Keys For Kids Ministries

Bible Reading: Hebrews 10:19-23"You can't trust anyone." Emma sighed as she walked along the beach with her aunt. "He promised to love my mom forever. And now what? He's going to leave me and Mom and never see us again?""I'm sorry," her aunt said. "I wish things had worked out better.""He promised he was going to be like a dad to me," Emma said."You and your mom have both been hurt twice now," her aunt said. "It's terrible, and I'm sorry." She bent to pick up a shell. "I don't know what it's like to have a dad or stepdad leave me, but I know that breakups are difficult. They make it hard to trust.""I'm never trusting anyone again. Everyone lies. No one stays with you." Emma's eyes filled with tears. "How do I even know you'll stay? How do I trust God anymore?" She kicked at the sand. "You know what? I don't.""Emma." Her aunt dropped the shell and put her arms around her. "Sweetheart…""I wanted him to stick around!" Emma cried. "Mom was happy when he was with us."They stood there together, Emma crying and her

Bible Reading: John 10:7-10Ryan lay flat on his back in the cool green grass, watching the fluffy clouds floating across the sky above him. When he glanced over at the tall trellis covered with Grandma's rambling roses, he noticed it almost reached the small balcony with the slider door that led to the guest bedroom. Ryan scrambled to his feet and darted toward the house. I bet I can climb up to my room, he thought. He put his foot on a low trellis slat, pushed away a few roses, and began to climb. He stretched his arms, caught the balcony railing, and swung himself up. But before he could crawl over the railing, his foot slipped. He screamed, and the big pink roses zipped by as he fell to the ground."Ryan, can you open your eyes?" asked a faraway voice. "Can you hear me?"Ryan blinked and slowly sat up. "What happened?" he asked."You had a bad fall," said Grandpa. "We need to take you to the emergency room to make sure you don't have a concussion."After returning from the hospital with a clean bill of health,

Bible Reading: Genesis 1:27; 1 Peter 1:18-19"I don't get it, Grandpa." Malik scratched his head as he looked at the painting. "What is it?""Well, the title is Three Musicians. Try squinting your eyes and tilting your head." "I think I see a clarinet and a guitar, but the musicians look a little creepy.""That's the beauty of art," said Grandpa. "Everyone sees something different." Malik and his grandparents were spending the afternoon at an art museum. Malik had never seen so many paintings and sculptures. Hundreds of pieces of artwork hung on walls that stretched on for what seemed like miles. "Which painting is your favorite, Malik?" Grandma asked."I'm not sure, Grammy. Some of these paintings look like they were painted by a three-year-old. Other paintings look way better than anything I could paint. If I had to pick my favorite, it might be Three Musicians. I like that you have to think about what you're looking at. How much do you think a painting like that costs?"Grandma shrugged. Grandpa scratched his c

Bible Reading: John 15:12-13"Have you ever heard people use colors to describe their feelings?" Miss Iverson asked her class. Carter waved his hand to make sure she saw it. "Like green with envy?" "How about purple with rage?" Mei said. "Or blue--like when they're sad.""All good examples," Miss Iverson said. "Now, people don't actually change color, but some animals do. A chameleon, for example, can quickly change its skin color in response to light, temperature, or other things in its environment. Other animals change color to blend in with their surroundings. They do that to defend themselves against enemies." That evening, Carter told his dad about his day. "People use different colors to describe how they feel, but some animals really do change their color. Isn't that cool?" "Sure is," said Dad. "Sounds like you had a good day.""Pretty good," replied Carter, but then he frowned. "Hari and I always play together at recess time, but today he acted like he didn't even know me! He was playing basketball with

Bible Reading: Psalm 32:1-5; Matthew 6:9-13Robin knelt at the foot of her bed and bowed her head to pray. It was hard to focus with her little sister, Jenny, screaming in the bathroom. "No! I don't want to brush my teeth!" Jenny cried.Mom poked her head into Robin's room, a tired smile on her face. "Robin, could Jenny and I pray with you? Maybe we can pray that Jenny will want to brush her teeth."Robin nodded, and her sister raced into the room and sat beside her, suddenly an angel. "Dear Jesus," Robin said. "Thank You for helping me with my math homework and healing Grandma from her fall. Please bless all my friends and family. Help us have a good night's sleep. Amen.""Amen!" Jenny exclaimed."Robin, did you forget something?" Mom asked."Oh, right. Jesus, please help Jenny brush her teeth without complaining. Amen."Mom smiled. "Just one more thing. Do you remember how Jesus taught us how to pray? In addition to thanking God and bringing our needs to Him, we also need to confess our sins."Robin sighed. "I just

