Totally Finished

Bible Reading: Romans 8:22-25 Within a few minutes of getting home from school, Mateo talked back to his mother, hit his brother, and gave the dog table food even though Mom had told him not to. He was promptly sent to his room with no electronics. Mateo collapsed onto his bed and groaned. What’s up…

Middle C

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 Elodie had just started taking piano lessons with her mom, and she couldn’t wait to learn more. However, right after Mom explained how to find middle C, her brother Tanner excitedly barged into the house. “Mom, guess what! We picked out jobs at chess club today. Everyone wanted to be…

A Good Little Teacher

Bible Reading: Psalm 63:1-5; 1 Peter 1:24-2:4 “The baby is crying again,” said Brexley. Mom walked over to the cradle and picked up the fussy little bundle. “The baby’s name is Michael, and you need to be more patient with him. He’s only three weeks old.” Mom settled into the rocking chair. “I think he’s…

Deleted Sin

Bible Reading: Psalm 51:1-2, 7-10; 103:8-12 “Give me my red sweater, you jerk!” shouted Brynn as she chased her twin sister down the stairs. “You’re always taking my things!” “This isn’t yours, dummy. It’s mine,” replied Savannah. “Yours is in the wash!” She ran around the kitchen table, holding the sweater tightly. Their brother Reese…

The Story That Counts

Bible Reading: John 3:16-17; 1 John 4:19-21 “I have to do a project with Dayton Lander,” Hazel told her dad as they biked around the block. “I’m not looking forward to it—everyone says he’s weird.” Dad was about to respond when Hazel pointed to a nearby house. “Look, a garage sale! Can we stop and…

Balancing the Budget

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:6-9; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; James 1:17 “Mom, what exactly are you doing?” asked Jimmy. “I’m balancing our budget,” Mom answered as she looked up from her computer. “But why is it taking so long?” Jimmy whined. “You said you’d take me to the park this morning.” He had already waited for…

The Puppet

Bible Reading: Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-7 Jackson was so excited he could hardly open his birthday gift. He hoped it was a puppet—something he’d been wanting ever since a ventriloquist had performed with one at a school event. He tore open the box. Sure enough, there was a puppet inside. His little sister, Jade, looked…

Aches and Pains

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:14-20, 26-27</a > “Hi, Mom!” called Adalyn when she got home from school. She found her mother staring out the window, a sad expression on her face. “What’s wrong?” asked Adalyn. Mom sighed. “Aunt Mary called. They heard from your cousin Mackenzie for the first time since she left home.” “That’s…

Serving Others

Bible Reading: Proverbs 11:25; Mark 10:42-45; Ephesians 2:8-10 Dana’s mom turned off the main road onto a dirt driveway. A sign next to the driveway read “Hooves and Wheels.” After she parked, Dana and her friend Christie climbed out of the minivan and ran to the big gray horse barn. Mrs. Sikes, the director of…

The Old Tree

Bible Reading: Isaiah 40:8; John 1:14-17; 14:6; 18:36-38 The screen door creaked and slammed shut as Vivian came out and hopped onto the porch swing next to her father. Dad yawned. “What a day!” he said. “Things at work are changing faster than I can keep up with them.” Vivian glanced up when her father…