Bible Reading: Psalm 40:1-5

When Brody got home from school on his birthday, Dad winked and said, "Head out to the back porch. There's a special treat waiting for you on the picnic table."

Brody ran outside as quickly as he could. The picnic table held two paper plates and a large empty platter smeared with icing. Brody frowned. "Hey, Dad?"

Dad came out to the porch. "Yeah?"

"Is this platter supposed to be empty?"

Dad's forehead wrinkled, and he scratched his chin. "What in the world…"

Brody looked under the picnic table. A few crumbs sprinkled the ground. He swallowed. "It was my birthday cake, wasn't it?"

"It was. But where did it go?"

Brody didn't want to throw a fit on his birthday. He was a year older. He was supposed to be more mature. But his eyes burned. He wiped his hand under his eyes, determined not to let tears fall. "We have to solve this mystery."

The crumbs beneath the table led down the porch and into the yard, leaving a faint trail. Brody and his dad followed them to the edge of the backyard where the woods began. Not too far away, in the middle of the trees, movement caught Brody's eye. "Dad, look!" he whispered. They watched as a black bear devoured the last piece of Brody's cake. Then it scrambled into the woods.

Brody's disappointment faded. His laughter started small at first, but then increased until tears streamed down his cheeks. "A bear ate my birthday cake!"

Dad laughed too. "Don't worry, Brody," he said. "The day's not over. We'll still get you a birthday treat."

"It's okay, Dad," Brody said. "I've always wanted to see a bear--and today one came into our backyard! God gave me the best birthday gift ever."

Dad chuckled. "It's probably not the birthday gift you were expecting, but God loves to give His children gifts. He gave us the best gift of all--His Son, Jesus. And He gives us other gifts and blessings to remind us of His love."

Brody smiled, thinking of how God cared about him enough to give him this wonderful surprise. And Brody knew no birthday cake would ever amount to the love God gave him each and every day.

-Becca Wierwille

How About You?
Where have you noticed God's love lately? We often get so caught up in what we want that we forget to notice the ways God shows us His love in everyday, ordinary moments. We are God's beloved children. He is always thinking of us and loving us. He fills our lives with gifts that point to His greatest gift of all--Jesus. How can we pay more attention to the gifts He has given us?

Today's Key Verse:
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father. (NIV) (James 1:17 )

Today's Key Thought:
Open your eyes to God's gifts

Bible Reading: Acts 26:26-29

"Hey, Sawyer!" Cameron called down the hallway to his friend. Sawyer opened his locker and waited as Cameron hurried to talk to him. "I've been meaning to ask you--do you want to play ball with my church team?"

"Some other guys asked me to play with them," Sawyer said, pulling books from his locker. "I'm gonna be the pitcher on their team."

"But you should play on my team!" said Cameron. "We're friends. The guys from church really want you to play with us too."

Sawyer slammed the locker shut. "Yeah, and if I do, they'll want me to come to church with them," he grumbled. "To tell you the truth, that's why I'd rather play with the other guys. I don't want to hear about all that church and Jesus stuff!"

As he spoke, a noisy group of boys rushed down the hall toward Cameron and Sawyer. "Hey, Cameron," called the tall boy in the lead. "Sawyer here is going to be on our baseball team. Want to play with us too? We joined a Sunday morning league. How about it?"

"Thanks," said Cameron, "but I, uh…"

"He goes to church on Sunday mornings," Sawyer interjected.

"Cameron goes to church? Now isn't that sweet?" said a boy in a blue shirt, and the others began to laugh as they turned to leave.

Cameron swallowed hard. "C'mon, Sawyer. Play with our team. Please? I think you'd enjoy getting to know some of the guys I go to church with."

Sawyer shook his head. "This is my big chance to pitch. It might be the only chance I'll ever get."

"Come on. Let's go!" called one of the boys. Sawyer pulled his baseball cap on and joined the others heading for the exit, laughing and joking.

