Bible Reading: Matthew 5:13-16; Luke 8:16; John 5:24

"Help! It's not working! Troooooy!"

Troy stepped into the kitchen to see his little sister's hands covered in purple glue. "Crafting again, Emmy? What are you trying to do?"

Emma blew a curl off her forehead in frustration. "I'm trying to make slime! I have glue, water, and baking soda. Look at this, it's just a sticky mess! Not slimy at all."

"You forgot the activator." Troy pointed to step four of the recipe. "You need contact lens solution--I'll get you some of mine."

"What does an activator do?" Emma asked when Troy returned with the missing ingredient.

"An activator reacts with the rest of your ingredients and transforms them into something new--in this case, slime! Slime happens when you mix the liquid substance in your glue with the boric acid in an activator. This fun transformation is called cross-linking."

Troy added the activator to his sister's bowl and watched her stir it in. "It's so slimy!" Emma held her slime in front of Troy's face with a grin. "Thanks for helping me!"

"No problem, sis. Hey, did you know that you helped me?"

"I did?" Emma poked her slime. "How?"

"Before you called for help, I was thinking about some friends of mine. They don't know Jesus and have started doing some stuff that's not good for them. Instead of talking to them about it, I just stayed away from them. But God used your slime project to remind me that I should do something different."

"What's that?" Emma asked.

"Since I have God's Spirit in me, I can be an activator to those around me who are in darkness. I have His light, and I need to shine it to others. I don't have to participate in the wrong things my friends are doing, but I can choose to show them a better way. I can tell my friends about a different kind of cross-linking: Jesus died on the cross and rose again so we could cross over from death to life and be transformed!"

Emma raised her slime in the air. "Activators make everything better!"

–Savannah Coleman

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 105:42-45; Romans 8:32

"I'm getting mint chocolate chip!" Peyton said as he climbed into the van. "Two scoops!"

Ian was right behind him. "I'm getting orange sherbet with sprinkles!"

"And I," said Dad, "am getting the biggest fudge sundae you've ever seen."

"Hey!" said Peyton. "You didn't get a good report card."

"No, but I promised everybody ice cream after a good first half of the school year," said Dad. "And since I'm driving, that includes me. Now buckle in, we have a few stops to make first."

They watched longingly out the window as Dad drove past the ice cream shop. But after the grocery store, gas station, and library, Peyton and Ian grew worried. When Dad drove by the only other ice cream shop in town, Ian frowned and crossed his arms. "He broke his promise," he whispered to Peyton.

Peyton swallowed. "Um, Dad? Are you mad at us?"

Dad met his eyes in the rearview mirror. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, because you changed your mind about ice cream. There are no more ice cream shops." Peyton looked out his window. "Where are we, anyway?"

Dad was about to respond when Ian spoke up. "Look, a big sign with a cow on it! Ice cream!"

Dad pulled in and parked the car. "Best ice cream for miles. A bit of a drive, but I thought you two deserved something special."

"You didn't lie to us!" said Ian.

"Of course not," said Dad.

"It was just taking so long," said Peyton. "And we've never been this way before."

Dad smiled. "I understand. You know, God also takes us places we've never been. When it seems like it's taking a long time, it's easy to forget His promises too."

"I did wonder where you were taking us," said Ian, eyeing a big jar of sprinkles behind the counter.

"And we might wonder the same thing about God," said Dad. "But God never lies. He fulfilled His promise to save us by sending us His own Son, and He will always keep His promise to love and care for us, even when we struggle to trust Him." Dad led the boys up to the counter. "Now, pick what you want. I promise it'll be some of the best ice cream you've ever had!"

–Kelly Carlson

Bible Reading: Romans 5:3-5; Galatians 5:22-25

"You take the sword, Leo, and be ready when I storm the castle," Javier instructed as he slipped on his dragon mask.

His little brother nodded, put on his knight helmet, and paced back and forth in front of the tent.

Javier ran off and disappeared from Leo's view, crouching behind a bush. Then he crawled back to the tent and quietly entered it from the back, unnoticed by Knight Leo.

"RAAAAAAWR!" Javier bellowed. "This is my castle now! Flames! Run for your life, knight!" He continued to yell as loud as he could as he ran at his brother.

Leo threw his helmet down and dropped his sword. "That's not fair!" he exclaimed. "You came from behind. I wasn't ready for you!"

Javier ripped off his mask. "Oh, come on, Leo! Knights don't throw their helmets down and whine. I hate playing with you, you always wreck everything!"

"Whoa, you are a fiery dragon," Mom said as she came over at the yelling. "Calm down, Javier. Don't treat Leo that way."

"But he does this every time! When we played astronauts and the aliens came, he threw a fit. When we played superheroes and the villain caught him, he started crying. Superheroes don't cry, Mom!"

