Bible Reading: Psalm 107:1; Romans 8:18-25, 28 Caden was tired when he got home from the orthopedic center where he got treatments for cerebral palsy. The disease affected his muscles and made it difficult for him to walk and speak. He sighed as he sat down in his favorite chair. “I don’t see why I…
Bible Reading: Psalm 5:11-12; Romans 8:28 “Oh, Mom! I don’t feel good,” moaned Camilla one morning. “Can I stay home today?” She sat down and clutched her stomach. Looking concerned, Mom agreed that Camilla could stay home from school. An hour or so later, Camilla felt much better, and she went to help her mother…
Bible Reading: Romans 8:28-32; Hebrews 11:8-12 Braden pulled the bill of his cap down to hide the tears that were threatening to spill down his cheeks. He took a deep breath and focused on his house out the car window, watching it grow smaller and smaller until he could barely see it. Why, God? he…
Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:4-10 When Grandpa pulled up some photos of his recent ice-fishing trip on his phone, Naomi could hardly believe her eyes. “You mean you drove right out onto the ice, Grandpa?” “Yes, I did,” Grandpa replied. “I drove out onto the lake and fished through a hole in the ice.” “But you…
Bible Reading: Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 Austin woke with excitement and quickly jumped out of bed, wondering what would be in the wrapped presents under the tree. “It’s Christmas Eve, Mom!” he said as he ran into the kitchen for breakfast. Austin’s family had a tradition of opening their gifts on Christmas Eve….
Bible Reading: Exodus 14:10-13, 21-22; John 4:25-26 Ashlynn waited as her mother marked the back side of her angel’s dress with dressmaker pins and arranged the gold braids of fabric that wrapped around her waist and shoulders. Ashlynn was looking forward to the play, but she was tired of standing, so she wiggled and grabbed…
Bible Reading: James 1:2-4 “No job yet, Dad?” Cody asked when he got home from school. Dad shook his head, and Cody sighed. At the factory where Dad worked, many people—including Dad—had lost their jobs. Dad had not yet been able to find another one. Cody was worried about it, and he was sure Dad…
Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:3; Galatians 5:22-23 Charlie loved pirate lore. His bedroom bookshelf was alive with tales of pirate raids on the high seas. He dressed up as a pirate captain for the school costume party and had a parrot named Matey that he trained to say, “Walk the plank! Walk the plank!” One summer,…
Bible Reading: Hebrews 1:10-12; 13:8 As Ian finished eating a caramel apple at the carnival, his mom glanced at her phone. “We only have time for one more thing, Ian. What will it be?” Ian’s eyes darted back and forth as he tried to decide what one thing he wanted to do before leaving. Straight…
Bible Reading: Matthew 23:25-28 Corey walked into the bathroom and was surprised to see his dad’s legs sticking out from under the sink. “Dad? Why are you hanging out in the cupboard?” “Well, I saw a water stain on the ceiling downstairs,” his dad’s voice echoed from inside the cabinet. “Water can really damage the…