As Cameron stood in the quiet hallway, Sawyer's words rang in his ears like a loud echo: It might be the only chance I'll ever get. Cameron turned and started home. Dear Jesus, he prayed, I was hoping this would be my big chance to help Sawyer meet more Christians who could help him see what You're like, but it didn't work. Please give me more opportunities to help Sawyer know more about You and how much You love him. Please give him another chance to trust in You.

-Susan I. Zampich

How About You?
Have you trusted in Jesus? He invites you to do that today. You've been given a chance to know Him as your Savior. Will you take advantage of it? He is patient and often gives people many opportunities to trust in Him, but you don't know what will happen from one day--or one moment--to the next. Don't miss this chance to come to Jesus. Trust Him as your Savior today. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
Now is the right time! See! Now is the day to be saved. (NLV) (2 Corinthians 6:2 )

Today's Key Thought:
Trust in Jesus now

Bible Reading: Colossians 3:8-16

Looking into her mother's bedroom, Kalina saw piles of old clothes and jewelry scattered everywhere. "I'm cleaning out my closet," Mom explained. "Why keep clothes and jewelry I never wear? I thought I'd donate them to the thrift store."

"Wow!" said Kalina. "Want some help packing it up?"

"Sure--but why don't you go through some of your things too?" suggested Mom. "Get rid of what you don't use." Kalina frowned. "Go on," said Mom. "Some of your clothes have gotten too small and should be replaced."

Kalina brightened. "Replaced? What a great idea!" She left and returned a little later with a big box. "Look, Mom!" she said as she pulled out an old stuffed bear. "There's hardly any stuffing left inside. And this sweatshirt is three sizes too small for me now." Together she and Mom sorted through the rest of the things.

At dinner, Kalina told her dad about all the things they found to get rid of. "You should probably get rid of some junk too," she said. "I bet you haven't dumped stuff for ages."

Dad grinned. "It hasn't been that long. In fact, I got rid of a lot of junk not too long ago--right after I was saved, actually. I got rid of some old bad habits."

"Dad! That's not the same as cleaning out your closet," Kalina said.

"In a way it is," said Dad. "Those habits don't fit who I am anymore, so why keep them?"

"Well, I was saved when I was just a little girl," Kalina replied. "I didn't really have any bad habits to get rid of."

"No?" Mom's brows went up. "You used to tell a lot of lies, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Kalina blushed. "I forgot about that. I used to get mad easily too. I guess I did have some junk to get rid of--I still do sometimes."

"We all need to check ourselves daily to see if the way we act and treat others shows we belong to Jesus," said Dad. "When we trusted in Him, He made us new people, and we want our lives to show that. We need to depend on Him to help us replace bad habits with good ones that help us grow in our relationship with Him and show others His love."

-Vicki L. Reinhardt

How About You?
Are you hanging on to old bad habits that you should throw away? Cheating? Lying? Selfishness? An unforgiving spirit? When you trusted in Jesus, He made you a new person, and those bad habits don't belong in your life anymore. Get rid of bad habits and make room for good ones that fit who you are in Jesus.

Today's Key Verse:
Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (NLT) (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Today's Key Thought:
Throw out bad habits

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:23-24; 1 John 1:5-9

"I didn't try to do it!" Connor told his sister when her card tower toppled over after he ran by too fast and bumped the edge of the table.

Sophia glared at him. "Mom would tell you to apologize."

"But Mom's not here." Connor hurried away and pulled on his shoes, trying to ignore the guilt he felt over how he was acting.

His best friend Griffin lived next door, and Connor was looking forward to spending the day with him. Griffin's dad was getting off work early to take them to the aquarium.

"My dad just called," Griffin said with a frown when Connor stepped into the house. "He might not make it on time."

"What?" Connor's heart deflated. "But we've been looking forward to this forever."

"I know." Griffin sighed. "We can still hang out if you want."

