"Crucified With Christ"

“Crucified With Christ”

 

For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin---because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.          Romans 6:6-7

 

Just what does it mean to be “crucified” with Christ?  I think the Apostle Paul explains it really quite well in these verses of Scripture.  When a person comes to Christ with a TRULY repentant heart, their old, sinful, wretched, corrupt body is symbolically nailed to the cross of Christ, and that body that was once ruled by sin is done away with, and they are no longer slaves to sin because they have been set free from the sins that have ruled their heart.

 

When we come to Christ for the redemption of our soul, we become a NEW creation, and it is Christ that lives in us, by the power of His Holy Spirit.  But since we are still in the flesh, we sometimes fall to temptations and sin, because the flesh is weak, however we are no longer “SLAVES” to the sin, and the work of the Holy Spirit, who indwells us, is to convict us of those sins, and when we CONFESS the sin, He is FAITHFUL to FORGIVE us of that sin, because we are REDEEMED, we have an advocate in Heaven, who pleads our case before Father God, and we are FORGIVEN, and set FREE  from sin.

 

Those who CONTINUE in their old, wretched, sinful lifestyle, after they walk the aisle or repeat a prayer, and live as a slave to that sinful lifestyle without guilt or confession, needs to check their salvation.  You CANNOT get fire insurance by just walking the aisle or even repeating a prayer, in other words, just walking the aisle or repeating a prayer does NOT keep you out of Hell.   You MUST come with a REPENTANT HEART, being wooed by the Holy Spirit of the Living God, when He starts pulling on those HEART strings and you realize that you are a SINNER in need of a Savior, then you, in ALL sincerity come to Christ, and are then CRUCIFIED with Him, and are set FREE from your burden of sin.

 

If you have rejected Christ and have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are a SLAVE to your sins, and are headed to Hell for ALL of eternity.  But you NOW have the opportunity to turn that all around by coming to Christ and being CRUCIFIED with Him, nailing your old, wretched sinful soul to the cross and receiving the newness of life in Christ Jesus.  You do that by:  CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT God’s gift of SALVATION and be set FREE from your sinful lifestyle.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Mikey's First 'For Real' Camp-out!"

“Mikey’s First ‘For Real’ Camp-out!”

 

 

Mikey was seven years old, well, he had just turned seven a week ago.  He lived on a ranch with his mom and dad, and his baby sister Ella.

 

Mikey was SO excited, because his Dad was taking him out to their pond for a “guys only” camp-out.  They were going to sleep out under the stars by the campfire, and they did go prepared, they had brought a tent along, just in case, it rained.

 

It was Mikey’s very first “for real” camp-out.  It was a cool, fall evening so they built a nice big, warm campfire and roasted hot dogs, with all the trimmings, and then they roasted big, plump, soft, marshmallows.  YUM! YUM!  They were mouthwatering, GOOD and STICKY.  They unrolled their sleeping bags close enough to the campfire to stay warm and far enough to be safe. 

 

Dad had brought his rifle, just in case they had a run-in with any coyotes.  They had also brought along their German Shepherd Dog, Bruno, after all it was a “guys only” camp-out.  When they were all settled into their sleeping bags.  Mikey was gazing up at all the hundreds of stars twinkling above their heads.

“Wow! Dad, I didn’t know there were so many stars.”  He said. 

“Yep there is a sky full of them.”  His Dad replied with a chuckle.    Mikey was trying to get sleepy, but it wasn’t easy, with all the different kinds of noises; crickets chirping, frogs singing, and all of a sudden he heard what sounded to him like a big dog howling , at that same moment, Bruno began to  growl and bark.

“Wow, was that a dog?”  Mikey asked

“No, Son, it was a coyote, and that’s why I brought the rifle along to keep us safe.   I think we should put Bruno on his chain and keep him close by.”  His Dad replied. 

“Will the coyote come here?”  Mikey asked.

“He might!”  His Dad replied.

Then they heard the howl again, this time it sounded a little closer.  Bruno was lunging and barking a lot, but finally Mikey’s Dad got him calmed down a little.

“Dad is that coyote, what killed our newborn calves?”  Mikey asked.

“I believe it sure could be.”  His Dad replied

“Dad, what makes animals attack other animals and eat them?”  Mikey asked.

“Well, Mikey, when God created this world, everything was perfect.  All of the animal, ALL of them, even the big ferocious bears, and dinosaurs were all plant eating animals.  Then when Adam and Eve sinned, killing and death came into the hearts and minds of ALL of God’s creation even mankind.  So a lot of animals turned from eating plants to eating meat.”  His Dad explained. 

