Children’s Story

Children’s Corner – Who I am I?

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This puzzle was written by a lady who lived in California during the year of 1890, in response to an offer from a gentleman residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who claimed he would pay $1,000 to anyone who could write a puzzle he could not solve. He failed to solve it and paid the lady $1,000. The answer is one word, and it appears only four times in the Bible. There are five letters in the word. An eight-year-old boy figured it out.

Adam, God made out of dust,

but thought it best to make me first.

So, I was made before man

to answer God’s most holy plan.

A living being I became,

and Adam gave to me my name.

I from his presence then withdrew,

and more of Adam never knew.

I did my Maker’s law obey,

nor ever went from it astray.

Thousands of miles I go in fear,

but seldom on earth appear.

For purpose wise which God did see,

He put a living soul in me.

A soul from me God did claim

and took from me the soul again.

So when from me the soul had fled,

I was the same as when first made.

And without hands or feet or soul,

I travel on from pole to pole.

I labor hard by day, by night

to follow man; I give great light.

Thousands of people young and old

will by my death great light behold.

No right or wrong can I conceive;

the Scriptures I cannot believe.

Although my name therein is found,

they are to me an empty sound.

No fear of death doth trouble me;

real happiness I’ll never see.

To heaven I will never go,

or to hell below.

Now when these lines you slowly read,

go search your Bible with all speed,

For that my name is there

I do honestly to you declare.

Answer will be given next month.

Children’s Corner – A Little Child Shall Lead Them

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Many years ago, in the Wild West, in the days when the train was the main way of travel, a minister and his wife were traveling with their little boy. They tucked him into bed in the sleeping car, all dressed warmly in his little, red nightshirt, and kissed him goodnight. They then went up to the observation car to watch the stars in the quiet night.

Now, on this same train was a man known as Gambler Jim. He was rough and untaught, making his living off the only skill he had—playing cards. Down in the club car dealing a game, he was about to come face to face with destiny.

After the preacher and his wife had been up in the observation car for about an hour, a rough-looking fellow suddenly made his way into the car.

“Anybody here got a kid what’s dressed in a red nightgown and sings like a bird?” he demanded awkwardly.

The father and mother sprang to their feet, gasping in fear.

“The’ ain’t nothing the matter of him,” the man reassured them, then went on with deeper embarrassment. “The matters with us. You’re a parson, ain’t you? The kid, he’s been singin’ to us an’ talkin’. If you don’t mind, we’d take it mighty good of you to come with me. Not you, ma’am. The kid’s all safe, an’ the parson’ll bring him back in a little while.”

The parson followed through 13 cars to the smoky club car, near the front of the train. There they stopped to listen. Up on a table stood the tiny boy, his face flushed, his voice shrill and sweet.

“Is you ready?” he cried insistently. “My papa says the Bridegroom is Jesus, an’ He wants everybody to be ready when He comes, just cause He loves you.”

Then with childish sweetness came the song which had evidently made the deepest impression on the child’s mind, “Are you ready for the Bridegroom when He comes?”

“He’s sung it over and over,” whispered the gambler, “And I couldn’t stan’ no more. He said you’d pray, Parson.”

As the two approached, the boy lifted his sweet, serious eyes to his father’s. “They want to get ready,” he said simply. With his boy snuggled childishly in his arms, the minister prayed, as he had never prayed before, for the men gathered around the child.

In a few minutes, the father took the child to his anxious mother, and then returned to talk with the men, four of whom that night decided to “get ready.” Among them was the rough man, Gambler Jim.

To this day, it remains a mystery how the child succeeded in reaching the smoky club car unnoticed and unhindered. As for the little fellow himself, his work was early done, for a few weeks later, upon the return trip, he was stricken with a swift and terrible disease and fell asleep in Jesus.

But what of Gambler Jim? He gave up his old life that night and served the Lord from that day onward. He sought an education and became a preacher. Preacher Jim loves to tell the sweet story of the little child that led him to Jesus.

