"What can I give him?” French author Sylvie Vanhoozer takes her hometown tradition of Provençal crèches (nativity scenes peopled by “little saints”) and tries to expand it yearlong.

The Herdmans are six siblings who have a reputation for being the worst kids in the world. Yet when they take over the local church pageant during the holidays, they just might teach a shocked community the true meaning of Christmas.

I realized we could only see this beauty, we could only comprehend this space, we could only receive the light, if we waited, and if we paid attention.

A hopeful, practical model for what it means to be a Christian and a culture-maker in a world of hurt and wondrous possibility, from multi-Grammy winner Charlie Peacock and his wife and author, Andi Ashworth.

Ellie wants to be an elephant in the Christmas play but her know-it-all sister says she’ll ruin everything. When Baby Jesus goes missing, Ellie must find him, or the play will be ruined!

See how readers responded to recent Banner issues, articles, and columns.

If I’m busy preparing for the worst, I forfeit the present and the possibilities within it.

Early on in ministry I came out to my church as gay and committed to celibacy.

Twenty life lessons from the holiday classic A Christmas Story.

A retired professor gets a new lease on life when a private investigator hires him to go undercover inside a San Francisco retirement home.

From an award-winning trio, this celebration of community, friendship, and the natural world features poetic, lyrical text paired with a vibrant visual tale of two characters.

Various artists, such as Jason Gray and Phil Joel, highlight the Christian need to practice creation care.

After encountering these stories, you might have closed your Bible and shaken your head, wondering why in the world God would put these stories in inspired Scripture.

I think this drive to understand could be one of the attributes of being created in the image of God.

Synod news; columns from Cross Examination, Big Questions, and Faith Matters; four features; and an As I Was Saying blog post were among the most-accessed articles on thebanner.org this year.

Told from the perspective of a young girl living during the time of Jesus’ birth, this uniquely illustrated nativity story helps young readers understand the “what” and embrace the “why” of Christmas.

A New York mobster builds a new life in the heartland

The Scripture readings at the end of the liturgical year are the biblical equivalent of dystopian science fiction.

Blast off to space and discover how every part of the universe—the planets, the stars, asteroids, meteoroids, and more—display God’s glory, creativity, and, most important, his love for you and me!

Veteran artist and producer Charlie Peacock releases an evocative and honest album.

In the small office I manage, I want employees to settle on certain computer apps to do their work (in this case, the messaging app Slack), but some are resisting. Should I lay down the law and require it?

I spied a mother and her two little boys pushing a loaded cart toward the exit.

Get our list of movies, books, and podcasts to check out this month.