EDITOR'S NOTE: Crosswalk will proudly present one New Year's-themed devotional per day during a season running from the day after Christmas through the first three weeks of January. Check back every day for a new devotional reflection about fresh starts, resolutions, growth and change, featuring the God who makes all things new. And Happy New Year! 　　Resolutions and Redemption 　　by...

　　Editors Note: This essay was originally published on December 24, 2018. 　　Miracle on 34th Street (1947) is the finest cinematic exploration of the commercialization of Christmas. The central story is that Kris Kringle, a man who looks like and believes he is Santa Claus, is hired to play Santa Claus at Macy’s department store. When it is revealed that he...

　　In ancient Greece, those who sought counsel from the Oracle at Delphi passed under an arch that bore the inscription, “Know thyself.” Presumably, those who did not know themselves would be ill-equipped to hear the truth. Yet unanswered questions reverberate down through the ages: what form does such self-knowledge take, how are we to gain it, and what difference will...

　　Immanuel: How God Is with Us? 　　By Emma Danzey 　　Bible Reading 　　“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means God with us”). – Matthew 1:23 　　Did you know that when you woke up this morning, God was with you? Did you know that when you received that horrible news, God...

　　A few years ago, family therapist Joshua Coleman wrote a piece in The Atlantic on a distressing phenomenon he was witnessing more and more frequently: generational estrangement. Parents and adult children are cutting ties more than ever before, usually because one party decides unilaterally that a relationship with the other is no longer wanted. Most frequently, it’s the kids who...

　　Take Time to Enjoy God's Blessings This Christmas 　　By Laura Bailey 　　Bible Reading 　　“A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” - Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 NIV 　　“Are you getting my calendar invites?”...

　　HAS THE GRINCH STOLEN YOUR CHRISTMAS? 　　And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David therehas been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” 　　Luke 2:10-11 　　Without a doubt, Christmas is...

　　Weekend, December 21, 2024 　　God in Human Form 　　So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. (John 1:14 NLT) 　　Can you imagine looking at God in human form? During the earthly ministry of Jesus,...

　　The newest Hollywood fad is trying to launch the next “Barbenheimer”—the unexpected cultural event that came about when two movies, Oppenheimer and Barbie, refused to move from releasing on the same day. This turned into a social media trend and ended up buoying both movies to box office smash success and cultural dominance. Naturally, Hollywood would like to recreate the...

　　Every Christmas, I try to write about our cinematic memories of an older America. We take stock at this time of the year, as our busy lives slow down a bit and memory acquires the importance usually held by hope or anxiety. But when that happens, given the rush of twentieth-century life, there’s no quick way back to our memories....

　　If there is one thing we can count on, it is the annual warning that China is on the verge of collapsing. Don’t believe me? Here are articles from 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. And here is another article with citations going back to 1990, all warning about the same thing:...

　　Today, a good lawyer is understood to be someone familiar with a certain body of knowledge related to the law, and who possesses the skills necessary to put that knowledge into practice. People are less likely to see excellence in the legal profession requiring a commitment to a certain way of life that makes demands on the lawyer’s character, motivations,...