007, for the Adventist Youth Ministries Centennial Celebration, the General Conference reprinted The Morning Watch from 1907. The Morning Watch is a Bible reading plan for youth’s morning devotional. The following is transcribed from the introduction page: The essentials of Christian growth are three, expressed in these words of the Bible: first, “Search the Scriptures,”—FOOD; second, “Pray without ceasing”—BREATH; third, “Go, work to-day in my vineyard,”—EXERCISE. Each of the three is as essential in [...]

Guest contributor, the author of Life More Abundantly blog, encourages all those struggling with waiting anxiety with insight gleaned from the life of Joseph. Are you experiencing “waiting anxiety”? You know, the kind of anxiety you get when the relentless clock is ticking, and it seems God isn’t coming to the rescue. Perhaps you’re single and you’re not getting any younger, while everyone else around you seems to be finding someone and living happily ever [...]

“And this is the confidence we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, he heareth us: And we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” – 1 John 5:14,15 1 John 5:14-15 is a passage many of us have read so many times and, much like John 3:16, rote memory escapes our reasoning powers. Often times, familiarity [...]

Guest contributor, Michael, shares insights into the Biblical concept of swearing and how it relates to modern foul language. I recently read the Sermon on the Mount again. It is one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible. One segment jumps out at me every time, and it’s not because it’s confusing or especially great, but it was one thing that I always thought was really strange in the way people used it: 33You [...]