Evangelist Matt Galvan is engaged in full-time evangelistic work. He travels across the country speaking in churches and camp settings in an effort to reach young and old with the Gospel. Christian teens are impacted and influenced by a number of sources. Certainly, they have guidance from their parents, grandparents and their family. There is the influence coming from their church and youth group. But there are also influences brought on by peer pressure, the internet, social media, random popups, the gaming industry, television and streaming services, dating relationships, music, entertainment and of course the educational system. Sometimes the natural trend is to assume everything is okay with your son or daughter or with your grandchildren and to believe there's nothing to be concerned about. That is, until something occurs and you say, "Oh my, how could this have happened? I never expected this." Today, we don't want you to assume that everything is just "A-OK" even if you homeschool or send your children to a Christian school. Do you really know what your teen is thinking? Are you aware of the struggles they may be having internally? Are you aware of the challenges they face? Sometimes we tend to cast statistics aside and say, "That couldn't be my son or daughter." Our guest today ministers to many teens across the country, especially Christian teens. He has some information that should cause our ears to perk up. He may encourage you, but he also has some significantly disturbing finds.

To begin our annual Giving Thanks broadcast, Jim brought wise words from numerous sources to the attention of listeners. He began with God's Word, specifically Psalm 92:1-5. From there he quoted author Jerry Newcombe from a column in the Christian Post titled: Thanksgiving—An Annual Reminder of Our Nation's Christian Roots. Finally, Jim shared comments from author Robert J. Morgan concerning the hymn, Now Thank We All Our God. The listening audience shared the spotlight for the remainder of the program as they communicated what they are thankful for and why. Happy Thanksgiving from the Crosstalk team!

In Wittenberg, Pastor Lutzer highlights the Judensau sculpture, reflecting historic Christian anti-Jewish hatred, Luther's harsh writings, and modern church efforts seeking forgiveness, reconciliation, and unity with the Jewish community.

Our Christian Heritage goes "On Location" with Randy Melchert to Whitewater, WI to see the grave of James Delaney, an Irishman who was converted in Burma, influenced by Adoniram Judson, and became a churchplanter in Wisconsin territory!

Jesus predicted Jerusalem's fall but gave no dates, warning against speculation. The disciples' questions in Matthew 24 concern His return to establish His kingdom, not the rapture—unknown to them then. Scripture teaches two future comings: the imminent rapture of the church and Christ's later visible return after the tribulation.

Dr. Corey Pfaffe is a Certified Public Accountant and Principal of MinistryCPA. They advise individuals and organizations as they steward the financial resources entrusted to them. Prior to this organization, Corey served as the Dean of the School of Business at Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, Wisconsin. He holds a PhD in Management Science. Proverbs 3:9 says: "Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase." We do this as we put our check in the church offering regularly, yet is there anything else we should be considering? Yes, there's the tax issue. Jesus said: "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." However, we aren't entitled to give Caesar more than he's entitled to. So is there a way we can do that without compromising our integrity while increasing our stewardship? This is where Dr. Pfaffe comes in as he explained a number of stewardship opportunities that he referred to as tax smart strategies. They include: Donor Advised Fund Qualified Charitable Distribution Gifts of Appreciated Stock Charitable IRA Request Required Minimum Distribution Listeners brought their questions to the broadcast as well, so there's a lot to take in and learn from this edition of Crosstalk.

In 19th-century England, James and Amelia Taylor famously prayed, 'Dear God, if you should give us a son, grant that he may work for you in China.' Their son, James Hudson Taylor, would go on to become the most influential missionary of the modern missionary movement. Author Vance Christie tells Hudson Taylor's story to Randy Melchert.

When we think about deception in our world today, we might think of the political realm where a piece of legislation might carry an appealing name, yet when you examine it, in at least some way, it does just the opposite of what the name communicates. This is just one of the many forms of deception, but the one that is most egregious is that which attempts to distort God's Word. These are modern attempts that mimic what Satan did in the garden when he asked, "Yea hath God said...?" Such attempts are even more sinister when the target audience is children, as was shown on this edition of Crosstalk, as Jim interviewed Dale Mason who presented his thoughts on the recently released book, The Just Love Story Bible. Dale is a dad, father, grandfather, a researcher and a writer. Though now retired, he served two decades as a vice president at Answers in Genesis. Dale and his wife homeschooled their four children and now all 21 of his grandchildren are being homeschooled. The authors of The Just Love Story Bible are Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis and Rev. Dr. Shannon Daley-Harris. Lewis is Senior Minister at Middle Church in New York City while Daley-Harris is the Associate Dean of Auburn Theological Seminary. The authors are social justice activists. Not surprisingly, they weave this into numerous biblical accounts while also including gender and LGBT ideology as well. While this Crosstalk is certainly a warning, it isn't about merely cursing the darkness. Jim and Dale light a candle as they discuss an alternative, The 10 Minute Bible Journey, that can be of great spiritual benefit for young families as it points to and upholds the authority of the Scriptures.

Scripture is complete, ending with John's Revelation in A.D. 96. Later writings like the Gnostic gospels contradict the Bible and cannot be inspired. Satan still challenges God's Word, but believers must trust Scripture's truth, read it with an open heart, and find salvation and purpose through Christ revealed in its pages.

Jim had much to report on, including an update on an important missionary outreach to the Middle East. Here are some highlights from the first half of the broadcast: --VCY's "Central Asia Project" is now complete and Jim was pleased to announce that the campaign raised $46,141.55! (For more information, review the Crosstalk program from October 8th.) --A U.N. Security Council voted 13-0 on Monday to adopt a sweeping U.S.-drafted resolution that codifies President Donald Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza and endorses a new international stabilization force and formally recognizes the establishment of a Board of Peace to be chaired by President Trump. --Hamas has been stockpiling weapons in African nations sympathetic to them. --Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged the targeted elimination of senior Palestinian Authority officials whom he described as terrorists in every sense of the word. --Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed Israel's opposition to a Palestinian state and committed to demilitarize Hamas during his opening remarks at the government meeting this past weekend. --The IDF announced Thursday that it has uncovered one of the most extensive and sophisticated Hamas tunnel systems discovered to date. --Iran says it has terminated an agreement signed in September with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Cairo that paved the way for renewed cooperation and relaunching inspections of its nuclear facilities. --The Pakistani jihad leader Masood Azhar has claimed that he is richer than both Elon Musk an Mark Zuckerberg and that they have no shortage of money for jihad.