Category Archives: Grandma’s Stories

Grandma's Stories, Stories for Teens

Pilgrim’s Progress (6)

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                                     Christian’s Greatest Trial Yet.

     A few days had gone by, and the children hadn’t seen Uncle Jeff. “Mum, when is Uncle Jeff coming round again?” Bobby asked one day after school, “I want to hear more of that story!” “You are really enjoying that aren’t you?” Mum asked, “Have you noticed that each story has a meaning to it?” Sarah came into the room in time to hear what Mum said. “Yes, I had noticed that”, she said, “Sometimes it even has Bible verses in it. It seems just like things that happen to us when we feel like giving up our Bible reading and learning our verses”. “That’s right”, Mum said, “And I guess there’ll be more of that in the next session too”.

Uncle Jeff called in a few days later, and Bobby couldn’t wait to say, “What happens to Christian in the next part of the story, Uncle Jeff?” So they all settled themselves down, and Uncle Jeff said, “Well, you all remember where we got up to don’t you? Christian had stayed in Mr. and Mrs. Hospitable’s place and was having a good rest after all his frights on the road. What do you think that is like for us?” “Well, I guess you could say it’s like us having a good time at a camp or Youth Group”, Sarah said thoughtfully.

“Yes, that’s right”, Uncle Jeff said, “We get all fired up with hearing all the stories and learning new songs, and then we leave and feel we could convert the world! Well, Christian was like that too. He stayed with the family for a few days before leaving and they showed him all sorts of wonderful things they had collected over the years. There was a little basket like Moses would have been in when he was a baby, and there were some slings like David would have used when he killed the giant, and a collection of clothes that the priests would have worn in the tabernacle. Just before he left, the girls took him into a large dressing room with a great collection of armour.

‘Now, you must put these on to protect yourself on the road’, they said, ‘Here is the helmet of salvation, and the breastplate of righteousness, and you mustn’t forget to take the sword of God’s Word and the shield of faith’. Christian thought this all seemed too much…’Do I really need all these things?’ he asked ‘Yes, you can’t afford to go without any of them’, the girls told him,  “You never know what you are going to meet on the road’.

    They went down the driveway to the main gate with him and said goodbye as he stepped out onto the road again. Christian looked across the valley and the views were beautiful…there were lovely green fields in the distance and far away over the mountains in the distance he could see a very bright light shining. ‘What is that light away over there?’ he asked as he left. ‘That is the light of the Celestial City where this road ends’, the girls said, ‘That is where the King lives in the mansions He has prepared for His people. You must always keep remembering that is your goal. But first of all the road leads down into this valley and that is where you are going to need your armour, but you must be on your way before it gets any later… goodbye!!’. So Christian headed off down the hill with a light heart and singing one of the songs of Zion as he went.    The further down the hill he went, the darker it got. He forgot the lovely view of the distant mountains, and worse still, he could see a dim figure coming towards him in the fog which seemed to be in the valley. He stopped singing and began to feel afraid. Who was that coming? Then he heard a sweet sound above him…’Don’t be afraid, for I am with you right to the end’.

    He pulled his book out and began to look at it, and this is what he read… ‘the angel of the Lord is round about all those who love Him’.    Christian began to feel better straight away…why should he worry when he could tell the King all about his troubles? He felt a great peace come over him, and he strode along with great purpose.

     Further along, he saw a large fearsome looking creature coming towards him. Somehow he knew this creature’s name was Apollyon. ‘What shall I do?’ he thought, feeling  full of fear. Then the thought came to him…’stand fast and resist the devil and he will flee from you’, so he kept on going firmly, waving his sword as he went. Apollyon started to belch out smoke and make horrid noises, but even though Christian was still afraid, he kept on going. Apollyon lifted his blow gun to his mouth, ready to blow some darts at Christian, but he held his shield up in front of him. Suddenly Apollyon turned and backed off. He knew he was no match for the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit that Christian had.

