Bible Reading: John 15:12-15 “I can’t believe Mia would do this to me!” Addy pulled the friendship bracelet off her wrist and dropped it in the trash. “Addy?” her mother asked. “Are you okay? Why are you throwing away your bracelet from Mia?” “I thought she was my friend,” Addison said. She hung her backpack…
Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Editor’s note: This story’s subject matter may not be appropriate for young children. Oliver’s teacher walked to the front of the classroom. “For our next activity, I would like everyone to write the names of their parents on a piece of paper. Then turn to your neighbor and see what…
Bible Reading: Matthew 5:44-48; Ephesians 4:32 “No, not Amie! Now we’re really gonna lose!” The entire team sighed in unison as Amie approached the plate and waited for the kickball. She hadn’t felt well all morning, and now the weight of her teammates’ disgust seemed to make her insides churn even more. Just as the…
Bible Reading: Colossians 3:12-15 “Some friend Ginny is,” Amina said as she came into the house. “She invited me over, then forgot I was coming and went to the mall with her mom.” “Well, I’m sure it wasn’t intentional,” said Mom. “Can’t you forgive her?” “Why should I?” Amina asked indignantly. “Because Jesus has forgiven…
Bible Reading: Isaiah 26:3-4 Just as Mom and Alana were sitting down to eat lunch, the door opened and Dad walked in. His clothes and face were dirty, and his hand was bandaged. “What happened?” cried Mom. “The apartments near my factory caught on fire, and several of us ran to help,” Dad said. “You’re…
Bible Reading: 1 John 1:5-9 Kaitlyn sighed loudly when Mom had to stop because of a roadblock. Workers were repairing the bridge ahead, and traffic was temporarily stopped. “How long will we have to wait?” she asked. “I’m not sure,” Mom replied. “It might be a while.” Kaitlyn looked out the window. She saw a…
Bible Reading: Isaiah 1:16-20 The school bus was expected any minute, so Ethan shoveled his cereal into his mouth. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw his baby sister, Anna, pick up his tablet. He dropped his spoon, darted across the kitchen, and snatched it from her hands. “Don’t touch that!” he…
Bible Reading: Philippians 2:12-13; James 1:21-25 “Mom, the toaster isn’t working,” said Jason. “It won’t heat up.” “Is it plugged in?” asked Mom. “Oops!” Jason plugged in the toaster. “No wonder it didn’t work.” The next morning, Jason shared his toaster incident with his class at church. Their teacher, Mr. Scott, smiled. “Jason, your story…
Bible Reading: James 1:12-15 Sierra shut her bedroom door and tossed her backpack onto the bed. She set her cat, Tommy, on the floor. “Stay away from the curtains, Tommy,” she warned. “You know you always get stuck in them.” Sierra flopped onto her bed and opened her backpack. After digging around a moment, she…
Bible Reading: Luke 15:11-24 Brock was sprawled on his bed with a book when Seth, his older brother, came into the room. “Hey, Brock, did you know that Dakota Smith talked with Pastor Briggs after church yesterday and decided to trust Jesus as his Savior?” “That’s good,” Brock said halfheartedly. “Maybe he’ll stay out of…
