Something new
Goodbye 2017 and hello 2018! Another year is behind us, and a brand-new year, brimming with possibilities, lies ahead. If last year was a difficult one, we may be glad to... »
Editor's Introduction
The Prince of Peace
Sometimes it feels like the world is getting darker and colder all the time. When the sun sets, we look for some ray of hope. That hope is here. Two thousand years ago, o... »
Four loves
In modern English, the word “love” conveys a range of emotions, but the classical Greeks were more precise. They had four words that have all been translated as “love” in... »
Planting trees
“The Man Who Planted Trees,” by Jean Giono, is the allegorical tale of Elzéard Bouffier, a humble shepherd who single-handedly transformed a barren region of southern Fra... »
To learn and to grow
Children are natural learners. As long as their basic needs are met, their thirst for new information and experiences is boundless. If they’re happy and have interesting... »
The secret
Living a Christian’s life in today’s complex and intricate world can seem quite difficult. So many things demand our attention on a moment-by-moment basis. Most of them a... »
God’s invitation
In working on this issue of Activated, I came across this great quote: “Relationship with God isn’t about what you do, how you do it, or where you do it—it’s about knowin... »
Principal and interest
In the course of working on this issue, I came across an inspiring story about two great men of God. I’d like to share it with you. Charles Spurgeon, the famous evangelis... »
The most significant decision
An American shoe representative was sent to a remote region of Africa. Before long, he wired the home office: “Selling shoes in this part of the world is pointless! Nobod... »
Christianity in action
One winter some years ago, a group of friends and I were traveling on a mountain road in a passenger van in the southern United States. It was past dusk on a Friday eveni... »
The secret
At the time Paul wrote his letter to the church in Philippi, he was languishing in a Roman prison, yet in his introduction, he describes true happiness not as him being r... »
What is success?
For Christians, success cannot be measured simply by money. It’s not about becoming the richest or most famous, but about using the talents God has given us to the best o... »
The mountaintop
In his very last speech, given in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 3, 1968, the day before he was assassinated, Martin Luther King imagined God asking him what era he would l... »