Keys For Kids Ministries

Bible Reading: Matthew 18:19-20; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18"Mom, I'm really worried about Charlotte," Anna said as she sat down at the table. Charlotte and Anna were best friends and did everything together. "What's going on?" Mom asked as she added ingredients into the mixer. "Well, she's been having a lot of headaches lately. I'm worried there might be something seriously wrong with her. What if she has cancer or something?" Mom plopped a scoop of raw cookie dough onto a tray. "It sounds like you've been doing a lot of worrying about this.""It's all I can think about, Mom! I'm just so afraid something bad is going to happen to Charlotte. I can't imagine life without her." Mom brought the tray of cookie dough to the table and sat down. "Have you prayed about it?" she asked. "Um, well--no," Anna said. Mom sighed. "Well, I've been pretty worried too lately. Tomorrow is your school bake sale, and I'm worried these cookies won't get baked in time!"Anna glanced at the clock. "Mom, you have plenty of time. They don't

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:27, 159-160; 2 Timothy 3:14-17The sun was just poking its head over the treetops when Savannah and her mother left for a walk in the woods near their new home. "I didn't understand what Dad read in the Bible this morning," Savannah said. "Why can't we just skip the parts of the Bible that don't seem to say anything important?"Mom was about to reply when Savannah spotted some interesting bushes along the path. "Look, Mom. Those are some kind of berry bushes, aren't they?"Mom stopped and peered at the bushes. "I think they might be, but I don't see any fruit on them."Savannah reached out and lifted some of the leaves. "Here! Underneath the leaves.""You're right!" said Mom. "Those are wild blackberries! They'd taste great on our cereal--or just as a snack. How about running back to the house and getting a bucket so we can pick some?"Savannah eagerly ran home and returned with a pail, and she and Mom began to gather the ripe, luscious fruit. "I'm glad your sharp eyes noticed these," said

Bible Reading: Matthew 11:28-30Julian cheered in excitement at the tractor pulling contest. One of the contestants--a friend of Julian's family--revved the engine as his tractor strained to pull the heavy load. It inched along, then gathered speed to the finish line. "He made it!" Julian shouted, and he clapped along with others in the crowd."The next load he has to pull will be heavier," Grandpa said.The driver revved the engine again, and it moved slowly forward. The load behind the groaning tractor was dragged at a snail's pace to the finish line. Julian shot up from his seat and cheered.He grew anxious as he watched the workers add more weights to the next load. The driver powered up the engine, but nothing happened. Again the engine roared, but the load didn't budge. The driver hunched over the wheel as if to coax the tractor into one last try before time was up. Julian felt like he was in the contest himself, and he yelled encouragement as the tractor began to inch forward. Slowly, slowly it went, until

Bible Reading: Exodus 19:3-6; Isaiah 40:27-31Annie leaned her forehead against the cool windowpane of the airport in Sicily. She sighed as she watched yet another large airplane taxi down the runway and fly off into the big blue sky. Her family had been detoured on the way back to the States from Africa where they were missionaries, and it felt like they had been stuck in the airport for weeks instead of days."Vroom, vroom!" Her younger brother, Bryce, flew past her with his arms extended and accidentally bumped her elbow."Knock it off, Bryce!" Annie said irritably."Hey, what's the problem?" Dad asked, coming over.Annie sighed again. "It feels like we've been at the airport forever and God has forgotten about us!"Dad nodded thoughtfully. "I know it feels that way right now, but God is working out just the right flight for us to get on." He looked out the airport window as another plane took off. "Did you know the Bible talks about wings?"Bryce stopped making airplane noises and looked at Dad. "Like airplane w

Bible Reading: Isaiah 43:1-4Max opened his car window and smelled pine trees. Mom and Dad sang their old camp song about a cowboy and his one-eyed horse. Max usually sang along. But today the lyrics caught in his throat.Mom and Dad's stories of camp made Max feel like he knew the place even though he'd never been there. He couldn't wait to come to Bible camp. But now as camp came into view, he wasn't so sure. "It's too bad the other boys from church couldn't come with you," Mom said.Dad parked the car and patted Max on the shoulder. "You're going to love it here!" Max felt funny inside as he watched Mom and Dad drive away.Max met his counselor, who showed him around his cabin. "Okay, Mike, here's your bunk." He doesn't even know my name, Max thought. Nobody here does. I don't belong here.The counselor shouted, "Campers! Time to meet out by the lake. Bring your Bibles. Move out!"In the noisy crowd, everyone seemed to be with friends. No one spoke to Max. At the beach, the camp director blew a whistle and shout