    The valley was still foggy and dark, but Christian kept going as fast as he could. The track was very narrow and he was afraid of tripping over and toppling into the horrid smelling mud on the side of the path. The thought came to him as he walked along, ‘Even though I go through the valley of the shadow of death, I won’t be afraid, for the King is with me’, and on he went.

   It started to get lighter and he could see plainly, and as he went a little further, he could see someone ahead of him. ‘Hey’, he called, ‘Wait for me!’ The man turned around to see who it was that was calling him, and Christian could see that it was someone from his home town, a man called Faithful. ‘Oh, it’s you Christian!’ Faithful said, ‘I didn’t recognise you under all that armour. Where did you get that?’ So Christian told him all that had happened since he had been travelling towards the Celestial City, and how the foul creature in the valley of the shadow of death had  tried to hinder him as he went. ‘You know, if I hadn’t had this armour to protect me, I don’t know how I would have got on,’ he said, ‘Did you meet anyone as you came along the road?’

‘I sure did’, said Faithful, ‘And they all tried to turn me back. There was Mr. Discontent who was full of complaints about how hard the road was and kept asking why I didn’t go with him and have some fun. Fun! I would sooner carry on to the Celestial City no matter how hard it is.

    Then there was Shame….a miserable looking creature he was! He kept telling me what a shame it was that I had decided to take this road, and how shameful it was to be seen reading my Book. He said it was a shame to sing the songs of Zion and to repent of my sins. I got fed up with him in the end and told him he could go back by himself, I didn’t want to hear his talk any more!’ ” and Uncle Jeff paused for a minute.

“I’ve heard kids at school saying things like that,” Sarah said thoughtfully, “But they are so full of mean things they say about other people, I don’t want to be like them!”

“One boy at school asked if my parents went to parties or ever got drunk, and when I said no, they said, ‘Don’t they ever have any fun?!’ ” said Bobby, “I don’t think they know what REAL fun is!!”

“No”, said Uncle Jeff, “You wouldn’t feel like taking the family fishing on a Saturday morning either if you had a big head after drinking all night would you!” “Yes, we have lots of fun, don’t we?” Betty had to have her say.

Grandma's Stories, Stories for Teens

Pilgrim’s Progress (5)

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                                      Christian’s Next Test.

   ” What happened to Christian while he was going up the steep hill?” Bobby asked the next time he saw Uncle Jeff.

“Well now,” Uncle Jeff said, “he got slower and slower and more tired as he kept going up the hill. Then he saw a summer-house on the side of the road that the King had built for His people to rest in. It had a comfy couch and a couple of copies of the same book that he’d been given at the Cross. Christian sat down thankfully, lay back and opened his book at the place where it described the armour that the King provides for His people. He shut his eyes, and when he finally opened them again, he found it was getting late in the afternoon. He seemed to hear a little voice saying in his mind, ‘Go to the ant you lazy fellow, watch what she does and become wise’. ‘Oh dear,’ said Christian out loud, ‘I’ve wasted nearly a whole afternoon. I’d better hurry and make up time’.

   Suddenly he saw two men racing down the hill towards him looking frightened out of their wits. One was called Scared and the other was Timid. ‘Why are running so fast and where are you going?’ Christian asked. ‘Oh,’ said Timid, ‘we found this way too hard. The further we went, the harder it got. There are even lions in the way!’ ‘Yes’, said Scared, ‘the lions saw us and started to roar, so we turned around and ran away before they grabbed us!’

   Christian began to be afraid after they ran off down the hill. ‘What shall I do?’ he asked himself, ‘Where’s my book? It might tell me what to do’. But he couldn’t find it anywhere. ‘I wonder if it’s back where I went to sleep?’ he thought, ‘I’d better go back and find it’. So he had to go all the way back, and sure enough, there it was where he had been lying down. ‘I’ll have to be more careful’, he thought, ‘and not be too lazy to pick it up next time I stop’.”