Children’s Corner – The Right Decision

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It as the beginning of vacation when Mr. Davis, a friend of my father, came to see us, and asked to let me go home with him. I was much pleased with the thought of going out of town.

The journey was delightful, and when we reached Mr. Davis’ house, everything looked as if I would have a fine time. His son, Fred, was a boy about my own age, and all the family soon seemed like old friends.

“This is going to be a vacation worth having,” I said to myself several times during the evening, as we all played games, told riddles, and laughed and chatted merrily.

At last, Mrs. Davis said it was almost bedtime. Then I expected family prayers, but instead, we were very soon directed to our bedrooms. How strange it seemed to me, for I had never before been in a household without the family altar.

“Come,” said Fred, “mother says you and I are going to be bed fellows,” and I followed him up two pair of stairs to a nice little room. There he undressed first and jumped into bed. I was much longer about it, for a new set of thoughts began to rise in my mind.

When my mother told me good-bye, she said tenderly, in a low tone, “Remember, Robert, that you are a Christian boy.”

I knew very well what that meant, and I had now just come to a point of time when her words were to be minded.

At home I was taught the duties of a Christian child; abroad I must not neglect them, and one of these was evening prayer. From a very little boy, I had been in the habit of kneeling and asking the forgiveness of God, for Jesus’ sake, acknowledging His mercies, and seeking His protection and blessing.

“Why don’t you come to bed, Robert?” cried Fred. “What are you sitting there for?”

I was afraid to pray, and afraid not to pray. It seemed that I could not kneel down and pray before Fred. What would he say? Would he not laugh? The fear of Fred made me a coward. Yet I could not lie down on a prayerless bed. If I needed the protection of my heavenly Father at home, how much more abroad!

At my hesitation, Fred finally cried, “Come on, come to bed.”

I mustered courage, and replied, “I will kneel down and pray first; that is always my custom.”

“Pray?” said Fred, as he turned over on his pillow and said no more.

His propriety of conduct made me ashamed. Here I had long been afraid of him, and yet when he knew my wishes, he was quiet and left me to myself. How thankful I was that duty and conscience triumphed.

That settled my future course. It gave me strength for time to come. I believe that the decision of the “Christian boy,” by God’s blessing, made me a Christian man; for in after years I was thrown amid trials and temptations which could have drawn me away from God and from virtue, had it not been for my settled habit of secret prayer.

Let every child who has pious parents, read and think about this. You have been trained in Christian duties and principles. When you go from home, do not leave them behind.

Carry them with you, and stand by them; then, in weakness and temptation, by the help of God, they will stand by you.

Children’s Corner – One Minute More

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clockOn a bright sunny day while Ned sat at the breakfast table, he tried to get his mother or sister to tell him where they were all going.

“I’m as much in the dark as you are,” said Carolyn. “I think that mother was afraid I would let out the secret, for she sometimes calls me her little chatterbox. We’re to be ready at ten o’clock sharp.”

“Well, I suppose we’ll know in a few hours. Look, here comes Charley Wood. I promised to show him something in my workshop.” Away ran Ned.

The boys played together until after nine o’clock; and then, instead of going directly to the house, to be on hand promptly at ten o’clock, Ned thought: “Oh, there’s time enough for me to finish my kite.”

Two or three times his eyes were upon his watch; but there were a few minutes to spare, he thought. When he looked again, he was startled to find that it was three minutes past ten. By the time he rushed to the front room, he was five minutes late, and no one was there.

He could not believe that his mother would disappoint him for such a little delay, so he called for Carolyn. Then he ran to his mother’s room to see if she was there, then out the front door, but no one was to be seen.

“Why did mother not tell me where she was going? Then I might have overtaken her. Now I don’t know in which direction to go,” mumbled Ned.

It was because of this that his mother had not told Ned where she was going. He was in the habit of trying to make up lost time by hurrying at the last minute.