Bible Reading: Romans 12:9-13"Look!" said Rylee, stepping back from the huge saguaro cactus. "There's something in that hole!"Dad and Easton came over to see. Sure enough, a pair of blinking yellow eyes peered back at them from a hole in the trunk of the cactus."I think it's a screech owl," said Easton. "We learned that woodpeckers peck holes into cactuses when they make their nests. Then after they leave, other birds move into the empty holes and live there."Dad nodded. "Each time the cactus skin is broken--like when a woodpecker makes a hole--a thick gluey liquid seeps out and forms a waterproof pouch. The liquid hardens, kind of like a scab, to make the pouch permanent. Inside the hole it's cooler in the day and warmer at night, so it makes an ideal home for desert birds."Rylee saw big and little holes in the arms of one of the cactuses--they were everywhere. "This saguaro is like a high-rise apartment building!" she said with a laugh. "What a crowded place to live."Easton grinned. "Just like our house."Ry

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:9-16Rylee leaned back to see the top of the huge saguaro cactus next to her. Its spiny arms reached out and up toward the sky. "With so many big arms, this thing should be holding something. Try sitting on one of its arms, Easton," Rylee said with a grin."No way!" said Easton. "I'm not sitting on those prickly things!""Those arms," said Dad, "are holding what is probably the most valuable thing in the entire region.""And I know what it is," Easton said. "Water! Cactus plants can live in the dry, hot desert by storing water inside their trunk and arms.""That can't be right," said Rylee, looking around at the sand and rocks. They extended as far as she could see. "There's no water here!""Easton is right," said Dad. "Cactus roots don't go very deep into the earth. Instead, they go down only about three feet and then spread out about a hundred feet in all directions. The spread-out roots draw in every drop of rain, sending it to a hidden storage area in the arms and trunk of the cactus. T

Bible Reading: Revelation 7:9-12I can't even understand what they're saying," Ezra said as he and his family entered the church building. His family's car had broken down just over the Canadian border, so they now had to go to church at a place in Quebec, Canada, that his dad had heard about. Everything about the church seemed different to Ezra--the language most of all.When everyone started singing hymns, Ezra's dad passed him a book that said Cantiques on the front. "It's a hymnbook," Dad said. He flipped to the correct page and pointed to a line of words in the song. Ezra tried to follow along with the French song, but none of the words made any sense to him.Later, after church was over, Ezra noticed someone waving to him as he and his family left. He waved back, and his dad asked, "Who's that?""Oh, that's Jacque," Ezra explained. "I met him in Sunday school. He helped me understand the French on the papers the teacher handed out whenever there wasn't English underneath it.""I see," his dad said. "I suppos

Bible Reading: Romans 5:1-5; 8:24-28"It's such a nice day," Adrianna said. "Look at the sunshine, Mom! Nate, don't you wish we could go to the waterpark today?"Nate looked at his little sister. "It would be fun, but I'm sure Mom and Dad have other plans for the day.""I'm not sure what our plans are," Mom said, taking a sip from her mug of coffee. "And it does look like a nice day.""Can I ask Daddy if we can go to the waterpark?" Adrianna asked, carrying her cereal bowl to the sink."You can ask," Mom said. "I'm not sure what he's thinking for today though.""Yay!" Adrianna skipped out of the kitchen. "The waterpark! The waterpark!" she sang.Mom smiled at Nate. "She's sure abounding in hope, huh?""What?" Nate's forehead wrinkled. "What do you mean?""In the Bible, the apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome encouraging them to abound in hope," Mom said. "To abound in hope means to be filled with it.""What kind of hope?" Nate asked. "Hope in what?""Hope in God," Mom said. "Paul reminds them that those who trust

Bible Reading: Psalms 26:1-3; 139:23-24"What's wrong with the car, Daddy?" asked five-year-old Lydia as the family drove to their country home after a church service in the village. "It's jerking.""It's sure running rough," said Dad. "It's been doing that lately, but it's never been this bad before.""Are we going to make it home?" Lydia peered through the window at the trees lining the steep drop at the side of the road."Sure, we'll make it," said Lydia's older brother, Barrett. "We always do."The car slowly climbed a long, steep hill. Dad pushed the accelerator pedal to the floor, but the car refused to speed up. Dad frowned. "I must say, I'm annoyed with myself for not checking this out sooner," he said. "I should have taken the car to the mechanic when I first noticed it wasn't running smoothly.""I think it's getting worse," said Barrett. He wasn't so sure they'd make it home after all.Mom sighed. "Well, at least we're close enough to home that we can walk the rest of the way if we have to, but we'd have a