 

About that time Bruno started barking and lunging a lot.  Mikey and his Dad both took their flashlights, and started looking at the edge of the pond and there stood a BIG coyote, teeth blared and growling , Mikey’s Dad slowly picked up his rifle took careful aim and just as the coyote jumped towards Bruno he pulled the trigger and shot the coyote.

 

Mikey was somewhat shaken by what had just taken place.  He knew his Dad had to kill the coyote to protect Bruno, but Mikey loved animals and it upset him to see the coyote die.  They cut their camp-out short and headed back to the house.

“You see, Mikey, sin changes things and not for the good, but it only brings about bad things.”  His Dad told him.

When they got back home, Mom fixed them big, steaming mugs of hot chocolate with big, plump, sweet soft, white, melt-in-your-mouth marshmallows.  This helped Mikey relax and soon he fell asleep.  It had been a true, ‘for real’ camping trip. 

 

Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with wickedness.

God saw how corrupt the earth was for every creature had corrupted its way on the earth.  Genesis 6:11-12

 

"Billy and Johnny Make the Right Choices"

“Billy and Johnny Make the Right Choices”

 

 

Johnny and Billy were friends, and they spent a lot of time together.  They played ball together, they rode their bikes together, they went fishing together, and they like to skate-board together. 

 

Billy went to church, and had just, recently accepted Jesus into his heart.  He had invited Johnny to go with him a couple of times, and Johnny went once, but wouldn’t go again.   But Billy didn’t give up on him. 

 

One day the bully at their school had seen Johnny and Billy skate-boarding so he grabbed Johnny around his arm and got right in his face, and said:  “Meet me at the hill on Main Street!”  Main Street was a street that all the skate-boarders liked, because it was a steep hill with a big dip and a small rise on the other side of the big dip:  “Meet me there at 4:30, today, me and you we’re going to have a race, if I win, I can beat you up.  If you win, I won’t beat you up, and you better be there!” 

 

Billy looked at Johnny, with fear in his eyes, he said:  “Johnny, what are you going to do?” 

 

“Well, I plan on winning the race and you’re going to help me!”  Johnny replied.

 

How will I help you?”  Billy asked.

 

“Well, first of all, when no one’s around the bike rack, you go loosen the wheels, on Jerrod’s skateboard, but not too loose, so he won’t notice, but just loose enough for him to lose the race.”  Johnny replied.

Now Billy knew that could get Jerrod hurt so he said:  “That might hurt him, can’t we find another way to win?”

“Look, he’ll hurt me if we don’t do this.”  Johnny said.

 

Billy looked at Johnny and said, “It’s the wrong thing to do and I can’t do it, it might hurt him bad.”   

 

“Oh go on, I’ll do it myself, but don’t you dare tell anyone, because if you do I’ll never be your friend.”  Johnny said.

 

Well, 4:30 came and a lot of kids gathered at the top of the steep hill to watch the race.  The boys took their skateboards and Johnny had his helmet and pads on, but Jerrod didn’t, he said that a helmet and pads were for sissies.

 

A freckled-face boy counted and blew a whistle, and off they flew at a very fast pace.  Billy watched as the skate-board flew out from under Jerrod and he landed on the pavement at the bottom of the steep hill.  He was holding his knee and screaming to the top of his lungs.

 

Billy looked at Johnny, Johnny shrugged his shoulders; “I didn’t do it!  I didn’t touch his board.  I thought about what you said and I couldn’t do it.”  Billy smiled and patted Johnny on the shoulder. 

 

It seemed that Jerrod had broken his leg just below his knee and would be out of school for the rest of the year.  Billy and Johnny was relieved that Jerrod would not be back at school, for a while anyway.

 

Billy told Johnny, “I prayed that you would not get beat up!”  Johnny smiled, “well, I guess I’ll just have to come to church with you sometime!” he said.

1 John 3:22 says:  “He will give us whatever we ask, because we obey Him and do what pleases Him.”

"Horace's Fall Frenzy"

“Horace’s Fall Frenzy”

Marcie and Jimmy are brother and sister and they lived on a BIG farm, with horses, cows, chickens, goats and pigs.  One of their Hogs they named Horace, now Horace was getting really BIG, he like to ‘Pig-out’ when it was feed time, and he had developed quite an attitude.  He was cantankerous, and stubborn as an old mule.  But Marcie and Jimmy had brought him up from a little pink piglet, and to them Horace was “Special.”