Bible Reading: Psalm 51:1-9Landon's eyes widened in horror as his elbow knocked a bottle of paint off the table and it toppled to the floor. Blue paint spread in a growing blob across the kitchen. Landon jumped off his chair and quickly picked up the paint bottle. What am I going to do? he wondered. I've got to clean this up before Grandpa and Grandma see it.Landon rushed into the laundry room and grabbed some rags, then ran back to the kitchen and used them to soak up the paint on the floor. A large stain remained behind, so he got a bucket of soapy water and began scrubbing the paint spot. This isn't going to work! Landon thought frantically. He ran to the sink and began washing his hands. I can't get the paint off my hands either! He knew he would have to tell his grandparents what had happened.Grandpa frowned when he came in and saw the stain. "Well, I'm glad the floor isn't carpeted!" he said. "I have some special cleaner in the garage, and I think it will work on this." Grandpa went to get the cleaner,

Bible Reading: Psalm 139:1-10Malachi waited in the hallway, tapping his foot on the floor. "Almost time…"He didn't have to wait long. The door to his dad's office opened, and his dad appeared with his glasses pushed up on the top of his head. "Hi, bud," Dad said.Malachi grinned and started for the kitchen. He knew his dad would follow him.An hour later, Malachi positioned himself in the hallway again. This time his dad wouldn't just be getting water but also a snack. He was hoping he might share."Have you been standing out here all morning?" Dad asked as he stepped out of his office.Malachi shook his head with a grin. "What are you having today? Yogurt? A granola bar?"Dad gave him a sheepish smile. "How did you know I was feeling ready for a snack?"Malachi shrugged. Ever since his dad started working from home, he'd been paying attention and learning his routine.Malachi told his grandma about it that evening when she came to the house so his dad could go to a meeting. "I've memorized it all. He does everythin

Bible Reading: Psalm 27:1; Isaiah 41:10, 13"Mr. Robinson asked me to give my testimony at our youth group meeting Sunday night," Olivia told her mother as they walked along a path in the woods. "I'm going to tell him I just can't do it! I'm too scared!" She pointed toward a nearby hill. "There's the old fire lookout tower, Mom. Looks like somebody's on duty there today. Do you think they'll let us climb it? I've never done that.""Let's check it out," said Mom. When they walked over to the tower, Olivia hesitated. "I don't know," she said as she looked up at flight after flight of stairs leading to the top of the tower. "It looks scary! I don't really like being up so high.""I'll be behind you to make sure you don't fall," Mom assured her. So after they got permission, Olivia and her mother began climbing.The higher they climbed, the scarier it seemed, but Olivia could feel her mom's presence right behind her. And when they finally reached the top, Olivia was amazed as she looked out over the forest. Brilliant

Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14-17Javier looked out the window. Rain rattled on the roof, and thunder jolted his eardrums. "Why is it so loud, Mom?" he asked."The storm is getting closer," replied Mom. "The reporter on TV said the basement is the safest place in storms like this, so let's go." Mom handed Javier a jug of water and a couple of flashlights. "You can carry these," she said. "I'll grab some snacks and our emergency pack."They hurried down the stairs and huddled in a corner of the basement as the wind shook the house. "The wind is so strong," said Javier nervously."Yes," said Mom, "but we're sheltered from it. And we have snacks and lights and other supplies to keep us comfortable." She handed him a granola bar."Thanks--peanut butter's my favorite!" Javier bit into the bar and chewed thoughtfully. "It's good to be prepared for storms like this, isn't it?" "Yes, it is," said Mom. "Did you know God wants us to also prepare for storms that may come along in life?""So we'll be ready for whatever happens

Bible Reading: Matthew 6:25-32"It's hard to believe you're already old enough to be in middle school this year, Mateo," Mom said as they drove home after shopping for school clothes."Don't remind me," Mateo said miserably. "I wish I could stay at my old school forever.""Why?" asked Mom."Last year there weren't any older kids to pick on us," replied Mateo. "I liked being one of the oldest kids in the school.""Sounds like you have the middle school blues before you even get there," said Mom."Well, this year my class will be the youngest, so we'll have to deal with all the older kids," said Mateo.Mom pointed to a little girl on a tricycle crossing the street with her mother. "Remember your tricycle?" she asked. "Why don't you ride it anymore?""Ride my tricycle?" asked Mateo in surprise. "That would look weird!" He grinned at the thought. "I'm too big to ride that thing now.""Remember how you prayed every night for weeks that you could take the training wheels off your first two-wheel bike?" Mom asked as the traf