Bible Reading: Matthew 25:14-29"Yum, your mangoes are the best, Nenek!" Eyes sparkling, Kira chewed the scrumptious mangoes her Indonesian grandmother had just peeled for her. "You mean Kakek's mangoes," Nenek said, chuckling. "Your grandfather was the one who bought and planted the seeds in our backyard. The tree grew and grew, but no mangoes. Kakek persisted and kept fertilizing it though. It was only after his death that fruit buds bloomed. Too bad he never saw the fruits of his labor." Kira's eyes dimmed as she thought of her grandfather, who died two years ago. "I miss Kakek." "Do you remember how he often took you to church?" said Nenek. "Even when his health started failing, he loved to take you and talk about what you learned afterward." Kira nodded. "I remember he took me to church two weeks before he was hospitalized. I didn't want to go then--I was tired from a basketball tournament on Saturday night, which we lost. But on Sunday morning, Kakek showed up with a huge smile and convinced me to go.""I

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:8-10"I need you to move a little faster, Lincoln. What's taking you so long? This morning could not be going any worse, and you're not helping things at all."Lincoln blinked back tears as his mom snapped at him for being too slow heading out to the van. One of his shoes had been hard to get on, so he was dragging his foot a bit, waiting until he was seated to fix it."I can't believe I overslept," Mom muttered to herself as they got into the van. "Today of all days, when I have a meeting with my boss…"Lincoln got settled in the van and worked on adjusting his shoe. He had it fixed by the time his mom dropped him off at his grandma's house.A few hours later, Mom returned to pick him up. "I'm sorry I was a little grumpy this morning, Lincoln." She held up a cup of an iced brown liquid. "I needed my morning coffee. I really can't go without that."Lincoln sighed. "You needed it, Mom?""Yes. You know me and coffee; I can't function without it."Lincoln followed his mom out to the van.

Bible Reading: Philippians 3:4-11"Dad, my glasses broke!" Levi said."Let me see," said Dad. "It looks like a screw needs tightening. I think I can fix them.""I wish I could get new glasses like Justin's," Levi said. "The ones he got are really cool. He's always getting new things, and kids crowd around him to see his new stuff. With glasses like that, I'd be important like Justin.""Well, let's see what we can do with these," said Dad. He set Levi's glasses on his workbench and reached for his toolbox. "For a job this important, I'll use my best tools." Dad lifted out a tray of screwdrivers, all of them in good condition. Dad was a carpenter, and he took good care of his tools. He pushed the tray toward Levi. "Which one should we use?" Levi looked through the tray of short, long, wide, and narrow screwdrivers. None of them was the right size for the tiny screw. "None of these will work," he said."Are you sure?" asked Dad. "These are my very best tools.""But they aren't the right ones for the job," said Levi."Y

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 31:7-8; Joshua 1:5"Mae, I'd like you to put Miles down for his nap today," said Mom. "I need to make an important phone call.""Okay," said Mae, smiling at her little brother. "Nap time!" she announced to the energetic little boy. Laughing, Miles toddled away, wanting his sister to chase him. Mae caught him quickly. "Sleepy time, buddy," she said, taking him to his crib. She hoisted him over the side and laid him down. Little Miles scrambled around on the mattress, ignoring soft toys and stuffed animals. He settled down when Mae patted his back for a few moments. "Sweet dreams," she whispered, backing out of the room.Just as she was about to shut the door, Miles started crying. "Blankie!" he sobbed. "Blankie!" He pulled himself up and began to shake the railing. Mae frowned. Where did he leave his blanket? She checked the TV room. She dug through the toy box. She searched the hall closet. She looked under the dining room table and on the chair seats. Finally, she found the blanket in

Bible Reading: Psalm 46:1-3, 10-11; Romans 8:35-39Ryan helped his dad straighten the canvas of the tent that lay on the ground. "I love camping," he said. "Sleeping in a tent is so cool!"Dad smiled. "I think so too. Okay, help me get the pegs through these tent loops. We'll pound the pegs in about halfway at first and then secure them when they're all in place."Dad took one of the pegs and stuck it through a loop on the side of the tent. Ryan pounded it with the hammer. As Dad continued putting each peg in place, Ryan pounded it down. Then they put the poles together and raised the tent. "I can't wait to go inside and get my sleeping bag rolled out!" said Ryan."Well, don't try going in yet," said Dad. "It could collapse on you. We need to pound the pegs deeper into the ground first, remember?"Ryan nodded, and they got to work. When the tent was finally secured, they put their sleeping bags inside. Then they grabbed their fishing poles and headed for the river.Around midnight, Ryan woke to the sound of distant