Mrs. Gray had planned a visit to her sister, who lived on a farm. Ned and Carolyn had once visited there, and they often begged mother to take them again; but she had many home cares and could not get away.

Poor Ned! When he found his mother and sister gone, he was a disappointed boy. Half ashamed to have Jane, the maid, see his tears or know how miserable he was, he went back to his play. He knew that if his mother returned, Carolyn would be sure to run out to the play house in search of him, so he stayed out there by himself until dinner-time.

Jane called Ned to dinner. She had lived in the Gray home a long time and knew Ned’s one failing. She had promised Mrs. Gray not to tell him where his mother and sister had gone, until dinnertime. Seeing the table set for only one person, Ned was surprised, for his mother rarely stayed away all day.

The boy sat down to his lonely meal, and when Jane came in with a piece of pie, he asked why his mother was not home to dinner.

“Oh, Ned,” she replied, “your mother won’t be back today, or tomorrow either—no, not until Monday morning. She and Carolyn have gone to visit your Aunt Mary.” This was too much for Ned. Dropping knife and fork, he rushed upstairs to his room, where he flung himself on the bed and cried bitterly.

When he had recovered from the first burst of tears, he remembered his mother’s request “not to forget,” that she should expect him “in the front room at ten o’clock precisely.” Now he understood that she must have started with Carolyn to the station at the very moment the clock hands pointed to the hour. It was a good lesson. He knew his mother had not meant to be cruel to him, and he resolved to improve in promptness.

Children’s Story – Walk of Faith

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Although it was obvious that the gathered crowd was yelling and clapping, the roar of 6 million cubic feet of water per second pouring over the precipice muted their cheering, oddly resembling a silent home video. Standing on the edge of Niagara Falls was the subject of their excitement. Charles Blondin turned his back to the water and faced the crowd, still dangerously close to the lip of the drop-off. Making eye contact with the people gathered a safe distance off, he slowly stepped backward, and with quiet amusement, saw the faces gasp in unison. The tightrope under his feet gave way slightly under the weight and he took several more quick steps back, now far out from the safe reach of solid ground. He swayed dangerously to one side, arms swinging wildly in a seeming attempt to regain his balance… but it was only for show. Charles Blondin, or better known as the Great Blondin, was rumoured to be more capable on a tightrope than most people were on flat earth. Confidently, he balanced again and walked the rope back to the cliffs, and over to the crowd. The cheering resumed, louder this time.

Raising his hand for quiet, Blondin yelled above the din of the waters. “How many of you believe that I can cross the falls while carrying someone on my back?”

After a brief instant of incredulous silence, someone began an encore of affirmation, “Blon-din, Blon-din, Blon-din!” The cheer spread through the crowd like wildfire, until every single person gathered was verbalizing their confidence in the crazy idea.

Once again motioning for silence, Blondin asked, “Which one of you would like to be that someone?” The question had the same effect as a pin on an inflated balloon. Heads shook in utter astonishment, rejecting their own professions of faith. The Great Blondin had already crossed the falls several times, and once even while blindfolded. After several minutes of staring down individuals in the crowd, a familiar face pushed through the sea of bodies, “I was first to profess confidence in the Great Blondin. Here is my show of faith.”

As the duo walked back to the edge of the falls, Blondin’s manager, Harry Colcord, wished he could pour confidence into his shaking boots. Hopping onto Blondin’s back, Colcord, braced himself for the quarter mile trip across the falls, hoping he would not share the same fate as the water tumbling 110 feet down to the rocks at the bottom. As they stepped out onto the thin thread that stretched from Canada to the United States, what little courageous blood was flowing through his veins drained from him and his face took on the pallor of crisp, white hotel sheets, but it was too late for a change of mind. His ride took one step in front of another, and yet it seemed to Colcord that they must be walking in place. What seemed a lifetime later, they reached the first guy-rope and rested in relative safety before continuing. Then, midway between the first and second safety ropes, their lifeline began to sway violently. Trying desperately to counteract the unpredictable movements of the tightrope, Charles also was battling the terrified attempts of his companion to correct their balance. Charles took off at a relative run across the swaying rope for the next guy-rope. Reaching it safely, he spoke solemnly to his frightened passenger. “If we are going to make it the rest of the way across, my friend, you will have to cease to be Harry Colcord, and become a part of me. You must do nothing apart from me. Rely on me completely or you will not make it to the other side.” Colcord did as he was instructed, trusting in the professional to do the work and get them to safety. The two men found their feet once again on solid ground and were never more grateful for the dirt beneath their feet.

