One of the wonderful blessings God provides us is creativity. Each of us has a creative side that shows itself in some way shape or form, so why not find a way to harness that into youth leadership events?

There are so many things youth leaders and pastors can do to help foster God's creative gifts to us. From battle of the band events to craft shows to poetry readings, using events to show off the talents of creative youth group members is a way to get people involved.

Whether you're a participant showing off your creative side or a spectator enjoying what talents God has provided, these types of events allow youth groups to grow together in celebration of one another.

Proverbs 24:5 - "The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger."" (NLT)

I am not really sure when we started down this path of believing that intelligence wasn't important, but it seems like we reward ignorance far too much. People become rich and famous for nothing more than being pretty or unintelligent. It makes it seem like there is no reason to grow in our knowledge of things.

Yet God tells us something different. Wisdom and knowledge make us far more powerful than the world tells us about. Wisdom that comes from God makes us truly strong, because there is an assurance and strength that God provides to us in understanding. We should never shy away from wanting to be smarter. There is nothing wrong with being the smartest or wisest, in fact, God tells us that there is a strength in wisdom that we should strive toward.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this tragedy at Fort Hood in Texas. Was it religion? Was it one man on a rampage? Was it really fear of serving in Afghanistan? Whatever the answer or answers are, it still doesn't change the tragedy of people dying. It still doesn't alter the fact that this incident happened to those men and women who already had it in their hearts to put themselves in the middle of danger to protect our freedoms.

I ask everyone I know this week to say a prayer not only for the victims and their families this week, but for all our men and women serving around the world. Or even take a step further and do something to honor the troops. We are about to honor our veterans for Veteran's Day this week, and the fact that these men and women serve every day facing danger means we owe them a bit of thanks. Agree or disagree with military action, it does not mean that these soldiers are not out there protecting your freedom to say what you will about what they do.

Disney's "A Christmas Carol"

Every holiday season it seems like there is another twist on A Christmas Carol, and this season is no different with the motion capture version starring Jim Carrey. What is our fascination with the Charles Dickens' tale, and do we really need another incarnation of the story?

Our fascination stems from the overarching theme of the story, which is redemption. We all know someone who is a little Scrooge-like when it comes to faith, some of whom we've seen slowly come to know God. The change in those who were so resistant is remarkable, as is the change in Scrooge.

Yet the fascination with the story is really more of a belief that we ourselves can change. For Christians that change often comes from allowing God to work in our lives. God places people and things in our lives to tell us when it's time to change. It may not be as obvious as three ghosts, but often there are hints that we aren't living quite right in God's eyes - from the pull on our consciouses or the warning from our friends and family.

In the end, we all know at some point we will feel that redemption and freedom from the burdens we have carried. Yet in the meantime, we need to listen to our personal "three ghosts" so that we can rid ourselves of as many burdens as possible. That is why A Christmas Carol will always remain a popular holiday staple.

2 Corinthians 3:5 - "It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God."" (NLT)

Trust in God. Sometimes it's hard, because our nature takes over, and we tend to want to do things on our own. It is no different than when we pushed our parents aside for the first time to do something on our own. We do it to God all the time. Yet, we cannot think that our successes are our own. God created us. He provides us with our abilities. He gives us lessons in our failures. He shares joy in our successes. We can do nothing without Him.

This weekend is Halloween. Most Christians have one opinion or another about whether Halloween is acceptable or not, after all, the Bible doesn't directly say that Halloween is bad. Since much debate comes from various interpretations of the holiday, each year I like to find out where you stand by doing a little poll:

Psalm 67:1 - "May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us."" (NLT)

We often ask ourselves how to be more Godly. How can we be more pleasing to God? Yet, one of the greatest things we have as Christians is to know God's mercy and blessing. There is nothing better than knowing you did something right in God's eyes and feeling his smile upon you.

At the same time, we should be using this verse to ask for God's blessing on others. Take some time this week to ask for God to be merciful to those around you and bless them. You may not know it, but someone you know probably needs it. What a blessing your prayer may truly be.

I don't think there is a day that goes by that I don't have to ask God for forgiveness for something that I did. I'm not perfect, and I know I make a lot of mistakes. Yet I also know that I have one thing that makes my life a little better...God. No matter what my mistakes are, I know that God will forgive me if I ask for it.

Does that mean that God's gift of forgiveness can be taken for granted? No. However, God doesn't expect us to be perfect. He knows we all make errors in judgement. That's why he gave us examples all throughout the Bible including big names like Jacob and David - all of whom made big mistakes but also received God's forgiveness and love.

When we ask for forgiveness, though, we need to learn from those mistakes. What good is forgiveness if we need to ask for it over and over and over and over? If we can't find a way to solve our problems, we need to ask for help. We need to allow God to work in our lives through his presence and the people he places in front of us to help us in our walk.

1 John 3:15 - "Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them."" (NLT)

This scripture isn't talking about murder in the sense that we think of it today. Hating someone else can cause enough damage to not only hurt a part of them, but also kill a part of your heart. Yet sometimes people make it especially hard to like them, like when they're bullying you.

Bullying isn't something all of deal with frequently, but it is something we can all understand. People telling us that bullies really just hate themselves doesn't necessarily help the pain you feel being bullied. Violence in students is increasing, and yet do you know where to turn when you're being bullied?

If you feel like someone is bullying you or see someone being bullied, find help. Tell a parent, teacher, pastor, or youth leader. While you may not like the person bullying you, remember that you are a spiritual guide. What is that person doing to themselves spiritually if they continue to hate? It may not be easy to think of helping your bully, but by getting them help to overcome whatever hurt they feel, you may actually be helping yourself.

Today I was reading about a Justice of the Peace in Louisiana that refused to marry an interracial couple, because he didn't believe in interracial relationships. He was, of course, fired from his job, because discrimination is against the law. He says it was "for the children" and that he is not racist. But what do you think?

I know that our grandparents and great-grandparents grew up in generations where interracial relationships were frowned upon. Yet out of the civil rights movement came a tolerance and soon what I thought was an acceptance of interracial relationships.

Today we often think of people like this Justice as racists. Some of them adhere to the Old Testament passage of Deuteronomy 7:3 ("Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons," (NIV)). Yet that scripture was written at a different time. Most of the scriptures that people use to discourage interracial dating weren't actually discussing race at all, but different faiths.

So what are you thoughts on interracial dating?