Quick Backdrop The apostle Paul had a lot going for him—he was educated by the finest teachers, he had an enviable religious heritage, and he was a sought-out religious leader (i.e., lots of speaking eng...

Quick Backdrop Today's devo is very simple: It's one verse, but it's a powerful verse. The What To notice the detail, you may want to print out the verse below or paste it into an e-doc. Then, read the ver...

Quick Backdrop We should take special note anytime Jesus uses the phrase "this sums things up." It always helps to get a boil-down from Jesus. The Golden Rule, which we looked at last week (see that devo here)...

In youth ministry, summer is the prime time for attending camps, conferences and mission trips. Regardless of what type of summertime activity you participate in with your youth, it's important to process your ...

Quick Backdrop Psalm 107 opens with this exhortation: "Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story." The psalmist goes on to tell four stories of the redeemed, each story recounting a dire spiritual predicam...

Quick Backdrop Most of us know about David killing Goliath in a show of strong faith, Most of us also know about David, during a time of weak resolve, committing scandalous adultery with Bathsheba. Fewer of us...

Holy wow. It can be elusive and hard to define, but you know it when you see it…or feel it…or touch it. It's those wow moments in Scripture that bring pause, when truth reaches past your prot...

Quick Backdrop Psalm 73: It's one of the most gut-wrenchingly honest chapters in the entire Bible. It was written by a spiritual leader who was just about to check out of the faith. He was fed up with stayin...

Quick Backdrop In 10 years, you'll be well out of your teen years. At that time, you occasionally will look back on the summers of your teen years and find that each summer took on its own personality. You'l...

Quick Backdrop Arrested. Released. Arrested. Released. That's pretty much the pattern the apostles experienced as they shared the message of Christ with the world around them during the first few months of Chr...