Now every year, at the beginning of fall, Marcie and Jimmy’s dad held a big fall bar-b-cue for all the farmers with-in a three mile radius of their farm.  They would all bring vegetables and desserts, and Marcie and Jimmy’s dad provided the ribs, chicken, and hamburgers, with all the trimmings. 

There was always enough DELICIOUS food, so much, you could feed an entire Army.  There were a couple of things that Marcie and Jimmy really liked and that was, hot buttery, corn-on-the-cob, and Mrs. McNally’s homemade, triple-decker chocolate cake with thick chocolate, melt-in-your-mouth, fudge icing, YUM! YUM!  And gallons of icy-cold, sweet tea. 

All the kids loved playing games and going on a hay-ride all around the BIG farm.  Well just before the dinner bell was to ring.  Horace couldn’t stand it any longer, the smell of all the DELICIOUS food was getting to him, so he rammed the gate to his pen and took off running as fast as his chubby little feet would go.  Before anyone could stop him, he was upon the table, headed for the HOT, BUTTERY CORN-ON-THE–COB, one more step and the table flipped over scattering ALL the vegetables, with Horace running after the corn cobs that were rolling across the yard.  And Mrs. McNally’s triple-layer, chocolate cake with the thick, chocolatey, fudge icing landed on Mr. Snodgrass’ bald head.

Finally Marcie and Jimmy’s dad, got hold of Horace and carted him back to his pen, but only after he had eaten ALL the corn-on-the-cob.  Their dad, in his anger said,  “It’s time to make some hams and bacon out of you, old boy!” 

Marcie and Jimmy’s hearts were broken, “surely Dad won’t do that to Horace?” Jimmy said.  The next morning, Marcie, Jimmy, and their mom and dad were having breakfast, and Jimmy said, “Dad, please don’t make Horace into hams and bacon, you know he’s REALLY sorry.  Can’t you forgive him and give him another chance, you know Dad, like God does with us.  He forgives us and gives us a lot of chances PLEASE!!”  Jimmy pleaded.

Well, Marcie and Jimmy’s dad looked into their tear-filled eyes as the pleaded for Horace’s life.  “Oh, ok, ONE more chance, and I‘ll forgive him this time.” Dad said.   And they were all happy, Horace had been rescued.

God forgives us and not just ONE time, but many times and He gives us many chances to make things right with Him.   Ephesians 4:32 tells us to: “Be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.”

For those interested, I have a Children's book with 45 stories just like these that you can purchase on Amazon.com, and Books A Million.com.  The title of the book is:  Children's Parables,  author: Karen Frantz, Publisher:  Westbow Press   Thanks,  I will be posting more stories here too. 
Enjoy them with your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, or your children's church.
Happy Story time!!

Karen Frantz

"The Snowball Fight"

“The Snowball Fight”

 

 

The sky was a solid grey with no sun, no blue sky, or fluffy white clouds, just a solid grey.  Henry and Harry watched the snowflakes drift from the grey sky to the ground below.  They watched as the black dirt and the dried-up grass became covered with a blanket of white snow.  Before long, all the ground was covered with soft, white snow.  Not one bit of dirt or grass could be seen.

 

Henry and Harry’s dad came into the living room, dressed in boots, a heavy coat with a hood and a colorful scarf wrapped around his neck.  “Well, boys get ready we are going to go out and have a snowball fight, it will be you two against me.” 

“But Dad, that’s not fair, two against one!”  Henry said.

“Yeah, we’ll win this snow ball fight!”  Harry declared.

“Maybe and maybe not, you see I’m bigger and have longer, stronger arms than either of you!”  Dad said, with a smile on his face.

“You’re on!” Henry shouted.

They got into their snowsuits and boots and grabbed their gloves and hats, and off they went, all three of them.  “Okay boys, I’ll make twelve snowballs and you all make 12 snowballs, and whoever gets hit with ALL twelve snowballs loses, and has to serve creamy hot chocolate to the winner, DEAL?” Dad said. 

“Oh Yeah!”  Both boys yelled.

So the snowball fight began, at first it seemed like their dad was going to win, but Henry and Harry got their heads together, and their dad, trying to hide behind a tall, but skinny pine tree, was suddenly bombarded with snowballs from both sides. 

You see, the boys were hiding behind a hedge that went all around the front yard, they hid behind the hedge and they put their brightly colored, knitted caps on the hedge and then one crept along the hedge one way and one crept along the hedge the other way and they sneaked up on their dad and let go with all their snowballs.  Then all three of them fell to the snowy ground, laughing.