"I know, Javier," Mom said. "Leo just has some trouble staying in character." She turned to Leo. "Javier has a point, Leo. When you're playing pretend, it's more fun if everyone stays in character." She turned back to Javier. "But you're also acting out of character when you talk to Leo like that."

"But he makes me so mad!" said Javier.

"All the more reason to stay in character," said Mom. "It's easy to be kind when everything goes smoothly. It's when things don't go our way that we need to remember who we are as followers of Jesus. He defines our true character. He has freed us from sin and given us the Holy Spirit, who lives in us and is helping us become more like Jesus. Remember that the next time you're tempted to do something wrong--like lash out at Leo in anger. Jesus wants us to love others the way He loves us."

Javier looked at his brother. "Sorry, Leo," he said. "I didn't mean to be such a dragon."

–Kelly Bakshi

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6

"Well, if that's the way you're going to be, I'll just find someone else to do my science project with!" Will turned and walked away from Torin and Carlos before they had a chance to respond.

At dinner, Will was still angry. "Torin and Carlos won't listen to me," he told his dad. "They want to change the whole science project. I don't care what they say. I like the way I planned it."

"Sounds like you're having trouble flying in formation," said Dad.

"Huh?" Will frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Remember when we saw the Navy's flying team perform at the air show last week? How far apart were those six jets?"

"They were really close!" said Will. "I think the announcer said they sometimes were within three feet of each other." He remembered the thrill of watching the shiny blue and yellow jets. "When the leader moved in a certain direction, they all moved that way. If they didn't, they'd be in big trouble."

"Right," said Dad. "Flying in formation like that takes real teamwork! But doing a good job on any group project requires teamwork--and that includes your science project. You need to work together as a team."

"But they won't listen to me!" said Will.

"Well, they should listen to your ideas," said Dad. "But you should also listen to theirs. Have you done that? Have you really thought about whose ideas would work the best?"

Will sighed. "I guess not. I'll talk to Carlos and Torin and see if they'll still let me work with them."

"Good," said Dad. "You know, this reminds me of how Christians need to fly in formation too. Since you know Jesus, you're part of His team of believers--the church. As Christians, we need to work together to help more people know about Jesus. But we can't do that if we're only thinking of ourselves and what we want."

"We need to be like Jesus, right?" asked Will.

"Right," said Dad. "We need to show one another the kind of love He shows us, and that includes listening to each other's ideas and being patient and understanding. When we do that, others will see God's love in us and want to know more about Jesus."

–Diane Hesselberg

Bible Reading: Mark 12:41-44

Malia jingled the coins in her pocket. She liked the sound they made. She called it her Sunday song because she often jingled coins before Sunday school started each week. Malia earned her own money for offerings, but lately she hadn't been able to find many jobs, so the amount she could give had become smaller and smaller.

Antonio, the boy sitting next to her, saw her put the coins into the offering plate and snickered. "Is that all you have?" he asked loudly. "Why even bother?" Malia felt her face grow hot. She put her head down and didn't answer.

When Malia got home, she told her mother what Antonio had said. "I guess he was right," she said with a sigh. "I think my offering was the smallest one anybody had today."

Mom raised her eyebrows. "I think your first mistake was to compare your offering to what the other kids gave. We should never give just to impress others. Tell me--what does Jesus think about what you gave?" Malia shrugged.

Mom was quiet for a moment. "Malia, at your birthday party last month, your friends gave you presents. Were the gifts all the same, or were some smaller than others?"

"The gifts? They were all different, of course," said Malia. "Why?"

"Well, are the kids who gave you the nicest presents the ones you like best now?" asked Mom.

Malia shook her head. "It doesn't matter what they brought. Izzy's dad had been sick a long time, so she couldn't spend much on a present, but who cares? It wouldn't have mattered if she hadn't brought anything at all. She's my best friend!"

"I know," said Mom. "And you're Jesus's friend--He loves you so much that He died for your sins and rose from the dead to save you! And He's pleased with any gift you give Him from your heart out of gratitude for what He's done for you."

"Just like I'm happy with Izzy's present," Malia said, smiling. "Before the party, Izzy said she didn't know if she should even come. She was afraid of what the other kids would think of her gift. But I told her I would love any gift she brought me because she's my friend."

–Brenda K. Good

Bible Reading: 1 John 4:7-11

"How about a break?" said Dad. He stopped pedaling, leaned his bike against a tree, and then plopped onto the park bench beside the bike trail.

"Good idea!" said James. "I'm tired and thirsty!" He and Dad took water bottles from their bikes. Dad also pulled two granola bars from his bike bag and handed one to James.

As James removed the wrapper, a piece of granola fell to the ground. A tiny ant appeared and tried to whisk it away. James watched as the ant tried again and again, but the piece was just too large for it to handle. A moment later, a mass of scurrying ants appeared. They worked together, lifting and dropping the chunk several times until it fell apart. Then each ant seized a small piece, and they all ran off in the same direction.