“What did that mean?” Bobby asked, “Most of the things in this story seem to mean something”. “That’s right Bobby,” Uncle Jeff said, “It means that we must not be too lazy to have our morning reading each day, or it will get too easy to just forget it altogether”. “I’ve got a book for my morning readings”, Betty piped up. “That’s good “, said Uncle Jeff, “Then you won’t be like Christian who got so frightened when he got a bit further and heard the lions begin to roar. It was getting dark too, and he couldn’t see the way very clearly. The lions roared more loudly, and kept pulling at their chains. Christian ran as fast as he could, keeping to the  middle of the path, and fell down by a gate that he could dimly see in the half light.

    A man came forward to meet him. ‘My name is Watchman’, he said, ‘and I help people through this gate’. He rang a bell, and a young girl came to open it. ‘Here you are Wisdom, take this man and give him something to eat and a bed for the night’. “Yes, Watchman’, she said, ‘and I’ll introduce him to the rest of the family too’. She went ahead of Christian and led him inside. She called her parents, Mr and Mrs. Hospitable,  and her other two sisters, Lovey and Prudence, and said, ‘Here’s a man who is on his way to the Celestial City and he needs a bed for the night’. ‘Oh thank-you so much’, Christian said, ‘but why are the lions on the side of the road outside?’ ‘That’s a test for people coming this way,’ Mr. Hospitable said, ‘Did you see anyone else as you came up the hill?’ ‘Yes, I did,’ said Christian ‘and they nearly persuaded me to go back with them’.

‘You must never do that,’ Mr. Hospitable  said, ‘The King says that those who put their hand to the plough are never to look backwards’. ‘Yes,’ said Lovey, ‘You must always keep on going. The lions can never touch you no matter how much they rant and roar’. ‘That’s right,’ said Prudence, ‘You always have to be watchful and careful, and make sure you read your book every day’. ‘Thank-you so much ,’ said Christian, ‘and thank-you for giving me a bed for tonight too’. ‘We do this for all the Christians that come our way’, said Wisdom, ‘The King has given us this home and we are to share it with others as they need it, and encourage them on their way the next day’.”

   Uncle Jeff got up and stretched. “Well, that’s enough for today”, he said, “We don’t want you to get tired of this story, it has so many great meanings in it. We’ll have more next time”.

Grandma's Stories, Stories for Teens

Pilgrim’s Progress (4)

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Pilgrim’s First Test…..     Sarah came in from school and threw her bag on the floor. “Sarah”, Mum said sternly, “How many times have I told you to put your bag on the counter and unload it before you put it on the floor?” “Sorry Mum”, Sarah said as she picked it up again and started to do as she was told. “When do you think we will see Uncle Jeff again?” “Well, we are going over to his place tomorrow to get some firewood”, Mum said. “Ooh goody”, Sarah said, “I hope he has some time to tell us some more story!” “I thought you weren’t all that interested in it,” Mum said. “Aw, it’s alright”, Sarah said, “Bobby likes listening to it anyway!” Mum smiled to herself as Sarah busied herself putting her things away.

   The next day, the family loaded up their trailer with wood at Uncle Jeff’s place and then went inside for a cup of tea. While the other grown-ups were busy talking in the kitchen, Bobby said to Uncle Jeff, “What happened to Pilgrim after he lost his back-pack, Uncle Jeff?” “Yes, what happened?” Betty piped up. “Well, come and sit down over here, and I’ll tell you some more”, Uncle Jeff said. Sarah quickly came over and sat down beside them.

“Well, you know good things don’t always keep happening to you, especially after something specially good has happened,” Uncle Jeff said, “And this is what happened to Pilgrim. He felt so light-hearted and happy after his back-pack had gone. Somehow he knew that he was different, and that he was already thinking differently. He even told himself that he would call himself by a new name…he would be called Christian from now on.

   While he was walking along quietly singing to himself, he spotted three men lying down asleep on the side of the road. He could see that they were each one chained to a peg there. ‘Hello, my good fellows’, he said cheerfully, ‘why don’t you get up and come with me? I’m going to the Heavenly City and it’s a bit dangerous to be sleeping on the side of the road like this’, and he held out his hand to the first one. ‘What’s your name?’ he asked. ‘My name is Simple,’ the man said yawning, and he rolled over, ‘I can’t see any danger here’, he said and snuggled down again. “Well”, said Christian as he prodded the next man, ‘What’s your name my good fellow?’ ‘My name is Lazy’, he said, “Don’t disturb me, I can’t be bothered moving’.

