Bible Reading: Psalm 1:1-6

"We did a fun thing in science today," Haneul told his mom as he packed his suitcase for a weekend with his grandparents. "We had to get into groups and decide which items we would include in our survival kit if we were taking a trip to the moon. Our teacher gave us a list of twenty things, and we had to choose eight of them for our kit."

"Did everyone agree on the same items?" asked Mom.

Haneul shook his head. "One boy in my group kept insisting that we take a compass. What good would that do on the moon? It doesn't have a magnetic field like Earth does. And chocolate wasn't even on the list! How could anyone survive without chocolate?"

Mom laughed. "You and your chocolate."

"There were a lot of foods we couldn't take, so I thought we should take vitamins," Haneul continued. "Otherwise we might not get all the stuff we need to stay healthy." He added a couple of things to his suitcase and closed it. "There! I'm done."

"Did you pack pajamas?" asked Mom.

"Of course!" Haneul answered.

"Toothbrush?" Mom wanted to know.

"Yep," said Haneul. "Don't forget, Mom--I worked on a survival kit at school today. I'm a pro at packing now!"

"What about daily nutrition?" Mom asked.

Haneul laughed. "I don't need to take any food with me--or vitamins. Grandma will make sure I eat well!"

"I was actually referring to a different kind of nutrition," Mom told him. "You need spiritual food wherever you are, and the Bible is a place to get that. The Holy Spirit uses it to nourish our hearts and remind us of Jesus's love, grace, and promises."

Haneul looked at the Bible on his bedside table. "Okay. I'll take it." He picked it up, opened his suitcase, and made room for it. "But even if I didn't take it along, I'm sure Grandpa and Grandma would make sure I got spiritual food. They go to church and talk about Jesus a lot."

"Yes, but it's good to read the Bible for yourself too." Mom smiled. "It probably wasn't on your list at school, but it would also be a good thing to have on the moon!"

–Nance E. Keyes

Bible Reading: Luke 11:5-10

"Coco, not now, I'm busy," Laney said as she turned a page in her book.

But Laney's chocolate-colored cat continued to scratch on the door, wanting to go outside. Coco loved to chase the birds and butterflies and lounge on the porch swing, and she wouldn't stop scratching until someone let her out.

"Coco, I've got to say, you sure are persistent, and it usually works," Laney said when she finally got up to open the door.

Coco darted outside and jumped up onto the porch swing. Laney laughed and sat down beside her to continue reading.

"Are you enjoying your book?" asked Mom a little later when they were having lunch. "When do you have to turn in your book report?"

"The book report is due on Tuesday, and the book is pretty good. Coco had a great idea for a reading spot too--we both ended up on the porch swing when Coco wouldn't stop scratching on the door to go outside. I guess her persistence paid off for both of us!"

Mom smiled. "That makes me think of a story in the Bible." She took her Bible from the shelf and read a few verses that talked about how praying was like asking a friend for bread over and over until it's given to you.

"Jesus was teaching the disciples how to pray and wanted to show them the importance of being persistent," Mom explained. "We need to be persistent in prayer. God wants us to keep on asking and expecting Him to answer. He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us, and He wants us to come to Him with our wants, needs, and concerns. Coco was persistent until she got what she needed--or should I say wanted--and that's the kind of persistence we need to have when we pray, knowing that God hears us and will always answer with what is best."

"The next time Coco keeps scratching at the door, I'll remember that's how God wants me to come to Him with my needs and concerns," Laney said as she helped her mom clear the table. When they finished, Laney grabbed her book. "Come on, Coco. Let's go on out to the porch swing."

–Lisa Fuller

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 31:6-8; Psalm 139:7-10

Ava lay on the sofa, her face pale, her bald head a circle against the pillow. Medical treatments had caused her hair to fall out. Her grandmother looked over just as Ava dabbed a tear from her eye. "What's wrong, honey?" asked Grandma. "Not feeling so good today?"

"I'm scared," replied Ava in a trembling voice. "It seems like God has gone away. Ever since I got sick, it feels as if He isn't here at all."

Grandma squeezed Ava's hand. "It may feel like that, but God promises to always be with us. Sometimes it's hard to keep praying and trusting Him, but we need to do that." She sat down beside Ava. "The way you feel isn't surprising though. It reminds me of something that happened to me when I was little."

"Were you sick too?" asked Ava.

"Yes," Grandma said. "I was once very sick with the flu. My mother had given me medicine at bedtime and stayed with me until I fell asleep. But then, in the middle of the night, I woke up in the dark. My head throbbed, and my throat was so sore that I couldn't call out to my parents down the hall. I was too weak to get out of bed, so I just lay there crying, thinking I was all alone. But then a light switched on, and there was my mother, right beside me. She had been sleeping in a chair next to my bed the whole time!"

"So, God is still here with me even though it feels like I'm all alone?" asked Ava.

Grandma nodded. "My mother slept in that chair all night so she could stay with me, but Jesus did much more than that to be with you, Ava--He left heaven and came to earth as a baby, and when He grew up, He died for your sins so you could live with Him forever. Even though being sick may make it seem like He's far away, He's not. He promises us in the Bible that He won't ever leave us. He's with you every moment, giving you strength and comfort."

Ava was thoughtful. "Can you show me that verse in the Bible?" she asked after a moment. "I want to read it for myself."

–Violet E. Nesdoly