And Dad true to his word, served the boys their steaming mugs of creamy hot chocolate with lots of big, fluffy, white marshmallows floating on top.  As they were sitting and sipping their hot chocolate and talking about the snow, Henry said, “Boy, Dad it didn’t take very long for the snow to cover ALL the dirt and grass.” 

“Your right Henry, it was coming down pretty fast. Did you boys know the Bible even mentions snow?”  Their Dad replied.

“Aww, come on, Dad, REALLY?”  Henry asked.

“Sure in a number of places, the one that I like is Psalm 51:7, it says: ‘Take away my sin and I will be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow.’  You boys remember when it was snowing and covering the dirt and grass, and before long, you could not see the dirt or the grass?  Let’s say the dirt is our sins and when we tell God we are sorry for our sins.  He forgives us and the blood of Jesus covers the dirt or sin that’s in our heart.  We no longer look dirty to God, but our heart becomes white as that snow!”  Their Dad explained.

“Hey, that’s pretty neat!  Jesus washes us and we become whiter than snow.”  Harry exclaimed, as they sipped their mugs of hot chocolate and watched the snow falling on a snow covered ground.

 

 

 

"A Good Name"

“A Good Name”

There was a boy whose parents named him, Lemuel Edwin Billaby.  He was called Lemuel. 

His family moved to a different town when he was in the fourth grade.  A lot of the kids made fun of his name it was not an ordinary name, and some would laugh and call him “Lemon!”

This hurt Lemuel’ feelings a lot, and he didn’t make friends with anyone, because he thought they were ALL making fun of him.

One day, when his mom came to pick him up from school, she noticed how sad he was, so she ask him, “Why such a sad face?”

“Mom, why did you name me ‘Lemuel?’  It’s an awful name, I hate it!’  He said, in tears.

When they got home.  Lemuel , got out of the car and ran to the house and into his room, shutting the door behind him, falling on his bed, crying , he was so sad.  Within ten minutes his bedroom door opened and his mom walked in carrying an armful of big scrap books and she sat down on the side of Lemuel’s bed, and said, “Lemuel, this is the reason we named you what we did.” 

She opened the first big scrap book and there were all kinds of pictures and newspaper clippings about a fireman by the name of “Lemuel.”

 It was Lemuel’s great-grand pa, he was a fireman, and a hero, not just once but many times.  He had rescued a lot of people from burning buildings and he had received a lot of rewards and medals.

The following day at school, the teacher told the class that they were to write a paper on the one person they admired the most.  Lemuel was so excited.  When he got home and told his mom, she helped him.  She made copies of his great-grandpa Lemuel’s newspaper clippings and photos for his report.  She also let him take one of the medals to school.

The next day,  Lemuel gave his report, he was so proud of all the things that his great-grandpa, Lemuel had done, that made him a TRUE hero.  So he added this at the end of his report, “I am so proud to be named after this brave, hero, my great-grandpa Lemuel.”

The class applauded, and they gathered around Lemuel to look at the pictures and newspaper clippings and to be able to hold the medal. 

That afternoon, when Lemuel got into the car, he was smiling from ear to ear and mom was smiling too.  Lemuel said; “Thanks, Mom for giving me my name.”

A good name is to be more desired than great wealth.  Proverbs 22:1

"The Cheerleaders"

“The Cheerleaders”

 

 

Johnny was really excited.  He was going to his very first, live, football game with his Dad.

Johnny’s dad was a BIG football fan and Johnny wanted to be one too.  So Johnny and his dad went to a football game one Friday evening.  Johnny couldn’t believe his big brown eyes, as he took in all the sights and all the people.

Johnny and his dad found their seats and soon the game started, and the crowd roared as the teams came onto the field.  The noise of the crowd hurt Johnny’s ears, so he covered them with his hands. But that didn’t help a whole lot, because every time one of the players got the football and started to run everyone would clap their hands and yell; “GO! GO! GO!”  It was VERY noisy, and Johnny wasn’t too sure he liked being at the game.  He thought he would like it better if he watched it on the television. 

After the game and on their way home, Johnny’s dad asked Johnny how he liked the game. 

“Well I guess it was ok, but my ears are hurting because of all the yelling and clapping.  Why do the people have to clap and yell so loud?”  Johnny asked.

“They were cheering their team’s players so they would run faster and make a touchdown.  So they could WIN the game.”  Johnny’s dad replied.

“You know Johnny, you and I have people cheering and clapping for us too.”  His dad said.

“We do?”  Johnny asked in amazement. 

