God Will Use It

by Jan Cline When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over.” John 6:12 NIV A little boy stood on the shore of a great lake. He waved to a boat sailing across the water. “Goodbye, Master!” he called as the ship moved out of view. “And thanks be to Jehovah!” The boy turned to count his baskets again, just as he did several times in the last few hours. Each time he tallied up the fishes and pieces of bread, his heart filled with joy. How could a poor boy such as he receive blessing in this way? He had watched the Master turn his lunch into a feast for thousands. What a miracle! Then he received a share of the leftovers. How wonderful! “How happy I am to have shared my lunch!” The boy tugged on...

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God Works with Mud

By Phyllis Qualls Freeman One thing I do know, I was blind, but now I see. John 9:35 Did you know that Jesus played in the mud? One day he saw a blind man and spit on the ground, made a couple of mud pies and put them on the man’s eyes. Jesus told him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. Wow, as the mud washed away, so did his blindness. Then he could see. He smiled. He looked and saw everything around him. People asked questions about who healed his eyes. Well, he hadn’t seen Jesus yet, so he didn’t recognize Jesus. The Jewish leaders questioned more. Jesus listened when they said, “We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.” The man who was blind said, “God listens to the godly man who does his will. If he wasn’t...

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The Holey Shoe

by Kim Harms “Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.” Deuteronomy 8:4 “Mom, there’s a hole in my shoe!” Michael hollered as he ran into the house, his face splattered with mud from the creek. “That’s the third pair this summer,” she responded, thinking about the two pairs of rubber sandals she had thrown away the month before. “They didn’t last long, did they?” said Michael. “You do wear them a lot,” she said, looking at the hole where Michael’s big toe was sticking out. “You run around and climb trees and wade through the creek in them.  Shoes aren’t made to last forever. Did you know the Israelites had sandals that lasted longer than I’ve been alive? In Exodus, it tells how...

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Angry Cookies

by Tammy Divens Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10 (NIV) William pulled the Wii controller from his brother’s hand. “It’s my turn!” Josh pushed William, “No, it’s mine.” “Stop,” William yelled. Josh lunged for the controller, “Give it to me.” William had an idea, “Let’s make aggression cookies!” Mom agreed. They gathered the ingredients and prepared the dough. Then, it was time for the best part – karate time! The boys kneaded the dough with their hands. They squeezed it, punched it and rolled it until the lumps were gone. “Hi ya,” Josh said, as he karate chopped his dough. “Take that,” William punched his.  Soon the cookies were baking and apologies were...

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Apology

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged,for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NIV) By Susan Stilwell I didn’t want to, but my mom made me. “Sarah,” Mom said, “you hurt Jenny’s feelings when you joked about her shoes. You remember how you felt when the kids teased you about your backpack.” I thought about that day, and it still hurt my feelings. The kids at school laughed and said, “Girls don’t carry camouflage.” I can still hear the hateful way they spit those words at me. I remember running into the house and dumping everything out of my brand new camouflage backpack after school. I asked for the same backpack my big brother had. Loaded with zippered pouches and...

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FIREWORKS!

Celebrating New Beginnings by Meyana Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, Matthew 5:12, ESV I love the song “Fireworks” by Katy Perry. I really like the beginning. It talks about a plastic bag drifting through the wind wanting to start again. Do you ever feel like that? People feel like they want to start again all of the time. When you feel like that, pray! Repent for things you’ve done wrong that day, that week, that month or even that hour. God can wipe your slate clean. He can help you start over fresh or help you to have a new beginning. Dear God, We know You can do anything. Help us repent for the things we do wrong. Help us not to make the same mistakes again. Amen! Meyana is 10-years-old and was adopted as a baby from China. She...

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