Bible Reading: Galatians 5:22-25"Mom, can we have fruit salad for lunch?" asked Brynlee."Good idea," said Mom. "You can help me make it. We have lots of different kinds of fruit we can use today." As they began putting the fruit together, Mom had an idea. "Maybe we can put nine different kinds of fruit in our salad and pretend we're putting in the fruit of the Spirit," she said. "We learned about them in church last week, remember?""Yeah," said Brynlee. "I'll name them as we put them in." She put orange pieces into a big bowl. "I'll call these love," she said. Then she opened a can and added pineapple chunks. "These will be joy. What else do we have?""I have some fresh peach wedges ready," said Mom. "And here's a cantaloupe we can cut up."Brynlee put in the peaches, calling them peace. She decided on patience for the cantaloupe. "The apples will be kindness, and the pears will be goodness," she said. "I'll slice some bananas and call them faithfulness.""Okay, and you can add some of these grapes," said Mom. B

Bible Reading: Psalm 103:11-13; Isaiah 64:8; Hosea 11:1-4"Good job!" Dad shouted to Ellery. He was holding on to her by a towel looped under her armpits as she practiced riding her two-wheel bike. Her tongue stuck out of her mouth in deep concentration as she tried to maintain her balance even with Dad's support. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, her eyes going wide. She started wobbling, but Dad held her upright as the bike went down to the ground. He hauled Ellery to her feet and smiled down at her. Ellery looked up at Dad and asked, "Again?"Ellery practiced her biking skills for a while longer before they returned to the campsite just in time to grill some burgers over the fire. Meredith, her older sister, and Mom were just finishing up their quiet time when they arrived. Dad helped Ellery assemble her dinner just the way she liked it--two slices of cheese, three squirts of mustard, and four pickles. "I read something interesting in my Bible today," Meredith said as Ellery dove into her food.Ellery made a strange gur

Bible Reading: Ephesians 1:3-7; 1 Peter 1:18-19"Sold!" proclaimed the fast-talking auctioneer, and Logan grinned at his mother. He found auctions fun and interesting, so he hadn't minded when she wanted to stop and see what was happening at this antique auction. "Another broken piece of junk sold to the highest bidder," Logan murmured, stifling a laugh. He liked to tease his mom about liking antiques.Mom smiled and nudged him with her elbow. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," she told him. Logan shrugged and continued sitting on his hands as the auctioneer began selling an autographed baseball. Logan had learned to avoid lifting his hand during the bidding. Earlier he had started to scratch his head and the auctioneer thought he was bidding on the item being auctioned. As they drove home after the auction, Logan asked his mom why people were so willing to spend their money on other people's junk. "I can't believe how much they'll pay for that stuff," he said. "I thought a few things they sold at the auct

Bible Reading: Isaiah 55:8-9Gunner ran to the garage when he heard his parents drive in. "Is Grandpa okay?" he asked anxiously as they got out of the car.Dad put his hand on Gunner's shoulder. "Your grandfather isn't suffering anymore," he said quietly. "He died this afternoon--he's in heaven now." Gunner swallowed hard, forcing back tears that choked his throat. He walked away while Dad was still talking.In his room, Gunner thought about all the things he and Grandpa had planned to do. "It's not fair!" he muttered. He looked up as Dad came in. "I don't get it," Gunner said. "I prayed all day for Grandpa. God can do anything, can't He? So why didn't He heal Grandpa?""Sometimes God's answer to what we ask is no," Dad said gently. "I don't know why He didn't heal Grandpa, but I know Jesus promises to be with us in our pain and sadness. Grandpa is in heaven with Him now, and someday we'll see him again." Gunner turned away. He wasn't ready to give up his grandfather. "But I wanted Grandpa to stay here with us."D

Bible Reading: James 4:13-17; 1 Peter 4:7-11Jade stretched and yawned. Then she jumped down from her place on the top bunk and hurried to get dressed."Let's go, troops!" yelled a cheery voice from outside. "We have many miles to cover on our morning hike.""How can Ella be so cheerful at seven o'clock in the morning?" asked Hayley, one of Jade's cabinmates."I don't know," Jade answered, "but I like it. Her cheerfulness rubs off on me. Let's go."Jade and Hayley joined the other campers as they gathered in front of the dining hall. "Good morning!" said Ella, their camp counselor. "Are you ready for our adventure? We'll fix breakfast a little way down the trail."A few minutes later, they were off. "Make sure you stay on the trail," Ella told the group. "There was a heavy mist last night, and everything is damp. The grass is pretty wet, and your feet will be too if you walk on it.""It's not misty now," said Hayley. "Isn't it funny how mist just disappears?" "Yeah--like a vapor," said Jade. "I learned a verse at ch