“Sure we do, the Bible tells us that ‘we have a great crowd of people in Heaven watching us as we run our race.’ Dad replied.

“Run a race, I’m not running a race!”  Johnny exclaimed.

“Well the race we run is when we live for God, then the people in Heaven cheer us on.  So we’ll not stop, but keep on living for God.”  His Dad said

“But Dad, how come I can’t hear them?”  Johnny asked.

“Well they’re in Heaven and we’re here on earth.  But you can believe they are cheering you on, because the Bible tells us so.”  His dad said, smiling at him.

“Well at least their cheering DON’T hurt my ears!”  Johnny exclaimed.

 

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us.  Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us.”--------Hebrews 12:1

 

 

"What Really Matters!"

“What Really Matters!” 

 

 

Allie was eight years old, and she was an only child, she didn’t have any brothers or sisters.  One day Allie’s mom told her they would be moving to another state and she would be leaving her friends, but she would make new friends.  Allie wasn’t happy about the news.

When they moved and got settled, Allie’s mom took her to her ‘new’ school.  Now Allie had thought and thought about how she could make new friends.  She came up with what she thought was a great idea.  She would tell everybody how good she was at everything and they would always want her on their team, and always want her to be their friend.  So that was exactly what she did, but it didn’t exactly turn out the way she thought it would.

Allie was always wanting to be FIRST in EVERYTHING, and even though she told them she could do EVERYTHING, they quickly found out that she couldn’t do EVERYTHING.  So whenever the kids were playing games, and saw Allie coming, they would run away from her, and instead of her having lots of friends, she had NO friends.

On her birthday, Allie’s mom planned a big party with lots of food, games and Allie’s favorite birthday cake, a yellow cake with a sweet, yummy, milk chocolate frosting. 

So Allie handed out invitations to all of her classmates, but nobody came to her party.  Allie was so sad, she cried and cried.  “Nobody likes me!”  Even after I told them how good I am at EVERYTHING, they don’t even want to be my friend!”  She cried.  Allie’s mom hugged Allie, “You know Allie, you are good at doing somethings, but NOBODY is good at doing EVERYTHING!  God has made us all with different abilities.  Some can run faster than others, some can throw a ball farther than others, some can sing better, some are better at drawing pictures than others.  We are all different, because that’s the way God made us and wants us to be.  I think if you go back to school and be yourself, and don’t brag about being better than anyone else, before long you’ll have lots of friends.” Her mom said. 

So Allie took her mom’s advice and some things Allie was good at and some things she wasn’t so good at.  But Allie was happy being just the way God wanted her to be, and she ended up with lots of good friends.

 

Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are God’s workmanship.  Created to do the good works that God has prepared for us to do.”

"Refuge in the Storm"

“Refuge in the Storm”

 

 

It was a beautiful, warm, spring Saturday morning, the sun was shining, the birds were singing.  It was the perfect day for a bike ride to the park.  So Sally called her best friend, Marcie and asked if she wanted to ride her bike to the park.

“Sure, I’ll be at your house in ten minutes.”  Marcie replied.

The girls got on their bikes and rode to the park.  They played around for a good while, when Sally noticed a big, black, angry-looking cloud rolling up from the horizon.  The wind started to pick up. 

So Sally said to Marcie, “We better head to my house, look at that cloud!” 

The girls quickly got on their bikes and started home, but by the time they got to the edge of town, the storm was moving fast and the wind was so strong, they could hardly stay on their bikes. 

Now Sally’s Aunt owned a little diner right on the edge of town and when she saw the girls struggling in the wind, she opened the door, holding it tight in the strong wind, and she yelled out to the girls, “Sally, you and Marcie come in here, NOW!”  The girls quickly got off their bikes and ran into the diner.

“I’ll call your moms and let them know you are with me.”  “Come on, let’s go into the cooler, till the storm passes, I don’t like the looks of it.” She said.

So Sally, Marcie, Aunt Rose, and the waitress, Angie all quickly went into the cooler.  It was cold, but they would be safe.  Angie was trembling with fear, and she began to cry.  Marcie walked over to her and took her hand and said;

“Angie, it’s going to be ok, God is right here with us, ya know how I know that?  I just learned a new Bible verse, it says; “The Lord says, ‘I will rescue those who love me.  I will protect those who trust in my name. So God will take care of us.  That’s a promise and God don’t break promises.”

Then Marcie and Angie started talking about their dogs and after about fifteen minutes in the cooler, Sally’s Aunt said; “Ok, I think it’s safe to go out. “

When they went back out to the front of the diner, they saw glass from the broken windows all over the floor with bits of tree limbs and lots of water from the rain.  But at least, they were all safe and that’s what mattered.