While it is certainly not advisable to attempt a daring feat like this at home, there is indeed something that we ought to try at home, work, and play—the complete reliance upon the one and only Man who can help us safely to the other side. In acting on our own accord rather than trusting completely in Jesus and acting in faith with Him, we accomplish nothing but our own destruction.

Memory verse: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5, 6.

Children’s Story – Reap also Bountifully

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Ignacy Paderewski!” The whisper came out more like a muffled scream drawing attention from several other students who made it obvious through their glares that they wanted to concentrate on the lecture. Toning his voice down a little, he looked again at his classmate, “That’s great! I can’t believe it!”

“Yah! And he’ll be here at the University!” his friend replied. “I want to organize a concert before he leaves town again. Wouldn’t it be amazing to hear a true master at the piano?”

The side-talk soon drew the attention of their professor and the excited banter was put on hold for the time being. But that did not necessarily mean that their minds were reverted back to their class. Who could possibly concentrate on a lecture about plate tectonics in geology class when you have a world famous Polish concert pianist and statesman coming to town!

Their professor let up eventually and the session dismissed. The two young men walked out of the lecture hall of Leland Stanford University excitedly chattering about their plans to organize a concert with Paderewski.

Unfortunately, however, their town did not share their enthusiasm. Their carefully laid plans turned out to be a disaster. So few people were in attendance that the two young men were not even able to pay the booking fee, that was arranged with Paderewski’s manager, let alone the rental for the concert hall and their own personal expenses for advertising and other allowances that they had taken. It goes without saying that these young men were beyond embarrassed when they approached Paderewski with the paltry amount that their excited endeavors had brought in, well short of the contract amount!

“Sir, we will make up the remaining balance through the summer’s work,” they said handing him a promissory note.

Smiling at the two young men Paderewski tore the note into tiny pieces. “Boys, take ten percent of the money each for your hard work, and give the remaining money to me. I will pay the cost of the concert hall. I will do this under one condition—that you think no more of it.”

Both relieved and still feeling more than sheepish, the two tripped all over themselves with gratitude. The man’s kindness was far from expected, which made it all the sweeter. They promised to make it up to him, which he disregarded with a wave of his hand.

The year is now 1919, 27 years after the disastrous concert. Paderewski has since been elected as the first Prime Minister of Poland. It was a devastating time to be in office. He had just seen his country through World War I and the country’s economy was devastated, and starvation was rampant. With most of the European countries also struggling to regain their balance after the war, there was only one man in the entire world who could be of service to him in this time of crisis—the president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, the same man, who years ago had tried to arrange a benefit concert with such disastrous results.

The two men had maintained a friendship since their meeting at Stanford University and President Hoover finally had the opportunity to return the kindness shown to him so many years before. Launching the largest relief effort ever in Europe, thousands of tons of food and supplies were given to Poland feeding over 1.5 million people in Poland alone.

Memory Verse: “But this I [say], He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” II Corinthians 9:6.

Children’s Story – Maggie and Her Lost Cat

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Maggie had eight cats that she loved very much. She didn’t have many friends, so she thought of her cats as her friends. They were very special to her, and she would often spend time playing with them.

One day while she was outside feeding them she noticed one was missing. Buddy, one of her favorite cats, was gone! Maggie loved to hold him and play with him. She thought that he might be nearby, so she called for him, “Kitty, kitty, kitty,” but he didn’t come. She started to worry and after she had prayed for Jesus to help her find him, she started looking.

