My mother said, “Don’t jump out of the swing.

You’ll land. You’ll hurt. You’ll really, really sting.”

My daddy said, “Don’t jump out of the swing.

You’ll land. You’ll hurt. You’ll really, really sting.”

My teacher said, “Don’t jump out of the swing.

You’ll land. You’ll hurt. You’ll really, really sting.”

So what did I do?

I swung real high

And just let go.

I thought I could fly.

Through the air,

I did soar,

Forgetting what,

I had been told before.

Then I hit,

The Merry-Go-Round,

That bounced me twice,

Up off the ground.

I spun head over heals,

Through the air,

And landed and rolled,

From here to there.

Up the slide

I did go.

Then down the ladder,

And I didn’t slow.

Knocking out,

Three of my friends,

I hit the backstop,

And launched up again.

Then what happened next,

Was the worst of every feature.

Boom! Bang! Plop!

I landed on top of my teacher.

My mother said, “Don’t jump out of the swing.

You’ll land. You’ll hurt. You’ll really, really sting.”

So what did I do? I jumped.

I thought I could fly,

But now I have two broken legs,

And my teacher? A big, black eye.

Obedience

Sometimes you may be told not to do something that you think would be fun, and even though you may not understand why you shouldn’t do it, you should obey just the same. Rules are not intended to take the fun out of life. In fact, God gave us rules to protect us. So always obey your parents and teachers and always do what you know is right. The Bible says in Titus 3:1, “Remind them to be in subjection to rulers and to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to every good work.”

Little Judith Doe,

Had an itch on her toe.

It moved to her ankle,

Then to her knee.

When she’d try to scratch,

It always seemed to flee.

It itched up her leg,

And on her belly it did stop,

Then went to her elbow,

In one single hop.

She scratched her elbow,

And it moved to her hand.

Then on her chin,

It did land.

She scratched and she scratched,

All through the day.

“It won’t stop itching!”

You could hear her say.

Then from her chin,

The itch finally fled,

But suddenly she itched,

All over her head.

Then it went everywhere,

On her legs, her feet, and toes,

She itched on her belly,

And even on her nose.

She itched all the way,

Up to her golden hair-locks.

That’s when she discovered,

She had caught the Chicken Pox.

Seeking God First

Sometimes wanting things is like having a hard-to-scratch itch. We just aren’t happy until we get what our heart is set on, but the Bible says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.” Remember: Everything you’ll ever need and everything good that you’ll ever want in life is found only in Jesus Christ.

Give me eggnog,

Every day,

Pour me a glass,

Please I say.

Would you like some?

“Yes,” my friend said.

Then he licked his lips,

And nodded his head.

He drank it all down,

The whole big cup.

Then my friend turned green.

Then he threw up!

Right and Wrong

Whether or not you like eggnog is a matter of taste. There’s no right or wrong opinion, but in life, right will always be right and wrong will always be wrong. What is right today was right when God made the world and will be right until the end of time. What’s wrong today has always been wrong and will always be wrong. Right and wrong will NEVER change. So if anyone tells you that it’s just a matter of opinion, you’ll know it’s not true.

T’was the night before Christmas,

And all through the home,

We could hear the loud snoring,

Of Uncle Jerome.

The family had come,

From real far and real near,

To share with us,

Their Christmas cheer.

I laid awake,

On top of my bed,

Thinking of presents,

Stacked as high as my head.

When to where,

Should my weary mind go,

But to toys and treats,

And Christmas snow.

When what should my wandering thoughts,

Finally see,

But lots of presents,

And all for me.

Above the loud snoring,

That kept pace with the time,

Came one word—

Mine! Mine! Mine!

Then my dreams drifted,

Back to a time long ago,

When a Savior was born,

Who loved me so.

Then above the noise,

Of the loud snores,

One word came to me—

Yours! Yours! Yours!

That’s when it struck me,

And I knew it was true,

That Christmas isn’t about gifts,

But it’s all about YOU—

And whether you know,

The God of love,

Who sent His Son,

From heaven above.

With these thoughts,

I fell asleep until light,

Wishing that everyone,

Knew my Jesus tonight.

Sharing Christ

The best gift you can share with a friend is the Good News of Jesus, and sharing Christ begins by realizing that not everyone knows Him. Who do you know who might not know the Lord?

The Bible says in John 1:12, “But as many as received him [Jesus], to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believed in his name.”

Little Jack Spree,

Lived on a Christmas tree,

And late at night,

He’d turn on the lights,

So that he could see.

Then he’d hide,

And he’d slide,

Down the trim,

From limb to limb,

That’s Little Jack Spree, you see.

But late one day,

While Jack did play,

He heard a sudden knocking,

And fell into a stocking,

And couldn’t get free, you see.

He did pull and tug,

But he was stuck so snug,

And though he wiggled about,

He couldn’t get out,

Poor Jack Spree, I see.

Then he did something very unwise,

He shouted and screamed and gave loud cries,

And in panic he lost his wits,

And threw twelve different kinds of fits.

Little Jack Spree lost control, you see.

In terror, he just couldn’t say no,

And the more he struggled the deeper he’d go,

Finally he sank in candy to his chin.

And he thought at last that this was the end.

