CBH Ministries is a children's ministry organization, offering Keys for Kids, Down Gilead Lane, and much more.http://cbhministries.org/kfk2009 CBH Ministries, All Rights Reserveden-ushttp://cbhministries.org/kfk/rss/CBH-For-Kids-Banner.jpghttp://cbhministries.org/kfk "Look, Brad. See what my brother gave me?" Tyler asked as he pulled a magazine from under his mattress. It didn't take Brad long to figure out that they shouldn't look at it. He didn't know what to say. Looking away quickly, he struggled to think of something that wouldn't make him look like a loser. "Uh . . . I don't think my dad would like it if I looked at that," Brad murmured weakly. "Aw-w-w, come on," Tyler coaxed. "He won't find out. You're not going to tell him, are you?" But just then, Tyler heard his mother coming up the stairs, so he quickly hid the magazine under his mattress. "Brad's mom just called," Tyler's mom said. "It's time for him to go home." On his way home, Brad thought about Tyler's magazine. What if he wants me to look at one of those some other time? wondered Brad. I don't want to, but he'll want to know why, and I don't know what to say. He'll just think I'm a baby. Late that afternoon, Brad and his father stood on the front porch and watched a bulldozer gouge out chunks of pavement from the street in front of their house. "They're sure making a mess," observed Brad. Dad smiled. "Yes, but when they're finished, we'll have a better street," he said. "It'll be nice to have all the potholes gone." "Yeah," said Brad. "You had to be real careful and drive around them, didn't you?" "I did," said Dad. "I'm glad they're finally fixing them." They watched the workers for a few minutes. Then Dad spoke again. "The people in charge had to do a lot of planning before this street project began. They had to consider the cost and whether it would be worth the time and money and the mess." He turned to look at Brad. "We can learn from them. We should plan things carefully, too." That's it! thought Brad, remembering Tyler's magazine. I need to plan what I'm going to say so I'm ready next time. That night Brad wrote a prayer in the back of his Bible: "Lord, when friends tempt me to do wrong, give me courage to say, 'No, I want God to approve of the things I do.' And please . . . help me dare to just walk away." How About You? Can you think of things-wrong things, that is-that your friends or classmates might ask you to do? What will you say if that happens? Even before temptation comes, plan ahead what to say if you're encouraged to lie, disobey, cheat, or do other things you know are wrong. Practice saying no to them. Choose to obey God, and ask Him to give you courage to stick to that choice. Today's Key Verse: Proverbs 4:23-27; 1 Peter 3:13-17 Today's Key Thought: Plan ahead how to answerhttp://cbhministries.org/kfk/home.php?goYear=2009&goMonth=11&goDay=20http://media1.cbhministries.org/ftpaudio/keys/key112009.mp3Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 "I wish I could help with the Thanksgiving baskets," said Lana as she watched her older brother and sister get ready for a youth group service project. They were going to deliver baskets of food to needy families. "You did help," Mom told Lana. "You took cans of food to Sunday school to be put in the baskets. You even did extra chores to earn the money to buy those cans of food." Lana frowned. "Big deal," she murmured. "Yes, it is," said Dad. "If nobody brought food, you'd realize what a big deal it is." He smiled at the little girl. "It's a 'big deal' to God if you do it for Him." Lana rode along when Dad took Todd and Natalie to church that afternoon. "Well, look at that!" exclaimed Dad as they drove down the street. "Looks like they're taking the old Paulson house down. I knew someone bought the place, and I could see that it needed repair. I wonder why they don't just fix it up." "I heard that it was full of termites," said Todd. "I guess it was so bad they couldn't do anything with it." "Oh, that explains it," said Dad. "That's too bad. It looked like a nice old house." "What are termites?" asked Lana. "Termites are insects," Natalie told her. "They look something like ants." "Ants?" asked Lana. "They're taking down that whole big building just because of such tiny little things as ants?" Dad nodded. "They look something like ordinary ants, Lana, but they eat wood," he explained. "When a lot of them eat at a building for a long time, they ruin the beams that support the building, and then it becomes unsafe." "Yeah, and then it can cost more to fix it than to tear it down and start over," put in Todd. "Small things can make a big difference, you know," added Natalie. "True," agreed Dad. After a