She searched everywhere she could think of, all over the yard, in small places and large places. She looked in a shed and in her playhouse too, but there was no sign of Buddy. Maggie had to go off to school, but she prayed the whole day for him to come home.

After school the search was on again but there was no sign of Buddy. Maggie’s parents went with her to enquire of the neighbors nearby, but no one had seen him. Maggie was so sad that he was gone, but it was getting too dark to keep searching. That night Maggie read a verse out of her Bible, and it said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Matthew 7:7.

She was much happier now and had hope. She trusted that Jesus would help her. She had done all she could do and now would wait for Jesus to answer her prayer in His time. Seven days had passed and Maggie still prayed and hoped that Buddy would come home. She trusted Jesus and she called for Buddy every day.

It was getting darker outside on the eighth day and she knew she needed to go inside but decided to take one more look before retiring for the night. She looked in a nearby shed. No Buddy!

As she started walking back to the house she heard the faint meow. Her heart filled with joy and as she walked closer to the food bowl she saw that it was he. Buddy had come home! She was so happy, and hugged him so tight and immediately prayed and thanked Jesus for the wonderful miracle of bringing Buddy home!

Buddy had a hurt leg and tail, and he was very skinny, but now he was safe at home! As Maggie grew older, she often wondered where Buddy had gone and why Jesus wanted her to wait so long for him to come home. Maybe it was a lesson for her to learn to trust Jesus and to have faith in Him, and to learn patience.

Jesus is the good Shepherd. (John 10:14.) Jesus looks for His lost sheep to bring them home to Him. It says in the Bible, “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” Luke 15:4.

Just as the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to look for the one sheep that is lost, Jesus looks for us if we are lost, or fallen into some trap that Satan has set. Jesus calls and searches for us until He finds us and brings us home again safely!

We need to trust Jesus and to be like Him. We need to be witnesses for Jesus and search for the sheep that are lost. These lost sheep are the people who may not know of Him and His love. Maggie was so happy when Buddy was safely back home in her care. How much more would Jesus be to have his lost children back home safely in His care again.

Danielle Gerber is 16 years old. She loves animals and currently has 2 birds, 4 cats, 8 dogs, and 1 horse. She lives in a small town in Nebraska and works with her parents raising Golden Retrievers, mostly taking care of the puppies. She loves to write for the Lord. Thank you Danielle for this lovely story.

Children’s Story – Set Free

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Jewel was a sweet little innocent, redheaded girl who grew up in a family with her sisters Shirley and Barbara. Shirley was very jealous and liked to take all the attention from her parents. She always wanted the best and was unhappy to see Jewel have anything nice. Shirley was a very bossy big sister who continually told Jewel how hopeless she was. Whenever she got angry, she rolled her tongue over, put her teeth on it, and ran after Jewel making terrible sounds. If she managed to catch Jewel, she would hit and thump her. Barbara also used to pick on Jewel as well, and tell her she was ugly. Jewel loved to sing, but Barbara always told her to keep quiet because she said, “You can’t sing like I can.” Little Jewel wanted very much to be friends with Shirley and Barbara, but they were so mean and nasty to their little sister.

Eventually after being told so many negative things about herself, Jewel began to believe their lies, and when she was old enough, she moved a long way away from her horrid sisters. However, all the way down in the archives of her mind the folders marked, “hopeless”, “useless”, “ugly”, and “bad singer” stayed with her and made her feel sad and believe what they used to tell her. She secretly hoped that her two sisters were wrong, but she felt so alone in the big city and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about what they had said. All the hurtful memories made her get sadder and sadder until one day she felt so bad that she could not get out of bed. She did not even want to live anymore!

