Read: Romans 5:6-8; 8:38-39 Cali opened her eyes. “Ready or not, here I come!” Her three-year-old sister, Nora, stood behind a scrawny tree hugging her teddy bear. Cali pretended to look around. “Where could Nora be?” she wondered aloud. Ruff, ruff! Cali’s dog ran out of the house and straight to Nora. Nora laughed. “Cocoa…
Read: Genesis 1:1-3, 26-31; John 3:16 “Good morning, Amelia,” Heidi, Amelia’s stepmom, greeted her. “Good morning.” Amelia rubbed her eyes. “What are you making?” she asked, noticing all the ingredients Heidi had out. “Breakfast cookies!” Heidi smiled and held up a bag of raisins. “Would you like to help? I need some eggs cracked.” “Sure,”…
Read: Proverbs 16:19-24 “Milo, listen to me say this verse,” Joel said as he helped his little brother learn a memory verse for Sunday school. He recited each word slowly. “Okay, now see if you can repeat it.” Milo tried to repeat the verse, but he stumbled over the unfamiliar words. Joel tried to help…
Read: Acts 17:24-27 Allison sang out the words of a song. “Yesu yana kaunar yara.” “What language is that?” asked her friend Gianna. “Like my grandma always says when she doesn’t understand something, it’s Greek to me!” Allison laughed. “It’s not Greek,” she said. “It’s Hausa—a language spoken in Africa. I learned that song from…
Read: Psalm 139:1-3 Ryan and his mom were having boiled eggs for lunch. Ryan watched the eggs impatiently as they rolled around in the saucepan. “How long do they take to boil?” he asked. “I’m so hungry!” “Well, that depends on how you like them,” answered Mom. “Three minutes for a runny egg, and around…
Read: Matthew 7:9-11 Nathan typed an email to his dad, who was away on sea duty with the Navy. “The Carlsons next door have a litter of puppies,” he wrote. “Can I please have one? Mom says it’s okay with her if it’s okay with you. I wanted to have a dog just like Rex,…
Read: Ephesians 5:1-4 Brooke’s bag bounced against her back as she raced across the field. Her sister April stood on the sidewalk just outside the middle school. “I can’t believe you’re here!” Brooke squeezed her big sister. “How long will you be home before you have to go back to college?” “Two weeks.” April smiled…
Read: Ephesians 1:3-6 “Leo, it’s your turn to help with the dishes tonight,” Mr. Phillips said as the kids finished scraping up the last smudges of tomato sauce with their garlic bread. “Why do I have to do so much around here?” asked Leo. “Because you’re part of the family, and family members help with…
Read: Romans 3:10-12; 5:6-8 “Cade,” Mom said, coming into Cade’s room, “do you know where Ducky is?” Finley, Cade’s little sister, was wailing in the hallway. “Cade took him. I know he did!” “I don’t know where that dumb duck is, but I hope it’s gone forever!” Cade said. Ducky was a stuffed toy, and…
Read: Job 12:7-10; Matthew 6:26 “Mom, what is this animal?” Tiana asked as she gazed past the zoo fence. The animal looked strong like a horse, but it had the stripes of a zebra on its legs. “Is it a type of zebra?” Mom looked at the plate in front of the cage. “It’s an…