moment he added, "Things like termites-or maybe cans of food." "Cans of food?" asked Lana. Then she caught on. Dad was telling her again that her contribution to the Thanksgiving baskets was important. How About You? Do you think the ways you help are so small that they don't really matter? Five loaves and two fish don't sound like much, but a little boy gave them to the Lord Jesus. Jesus blessed them and used them. When you do something to help, do it for the Lord. He'll bless what you do for Him. No effort is too small. Today's Key Verse: John 6:5-13; Colossians 3:23-24 Today's Key Thought: All service for God is importanthttp://cbhministries.org/kfk/home.php?goYear=2009&goMonth=11&goDay=19http://media1.cbhministries.org/ftpaudio/keys/key111909.mp3Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 "Guess what happened," said Karmyn, giggling. She and her brother Jeff had just gotten home after spending a weekend with their grandparents. "Grandma had orange juice in a glass pitcher, and when she picked it up . . ." Karmyn paused and laughed as she remembered what had happened. "The bottom of the pitcher broke off!" Jeff finished the story. "Oh, dear!" exclaimed Mom. "How strange! It must have made an awful mess." "It did," Karmyn said. "Juice splashed all over the cupboard and on the floor, too. And there was juice all over Grandma." "You should have seen the look on her face," added Jeff. "She kept holding the pitcher and staring at it. But then she started to laugh, and we laughed, too. We all laughed so hard that Grandpa came from the living room to see what happened." "I thought they'd be upset about the big mess, but they weren't," said Karmyn, giggling some more. "Grandpa got a big grin on his face, and he said, 'Well, Arlene, I know you didn't like that pitcher, but you didn't have to go this far to get rid of it, did you?' We all laughed until our stomachs hurt." Dad chuckled. "That's how your grandparents are," he said. "They can usually take a difficult situation and find some humor in it. Grandpa loves to quote the verse from Proverbs that says a merry heart does good like good medicine." Karmyn nodded. "Cleaning up all that sticky juice didn't seem so bad while we were laughing," she said thoughtfully. "I'm going to try to be just like Grandpa and Grandma," declared Jeff. "Good!" said Mom. "You can start right now because I . . . ah . . . well, I have to tell you-your favorite T-shirt somehow got in with the wrong batch of clothes today. It turned pink!" Jeff looked startled. Then he joined in as a burst of laughter suddenly erupted from the other members of the family. How About You? Do you get upset when you don't like things that happen to you? If you try to find some humor in the situation, you'll enjoy life a lot more. Medical doctors often mention that laughter is good for your health. God always knew that, and He reminds you of it. Of course, some things are too serious to laugh about, but even then, God can give you peace in your heart. He wants you to enjoy the life He's given you. Today's Key Verse: Proverbs 15:13-17 Today's Key Thought: Practice cheerfulnesshttp://cbhministries.org/kfk/home.php?goYear=2009&goMonth=11&goDay=18http://media1.cbhministries.org/ftpaudio/keys/key111809.mp3Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 ". . . forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty," Dad counted loudly. "Ready or not, here I come!" Zach scrunched sideways into the small opening under the porch and pulled his knees up to his chest. "No!" he exclaimed as his little sister tried to wriggle in with him. "Go away! There's not enough room here, and if Dad sees you, he'll find me, too. Go find your own place." But Zach's warning was too late. "Gotcha!" cried Dad. He swooped down and swung Katie off the ground. "No fair!" protested Zach as he slowly crawled out. "Katie gave me away." "You could have let her hide with you instead of pushing her out where I could see her," Dad said. "There wasn't enough room," replied Zach. "That space is so small that there's room for only one person." Dad stooped and poked his head into the opening. "It is small," he agreed. "Yeah. If I'm in it, there's not room for Katie, and if she's in it, there's not room for me," said Zach. "It's like what we learned in science class-two things can't be in the exact same space at the exact same time." "You know what?" asked Dad. "That's kind of like your memory verse last Sunday." "It is?" Zach frowned as he thought about it. "I remember," he said. "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." Dad nodded. "Let's think about the space under the porch as being a heart, and you as being God's Word," Dad suggested, "and