Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:35-44

"It's a nice sunny day," said Mom. "Want to help me plant seeds in the garden? We can plant the flower seeds we found at Grandma's house."

"Okay!" said Leo. "I'll get them." He ran to fetch the brightly colored packets, and soon he and Mom were burying tiny brown seeds in the rich, dark earth. "I wonder if there will be flowers in heaven," said Leo suddenly. His grandma had recently died, and Leo knew she was now in heaven.

Mom smiled. "I hope so!"

"It's hard to understand what heaven is like, huh?" said Leo. "I know Grandma is there now, but…" He paused. "We'll still have bodies, right? I know Pastor Holmes said Grandma left her body and went to be with Jesus, but he said her body would be raised up again someday when Jesus comes back to make the whole world new again." Leo hesitated. "But Grandma was old and sick. I don't think she'd want her body back."

"The Bible says that when our bodies are raised, they'll be changed," said Mom. "They'll be glorious, heavenly bodies."

"But how can such an old, sick body like Grandma's change so much?"

Mom thought a moment. "Leo, do you really think those seeds you're planting will grow into flowers?" she asked.

Leo looked at her in astonishment. "Why wouldn't they?"

"Look at them--they're so small and ugly! They don't look at all like the flowers in this picture." Mom pointed to the picture on the seed packet--a glorious mass of red, orange, and yellow flowers. "Do you really think those seeds can turn into something as beautiful and as different as this?"

"Mom! Of course they can!" exclaimed Leo. "They're seeds--that's what they do."

Mom grinned. "I just want you to see how God can make things change. Just like He created tiny seeds that become big, beautiful flowers, God promises that He will one day transform those who trust in Jesus and give them bodies more glorious than we can imagine."

Leo glanced back and forth from the seed packet to the seeds he held in his hand. "Glorious, heavenly bodies," he murmured. Then he smiled. "All right!"

–Tanya Ferdinandusz

Bible Reading: 1 John 5:10-13

Bruno frowned and kicked at a stone as he walked home from school. As he approached Mr. Burk's house, he saw his Sunday school teacher working in the yard. "Hi there, Bruno," said Mr. Burk. "How are you today?"

"Not great," muttered Bruno. He shuffled his toe in the dirt. "I'm always getting into trouble at school." He sighed. "Since I've been coming to your Sunday school class, I've been trying to change and be good--but I just can't seem to do it. Today I had to stay in at recess because I talked back to a teacher."

Mr. Burk leaned on his rake. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said.

Bruno shrugged. "Like I said, I'm trying to do better, but I guess it's hopeless."

"Oh, no, no, no!" said Mr. Burk. "It's not hopeless. I think you're just depending on the wrong things to help you." He picked up a small dead branch that had fallen from a tree. "I was going to plant some fruit trees out back. I'll water them and put fertilizer around them, and soon they'll bear juicy peaches and apples for me to eat." He held up the dead branch. "Why don't you help me plant this one?"

Bruno laughed. "That's a dead stick. You know it won't grow anything."

Mr. Burk looked at the stick. "True," he said. "A dead stick can't produce fruit. And you know what, Bruno? You may be like this stick--you don't have true life either if you haven't trusted Jesus as your Savior. Have you done that?"

"Well, no, I…I…" Bruno stammered. "I thought if I just went to church and read the Bible and did stuff like that, I'd be all right."

"You said you want to do better, but you need Jesus for that," said Mr. Burk. "Even if you read the whole Bible and go to church and pray, you can't produce good fruit unless you have spiritual life that only comes through Jesus. You need Him to free you from sin and give you the power of the Holy Spirit so you can live in a way that shows others His love." Mr. Burk smiled at Bruno. "Would you like me to explain how you can receive real life through Jesus?"

Bruno looked at the dead stick lying on the lawn and nodded.

–Mary Rose Pearson

Bible Reading: Exodus 4:10-12; Ephesians 6:18-20

As the curtain dropped at the end of her school play, Hazel's dad and brother made their way backstage. "You remembered every line perfectly," Dad said, giving her a hug.

Hazel smiled. "Before the curtain rose at the beginning, I was so scared! I didn't see how I was going to get through it without my script in front of me. But when I had to start talking, the words just came back."

"What's a script?" asked Hazel's little brother, Tommy.

"It's a copy of the play," said Hazel. "On my copy, I marked the words I had to say." She smiled at a girl walking by. "Good job, Mia!"

"Thanks," murmured Mia. "You did good too, Hazel."

As Hazel and her family drove home, Hazel spoke. "Remember Mia? She seems really unhappy lately. I feel like I should talk to her about it, but I'm afraid I might say the wrong thing." She looked at the script she held in her hand. "I wish there were a script for that sort of thing."

"Well, you're in good company," Dad said. "I think the apostle Paul was sometimes a bit concerned about saying the wrong thing too."

"No way!" said Hazel. "Paul was one of the greatest preachers ever!"

"But he was human--just like you. And he had a big responsibility too--helping people understand how much God loves them and what Jesus did to save them. Do you know what he did about it?"

"Maybe he prayed," suggested Tommy.

"Yes, he did," answered Dad. "And he also asked his Christian friends to pray that God would put the right words into his mouth."

"Sort of how the right words to the play popped into my head tonight?"

"Sort of," said Dad. "Only the words he spoke came from God, not from a script. You may not know the right thing to say to Mia, but God knows exactly what you need to say--and what Mia needs to hear. Pray about it, and if you believe God wants you to talk with her, go for it, trusting Him to help you. I'll pray for you too."

–Heather Tekavec