Christian shrugged his shoulders and went over to the third man whose name was Know-all. He was snoring loudly and Christian had a hard job to wake him up at all. ‘Would you like me to help get the chain off your leg?’ Christian asked. ‘There’re no chains on our legs,’ Know-all said sleepily, ‘There was nothing there when we lay down’. But when he looked down he could see that they were indeed, chained. ‘I think the enemy has done this while you were asleep’, Christian said, ‘Don’t you know that he walks around like a roaring lion, seeing who he can tie up?’ ‘Oh, go away and leave us alone’, the three of them mumbled, so Christian went on his way, not quite so cheerful as he had been before.

   The road was now going past a high stone wall, but Christian’s head was down and he didn’t see two guys climbing up from the other side and balancing on the top of the wall. Suddenly they lost their balance and fell down on top of Christian, knocking him to the ground.” “Silly man”, said Betty, “He should have been watching what was happening!” “That’s right’, said Uncle Jeff, “But sometimes we are like that too, and we don’t watch out for things that can knock us over. Things like something happening to our Mum and Dad’. “Yes”, said Sarah, “That happened to Leila at school last week, her mum and dad were in a car accident and ended up in hospital!”

“What happened then, Uncle Jeff?” Bobby wanted to know. “Christian asked them what they thought they were doing and what their names were.  ‘I’m Double- Minded’, said the first one, ‘and he’s Perfectionist. We’re going to the Celestial City’. ‘So am I’, said Christian, ‘but didn’t you know that you’ve come in the wrong way? There’s only one way to the Celestial City and that’s through the Gate and past the Cross. Anyone who tries to get in any other way is a thief and a robber’. ‘Who do you think you are?’ they asked rudely, ‘Our way is just as good as your’s!’  And they flounced off pushing past him while Christian carried on going up the hill.

   As Christian went over the hill, he saw them at the creek at the bottom on the other side having a drink. He soon caught up to them and had a quick drink before heading on up the road which was called Difficulty. ‘Is that the right way to go?’ called out Double-Minded. ‘It is for me,’ said Christian, ‘because it is the straight and narrow way and it is the way my Book told me to go.’

‘Well,’ said Perfectionist, ‘there’s this other road around the bottom, and I’m going that way’. ‘And I’m going this way,’ said Double-Minded, ‘and we’ll all meet around the other side of the hill’. ‘Well, I hope we do,’ said Christian ,’but I’m sticking to the straight and narrow road’, and he set off up the hill.    Perfectionist set off on his road which was called Danger, and ended up in the middle of a big bush where he got lost and wandered around until he died of hunger and thirst. Double-Minded took the other easy road which was called Destruction and he ended up in a large rocky area where he fell down a cliff face and died from his injuries.

Meantime, Christian carried on up the hill singing a song as he went. And that’s enough for today”, said Uncle Jeff, “I’m wanting my cup of tea now and you’ll have to wait for another day for some more of the story!”

Stories for Teens

Pilgrim’s Progress (3)

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     Bobby was busy setting the table and whistling tunelessly as he did it. “Did Uncle Jeff always like telling stories?” he asked his mother. “I remember when he was little we could never be sure whether he was telling us stories or things that had really happened”, she said, “Yes, he has always liked telling stories”.

After tea was over, Betty grabbed Uncle Jeff’s hand, and said, “Come over here Uncle Jeff, we want to hear more story”. When they were settled down (with Sarah not far away again), Uncle Jeff said, “Well, where did we get up to?” “That man called Smarty-Pants tried to put Pilgrim off”, Betty said. “That’s right”, said Uncle Jeff, “Well, Smarty-Pants still hadn’t finished with Pilgrim and he told him to come and live in the same village of Selfishness where he was. He would be able to just think about himself there and everything would be so easy. Pilgrim thought this was a good idea, and he turned to go there while Smarty-Pants went the other way.

