November 6, 2018

Who’s Afraid of a Pink Jelly Bean?

Bible Reading: Psalm 27:1-6; 34:4; John 14:27 Emily giggled. She couldn’t help it. Her cousins Travis and Drake were visiting, and she was too excited to sleep. “Shhh,” Travis whispered from his pallet of blankets on the living room floor. Emily’s brother Christopher came bounding into the room wearing a blanket around his shoulders like… Continue Reading…

Bible Reading: Psalm 27:1

November 5, 2018

Good-Looking Lure

Bible Reading: John 10:7-10; Hebrews 4:14-16 Holly rummaged through the tackle box until she found the shiny silver lure her dad wanted. “Is this the one?” Dad took it from her hand. “Yep. This is the one.” He grinned. “As soon as Mr. Fish sees this, he’ll gobble it up.” Holly beamed. “Then we’ll catch… Continue Reading…

Bible Reading: Hebrews 4:16

November 4, 2018

Flashlight Freeze Tag

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:14-16; John 8:12; 15:7-8 Pierce and Quinn grabbed their flashlights and headed outside for a game of flashlight freeze tag. Quinn moved among the shadows, silently sneaking up on friends and tapping them, freezing them in their spots. “Rats,” Emma said. “I didn’t see or hear you, Quinn.” Emma waited for a… Continue Reading…

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:16

November 3, 2018

Keep On Swinging

Bible Reading: Matthew 25:14, 19-21 Every afternoon for an entire week, Tate got out pencils, paints, and poster board as soon as he got home from school. “I want to win the art contest at the city library,” he told his dad. “I love to draw things.” On the day of the judging, Tate waited… Continue Reading…

Bible Reading: Matthew 25:21

November 2, 2018

Behind the Mask

Bible Reading: Jeremiah 17:7-10; Hebrews 4:13 When two strange-looking people appeared in the doorway of the living room, three-year-old Asher quickly jumped up from where he was sitting on the floor and ran behind Mom’s chair. One of the newcomers laughed. “Come here, Asher,” said a familiar voice. “Don’t you like the way we look?”… Continue Reading…

Bible Reading: Hebrews 4:13

November 1, 2018

Help Needed

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:57-58; 16:13-14 “I’m done trying to be nice to Beck!” Karsten told his mom. “He’s so mean! When I asked if he wanted to be my lab partner in science today, he laughed and said he wouldn’t be caught dead with a—well, I won’t repeat what he called me.” Karsten wiped… Continue Reading…

Bible Reading: Galatians 6:9

October 31, 2018

First-Time Fear

Bible Reading: Psalm 27:1, 13-14 Natalia flopped down on her favorite beanbag chair. She started chewing on her fingernails, and her mother noticed. “Worried about something?” Mom asked. Natalia looked down at her hands and sighed. “I have a friend at school—Tess—who’s going through a hard time right now. Her parents just got divorced, and… Continue Reading…

Bible Reading: Isaiah 41:10

October 30, 2018

Pass the Salt (Part 2)

Bible Reading: Colossians 4:2-6 “Okay, class,” said Mr. Adams, Chase’s teacher at church, “our verse today is Colossians 4:6. ‘Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.’ What does salt do?” Chase felt he knew a little about that! His hand shot up. “It adds flavor,” he said, and he shared with… Continue Reading…

Bible Reading: Colossians 4:6

October 29, 2018

Pass the Salt (Part 1)

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:13-16 “Catch!” Mom tossed a package of napkins to Chase, who was helping her pack the picnic basket. “Okay, we’ve got plates, silverware, napkins, cups…what else should we pack?” She looked around the kitchen thoughtfully. “Salt! We’ll want it for the fish we catch, and for the corn on the cob too.”… Continue Reading…

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:13

October 28, 2018

Captain Andromeda

Bible Reading: Hebrews 12:1-3 Eight-year-old Jalen planted himself in front of the TV to watch cartoons. His favorite was Captain Andromeda, and he often pretended to be Captain Andromeda with his black cape and hood. “Mom!” Jalen’s sister, Cassie, said as she came into the room. “I put a five-dollar bill on my dresser yesterday,… Continue Reading…

Bible Reading: Hebrews 12:2