Aunt Rose had made some of Sally’s and Marcie’s favorite, big, round, melt-in-your-mouth, snicker-doodle cookies, just before the storm hit.  So she fixed them some hot chocolate to help warm them up and gave them a couple of the big, round, melt-in-your-mouth, snicker-doodle cookies, while she and Angie carefully cleaned up the mess.  Then she loaded up the girls’ bikes and took them home, safe and sound.

 

 

"The Monster on the Prairie"

“The Monster on the Prairie”

 

 

This story takes place many, many, years ago.  Jen and her little sister Allie lived out in the mid-west, in the state of Kansas.  They lived with their Mom, Dad, and a little shaggy dog named Patches.  They lived on a small farm in the middle of the prairie. 

They had a huge, green yard to play in, and after school had ended and all their chores were done they played in that huge, green yard, with Patches till supper time.

 

One bright sunshiny morning, Jen and Allie’s dad hitched the team of horses, up to the wagon, to make a trip, across the wide prairie and into a small town for supplies.  Jen and Allie always looked forward to his trips, because he would always bring them something back, usually it was something they really liked and didn’t get to have very often.

 

The girls got their morning chores done and ate their breakfasts, then it was off to school.  Later that afternoon, on their way home, Jen and Allie were greeted by Patches, running and jumping all around them.  When they got home they quickly changed into their work clothes and did a few more chores.  Then when all the chores were done they had play-time with Patches.

 

After a while, Jen noticed a huge, black cloud that looked like a big, angry monster coming across the prairie.  It looked like it was boiling so Jen ran to the barn, and yelled in the door.  “Mom, come quick!”  Her Mom came out of the barn with a fearful look in her eyes. 

The wind began to blow, then Jen and her Mom heard the fearful sound of roaring in their ears.  Jen’s mom looked at her and yelled, “Quick, get Allie and Patches and head for the cellar!”   

Jen ran and grabbed Allie’s hand and called for Patches to come!  They ran to the cellar with Mom running behind, them.  Their hearts were pounding with fear.  Jen’s mom quickly pulled on the two big doors, trying to close and latch them, but the wind kept blowing them out of her hands, finally she managed to get them shut and latched.

 

By now, Allie had begun to cry.  Jen was sniffling a little too.  The cellar was really small, cold and dark, really dark.  Mom sat down on the bottom step and held both girls tight in her arms, and began to sing, “Jesus loves Me!”  Allie began to sing along with her and soon Jen joined in.  Then Mom stopped and said to the girls. “Jesus is right here with us, we don’t have to be afraid.  I know a verse from the Bible that says; “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you ……..Isa. 41:10. 

All three of them repeated the verse over and over.  Then Jen’s mom noticed the roar was gone so she carefully opened the doors of the cellar and the bright sunlight came shining into the darkness. 

When they came out of the cellar, they noticed a few small trees had been pulled up and two shutters from the windows of the house were blown off, but it appeared that everything else was in good shape.  

After cleaning up a bit, Jen and Allie noticed that a wagon was coming across the prairie.  Their hearts were filled with joy and they began to jump up and down, giggling.  They couldn’t wait so off they ran to meet their Dad.   

When he got to the house, he opened a brown paper bag and pulled out two, sweet, brightly colored, sugar sticks.  And that night when they got ready for bed, they all held hands and their Dad prayed:  “Thank you Lord, for keeping my family safe and helping them to not be too afraid during that horrible monster storm.  Amen!”

 

 

Frogs Everywhere!

Frogs Everywhere!

 

 

Sam was all boy.  He liked doing what all eight year old boys liked to do.  One of the things that Sam really liked to do was to watch, and sometimes catch some of God’s outdoor creatures; like bugs and frogs.

One day, Sam was playing outside, when he saw a BIG bull frog sitting on one of the big flat rocks that lined his mom’s flower bed. Well after a little bit of a chase through the backyard, Sam finally caught the BIG bull frog, and he ran into the house carrying the BIG, fat bull frog with both hands.

“Mom, come quick, look what I got!”  Sam yelled.  His mom came into the kitchen.  “Oh Sam, that’s a real beauty.  What are you going to name him?”  She asked. 

“I think I’ll call him Oscar!  Sam replied. 

“That’s a good name, you know Sam, Oscar really belongs outside, where he can eat the flies whenever he wants, and he’ll live longer outside, and you can see him when you go out to play.”  Mom said.