It wasn't as fun as going to the aquarium, but Connor followed his friend to the driveway to shoot some hoops. They'd been playing for a while when Griffin's dad's car pulled into the driveway. Mr. Jackson got out and made his way over to them. "I'm sorry, boys," he said. "I really wanted to get back in time to take you to the aquarium, but something came up."

Griffin sighed. "It's okay, Dad."

Mr. Jackson turned toward Connor. "I'm sorry. Will you accept my apology?"

"Sure. I forgive you." Connor's brows knitted together. "I didn't know adults apologized."

Mr. Jackson smiled. "Maybe we don't as much as we should, but I know I feel a lot better when I do. Jesus forgives me whenever I mess up, and I always hope that whoever I've wronged will too. Apologizing shows that we care about our relationship with that person and are sorry we hurt them."

Connor thought of Sophia and her card tower. He had been feeling bad about that since he'd run out of the house. "I think I need to go home now," he told Griffin and his dad.

Sophia was in the living room, and Connor sat down beside her. "I'm sorry about your tower."

"It's okay," Sophia said.

"I can help you build a new one if you want," Connor offered.

His sister's eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Sure," Connor said. "With us working together, we can make it taller than ever.

-Bethany Acker

How About You?
Do you apologize when you know you've wronged someone? Isn't it amazing to know that Jesus will forgive you each time you come to Him and confess what you have done wrong? He died for our sins so we could have a relationship with Him, and He cares about the relationships we have with others. When you do something that hurts someone, apologize and ask for their forgiveness too.

Today's Key Verse:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (NIV) (1 John 1:9)

Today's Key Thought:
Apologies are important

Bible Reading: Mark 12:28-33; John 13:34-35

"There's a new girl in my class," Nuri remarked as she helped clear the table. "Her name is Elizabeth--and that's what she wants to be called. Elizabeth."

Mom looked up from loading the dishwasher. "I hope you were friendly. Remember how it feels to start at a new school?"

"Yeah, but she's so stuck-up, Mom," Nuri said. "We asked if she has a nickname, and she said if anybody calls her anything but Elizabeth, she won't answer. And she kept talking about the big, wonderful house her family moved into."

The back door burst open. "Look what I found! Isn't he cute?" Nuri's brother Tae set a wet, muddy kitten down on the kitchen floor.

"Tae, get that cat out of the kitchen," Mom said. "He's filthy! Where did you find him?"

Tae picked up the frightened, shivering animal. "He's been hanging around Blake's house. I'm sure he doesn't belong to anybody. Can I keep him, Mom? He won't be any trouble."

"No trouble?" Mom laughed and rolled her eyes. "Right, no trouble at all!"

Tae jumped up and down. "We can keep him?"

"I didn't say that. A kitten needs attention every day. You'd have to take care of him whether you want to or not--he'd be your responsibility. Are you willing to do that?" Both kids nodded eagerly. "All right," Mom said. "You can keep him. I'll make an appointment with the vet."

After they took the kitten to the vet for a checkup, Tae and Nuri gave their new pet a bath. "He certainly looks better now," said Mom, "but he'll need care every day."

"We know," said Nuri as the kitten snuggled into her lap. "All he needed was some tender, loving care. My teacher calls that TLC."

"Hmm," Mom murmured. "Maybe that's what the new girl in your class needs too. She seems to be trying hard to make an impression. Maybe she needs a friend." Mom leaned over and stroked the kitten's head. "You've been a good friend to this kitten. Your tender, loving care reminds me of the way Jesus loves and cares for us. Maybe you could show His love to Elizabeth by being her friend too."

Nuri was quiet for a moment. Then she nodded. "Okay. I'll try to be a friend to her."

-Barbara J. Westberg

How About You?
Do you know someone who needs TLC--tender, loving care? Sometimes people who seem stuck-up or mean are really just lonely and in need of a friend. Jesus always treats us with tender, loving care--even when we're not nice. You can show His love to others by giving them some TLC when they need it and being a friend to them.

Today's Key Verse:
I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. (NLT) (John 13:34)

Today's Key Thought:
Treat others with love