you, Katie-sorry, honey, but can we let you stand for sin for a moment?" Katie nodded, and Dad continued. "If God's Word-you, Zach-is really hidden in the heart . . ." Dad motioned toward the small space under the porch, "there won't be room for sin." He motioned toward Katie. "There won't be room for anger or lying or fighting." "So we should memorize lots of verses," said Zach. "Yes," said Dad, "but to really hide God's Word in our hearts, we need to be committed to God and willing to do what He says, okay?" "Okay," Zach said thoughtfully. "Memorize verses and obey them, right?" "That's a good plan," agreed Dad. "Read, study, memorize, and above all, obey!" How About You? Are you committed to both memorizing God's Word and obeying it? When temptations come, it's important to know what God says. Memorizing verses will help you remember what pleases Him and what does not. But knowing those things is not enough. Make a commitment to not only read and learn God's Word, but to obey it as well. Today's Key Verse: Psalm 119:9-16 Today's Key Thought: Learn what God says, and obeyhttp://cbhministries.org/kfk/home.php?goYear=2009&goMonth=11&goDay=17http://media1.cbhministries.org/ftpaudio/keys/key111709.mp3Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 "Magify, oh, magify . . ." sang Darcy as she and her older sister walked up the drive to their grandfather's house. "Hi, Grandpa," said Joy as they went into the house. "Hi, kids." Grandpa folded his newspaper. "I was just catching up on the news." "What's that, Grandpa?" Darcy pointed to an object on the coffee table. "That's his magnifying glass," Joy answered for her grandfather. "That's right," said Grandpa. "These old eyes aren't as good as they used to be, and that magnifying glass makes the letters look bigger so I can see them. Here . . ." He motioned for them to come close. "Try it." "You know what, Grandpa?" asked Darcy after looking through the glass. "Last Sunday a lady sang a song about a magifying glass." Joy laughed. "The word is 'mag-ni-fy,' not 'mag-i-fy,'" she informed her little sister, emphasizing each syllable. "And the song wasn't about a magnifying glass. It said, 'Magnify the Lord.'" Joy paused. "But what does that mean, Grandpa?" she asked. "To magnify something means to make it bigger, but we can't make God bigger!" Grandpa smiled. "True," he said, "but think about it. When I use this glass to read, the letters seem bigger to my eyes, but they're not really any bigger than they were before, are they?" "No . . ." Joy shook her head thoughtfully. "But I still don't see what it means to magnify the Lord." "I think one way we 'magnify' God is by focusing on Him and blocking out the things that distract us," said Grandpa. "Then, in a way, He becomes 'bigger'-more important to us. We think more about Him and how we can serve Him. We get to know Him better and understand a little better how great He really is." "Look!" Darcy called out as she held the magnifying glass over a cartoon in the paper. "Look how big Bugsy's whiskers are!" "I think Darcy just pointed out another way we magnify the Lord," said Grandpa. "She's the one looking at that cartoon, but even from here we can see some of what she sees. When we magnify the Lord, we hold Him up and praise Him, and it helps other people get a glimpse of how great He is, too." How About You? When you think about the greatness of God, exactly what comes to your mind? Do you think about all the wonderful things He created? Do you also recognize Him working in your life? Even in the midst of your busy days, pause often to think about how amazing God is. Tell others what He's done for you so they, too, may understand how great and good He is. Today's Key Verse: Psalm 34:1-8; Revelation 4:11 Today's Key Thought: Magnify the Lordhttp://cbhministries.org/kfk/home.php?goYear=2009&goMonth=11&goDay=16http://media1.cbhministries.org/ftpaudio/keys/key111609.mp3Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 "This is a sad day, isn't it, Dad?" said Cole as he and his father sat down at the computer. They were going to buy tickets to fly to Dad's hometown and attend Grandpa's funeral. Grandpa had died after being ill for several months. "Yes, it is sad," Dad agreed as he powered up his laptop, "but it would be even sadder if we didn't know your grandfather was saved and is now in heaven." "That's true," Cole said. "And at least he's not sick anymore." "We can thank the Lord for that." Dad smiled and turned to the computer. He went on the Internet and typed in the address of his favorite discount travel website. "Let's see . . . We'll need four round-trip tickets," Dad said as he selected the trip details. He typed in the departing and