Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 31:1-6; Psalm 56:3-4

"Dad, I'm really nervous about school. I can hardly even sleep at night," Thomas told his dad. Their family had just moved to a new town, and Thomas was dreading his first day at the new school.

"I have an idea," Dad replied. "Let's celebrate this new beginning with an adventure! Do you want to join me on a caving expedition?"

Thomas's dad enjoyed exploring caves as a hobby, and Thomas had been asking his dad to take him for years. "Do you really mean it? Yes! That would be awesome!" he readily agreed.

The next morning, Thomas and his dad drove to the mountains. After hiking to a rocky ridgeline, they climbed through a tiny hole and descended a subterranean slope into a pitch-black cave. At the bottom of the slope, Dad gave a surprising directive. "Let's turn off our headlamps for a moment, Thomas. I want you to experience true darkness."

After turning off their lights, Thomas realized he couldn't even see his own hand. Immediately, he reached out to make sure his dad was still within arm's reach. Grabbing his dad's arm, he said, "Dad, this darkness is scary. Let's turn our lights back on."

Dad complied, and the two adventurers spent the next hour exploring the dark cavern together.

When the adventure was over, the long drive home was the perfect opportunity to reflect on the fun expedition.

"You were pretty scared when we turned out our lights in the cave, weren't you?" Dad asked Thomas.

"Totally! I knew you were there, but I felt really scared when I couldn't see you!"

"Don't worry, Thomas, I was with you the whole time," Dad said. "And you know what else? Just like I would never leave you alone in a dark cave, God promises never to leave us. Even though we can't see Him, He's always watching over us and guiding us. Jesus is our light--He saved us from the darkness of sin and death--and we can trust Him to be with us and help us when things seem dark and scary. I want you to remember this lesson as you start school next week, okay?"

Thomas smiled. "Did you take me caving just to teach me this lesson?"

"Maybe I did," Dad remarked with a grin.

-Caleb and Stacey Pardoe

How About You?
Do you feel nervous about something in your life right now? Maybe you're preparing to start a new afterschool activity, go to camp next summer, or even move to a new town. God wants you to remember that He is with you. If you know Jesus as your Savior, He has promised never to leave you. You can trust Him to guide you and give you strength.

Today's Key Verse:
[God] himself has said, "I will never leave you or abandon you." (CSB) (Hebrews 13:5)

Today's Key Thought:
God will never leave you

Bible Reading: Psalms 73:23-28; 147:4-5; John 1:9-14

"Wow, look at all the stars!" Bretton gaped at the tiny specks of light splattered across the night sky as he and his dad walked onto the beach. "I don't think I've ever seen so many at once!"

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Dad spread a blanket on the sand so they could sit down. "This has always been my favorite part of camping--getting away from all the city lights so we can see the stars."

"Yeah," said Bretton. He pointed to a twinkling point of light. "Look at that one! It's brighter than the rest."

"That's Sirius, or the Dog Star. It's one of the closest stars to Earth, and it's twice as big as our sun."

"Really? It's bigger than the sun?" asked Bretton.

"Sure is. And it's small compared to some other stars out there." Dad pointed to a spot slightly below Sirius. "In that area of the sky is one of the biggest stars we know of--VY Canis Majoris. It's two thousand times bigger than the sun!" Dad took a quarter out of his pocket. "If this quarter was the sun, VY Canis Majoris would fill half a football field!"

"No way!" Bretton looked at the dim spot in the sky. "But I can't even see it from here!"

"It's too far away to see with the naked eye," said Dad. "You need binoculars or a telescope."

"It's so much bigger than Sirius, but Sirius is easier to see," observed Bretton. "And the sun is the smallest of them, but on earth it shines the brightest!"

"That's because of the stars' distance from earth, not their size. If you saw all three side by side, you'd know which one was biggest!"

Dad leaned back on the blanket. "You know, the same can be true of how we view God, the One who made the stars. Sometimes on earth God can seem small and distant compared to other things that seem important, like being successful or having cool stuff. But God sent His Son, Jesus, to bring us near to Him, and when we have a relationship with Jesus and see His goodness in our lives, His light becomes brighter and everything else grows dim. Just like being close to a star is the only way to see its true size, we need Jesus to show us how big and wonderful He really is."

-Courtney Lasater

How About You?
Has God ever seemed small and distant to you? Maybe you don't think He's as important as other things in your life because you can't see or touch Him. But God is bigger and more powerful than you could ever imagine. He created the entire universe, and He wants to have a relationship with you! Trust in Jesus today. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.) Then watch His light grow brighter in your life!

Today's Key Verse:
The Word [Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory. (NIV) (John 1:14)

Today's Key Thought:
You can have a relationship with God

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Asher and his friend Enzo looked at the creek that ran through the field near their homes. They were trying to figure out how to build a bridge over it. "I bet my dad has some boards we could use," said Enzo.

The two boys ran to the shed in Enzo's backyard and found a couple of long, wide boards. They carried one of them to the creek, lifted it high, and gave it a heave, hoping it would land with both ends on dry ground. But…SPLASH! "Oh no! It missed the creek bank," said Asher. "This board won't work. It's too short." After a quick look at his watch, he added, "I need to get home--let's finish this tomorrow. I'll ask my dad if he has something that will help us." Enzo nodded, and the boys set the board against a tree and headed home.

Mom met Asher at the door. "I'm glad you're home early. We invited the new family down the street to come for dinner tonight."

Asher groaned. "Why do we have to have them over? They don't speak English very well, and the boy my age has a weird name I can't pronounce. Can I eat at Enzo's house? We can talk over our plans to build a bridge over the creek."

