Here We Stand Student Site

The season of Lent is a time for reflection, prayer, and sacrifice. Some people choose to take on a Lenten discipline for the days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Giving up something—or starting something new—...

You know that Advent and Christmas are about preparing for and celebrating Jesus' birth. You may even recall that Lent is the 40 solemn days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. What about the less popular season of Epiphany...

There are more than 65 million Lutherans around the world. Here are a few of the more famous ones. Kirsten Dunst An actress since the age of 4, Dunst has appeared in more than 50 films, including Bring It On and the...

Television networks are constantly working to come up with the next big reality show. Whether it's a game show, a lifestyle change show, or a dating show, TV companies are spending big bucks to keep reality shows on the...

Are you a texter? If so, you are like 82 million other people who regularly send text messages through their phone or other mobile device. Most text messages cannot be longer than 160 characters (letters, numbers, symbols,...

Have you ever been caught in the middle of some wild weather? Despite all kinds of cool technology that helps us predict what the weather will be like, we can still be surprised by what is going on outside our window....

Life can get a little bit hectic every now and then; a test here, a project there, friend drama starting to boil, parents driving you crazy. With all of the things going on around us, we forget how blessed we are. It seems...

Do you like to shake your groove thing? Are you one funky chicken? Love to break it down? Back in the day, before your parents were even born, dancing was often regarded as a form of worship. But today dance is more about...

Does it feel like the Christmas season starts right after Thanksgiving? What is this "Advent" thing you keep hearing about at church? Advent is a season of waiting for Jesus' arrival. It's a time to prepare our hearts and...

October 26, 2008 was Reformation Sunday—a day when some churches celebrate the Reformation that took place around 500 years ago. Martin Luther, one of the leaders of this movement, believed that the Church should always...

The first day of school is about new beginnings—new teachers, new classmates, new lockers, new clothes, new books, and new friends. The Bible is filled with stories of new beginnings. 1. Creation (Genesis 1...

1. The Time after Pentecost is the longest season in the church year. (In 2008 it lasts from May 12 to November 29) 2. The Day of Pentecost is considered the church's birthday (May 11 in 2008). 3. It marks the...

April 22 is "Earth Day," a time when people focus on ways they can take better care of the planet. As Christians, we believe that God has given humans the task of looking after all of creation. Here are ten easy ways to care...

The lectionary is a collection of readings that we use for Sundays in the church year. Each Sunday we hear scripture from the Old Testament, the psalms, the Epistles, and one of the Gospels. These stories are on a three-year...

It's easy to think of Easter beginning and ending on Easter Sunday. Did you know there are actually 50 days of the Easter season? Popular Easter traditions can be celebrated throughout the entire season; not just on Easter...

Holy Week is one of the most powerful weeks of the church year. Sometimes it's over before we know it! We spend half of the year celebrating the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) but only a few days thinking about Christ's Passion....

So, it's time to sign up for a youth group event, a service project, or some other church-related activity. Though it's not always the most fun thing to do, it's important to be connected with your church. It's likely (and...

Have you ever been reading your Bible when, all of the sudden, a verse strikes you as rather odd? Maybe it’s the way the words are put together, or perhaps it would be strange if it was removed from the context of the story....

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Worship is a good time for a lot of things:praying, listening, singing, even dancing. But Worship is not such a good time for...

God calls people to use their gifts in service to God, regardless of their age (see Jeremiah 1). Here are ten ways you can help out around the church. 1. Be a lector. Reading scripture in worship is very...

Every year millions of people make New Year's resolutions. These are promises to try something new. Some common resolutions are to lose weight, stop swearing, or go to church more often. Some Christians also make similar...

Top Ten Things Smart People Get Wrong about the Christmas Story

Christmas is one of the most popular holidays in the world. Over time, some of the details surrounding this holiday have been skewed. Now that Christmas is over, let's look back on some facts that you may not...

Good Gifts Honor someone special by making a charitable contribution in their name. Most people don't need more stuff, and it's a powerful way to thank someone special in your life. Operation Christmas Child...

1. Song of Songs 1:2 "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine." 2. Song of Songs 1:15 "Ah, you are beautiful, my love; ah, you are beautiful; your eyes are doves." 3. ...

1. Adam Sandler Adam was the first man God created (1 Corinthians 15:45). 2. Oprah Winfrey Her father named her from the Bible. Though he accidentally spelled it wrong on the birth certificate. It is really...

1. Open your ears. Try spending time tuning out the noise of the world and see what you hear in the silence … perhaps the falling rain, scurrying animals, or wind in the trees. 2. Open your nose. Stop and smell...

1. Angel Food Cake 2. Deviled Eggs 3. Jerusalem Artichoke Dip 4. Ice Cream "Sundays" 5. Divinity Candy 6. Soul Food 7. Manna 8. Heavenly Hash 9. Angel Hair Pasta 10. Cherries Jubilee * * Ask your pastor where you...

Top Ten Theological Themes Found in Pop Music

1. “What Would You Say?” by Dave Matthews Band This song is about original sin. This is the sin that Adam and Eve passed on to all of humankind when they ate the apple in the Garden of Eden. When we are baptized, we are...