     But the weather started to get dull and it began to rain. Then he could hear thunder begin to rumble. ‘Whatever shall I do?’ he thought as he put his head down and struggled on. ‘Hullo my good man”, he heard someone say, and he looked up to see who it was. It was Evangelist standing there holding a raincoat for him. ‘Here, put this on. What are you doing here?’ he asked, ‘Did you forget that I told you not to leave the trail?’ Pilgrim hung his head in shame. ‘Smarty-Pants said it would be an easier road and that I would lose my back-pack sooner’, he muttered. ‘You should remember what the King says to those who turn away…He says, ‘My soul has no pleasure in them! ‘ ‘Oh, I’m so sorry’, cried Pilgrim, ‘ Is there any hope for me?’ ‘Of course there is’, said Evangelist kindly, ‘There’s the path over there, just follow it to the gate and you will find help there.’

“He was a silly man, wasn’t he?” Betty interrupted, “He should have kept on the right path!” “Shush Betty”, said Bobby, “Let Uncle Jeff get on with the story! Did Pilgrim ever get to the narrow gate?” “Yes, he surely did”, Uncle Jeff said, “And when he got there he saw some writing across the top of the gate. It said: KNOCK AND IT SHALL BE OPENED FOR YOU!

Pilgrim knocked loudly but nothing happened. He lay on the ground puffing with the effort and disappointment, and crying out loud. Suddenly he heard a noise above him and looked up. A man was standing there looking at him lying on the ground. ‘Where have you come from and where do you want to go?’ he asked kindly, ‘My name is Kindness, and I can help you’. ‘Oh Sir,’ said Pilgrim, ‘I have come from the City of Destruction and I’m heading to the Heavenly City. Am I going the right way?’ ‘Yes, you must come in right away’, and he grabbed Pilgrim by the shoulder and dragged him inside the gate.

‘What’s the hurry?’ asked Pilgrim. ‘Do you see that castle over there to the side?’ asked Kindness, ‘That is where the evil Beelzebub lives. He tries to stop people coming through this gate, and shoots small sharp darts at them with poison on their tips to drug them’. Pilgrim looked through the window and saw the castle that Kindness was talking about. ‘Oh thank-you for pulling me to safety!’ he cried. ‘ How can I get rid of my back-pack , it is getting so heavy!’ ‘I can’t do it for you’, said Kindness, ‘you have to go on a little further and you will find how you can get rid of it’ ‘Oh thank-you again’, Pilgrim said as he left and carried on his way. The road was not always easy, and it was very stony in places making him stumble and almost fall. But he kept thinking about getting rid of the back-pack, and having things easier.

   He carried on a little further and around a corner, he could see a small rise with a wooden cross on the top of it. It seemed to glow with a soft light, and he stood still a while looking at it. He could hear a small voice saying in his mind, ‘come to Me and I will give you rest’. Pilgrim put his hands up and went closer to the Cross.  ‘Oh please help me’, he cried, ‘This load is SO heavy, it’s more than I can bear’. Suddenly, the straps on his backpack loosened, and the heavy load went tumbling down the hill, leaving him feeling so light and happy. He felt like a new person, as all the old things he once thought were important were gone, and he had new feelings of peace and joy. He had never felt like this before…he now had a new name as well as new thoughts and feelings and knew that he was going to this new land he had been reading about; in fact, he was looking forwards to it with all his heart.”

“I know what this story is all about now”, Bobby said, “It is telling us how a person gets to be a Christian by telling Jesus we are sorry for our sins and they all roll away”. “That’s right”, said Uncle Jeff, “Do you think this is the end of the story and it is all going to be happy ever after?” “No”, said Sarah from where she had been listening, “Because all sorts of bad things can happen to Christians too. So what happened to Christian after he left the cross?”

