Read: Ephesians 2:4-7 Harvey threw a baseball toward his dad. “What if I do all this practicing and I still don’t make the team?” Dad grinned. “I’ll still love you.” Harvey sighed. “You’ll always love me. You say that all the time.” “God will always love you too.” Dad lifted his arm. “Get ready to…
Read: Job 1:1-3, 13-21; 3:25; Matthew 6:33-34 Mom found Clare crying in the backyard, watching her dog, Sheba, paw at leaves in the flower bed. “What’s the matter, honey?” “I don’t want Sheba to get sick,” Clare said. “I know the vet took that lump off her leg, but she said it could come back.”…
Read: Matthew 6:31-33; Philippians 4:4-7 “Hi, Mom,” said Leilana. “Did your dentist find any cavities?” Mom shook her head. “Not one,” she said with a sigh. “There wasn’t anything wrong, but I still have a pretty big bill to pay.” Leilana laughed. “You sound like you’d be happier if you had a mouthful of rotten…
Read: Matthew 6:25-34 “This state park is really nice, isn’t it?” Dad said as he and Henry walked along a wooded path. “Huh? Oh, yeah,” Henry mumbled in response. But he hadn’t really noticed—he’d been too busy wondering if Dad would be able to find a new job. The place where his dad worked was…
Read: Psalm 29 Adrian dragged his toe in the dirt as the swing went back and forth, back and forth. He was hardly swinging at all. “Isn’t swinging supposed to put a smile on your face?” Adrian looked up and cracked a grin. It was his neighbor, Mr. Snyder. “I saw you sitting here as…
Read: Matthew 10:29-31; Luke 19:1-10 Kevin was lost. The cornstalks were so far above his head that even when he jumped, he couldn’t see any way out. If only he hadn’t insisted on going into the corn maze by himself. His mom and dad had both offered to come with him, but he wanted to…
Read: Psalm 96:1-6; Isaiah 41:9-13 Brook loved to sing. Whenever there was an opportunity to sing at church, she took it. It felt good to be on the stage singing in front of everyone, and she loved singing for God too. She felt close to Him when she sang songs in church. One day when…
Read: Psalm 116:1-7; Philippians 4:4-9 More than an hour after Amelia had gone to bed at her grandparents’ home, she still had not fallen asleep. She tried everything she could think of to relax her mind, but nothing worked. Finally, she slipped out of bed and went to find Grandma. “Grandma, I saw an ad…
Read: Psalm 27:1; Isaiah 41:10, 13 “Mr. Robinson asked me to give my testimony at our youth group meeting Sunday night,” Olivia told her mother as they walked along a path in the woods. “I’m going to tell him I just can’t do it! I’m too scared!” She pointed toward a nearby hill. “There’s the…
Read: Matthew 6:25-32 “It’s hard to believe you’re already old enough to be in middle school this year, Mateo,” Mom said as they drove home after shopping for school clothes. “Don’t remind me,” Mateo said miserably. “I wish I could stay at my old school forever.” “Why?” asked Mom. “Last year there weren’t any older…