1. False: Jesus had dinner at Zacchaeus's house. True: Jesus said he wanted to stay Zacchaeus' house. The dinner part came from a Sunday school song. Luke 19:1-10. 2. False: Mary and Joseph went to numerous inns to look for...

1. Exodus 3:1-22. God calls us through burning bushes 2. Isaiah 6:1-13. God calls us with 6 winged seraphs and cleanses our mouths with coal. 3. Jeremiah 1:4-5. God calls us before we are formed in our mother's wombs. 4....

Participating in servant events are some of the most meaningful and memorable experiences that youth groups can share together. How about getting a group together to plan one of these projects? 1. Plant trees....

Here are 10 ways you might use your gifts to benefit your faith community. 1. Work in the nursery. Like babies? Spend time in the church's nursery caring for the youngest of God's children. Be ready to...

Your church offering goes to far more than 10 places, but here are at least 10 ways your gift to the church can be used. 1. Missionaries. Your giving sponsors missionaries who spread the Good News of Jesus at...

1. Genesis 25-27 Esau was born red and hairy. His twin brother, Jacob, had smooth skin. When his father, Isaac, was blind and dying, Jacob and his mother tricked Isaac into giving the blessing meant for Esau to Jacob....

There are some very disgusting foods in the Bible. Here is a list of some of them. If you don't believe me, look them up! I would not recommend trying any of them. 1. Joshua 9:5 Moldy Bread 2. 1 Samuel 30:12 Pressed Figs...

We often think of biblical heroes as being adults. However, there are many examples in the scriptures of young people doing God's work. Here are a few: 1. Joseph—Jacob's favored son Jacob showed his love...

The Bible is filled with stories of people who can inspire us to live better lives. Have fun looking through your Bible and finding some of your favorite bible role models. 1. Noah. Noah loved and obeyed God,...

God uses many ways to communicate with people. In the Old Testament, God often would often speak directly people. God has also used angels and even dreams or visions to send messages. Below are people who...

Jesus performed many miracles as a way of demonstrating God's awesomeness. These weren't "magic tricks" that were done to impress people—they were some of the ways Jesus let people know of his love. Though people...

In your lifetime, you have witnessed many tragic and violent events. This is no different than in Bible times. Here are 10 examples of some wild occurrences in the Bible. (If any of these concern, confuse, or scare you, be...

Are you in need of some guidance or some practical sense to apply to your life? The book of Proverbs (in the Old Testament) is a great place to look! 1. Listen to your parents. You have probably heard many people tell you...

Many people in the Bible got ticked off. Some got angry at things that were worth getting angry about. Others didn't. Some handled their anger in a good way. Others didn't. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:26, "Be angry but do...

Top 10 Animal All Stars in Scripture - Part 2

The Bible is full of fascinating animals and stories about them. Here are some of the most interesting animal stories Scripture has to offer! 1. Snakes on a Plant! Genesis 3. In the Garden of Eden, a crafty serpent convinces...

1. Serpent. The serpent deceived Eve and she ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3: 1-6) 2. Animals on Noah's ark. God instructed Noah to take with him on the ark seven...

You probably spend 7-10 hours per day at your school. That is a significant part of your day! Therefore, your school is one of the most important places where you have been called to live out your faith in Jesus. Here are...

With your Bible handy, explore these interesting facts about God's Word. 1. What else can be said? The shortest verse in most English-language translations of the Bible is Luke 11:35, "Jesus wept." 2. Can I take a breath?...

All of the Bible is good reading, but some people have their favorite parts. Here are 10 of the most common favorite verses or passages that people have. 1. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only...

Angel actually comes from the Greek word angelos meaning messenger. Here are 10 of the many places in the Bible where God's special messengers are mentioned. 1. Please don't kick your donkey Numbers 22:22-35. This is...

You have to admit, there are some pretty interesting names for books of the Bible. Among the 66 books, there are a few that don't look right and some that are not easy to pronounce. Here are some of the stranger names of...

The Bible provides an incredible variety of names and images for how humans have described God. Here are just a few: 1. Yahweh Yahweh was the personal name of the living God. It was so sacred that it was not even spoken. In...

1. It's fun! Volunteering will bring joy to your life. 2. Improve your health and self-esteem. Volunteering to help others is shown to reduce stress, give you hope, and make you feel better about yourself 3.&...

1. The Bible will still have answers. 2. Prayer will still work! 3. Jesus will still love you! 4. Jesus will still save the lost. 5. There will still be room at the cross for you! 6. ...

All of God's people are called to be partners with God in creation through our work. Martin Luther believed that the vocation of a Christian was to serve God and his/her neighbor through the use of one's unique gifts. 1....

Trust and obey. Over and over in the Bible, when the phrase "serving God" is used, it means that the one serving has come to trust in God's goodness and as a result wants to do what God says is life-giving. This...

1. Satan The Evil One is known by many names in the Bible and appears many places, but the devil's purpose is always the same: To disrupt and confuse people so they turn from God and seek to become their own gods. This Bible...