“It's been a hard year for me, and I'd give almost anything to know what the new year has in store for me. How can I find out? A woman in our town claims to be able to tell your future, and I'm almost willing to give her a try.”
“I thought that when I gave my life to Jesus I wouldn't have any more problems with temptation but it sure hasn't been true. If anything, the temptations have gotten stronger. Why is this?”
“Recently, my aunt told me I needed to stop being so sensitive to what people say. She has a point, I guess, because I admit I get upset and hurt very easily. But what can I do about it?”
“Does it do any good to pray for peace in the world? We do it every week in our church, but when I look back over the past year it doesn't seem like things are any better now than they were a year ago.”
“December 25: When the angels announced Jesus' birth, they said He would bring peace to the earth, didn't they? But we still have as many wars and conflicts as we've ever had, and I can't see that the world is getting any better. What difference has Jesus really made?”
“December 24: My new neighbor comes from a non-Christian country, and she's been asking me about Christmas and why we do what we do then. What would you say to someone like her? I've never tried to put it into words before.”
“I heard someone say recently that church people ought to stop celebrating Christmas because it’s become so materialistic and secular that we no longer realize what it’s all about. Do you think he has a point?”
“December 22: Why didn't the devil try to stop Jesus from being born? After all, Jesus was coming into the world to turn people away from the devil's ways, wasn't He?”
“This has really been a tough year for us — lost jobs, house in foreclosure, you name it. How can we explain to our children why they aren't going to get anything for Christmas? They're too young to understand all the problems we've had.”
“Most of the pictures about Jesus' birth that we get on Christmas cards show Him with a halo around His head. Why is this? Did He actually have a halo when He was born?”
“I've taught a Bible class for the youth in our church for over 15 years, but some of the students who were in my class several years ago just had a run-in with the police, and now I wonder if I've just been wasting my time. Should I give it up?”
“I always pray when I go to bed, asking God to forgive me for whatever I did wrong that day. But how do I know if He really forgave me? I hope He did, but how can we be sure? Or can we?”