Then suddenly, everything changed for the better. Jewel met Jesus and He made her see the truth about everything, setting her free from her despair and making her smile again. She had not been so happy for a long time. Jesus filled Jewel with Himself and brought her so much joy she thought she was going to burst! Jesus told Jewel He had a wonderful plan for her life and that she had many talents, gifts, and abilities. He made her realize how beautiful she was from the inside out, and He sent along a handsome man named John for her to marry. After that, Jewel spent the whole day singing songs, eventually joining a choir, and she was even asked to sing special music in her church.

The most difficult thing for Jewel had been to realize that the lies of her sisters were not true. The only way she was able to get better was to believe what God had to say about her in the Bible. The truth set Jewel free.

What Am I?

I am a body part that is made up of many groups of muscles.

In order to get all my jobs done my muscles run in different directions.

The front part of me is very flexible but the back of me is not.

The top of me is rough and bumpy; underneath me I am smooth.

I have some friends to help me and they are called teeth, lips, saliva, mouth, and nose.

I help you chew, swallow, sing, talk, and taste.

I am a “tongue!”

The Bible has lots to say about this little member of the body, the tongue. The tongue can bring death or life. On Judgment Day you must give an account for every idle (useless, silly, wasteful, profitless) word you speak.

If you want to enjoy eternal life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Control your tongue.

Don’t use bad or abusive language. Get rid of harsh words (severe, unfeeling, rough) and slander (a false/unkind statement about a person), obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. Let everything you say be good, helpful, and encouraging. Speak the truth in love, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Let the Holy Spirit renew your thoughts. Be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs among yourselves and making music in your hearts.

Before we cross the road, we Stop, Look, and Listen. Before we speak we should:

Stop—Slow to speak.

Look—Remember what God says. We should ask ourselves, is it true? is it helpful? is it kind? is it needed?

Listen—Follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Do what your heart tells you to do, and obey your conscience.

Children’s Story — A Stormy Night

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A few years ago, my family went on a vacation to a national park in North Dakota. We had an enjoyable time camping and hiking, and all too soon, it was time to go back home. Of course, we had to camp a couple of nights on the way back because it took a few days to get home from where we had been vacationing. The last night that we camped was a very adventurous one.

We had been driving all day and were looking for a nice place to camp. Lake Sakakwea seemed to be good enough, so we stopped, paid fees, and selected our site. We set up our tents and put our bedding in them. Then we got out our supper and ate. When we were finished, we sat on the bank of the enormous lake to enjoy the beautiful sunset. It was a very nice evening. My brother decided to look around a bit and do some exploring. He had been walking around on the bank’s edge for a couple of minutes, when we heard a big “ker-plunk” like a piece of the bank had fallen into the lake. My mom said in a worried voice, “Hud, are you OK?” Hud was all right, but he told us that right after he had walked on a little patch of the bank it had fallen in. His guardian angel must have held that little patch up until he passed. What do you think?

All of us went to see where the bank had caved in, and there it was, a gap where dirt had once been. We could see the water bubbling and some of the fallen bank sticking out of it. We were all glad that our tents were set up safely—a few yards from the lake’s edge. As the evening went on, more of the bank fell into the lake, but we were all cautious and stayed out of harm’s way. Soon we went to bed.

That night a huge storm came through. It was raining hard, and the wind was ferocious! My brother, sister and I were sleeping in a fairly old tent that could not withstand such wind. I was sleeping on the side of the tent that was facing the wind, and the wind was so forceful on that side of the tent that it flattened the tent against me, and the poles were digging into my skin. It was not a comfortable position, to say the least.

My parents came out to make sure that their tent stakes were securely in the ground. My mom saw how our tent was being flattened, and came to see how we were doing. She saw my predicament and offered to let me spend the rest of the night in her sturdy tent. I accepted, glad to get away from those terrible poles.

I packed up my sleeping bag and made my way out into the dark and stormy night. Of course, when I left, the wind completely flattened the spot where I had been lying and pushed the tent against my sister. She decided to go sleep in our van, as she did not fancy poles grinding into her skin either. So, she packed up her things and emerged into the cold night.

