Back in high school I was challenged to spend at least one minute a day in prayer. The idea being that one minute is better than nothing. After doing this for a month or so I found that that minute had expanded to far more than 60 seconds and had become a valuable part of my day. All it took to change my life was trying out a simple challenge.

When’s the last time you challenged yourself spiritually? Nancy Leigh DeMoss explores the connection between loving God’s Word and loving God and how 30 days can change your life. You can listen to the radio broadcast on The Revive Our Hearts page or read the transcript. She offers some compelling evidence to why reading the Bible is important for Christians.

And if you want some help reading through the Bible this year, it’s not too late to take advantage of the Bible Gateway reading plans.

What are Christians to make of the latest round of violence in the Middle East? Since Israel launched its offensive against Gaza, the world is once again watching as the all-too-familiar images of violence flash across TV screens. And the well-worn debates are once again dominating editorial pages and websites: who’s the villain in this situation? To what extent is it even possible to identify “good” and “bad” guys? And most importantly, is there any way to break the cycle of violence for good?

Those are big questions that will no doubt occupy the attention of world leaders and diplomats for many years to come. But for Christians trying to sort out the situation, here are two resources that might be helpful:

• Mart De Haan has posted an interesting essay about Israel, Gaza, and good or bad faith. He wonders what effect this latest conflict has on the faiths of both Christians and Muslims, and he offers some thoughts about “good” and “bad” faith, based on Hebrews 11. It’s a refreshing essay in that it avoids the trap of knee-jerk politics and tries to explore the way that we spiritually process events like this.
• Mission Network News is, as always, on the story. They’ve posted moving stories about the plight of Christians in the Gaza Strip and the effect of the violence on efforts to preach the Gospel message

Keep an eye on both of those sites for more news and reflections as the conflict burns on. And pray—for those affected by the violence, but also for world leaders trying to bring about a just and peaceful resolution to the ongoing cycle of violence in Israel and Palestine.

New Years Eve is the victory lap of the holidays. We expend our energy between Thanksgiving and Christmas and then cap it off with one last party to say good bye (or good riddance) to what just happened and hello to what’s to come.

It’s no wonder so many of us use the New Year as a time to change. We finally have the freedom to glimpse a future with no major holidays for a few months.

This article from Jason Gardner via Cross Rhythms lists the top ten resolutions people make for the new year:

• Get organized
• Help others
• Learn something new
• Get out of debt
• Quit drinking
• Enjoy life more
• Quit smoking
• Tame the bulge
• Fit in fitness
• Spend more time with family and friends

As Jason mentions, “all certainly forgotten by the time February kicks in.” In fact, it’s oftentimes an anomaly to keep a resolution throughout the year.

Personally, I’ve never been one for year-long resolutions, mainly because of how much trouble I have with week-long resolutions. For change to work for me, it needs to come out of a God-placed desire to be a different person. And while there is no extra sprig of spirituality amid the tick of time that takes us from December to January, we’d be remiss not to use any opportunity to reevaluate aspects of our lives, especially the spiritual aspects.

Maybe a positive spiritual change for you this year would be something as simple as committing to reading your Bible for a minute a day, or maybe even reading it for the first time in its entirety. Perhaps it’s going to church every Sunday this year, or getting involved in that ministry you’ve always thought about. Or maybe you want to actually pray this year. Maybe it’s something even more drastic: maybe it’s a complete turn from the path you’re taking.

Whatever it is, even though there’s nothing magic about January 1, it’s a great time to listen to what God might be asking you to consider.