"You're eating here with us," Mom said firmly, and Asher could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't happy about his attitude.

"I don't think they believe in God," said Asher. "We probably shouldn't get too close to them." He thought for sure his mother would have to agree with that.

"Maybe they don't believe in God," said Mom. "But they'll have a chance to get to know Him if we share His love with them tonight. Our new neighbors may seem different to us, but different doesn't mean bad. I'm sure we seem different to them." Mom paused for a moment. "Since you're interested in building bridges, how about helping build a bridge here tonight? Through friendship and hospitality, we can build a bridge to reach our new neighbors and show them the love of Jesus. He loves them and died for them too, so they're not so different from us after all." She motioned toward the bathroom. "Now go wash up for dinner."

-Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
How do you act when you're with people who are different from you? Do you try to avoid them? Or do you build a bridge with Jesus's love? Jesus loves all the people of the world, and He wants to show that love through you. Let others see His love by reaching out and welcoming them to your side of the bridge.

Today's Key Verse:
I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. (CSB) (1 Corinthians 9:22)

Today's Key Thought:
Build bridges with love

Bible Reading: James 3:3-10

"Hi, Mom," said Journee as she opened the front door. "We had the best class today! We learned about volcanos."

"That sounds interesting," said Mom. "I remember studying them in school. They're a fascinating part of nature."

Journee nodded. "My teacher had a small model of a volcano. She could even make it erupt! Do you know what erupts from a real volcano?"

"Lava, hot gasses, and rock fragments," answered Journee's brother, Nash, who had also just gotten home from school.

Journee frowned. "I asked Mom, not you," she snapped. Then she went on telling her mom more facts about volcanoes. "Pressure builds up, and the red hot ash blasts through the surface. Do you know where it erupts from?" she asked, looking at her mother.

Nash answered again. "It comes from the mouth of the volcano. That's at the top of a cone-shaped mountain."

Journee scowled at him. "Wrong!" she declared triumphantly. "That's what it looks like, but the actual opening is lower than the top. It's called a vent." She made a face at her brother. "Shows how much you know, dummy. Next time mind your own business."

"Journee," said Mom sternly, "a volcano isn't the only thing with a mouth--we have mouths too, you know. Eruptions may not come from the mouths of volcanos, but our mouths can erupt with hot, vicious, unkind words that hurt other people. We sometimes vent our feelings by spewing out angry words--like what you're doing right now."

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about volcanoes, not Nash," said Journee.

"That doesn't make it okay for you to talk the way you did," said Mom. "When volcanoes erupt, the lava destroys whatever gets in its way, and the words that erupt from our mouths can do the same thing to people's feelings. We can't control volcanic eruptions, but we can control the words from our mouths. The Holy Spirit helps us do that so we can speak to others in a way that reflects the love of Jesus, who is always patient and kind with us."

Journee sighed and turned toward her brother. "Sorry, Nash," she said. "I'll trust God to help me control my lava lips."

-Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Do unkind words sometimes erupt out of your mouth? Just like lava, our words are destructive when we fail to control our mouths and let mean, hurtful words pour out. When you feel a hot, vicious eruption building up, remember that God gives you the power to control your words so you can treat others the way Jesus would. Trust Him to help you speak words that show others His kindness and love.

Today's Key Verse:
Blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! (NLT) (James 3:10)

Today's Key Thought:
Control your mouth

Bible Reading: John 14:16-17; Hebrews 4:14-16

"Hey, look at this weird plant!" called Andres as he and his fellow campers made their way around the swamp.

"Hmm," murmured Mr. Pete, the counselor. "That's called a pitcher plant! It's one of North America's most interesting insect-eating plants."

"What are all those flies doing down in there?" asked one of the boys as they crowded around and peered into a cluster of leaves.

"That plant has caught them for food," Mr. Pete explained. "It produces a substance--kind of like nectar--that attracts insects. They can easily enter the opening at the top of the leaves, but the sides are slippery and have thousands of tiny hairs that all point downward, and the flies can't get back out."

"So they drown in that pool at the bottom, I guess," remarked Andres. "Those flies think they're getting something good, but instead they get stuck."

Mr. Pete nodded. "That can happen to us too. Sinful things can often look good to us, but they will only harm us if we give in to them. I know that first-hand. When I was a teenager, I started using illegal drugs because I had a lot of tough things going on in my life and I thought they'd make me feel better, but instead I got stuck and became addicted. They only made things worse."

"What happened then?" asked one of the boys.

"My parents sent me to a special hospital to help me get better. It helped a lot, but I still struggled with addiction for a long time after that."

"I'm never trying drugs," Andres declared.

"I hope and pray you won't," said Mr. Pete. "Like all sin, doing drugs will never lead to anything good--sin can only hurt us." He looked down at the flies stuck in the liquid at the bottom of the plant. "Sometimes it's hard to say no to something we know is wrong, but God urges us to come to Him for help. Jesus saved us from sin, and He gives us the power to resist it. We don't ever have to give in--and if we do, He offers us forgiveness and healing." As he spoke, they heard a buzzing sound. A fly was circling the pitcher plant, drawing a little closer with each pass.

-Lorna B. Marlowe

How About You?
Have you ever given in to something you knew was wrong? We all have. Giving in to certain temptations can sometimes lead to very serious problems, but even if a sin seems small to you, like cheating on your homework or talking about someone behind their back, it won't lead to anything good--it will only hurt you and others. Don't get stuck in sinful habits. If you know Jesus, He has freed you from sin's power. Trust Him to help you resist temptation.

Today's Key Verse:
The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations. (NKJV) (2 Peter 2:9)

Today's Key Thought:
Say no to sin