Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6

"There goes Old Faithful!" Corbin said as they watched hot water burst from the ground and shoot high into the air. He and his sister Fiona were showing their aunt a video Corbin had made on their vacation to Yellowstone National Park. "The park ranger said the rock deep underground is so hot it heats the spring water," said Corbin.

"And then it reaches its boiling point and boils up and shoots out of the ground," added Fiona.

After their aunt had left, Fiona and Corbin got out a game. "You lose!" Corbin said after they played a little while. "You're not allowed to make that move!"

"I am too!" said Fiona. But Corbin wouldn't agree, and the two started arguing. Finally, Fiona pushed back her chair. "You make me so mad!"

"What did I do?" Corbin asked.

"Tons of things!" Fiona's voice grew louder. "You cheat, you used my bike without asking, you embarrassed me in front of my friends, and you spilled juice on my homework. I hate you!" She ran to her bedroom and slammed the door. Then she opened it and slammed it again.

Corbin followed Mom to Fiona's room. "You know we don't slam doors," Mom said. "And that angry outburst was not pretty."

"Yeah," said Corbin. "You erupted with more force than Old Faithful." He grinned. "Hey, I know! I'll call you Old Fiona."

"Corbin, go to your room," said Mom. "I'll talk to you later." When he had left, she turned back to Fiona. "Corbin does have a point."

"But he's mean!" said Fiona. "He'd make anybody mad!"

"We all have feelings of anger at times," said Mom. "We need to deal with them, not just let them build up and burst out. One way to deal with your anger is to talk to the person who made you angry and explain what's bothering you. Don't store up angry feelings and grudges. Make an effort to make peace and be friends."

"I don't think Corbin would listen, so why even bother?" asked Fiona.

"Give him a chance," said Mom. "And be willing to forgive. Remember that Jesus has forgiven you for all your wrongs and will help you forgive and love others. A loving relationship with anyone is always worth the effort."

–Nance E. Keyes

Bible Reading: Luke 15:4-10; Acts 1:8

"Mom, have you seen my other tennis shoe?" Piper ran from room to room with only one shoe on, desperately looking for the other one. She was supposed to be leaving to spend the night at her friend Aryanna's house.

"No, but I can help you look. Do you remember where you saw it last?" Mom asked.

Piper shook her head, and the two frantically looked for the missing shoe. They looked under beds, in the closet, in the bathroom, and even in Piper's brother's room.

"Are you sure you didn't pack it with your overnight things?" Mom asked.

Piper was about to say she would never do anything silly like that, but she knew Mom would just make her look anyway, so she began pulling out everything from her bag. The last thing she pulled out was her missing shoe. "Oops--here it is!" Piper said, a little embarrassed. "Well, I'm glad it's been found."

"Remember I'm going to pick you up for church tomorrow," Mom said as they got in the car. "Did you invite Aryanna to come?" Piper shook her head. "Did you know that the Bible talks about Jesus wanting us to help Him find what's lost?" Mom asked.

Piper shot her mom a puzzled look. "What could Jesus have lost that He would need our help finding? He's God's Son. He knows everything!"

"The Bible says Jesus wants us to help bring lost sinners to Him. We can do that by praying for them and sharing how He's changed our lives--and even by inviting them to church." Mom turned to look at Piper. "Do you remember how happy and relieved you felt when you found your missing shoe?" Piper nodded. "Well," said Mom, "the Bible says all of heaven rejoices when one sinner is saved. That's how happy God is when one lost person is found. And even though God is the only one who can change a person's heart, He wants us to play a part by praying for others and pointing them to Him so we can rejoice with Him when they're found."

"Okay, Mom. I'll see if Aryanna wants to come to church with us tomorrow," Piper said as they pulled into Aryanna's driveway. "And I'll pray for her too."

–Melissa Yeagle

Bible Reading: Psalm 23; John 10:1-12, 27-28

Evening descended swiftly on the French Alps. Chloe snuggled closer to her dad as the two of them and her dad's friend Jules huddled around a fire for warmth. "Another good thing about being a sheep is all that wool to keep you warm," Chloe said.

Jules nodded. "It's almost time to put them in their pen for the night. If I wait until it gets too dark, the wolves come out."

Chloe's eyes widened. "Have you ever had to fight a wolf, Uncle Jules?"

He nodded solemnly. "Fortunately, I was able to save the lamb. The sheep know they are safe when they stay close to me, just like we are safe with Jesus, our shepherd."

"That doesn't mean bad things won't happen to us," Dad interjected. "Everyone goes through darkness and tough times. But our Good Shepherd promises to be with us through every dark valley we encounter."

"So we don't need to fear, just like David wrote in Psalm Twenty-Three," Chloe said softly. "Uncle Jules, what about the verse where David talks about God anointing his head with oil? What does that have to do with sheep?"

Jules grinned. "Do you think Chloe can handle this, John?"

"It's kind of gross, Chloe," Dad warned.

"I can handle it!"

"We have different medicine now, but back in David's day, shepherds used to pour oil over the sheep's heads to protect them from bugs," said Jules.

"That's not so gross--kind of like giving pets flea medicine."

"But these kinds of bugs would eventually make their way into the sheep's brains and destroy them."

"Ewww!" Chloe shuddered. "Good thing they have a shepherd to protect every part of them--even their brains."

"God does the same thing for us," Jules noted. "When we listen to the truth of His Word, it transforms and renews our minds and helps keep us from fixating on what might harm us. Instead of worry, we can feel His peace. That's why reading and memorizing God's Word is important."

Chloe gazed at the sheep thoughtfully. "Uncle Jules, I've learned a lot this week. One thing's for sure--I'm going to listen to my Good Shepherd."

–Savannah Coleman