“I think we’ve had enough for now”, Uncle Jeff said, ” we’ll think about what’s happened so far in our story and then we’ll have another session next time!” “Thanks Uncle Jeff”, Sarah said as she got off her chair. “Yes, thanks Uncle Jeff”, Betty chimed in as she jumped off the couch beside Uncle Jeff, “Come on Bobby, race you upstairs!”

Grandma's Stories, Stories for Teens

Pilgrim’s Progress (2)

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      The next time Uncle Jeff came to visit our family, Bobby couldn’t wait for story time. As soon as Uncle Jeff came striding down the path, Bobby quickly appeared from nowhere, and Betty just happened to be there too. Sarah heard voices and she quickly came into the room as well.

” I want to know what happened next,” Bobby said.

 Uncle Jeff said, “Where did we get up to in our story?”

Betty quickly piped up and said, “Pilgrim was stuck in the swamp and got covered in mud”.

“That’s right,” Bobby chimed in, “and Pilgrim kept on going, slipping and sliding in the mud. So how did he get out?”

“That’s right, I remember now”, said Uncle Jeff, “Well, as he got to the other side, a man called Help came and pulled him out onto solid ground.

‘Why is this swamp here?’ asked Pilgrim.

‘Well, it’s like this,” Help said, “ People like to think they can get through this swamp by themselves, and they keep throwing all the good things they do into here to make a solid path through it, but nothing works. It just keeps getting more mucky all the time. All the good things that people do, just keep sinking deeper and deeper into the filth. The King has put down stepping stones to get through safely, but most people don’t see them, and they just fall in thinking the good things they do will keep them clean. It doesn’t work,’ said Help.

‘Well, I wondered why it was called the  Swamp of Despair’, Pilgrim said, ‘I nearly gave up, but I’m going to keep going  now you helped me get out’, and he waved goodbye  to Help as he carried on.

      So Pilgrim carried on his journey towards the Light in the distance. His big back-pack seemed to be heavier than ever. Suddenly he saw another person coming towards him. This was Mr. Smarty-Pants and he lived in the village of Selfishness just around the hill out of sight.

‘What are you carrying that heavy back-pack for?’ he wanted to know.

‘I’m going to the little gate beside that Light over there, and they’ll tell me how to get rid of it’, Pilgrim said. ‘Why don’t you take it off yourself?’ ask Mr. Smarty-Pants. ‘I can’t budge it’, said Pilgrim, ‘Nothing I can do will move it’.

‘How did you get this heavy load anyway?’ Mr. Smarty-Pants wanted to know. ‘It came upon me while I was reading this book I have here’, Pilgrim said.

‘Oh, I know all about that’, Smarty-Pants said with a wink, ‘You shouldn’t have been meddling with things that you don’t understand. Who told you to come this way anyway?’ ‘A man called Evangelist’, he replied. ‘He’s a dangerous man that’, said Smarty-Pants, ‘He’s always telling people that there’s only one way to get to the Kingdom. He’s so narrow minded, he doesn’t know what he is talking about! You want to watch out for that Gate… the road through there is so narrow and hard, and there are lions and dragons ready to grab you every step of the way.’ “Anyway, that’s enough story for now,” said Uncle Jeff, “We’ll carry on next time and see if Pilgrim got to the Narrow Gate and what happened then”.

“Oh no”, cried Betty, “I want more now”.

“It’s a long story’, said Uncle Jeff, “and  we don’t want to get tired and miss the important parts of it. It’ll wait….” and he got up and stretched himself, “I think it’s time for a cup of tea, who’s going to put the kettle on?”

