Christmas is a miracle, a moment when God became flesh, but it is also a narrative full of human elements that go beyond processes, feelings, emotions, and decisions. Think of a new family beginning its journey accompanied by angelic messages, unexpected visits, foreigners more devout than the natives, and the shadow of persecution. Mark Lowry, an American songwriter and singer, created a song titled “Mary, Did You Know?” This song is a true masterpiece of composition. Among its many impactful lines, one stands out: “Mary, did you know that when you kiss your baby’s face, you are kissing the face of God?” This statement, present in Lowry’s song, richly and completely illustrates the two sides of Christmas: God became man, without ignoring the stages of life of an ordinary human being, but always intertwined with divine events established by God. Jesus was conceived (a human process), but by the Holy

Through Time and Space How the habit of reading connects us to the global and historical Church. If you had access to a technology that allowed you to contact someone who lived in another period of history and part of the world, who would you like to learn from? This technology already exists and it’s called writing! Reading and writing are so commonplace in our modern world that we hardly recognize the amount of technology invested in a single page of a book. From the formation of languages ​​and the development of the alphabet to the production of ink and paper and the manufacture of the book, millennia of human development have passed! When we think of a book in this way, the habit of reading becomes a vital practice for the Church. According to Scripture, the Church is composed of those saved through faith in Jesus Christ, scattered around

How the habit of reading the Bible is essential for the strength of young people. If you could sum up youth in one word, what would it be? The apostle John would answer this question with the following word: strong. In 1 John 2:13–14, the apostle of love highlights three groups of people within the church. First, he speaks to all members, calling them “little children.” Then he highlights the “fathers,” referring to the older members of the community, and the “young men.” To this last group, John attributes three characteristics: they resist the Evil One, they are strong, and the Word of God remains in them. The connection the apostle makes between the strength of young people and their adherence to God’s Word is not unprecedented in the biblical context. The Lord instructed Joshua to be “strong and courageous,” taking care not to stray from God’s Law given through

High targets for teaching teenagers. aoa Have you watched the shows your teenage students enjoy most? Have you checked out the influencers they follow? Have you been curious enough to browse through their school textbooks, or to talk about what they’re learning at school? Have you noticed the quality of the music they listen to? It’s not hard to see how much pointless and mind-numbing content is available to this generation. It seems that the media and schools don’t believe that teenagers are gifted with intelligence and creative capacity. And, if we’re not careful, we end up making the same mistake in church too! Even though teenagers are often treated as if they lack intelligence, we know that they were created in the image and likeness of God, and by Him they were endowed with full capacity to think and create. Therefore, Christians who teach teenagers should have high goals.

The habit of reading is closer to you than you might imagine in your youth. Have you ever stopped to think about why people mature so much in their youth? Between the ages of 18 and 25, our brain is in the final stages of its development, and interesting things are happening within it. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making, matures. Our nerve fibers strengthen, and we begin to process information more efficiently. Obsolete neural connections are replaced by new and improved ones, which facilitate learning. When we apply these new brain capabilities to the habit of reading, it becomes much more accessible. Now we are able to: • Understanding more complex texts; • Read faster; • To better retain what we read; • To better resist the urge to stop or distractions; • Plan and organize reading into our routine. If you’re still young and don’t have the habit

Is there a foolproof recipe I can apply to any relationship I develop in my life? I’m sure you’ve experienced relationship conflicts before. I also know that you managed to resolve some more easily than others. Deep down, we harbor a secret desire to have a recipe that makes things easier for us. Unfortunately, there isn’t a recipe that works for every situation, but there are some ingredients you can always keep on hand to resolve conflicts. Ingredient 1 — PeaceThe Bible always exhorts us to walk in peace. Jesus said that peacemakers are very adventurous (Matthew 5:9). Let us not walk with Christ; the peace that reigns in our hearts should overflow into our relationships. Paul affirmed that the peace of Christ should be the arbiter of our interpersonal relationships (Colossians 3:15). Does peace reign within you? Are you able to radiate that peace into your relationships? Does peace