Poor Jack Spree no more would be, you see.

Then he recalled what to do,

When something happens that really scares you.

On God you can cast all your care,

Because the Lord is always standing right there.

Then he said, “I will not fear,

Though I think the end is finally here,

Because I know the Lord is near.”

He kept saying this as he would think.

Then a thought hit him: This sock doesn’t stink.

It’s bad enough to be stuck in there,

Without a nasty smell filling the air.

And though he wasn’t free,

He became thankful, you see.

Even in the bad you can still thank the Lord,

Because that’s what it says in His Holy Word.

Then something changed in Little Jack Spree,

The thankfulness stole the fear from he,

And slowly he did struggle and slowly he did climb,

Because he now felt a peace on his mind.

At last he came out,

And he declared with a shout,

“Even in bad you can still find the good!”

Little Jack Spree understood, you see.

Then he climbed up real far,

As high as the shining star,

And he said a thankful prayer,

That God is always there,

And we need not ever fear,

Because He’s always near.

Calmness

Someone can be calm and have peace in the middle of hard or frightening situations when their trust is fixed on Christ. The Bible says in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.”

There’s no Christmas tree,

But a real tree for me,

Straight out of the ground,

Is how it’s got to be.

And no fake stockings,

Do I use.

I use my own socks,

That’s what I choose.

They come right off my feet,

Right out of my shoe,

One for me,

And one for you.

So I hung them up,

And went to bed,

But when I woke up,

I saw instead,

That my socks smelled bad,

I shook my head,

Because I had,

A tree that was dead.

Thinking Things Through

Like in the story, sometimes we do things without considering the results of our actions. But a godly person will not only consider whether what he is doing is right or wrong, but also how it will affect others. Will it help and encourage them in their walk with Jesus or could it trip them up? Will it bring glory to God? Listen to what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Do you want to know,

My gift for you?

Then close your eyes,

That’s what you must do.

What do you see?

Now tell me true,

“Nothing,” you say,

Well, that’s my gift to you.

Every Good Gift

The Bible says in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…”

I’ve been on a plane,

All daylong.

But we couldn’t land,

Cause something went wrong.

There’s a blizzard on the airport,

And we couldn’t land.

I’ve been on a plane,

All through the night

I thought we might land,

Cause the city looked bright.

But then came the fog,

And we couldn’t land.

I’m getting kind of hungry,

Cause I’m still on the plane.

We couldn’t land again.

This time it’s rain.

I need more than pretzels.

Why can’t we land?

We’re flying around in circles,

Inside a big cloud.

The engines are quiet now.

They used to be loud.

It can’t get worse than this!

Can’t we just land?

We landed in the ocean.

Now I’m floating on my seat.

I don’t like it here,

Cause sharks are nibbling at my feet.

I want on a plane.

Can’t we please go back up?

Thankful Hearts

Sometimes when we don’t get our way we want to gripe and complain, but God wants us to have thankful hearts. So the next time you don’t get what you want or things don’t go your way, don’t grumble about it. Instead, count your blessings and give God thanks.

Listen to what the Bible says in Philippians 2:14-15, “Do all things without murmurings and disputes, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world.”

There once lived a girl

With a name so long,

That many tried to remember it,

But they were all wrong.

So at last she wrote it down,

One fine day,

So people years later,

Could read it and say:

Her name was:

Ima Elizabeth Margaret Mary,

Judith Lola Jacqueline Sherry,

Sabrina Catrina Christina-Loo,

Teresa Lisa Patrisa-Su,

Margine Johnson (named after her Nana),

Savannah, Alana, (sometimes called banana),

Mona-Cherona (named for her mother),

And Georgette (for George, named for her brother),

Hatti Patty Matti-Bo,

Laura Lynn and Amy Jo,

Rudy Trudy and Nancy Drew,

But all her friends just called her Sue.

Known by God

How does it make you feel that God knows your name? That He calls you by name? That He made you for a reason and has great plans for your life? Did you know that God delights in you? That’s how special you are to God.

Listen to what the Bible says in Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord your God, is in the midst of you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Let me tell you the story,

Of a silly young king,

Who wanted to have

Everything.

He wanted a circus,

With a tent made of silk,

And a castle of candy,

With a moat of chocolate milk.

He wanted a spaceship,

To take him to Mars,

And a million and one,

Big candy bars

He wanted the world’s seas

With harbors and boats,

He wanted to own the mountains,

And billions of goats.

He wanted to fly,

As high as the sky,

And he wanted to eat,

The world’s biggest pie.

He wanted one each

Of every kind of car,

And He wanted to name,

Each and every star.

He wanted three elephants,

To dance in his room,

And a jet plane,

That would take off with a zoom.

He wanted fireworks,

To explode every night,

And trumpets to play,

At dawn with the light.

He got all he wanted,

A trillion and one things,

But none of it can compare,

To the joy that Jesus brings.

Contentment

Someone who is content realizes that true joy doesn’t come from what you own or wear. When you’ve given your life to Jesus and are walking with Him, He’ll always take care of you—you’ll never lack for what He desires to give you and the life you’ll find in Him is beyond anything you could have ever imagined. The Bible says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.” Remember: Only Jesus satisfies and true joy comes only from Christ.