A love story
In the Bible, God often uses metaphors or word pictures to describe our relationship with Him; for example, a shepherd and sheep, a father and child, a vine and branches—... »
Editor’s Introduction
Why suffering
Most people try not to think about it more than they have to, but there's no denying it: There's a lot of suffering in the world. Innocents are killed, maimed, and made h... »
Looking back, looking ahead
In years past, Activated has occasionally featured articles describing little ceremonies the contributors participated in around the turn of the New Year. For example, fr... »
The presence
Throughout the Old Testament, God’s kindness and mercy flows through the text, like this verse in the Psalms: “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abou... »
The God factor
In God in the Dock, C.S. Lewis included an essay entitled “Answers to Questions on Christianity.” One of the questions is on which of the religions of the world gives to... »
The Master’s secret
This year, we’ve seen an unprecedented number of lives upended by the COVID-19 health crisis, and far too many are still being impacted. Those who remained on the front l... »
Soul renovation
Oddly enough, whenever I’m at the dentist’s office, there always seems to be one of those home makeover shows playing on the TV in the waiting room. The sound is muted, b... »
Love conquers all
In John 13:35, Jesus says, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”[[NLT]] That doesn’t necessarily seem too hard, but for a word th... »
Achieving greatness
When you think of “great” men and women, what sort of people come to mind? Many of us would list outstanding athletes, best-selling authors, favorite movie or TV actors,... »
The settlement
The first verses in the first chapter of the book of Isaiah are terrifying! In them, God uses strong language to outline the many offenses of the nation of Judah, includi... »
Let’s make history
Have you ever wished you could do something that would change the world? But did you ever feel that your obscure, little life would leave no mark? You have no idea how wr... »
Always with you
The Bible lets us know that we can expect to go through some difficult times while we’re on this earth.[[ See John 16:33.]] The good news is that it also promises that we... »