And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. [John 14:16-17] “Belinda and Tempest” Belinda was a good girl. She tried to keep the right kinds of friends and together they tried to stay away from things they knew their parents … Continue reading →
The Name of Jesus Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [Philippians 2:9-11] “Merlin’s Magic Words” Jonathan and Gwen were the best of friends. They grew up next door neighbors and from the moment … Continue reading →
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you … Continue reading →
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. [Matthew 18:21-22] “A Bad Dream” “DAD how dare you look in my diary?” Max screamed at his father in fury. Chuck was red with anger at his little boy for what he read in that diary. “How dare you lie to me? You said … Continue reading →
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. [Romans 5:5] “Love in a Bottle” Brad and Janet had to do a science report on a current event in science going on in their community for their sixth grade science class. Then they saw in the paper that a scientist on the other end of town was almost ready to get a breakthrough on … Continue reading →
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. [Psalm 86:15] “Nobody Asks the Donkey” Sydney the Donkey and Muriel the sheep walked along the rough Egyptian road trying to keep up with the crowd. Everyone was all in a rush and upset and pushing and yelling ever since Moses finally got the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go and Moses had the Hebrew nation pack up everything and march toward … Continue reading →
In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. [Ephesians 4:26-27] “Dorothy and the Dolphin” “Oh yeah, well you are the stupidest sister in the world!” Angelo yelled at his sister Dorothy so loud his voice began to crack. “I am not stupid, Angelo!” Dorothy shouted back her face red with anger. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.” And she … Continue reading →
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. [1 Peter 2:13-14] “A Raven Named Marvin” “Hannah, come outside.” Hannah’s best friend Betty called up to her. Hannah slipped downstairs. “What is it? It’s the middle of the night.” Hannah said shivering a bit from the cool night … Continue reading →
The following speech, delivered by Beth Chapman during a “Stand Up for America Rally” hosted by the Shelby County Alabama Legislative Delegation, resulted in five standing ovations… I’m here tonight because men and women of the United States military have given their lives for my freedom. I am not here tonight because Sheryl Crowe, Rosie O’Donnell, Martin Sheen, George Clooney, Jane Fonda or Phil Donahue, sacrificed their lives for me. If my memory serves me correctly, it was not movie … Continue reading →
You shall not steal. [Exodus 20:19] “Is it Sin if You Didn’t Know?” Susan and Janie and Heather loved to go to the mall. If they had a little money to spend, that was extra fun but even if they didn’t they loved to just look at things and get treats at the food court and meet friends from school and church and just be kids for a while. Susan’s mother felt sure the mall was safe because the girls … Continue reading →
Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. [Mark 16:15] “The Window in Time” Belinda liked doing chores with her mom during the summer. Because she was out of school, there was lots of time to learn to cook, clean, mend clothes, all the things she will need to know when she becomes an adult and has a family and house of her own. This week mommy announced they were going to go in the … Continue reading →
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but … Continue reading →
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? [1 John 3:17] “Baby Polar Bears” The one thing Pudgy and the older baby polar bears he played with loved to do is explore. Sometimes their moms and dads let them go out in a pack and explore the many coves and hills that made up their beautiful polar world. They made sure to … Continue reading →
Today, we too rarely practice good manners… When we neglect to require our children to say “thank you’ when someone gives them a gift or does something for them, we are raising ungrateful children who are highly unlikely to be happy. Without gratitude, happiness is a rare thing. With gratitude, the odds go up dramatically that happiness will be the result. A classic example of the validity of gratitude in action is the story of Roy Rogers. After he starred … Continue reading →
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. [Hebrews 11:17-19] “Abe and Zack” Note: The following is a modern rendition of when God commanded Abraham to … Continue reading →
