Jesus and the cobbler
One of my favorite Christmas stories is about an elderly cobbler who dreamed one Christmas Eve that Jesus would visit him the next day.[[This version was adapted and shor... »
Ronan Keane
Ronan Keane is the executive editor of the Activated magazine.
Light vs. dark
According to an allegory that can be found in various places on the internet, there was once a dark cave deep in the earth that had never seen light and couldn’t imagine... »
An adventure with God
Most of us have a number of different roles or titles by which we’re known—parent, child, student, coworker, teammate, spouse, friend, for example. Each of them sheds som... »
Being kind
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the state of the world lately. The last few years have been anything but easy for most people, and intros to pr... »
The new you
The Bible is full of stories about new beginnings and starting anew. God knows that living in a fallen world isn’t easy, and He understands that we will go astray and lon... »
Two boats and a helicopter
In a well-known parable, a storm hits a small town, which is quickly flooded. As the waters rise, the local preacher kneels in prayer on the church porch, surrounded by w... »
Positive programming
Most of us struggle with negative thinking at some point in our lives. We put ourselves down for real or imagined faults and weaknesses, or we compare ourselves negativel... »
Perfect Peace
At an art contest on the theme of peace, most of the competitors contributed tranquil scenes of lazy days in the countryside, where all was stillness and harmony. To be s... »
The full life
One day, somebody asked Jesus to arbitrate in a legal dispute between him and his brother. Jesus wasn’t interested in getting involved in their squabbles over an inherita... »
Of storms and hope
There’s a common misconception that the Cape of Good Hope lies at the southern tip of the African continent. In reality, the point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans me... »
Being the difference
“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead…”[[Luke 10:... »
Lessons from wizards
When I was much younger, some friends and I organized a party with a twist. We were a rather geeky bunch of sci-fi and fantasy fans, and we decided to stay up one night t... »
The search for a plan
As we take our first steps into 2022, I suspect many of us have a sense of relief as we ring out 2021. It’s true that the last couple of years have been unusually difficu... »