Many Christians wear cross or crucifix jewelry or "Christian" clothes, but as your mother always said, "If all your friends jumped off a bridge would you?" Not that that answers the question necessarily. Your friends might also be doing something good. Since the Bible doesn't talk about using Christian symbols as clothing and accessories, how can w

Yes, Christian teens (and adults) can have friends of the opposite gender. But, like so many things in life, it's not necessarily a black and white, "blanket answer" kind of deal. True friendships are awesome and an important part of living life, seeing the world from other perspectives, and developing empathy. And for friendships to be healthy, we

Not much hurts worse than rejection. Whether you're the last one chosen for a team in gym or your crush totally blows you off when you ask them to the movies on Friday night—rejection is definitely the worst! We feel it deep in the pit of our stomachs, can't we? That terrible, gnawing feeling of being unwanted, unloved, and unappreciated.So how can

Have you heard the song “Immortals” by Fall Out Boy? They wrote it for Disney's 2014 action comedy movie Big Hero 6. (If you haven't seen it, I'm about to give a bit of a spoiler, so skip to the article if you don't want it ruined.) The plot follows Hiro, a young boy whose brother is killed by a super villain. Hiro works through his grief by assem

Yes, the Bible tells us that we are ALL born sinners. Ever since that first sin in the Garden of Eden, sin has just been a fact of life. We are all born with a sinful nature. Every human mind, will, emotion, and body has been corrupted by sin. Sin affects all areas of our existence—including who we are and what we do (Isaiah 53:6). Does that sound

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you.” —John 14:27Those were some of the last words Jesus said to His disciples at the Last Supper. He echoes them when He sees them next after rising from the dead: “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36). Before their darkest hour, as they are caught in the grips of terror and confusion, peace is the gift Christ g

According to the National Institute of Health, “coping is defined as the thoughts and behaviors mobilized to manage internal and external stressful situations.”1 Coping mechanisms are the thought and behavioral patterns used to deal with stress. While there can be good and bad types of coping mechanisms, coping mechanisms themselves are true neutra

No, God doesn't want you to be miserable. But that's not obvious to everyone. The modern world wants us to be a nervous wreck all day every day. But that's the world talking—not the God who created you and loves you. The world tells us lies like:...if I sin badly enough, God will send me to hell....enjoying something means it's a sin....people who

Questions about life in Heaven are difficult to answer because the Bible doesn't provide too many details about what our reality in Heaven will be like. We know it exists because Heaven is mentioned or described 276 times in the New Testament alone. However, descriptions of our actual existence in Heaven are fewer.One of the things we wonder about

The concept of family appears over and over in the Bible. Family is one of the first things God set up for humans. On the seventh day of creation, God said that man and woman “shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24), thus setting in motion the building blocks of humanity: the family unit. And that's just the beginning of how the Bible defines family

As Christmas approaches every year, we often hear the word “advent” being talked about from various sources such as church services, devotionals, or anything else intended to set the tone for our Christmas season. The word "advent" actually means “arrival” or “an appearing or coming into place.” When Christians use this word around Christmas time,

"Diva" can mean several different things. Originally, it came from a Latin word meaning "god." Later, in English, "divas" referred to famous female singers. Decades later, being called a "diva" has taken on a derogatory tone and is often used to define a person who is high maintenance, vain, and excessively picky about their circumstances. To be a

Lent is a 40-day period for believers to re-center their lives on Jesus Christ through fasting and prayer. Lent is traditionally observed by those in the Catholic faith as well as some liturgical churches, but anyone who is convicted to refocus and refine their faith could benefit from Lent. The length of the Lenten fast was established in the 4th

The word "gospel" literally means "good news." When we talk about the "gospel of Jesus Christ," we're talking about the good news of what He accomplished for us. Jesus solved the problem of humanity's sin and its eternal consequences by taking on human flesh, living a sinless life, sacrificing His life on our behalf, then coming back to life.Jesus'

My family used to drive around at Christmastime to look at the pretty lights, but what we really loved seeing were the nativity scenes in front of homes and churches. Christmas nativity scenes are a visual depiction of Jesus’ birth into the world as recorded in Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke 2:1-20. Nativity scenes usually consist of some kind of anima

If you are a young human being enrolled in public school, charter school, private school, or even homeschool, being a good student is your "job" right now. Because school is your job, it's important to follow the rules of your school as long as they do not cause you to sin against God. If your school requires you to be there at a certain time, then

Have you ever wondered where God came from? Like, was there another God who created Him or has He always just been the only One? We could sit and ponder all day, but if we want a definitive answer, we can turn to the Bible. The Bible tells us that nothing and no one came before God. God has no creator and came from nowhere because He has always jus

Good news, everyone! Jesus gave us a new commandment in John 13:34: "I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." OK, big deal. We've heard it before. Isn't loving others one of the main points of Christianity? Don't they say that EVERY week at church? So, love one another. Cool. Got

As I'm sure you can guess, some of the most searched terms on the internet are related to pornography—whether it is to seek it out or to find ways to end addiction. Pornography is everywhere today in varying forms and levels of graphicness. It affects both guys and girls. Satan has indeed succeeded in twisting and perverting sex. He has taken what

Forgiveness of all our sins is one of the beautiful mysteries of the Christian faith. Firstly, how can God possibly forgive such rebellious and flawed people? And secondly, how can Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross be sufficient to cover past, present, and future sins? Our answer lies both in Scripture and in exercising a bit of logic. Let's look at on