returning dates he wanted, and he clicked on "round trip." "Round trip-that means we're coming back, doesn't it?" asked Cole as they waited for the results to show up. Soon twelve different flights lined the screen. "Yep. We'd get one-way tickets if we weren't coming back," Dad told him. Cole nodded. "So Grandpa got a one-way ticket to heaven," he said thoughtfully. "That's true," Dad agreed as he scanned through the results that had just appeared on the screen. "He'll be there with Jesus for all eternity." Cole frowned. "My friend Brandon says he doesn't care if he ends up in hell," Cole told Dad. "Brandon says if he doesn't like it there, he'll just go somewhere else." "Brandon is wrong," said Dad, selecting which flights they would take. "Eternity is forever. If your friend Brandon dies unsaved, he will have a one-way ticket to hell. He can't get a transfer to heaven after he dies." Dad looked very serious as he printed off the confirmation notice and placed it in his briefcase for safe-keeping. "It's like the story of the rich man in the Bible who went to hell and then wanted to join Lazarus in heaven," Cole remembered. "They both had one-way tickets. I'm sure glad I'm saved, Dad. And I'm glad Grandpa was saved." Cole looked very serious, too. "I think I better tell Brandon about one-way tickets." How About You? Do you have a one-way ticket to heaven-or to hell? Be sure to make the right selection before it's too late. Right now, you can get a one-way ticket to heaven, but you won't always have that opportunity. Accept Jesus as your Savior today. He is the one-way ticket that will take you to heaven! (See the ABCs of Salvation at the end of this book.) Today's Key Verse: Luke 16:20-26 Today's Key Thought: Heaven and hell are eternalhttp://cbhministries.org/kfk/home.php?goYear=2009&goMonth=11&goDay=15Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 "What color shall I use next in this afghan, Melanie?" Aunt Edith asked as she finished knitting with yellow yarn. "Use the purple yarn!" said Melanie eagerly. "That's going to be so pretty when it's finished! It has so many different colors." Aunt Edith nodded. "Yes, and a lot of different kinds of stitches, too," she said. "Because it has so many kinds of colors and stitches, I call it the Variety Afghan." She began adding the purple yarn. "How's school going this year, Melanie? Tell me about your class. Are all your old friends back?" "Almost all, and we've got a few new kids this year, too," replied Melanie. "Juan's from Mexico, and sometimes he forgets to speak English and starts talking in Spanish. I think that's cool, but some kids laugh at him and say he should go back to school in Mexico. Some kids tease another boy-Chan-because he brings strange stuff for lunch." Melanie paused for a minute. "Waleed is different, too," she added. "He was born in Jordan and has a hard time making friends with the other kids." "Maybe the new kids think the ones who were born here are the ones who are different," suggested Aunt Edith. She paused. "Melanie, if God were making an afghan, do you think He'd use a rainbow of colors like I have in this one, or would He use only one color?" she asked. Melanie looked at her aunt in surprise. "Well, either way it would be pretty, but . . ." Melanie hesitated. "God used lots of colors in nature, so I think He'd do the same in an afghan," she decided. "All the colors make it extra pretty and more interesting." Aunt Edith smiled. "I think so, too," she agreed. "I can make a Variety Afghan, but only God could make our beautiful Variety World. He used many different colors and patterns when he made flowers and animals-and people!" "You mean like those kids at school that get teased," Melanie said. "Yes," said Aunt Edith. "God loves them all, and every time other kids hurt their feelings, they are hurting God, too. Enjoy all the differences, Melanie. Never make fun of them." "I won't," Melanie said. "They bring variety to my life." How About You? Do you enjoy having friends who are "different"? Do you realize that you might seem different to them? Do you accept them the way they are? God does. He made them and loves them. Learn to enjoy His creativity as you learn to enjoy what makes each person unique. Different colors of skin, different styles of clothing, different types of food, different languages-all are interesting. And all kinds of people need the Lord. Let them see His love through you. Today's Key Verse: Acts 10:28, 34-35 Today's Key Thought: Enjoy differences in peoplehttp://cbhministries.org/kfk/home.php?goYear=2009&goMonth=11&goDay=14http://media1.cbhministries.org/ftpaudio/keys/key111409.mp3Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500