When she got out, the wind deformed the tent even more. My brother experienced having the whole tent pinning him down, with very little space to move. He definitely did not like the hard poles squeezing him either, so he joined my sister and me for a more peaceful night in our van. My parents went back to their trusty tent for a noisy, but reasonably comfortable night.

Now you may think that we must have had a terribly chintzy tent. Actually, it seemed like a pretty nice one. We bought it from a good company, and when it was new, it was strong. Even in its later years, it served well through small storms. We were comfortable with it usually, and even now use it occasionally. It is good enough for most situations. The problem with that tent is that it failed the big test.

Thinking about that made me think about myself. “Do I have a faith, which, like that tent, is only strong enough for small storms? Am I building up my faith so that it will be able to bring me through the Christian’s big storm, because it is secured in our only true Foundation, Jesus Christ? Will I stand up strong and firm in all my trials, like my parent’s tend did?” These thoughts passed through my mind. I am now praying and striving for a faith that is strong enough to pass my big test.

 

Children’s Story – When God Controlled a Railway Train

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Many years ago an engineer brought his train to a stop at a little village in Massachusetts where the passengers had only five minutes to get off the train and stretch their legs a bit before the train pulled out again.

“The conductor tells me that the train to Bedford leaves the junction ahead fifteen minutes before we get there,” said a sad-looking lady on the platform to the engineer. “That is the last train tonight to Bedford, and I’m trying to get home with a very sick child. I have no money for a hotel. I simply must reach that train on time and get home tonight.”

“It can’t be done,” replied the engineer.

“Would it be possible for you to hurry a little?” asked the anxious, tearful mother.

“No, Ma’am. I have a schedule, and the rules say I must follow it exactly.”

The woman turned away sorrowfully. But a moment later, she was back. “Are you a Christian?” she asked the engineer.

He looked puzzled. “Yes, I am,” he answered. “Why do you ask?”

“Will you pray with me that the Lord may in some way delay that train at the junction?”

“Well … Yes, I’ll pray with you, but I don’t have much faith that the train will be delayed long enough for you to make your connection.”

Just then the conductor called out, “All aboard!”

The poor woman hurried to get back into the train and take care of her sick child. The engineer quickly climbed to his spot in the engine, and soon the train was puffing its way down the track, climbing the grade. In her seat on the train, the woman prayed for God to help her to reach the Bedford train in time. Up in his seat at the throttle, the engineer also prayed. “Lord,” he said, “delay that Bedford train only ten minutes, and I’ll make up the extra five minutes!”

“Somehow,” the engineer later recalled, “everything seemed to go according to some plan. After I prayed, I couldn’t help increasing my speed just a little! We hardly paused at the first stop. People got on and off more quickly than I’ve ever seen before. In half a minute, the conductor was waving his lantern, and we were off once more. I began to have more faith that we would reach the junction before that other train left.

“Once over the summit of the mountain, it was easy to give the engine a little more steam, and then a little more. I prayed, and the train seemed to shoot down the rails like an arrow. I sensed something was pushing us forward, and I couldn’t hold her back! We came rushing into the junction six minutes ahead of schedule. And there stood the Bedford train! Its conductor was still standing on the platform, his lantern resting at his side.”

Now, these trains never connected with each other. They weren’t intended to; the schedule didn’t allow for it. No message had been sent ahead to hold the Bedford train. There was no reason it should not have left the station several minutes earlier. Yet, there it stood—waiting.

The conductor of the Bedford train approached the engineer of the train that had just pulled into the junction. “Well,” he inquired, “will you tell me what we’re waiting for? Somehow I felt that I needed to wait until you arrived at the station tonight. But I don’t know why.”

“I can tell you,” replied the engineer. “I have a woman on board my train who has a sick child and who must get home tonight. She has been praying—and I have been praying—that somehow your train would still be here when we arrived. And here you are!”

Storytime, Character-building Stories for Children, Pacific Press Publishing Association, 6, 7.