"Did you see that?" asked James. "That ant needed help--and he got it!"

"He sure did," said Dad. "That's a good example of how we should act as Christians."

James looked at Dad. "You mean we should help each other, right? Like when that big storm ripped shingles off our garage roof last summer and a bunch of guys from church helped repair it. With all their help, it didn't take very long before it was fixed. A big job became a small one--just like with the ants."

Dad nodded. "I'm sure the guys from church didn't think about it at the time, but they were demonstrating to our neighbors the love Christians should have for each other."

"But aren't we supposed to show God's love by helping people who don't know Jesus too?" asked James.

"Yes," said Dad. "Helping those who don't know Jesus can be a powerful way to show them who He is and what He's like, and helping other Christians can too." Dad and James got up and put on their helmets. "Mr. Locke next door was so impressed by what our church friends did to help with our roof that he wanted to know more about our church," added Dad. "I explained that we love one another because Jesus loves us--so much that He died for our sins and rose again. I'm praying that Mr. Locke will soon know Jesus too."

–Eunice C. Matchett

Bible Reading: Psalm 101:1-8

Callie sat on her bed, so engrossed in her new library book that she didn't even notice her mom enter the room. When Mom sat down next to her, Callie jumped and shoved the book under her, hoping her mom hadn't seen the title.

Mom frowned. "You doing okay? I was just wondering why you were so quiet up here." She peered around Callie. "What were you reading?"

Callie shot her a thin smile. "Oh, nothing. Just a book I got at the library." She blinked, trying to clear her flustered brain. "So, did Dad finish working on the car?"

Mom folded her arms, studying her. "No, he's still trying to figure it out. The check engine light keeps flashing."

Callie nodded. "Wow. I hope the car's okay!"

"I'm sure it will be fine," said Mom. "Your Dad always takes the car's warning lights very seriously, so I'm sure he'll be able to fix the problem before it causes too much damage." She cleared her throat and scooted closer to her daughter. "Callie, you're twelve, and you're getting to the age when you'll be making some important decisions."

Callie swallowed and nodded.

"I'm not going to make you show me the book you're hiding. I don't know what it has in it that makes you feel the need to hide it. All I'm going to say is that your conscience is telling you something without me having to say a word."

Callie studied her fingernails, and Mom sighed. "The embarrassment I see on your face is a God-given warning light, Callie. It's telling you that something in that book doesn't line up with who you are as a follower of Jesus. Because He has freed you from sin, it doesn't belong in your life anymore. When you're tempted to focus on sinful things, the Holy Spirit uses your conscience to warn you. If you listen to His warning, it can prevent major problems down the road."

Callie squirmed. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew Mom was right. She pulled out the book. "I guess I'll need a ride to the library so I can return this." As the weight of the book lifted from her conscience, she smiled. "Let's go see how Dad's coming along on the car!"

–Rebekah Dorris

Bible Reading: Psalm 73:13-28; Proverbs 2:1-9

Kahlil closed the book he was reading and sighed.

"You don't look very happy," said his sister, Anisa. "What are you thinking about?"

Kahlil hesitated. "God," he admitted. "I've been wondering if God really hears us when we pray."

"Of course He does!" said Anisa.

"And my teacher at church says God is everywhere," said Kahlil. "How can that be? And how can He have no beginning?"

"I can't believe you're questioning God!" said Anisa. "Better not let Mom or Dad hear you do that."

"Do what?" asked Dad as he walked in and sat down.

Kahlil nervously picked at the corner of his book. "Well, sometimes I don't understand things about God and what the Bible says about Him. I have lots of questions, and Anisa thinks that's wrong."

"No, it's not wrong," said Dad. "It's perfectly okay for you to have those kinds of questions."

"It is?" asked Anisa. She and Kahlil looked at each other in surprise.

Dad nodded. "You learn by asking questions. For example, you made macaroni and cheese yesterday, right? How did you learn to do that?"

Anisa chimed in. "I heard him ask Mom a ton of questions. He asked how much water to use and how high to set the burner. And he asked how long it had to boil." She turned to her brother. "You've seen Mom make it a million times, but you didn't know anything when you tried to do it yourself."

Kahlil made a face at his sister. "Well, I could do it now!"

Dad smiled. "I'm sure you could. Asking questions helped you learn what to do. That's one reason God welcomes our honest questions--He knows they help us learn."

"You mean God's not mad?" Anisa asked.

Dad shook his head. "The book of Psalms is full of hard questions the writers asked God. Their questions helped them understand more about God and why they could trust Him. So don't be afraid to ask hard questions. Questions can strengthen your faith as you learn more about who God is and how Jesus came to save you and promises to be with you through life's difficulties." Standing up, Dad said, "I'm hungry. Why don't we ask God some questions together over a bowl of Kahlil's mac and cheese?"

–Sheri Shaw