Sam thought about it and decided that Mom was right.  So he took Oscar back outside and let him go.   

“You know Sam, Oscar reminds me of a Bible story.   Once a long time ago, God told a man named Moses to go to the King of Egypt and tell him to let the people of Israel go, you see they were the king’s slaves, and God wanted them to be able to worship Him. 

So Moses went to the king, but the king said, “NO!”  So God sent hundreds and hundreds of frogs all over Egypt.  There were BIG frogs, MEDIUM frogs, and LITTLE frogs. 

There were frogs swinging on lamps in the air.  There were frogs on the pillows and under the beds, on their heads, and in their hair, they were EVERYWHERE!  In their clothes and sitting on their nose.  They were on the tables and in the chairs, they were EVERYWHERE. And NEVER once missed a meal, I declare they were EVERYWHERE!”

But the king would not give in and let the people go.  So Moses went away doing the ONLY thing he could do.  He F-ully, R-elied on God!

“Wow!  That was really a neat story, Mom.” Sam said.

“Yes Sam, and it actually happened. “ Mom replied.

“What happened to the people of Israel?”  Sam asked.

“Well, I guess you could say God rescued them from the king.  So Sam, whenever you have a problem or need help you can do like Moses and the people of Israel:

Fully

Rely

On

God!  Mom said with a smile.

"Gotcha Ya!"

“Gotcha Ya!”

Jimmy was a little boy, in the fourth grade, who had reddish, brown hair, big, brown eyes and freckles all over his face. Something else about Jimmy you need to know is Jimmy loved Jesus with all his heart, and a few months back, he had prayed and asked God to forgive him for ALL the bad things he had done.  And Jimmy was a BOLD witness for Jesus to all the kids at school.

He would walk around, telling everyone, “Jesus loves you!”  He always asked the blessings over his food at lunchtime, and prayed hard over every test he took.

Well, there were two boys, who didn’t like Jimmy very much and they were always picking on him, and whenever he would say, “Jesus loves you!”  They would say an ugly word back at him, but that didn’t stop Jimmy.

When it was Jimmy’s birthday, he asked his mom if he could do something a little different for his birthday at school.   “Sure if that’s what you want to do?”  She said.  So they put their heads together and came up with a plan.

They bought treats for all his classmates, but before the kids got the treat, they had to solve this riddle:  “What’s brown and red, rough not smooth, it’s used to prove Jesus loves you?”

So the kids all got in a line and one at a time they had to whisper in Jimmy’s ear their answer.  When Jimmy read the riddle out loud, the two boys that had said the ugly words to him whenever he told them; “Jesus loves you!” hung back and decided they weren’t going to play that silly game. They said, “we don’t care whether we get a treat or not.

So the two boys walked away until they saw that the treat was a big, yummy, melt-in-your mouth, and chocolatey chocolate bar.  YUM! YUM!

Those two boys came running to Jimmy, “Ok, what’s the riddle, we changed our minds.”  So Jimmy told them the riddle: “What’s brown and red, rough not smooth, and is used to prove that Jesus loves you?” 

The two boys looked at each other, then shrugged their shoulders and they started to walk away.  Then Jimmy, called them back and reached into the big gift bag and pulled out two, big, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth, chocolatey candy bars and on the wrapper was printed, “Jesus loves you!”, he handed the candy bars over to each of them , they looked at him and one of them said, “but we didn’t have the answer to the riddle!”

 It’s ok, think about it,” Jimmy said, “and by the way, “Jesus loves YOU!” 

Do you know the answer to the riddle? Think about it!!    (ans. The cross)

"A Home for Johnny"

“A Home for Johnny”

 

 

 

Johnny was eight years old, and he had lived in a Children’s home since was three.  A lot of the kids that were there when Johnny first came there, had been adopted, which made Johnny sad, he wanted a mom and dad too.  But it seemed to Johnny that no one wanted him.

One of Johnny‘s feet was not formed right and he walked with a big limp, he couldn’t run, so he couldn’t play softball, football or soccer, like normal little boys do. 

One day, Johnny was sitting on the porch swing, and a man and woman walked up on the porch and they walked over to the swing and the man said to Johnny, “Hi, I’m Sam Brown and this is my wife, Maggie, do you know where we could find Ms. Parks? “ Johnny got up from the swing and took the man and woman into the house and they met with Ms. Parks.

Johnny went back to the swing, wondering which child they would take home with them.  After about an hour, the man, woman and Ms. Parks came out on the porch, they walked up to Johnny.  Ms. Parks looked at Johnny and said, “Johnny these nice people would like you to go home with them for the weekend, would you like to do that?  They live on a farm, and you will have a great time.” 

Johnny’s face lit up, a BIG smile zipped across his freckled face.   “Sure I would!”  He said, “But Ms. Parks, what about, you know.”  He said, pointing at his misshaped foot.  “It’s ok, Johnny!” Sam said, smiling, “you’ll be fine.”

So Johnny packed up and went home with Sam and Maggie.  He loved their little farm, with baby goats, chickens, a cow, and a big pond filled with lots of fish. 

Sam took Johnny out in a little row boat to the middle of the pond, and Johnny hooked a BIG catfish, and boy did he ever fight, but Sam helped Johnny bring him in.  And Maggie baked Johnny his favorite, big, soft, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate-chip cookies. 

On Sunday they all went to church, and Johnny really liked that.  He felt like part of a real family.  Sunday night when Maggie and Sam were tucking Johnny in bed, and saying good night, Johnny started to cry, “Johnny, why are you crying?”  Maggie asked.  Johnny looked into Maggie’s eyes, “I have to leave tomorrow, and I’m sad I just want a mom and dad, like you and Sam.”  Johnny said. 

Then Johnny hugged Maggie, and she started crying too.  Sam came over and put his arm around Johnny and Maggie and said; “Johnny, would you really like to come and be our son and live here with us?” Sam asked.  “Oh, yes sir, I would like that very much, if I could.”  Johnny exclaimed.  “We’ll work on it.”  Sam said. 

Johnny went back to the Children’s home with hope in his heart after some time, Johnny was able to go and live with Sam and Maggie as their son.  He was adopted into their family and was a very HAPPY little boy. 

 

That’s the way it is with us and God.   He wants us to be a part of His family.  To be adopted and become one of His Children.  Romans 8:15 says …we received God’s Spirit when He adopted us as His own Children.  Now we call Him, Abba, Father.

 

 

 

 

"Jasper's Temptation"

“Jasper’s Temptation”

 Johnny and Jill were brother and sister.  Johnny was two years older than Jill, and like most brothers and sisters, they had moments when they would fuss with each other.  But for the most part they got along together pretty good.

The one thing they both loved to do was to go out in the backyard and play with Jasper, their big golden haired dog.  Now Jasper had one problem he loved, I mean REALLY LOVED to chase rabbits.  And the woods around Johnny and Jill’s house was full of cute, furry, brown bunnies with fluffy, white tails and pink, wiggly noses.  And those bunnies were fast at getting away from Jasper.  It was as if they were tempting him to chase them, because they knew he was behind a chain-link fence. 

Now, Johnny and Jill lived next door to Mrs. Coggins, and Mrs. Coggins was somewhat of a society lady.  She was always having some sort of tea party, and when the weather was nice and pretty, she held her fancy tea parties under her big magnolia tree. 

One pretty day, Johnny and Jill were out in their backyard playing with Jasper, and Mrs. Coggins had a pretty, round table all set up under her tree with her pretty china teapot and teacups, with little china plates setting on top of the table.  She brought out a plate of big, golden brown, melt in your mouth, sugar cookies that glistened on top with sweet granules of white sugar sparkling in the sunlight. 

Boy, Johnny and Jill’s mouths were watering, and as Mrs. Coggins was going back into her house, a little brown, furry bunny with a white, fluffy tail and long ears, ran across Mrs. Coggins backyard and stopped right under the big magnolia tree.  Now, that sent Jasper into a wild frenzy as he paced back and forth behind the chain-link fence. 

Then he could stand it no longer, he ran and took a flying leap over the fence, across Mrs. Coggins’ backyard and right under the pretty table that was all set-up for the tea party.  Jasper, being a BIG dog did not fit under the table, so the table fell over scattering everything onto the ground.

Now, Jasper didn’t catch the bunny rabbit, but he sure enjoyed those big, golden brown, melt in your mouth sugar cookies.  And as he was gobbling up the last few cookies, Mrs. Coggins came running out of her house waving a broom at Jasper, who ran fast as he could and leaped back over the fence, with Mrs. Coggins running after him, yelling, “You’ll pay for this!!”

You see, Jasper was overcome by the temptation of running after something he couldn’t have, the bunny rabbit, which led to another temptation, the sugar cookies. 

The Bible tells us that we need to be ALERT so that we won’t enter into temptation and it tells us that our spirit is willing to NOT fall into temptation, but our flesh is weak.  So we need to pray and ask God to help us run away from the temptation and NOT run to it.  (Matt. 26:41)