Grandma's Stories, Stories for Teens

Pilgrim’s Progress (1)

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“When’s Uncle Jeff coming round again, Mum?” Bobby asked one day after school. “Well, as a matter of fact, he’s coming round for tea tonight”, Mum said. “Oh good” said Bobby, “I wonder if he has any more stories for us!” “You’ll have to ask him when he gets here”, Mum said with a smile, “I’m sure he’ll have something to tell you anyway!” She knew that Uncle Jeff loved telling stories and he was very good at it.    After tea was over, and Uncle Jeff was sitting comfortably on the couch, Bobby went along and snuggled up beside him. “Can you tell us a story please Uncle Jeff?” he asked. “Oh, please”, Betty said and got up on the other side of him. Even Sarah pulled a chair up and pretended she was reading a book, but she was really listening to what Uncle Jeff was telling the others. “Well, it’s like this”, Uncle Jeff said, “I picked up this book that I had when I was little like you Bobby, and I thought that it was a really good story to tell you children next time I came round”. “What’s it called?” Bobby asked. “Well, it’s what is called a parable story”, Uncle Jeff said, “That means it’s an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Here goes….

  ” There was once a man whose name was Pilgrim, who was walking along a road away from his house. He had this huge bundle on his back like a back-pack and he was crying and sighing a lot as he went along. He was reading a book as he went, and it only seemed to make him sadder than ever. ‘Oh, what shall I do?’ he cried out loud.    When he went home to his wife and family, he would wipe his eyes, and blow his nose and try to be cheerful. One day his wife said to him, ‘I know something is bothering you. What are you reading in that book all the time?’ ‘Oh my dear’, he said, ‘ It tells me that dreadful things are going to come on this world, and I don’t know how to be saved from them’. But his wife had seen him like this other times, and she tried to cheer him up.           

One day, he was walking along the road again, when he met a man whose name was Evangelist. ‘This book I’m reading tells me that there are dreadful things going to happen and I’m not ready for them. I want to know how to be saved from them. This back-pack I’m carrying seems to get heavier every time I read this book’.

‘Well, you’d better get ready for this by going to that little gate right over the other side of this paddock. See that light over there? Head straight for it and you will find what to do when you get there. Don’t stop to talk to anyone, and don’t go off the path!’

‘Oh, thank-you so much’, Pilgrim said and set off at a good pace for the light. His wife and friends saw him going and they called out to him, ‘Come back, come back’, but he started to run.

Two of his friends ran after him and tried to get him to turn around. One was called Twisty, and the other one was Obstinate. ‘No, no!’ Pilgrim said, “I’m not going to listen to you. I’ve come from the City of Destruction and I want to find the City of Life where I’ll be safe”.     As he turned to carry on, Twisty said to him, “I’ve a good mind to come with you’, and he started to go with him.

‘Well, I’m going home’, said Obstinate, ‘I’m not going to be seen with you two crack-pots’, and he went back home. ‘Tell me more of what you expect to find’, Twisty said as they carried on.

‘Well it’s a wonderful place’, Pilgrim said, ‘And I know it’s true because the One Who wrote this book cannot tell a lie’. “I know who that is”, Bobby said, interrupting Uncle Jeff, “I bet it is meaning that it’s God!”

“That’s right Bobby”, said Uncle Jeff, and carried on with the story…. “Pilgrim got quite excited as he was walking along talking to Twisty. ‘It’s an awfully long way’, Twisty said after a bit, and he began to slow down. ‘Oh, but it’s worth it when you get there’, said Pilgrim, and he carried on telling him all about what to expect.

The next thing they knew was that the ground had got very wet and slippery and before they knew it, they were up to their middles in a swampy bit of ground. ‘Oh, this is the Swamp of Despair’, Pilgrim said, ‘I’ve heard of it. It’s so easy to caught in this’

‘This is dreadful’ cried Twisty, ‘I didn’t know it was going to be this hard. Yuk!’ and he spat some of the mud out of his mouth. ‘Why didn’t you watch where you were going?’ he snapped at Pilgrim, ‘If I ever get out of this, I’m going right back home!’ He heaved himself out of the slimy mud and splashed his way back to solid ground. ‘You can carry on by yourself’, he called out to Pilgrim, ‘I’m off!’ And Pilgrim didn’t see him again.”

“Why did he give up so easy?” Betty wanted  to know, “I wouldn’t have! I’d have kept going!”

“Well, you see some people don’t like trouble and they go back where they’ve come from when things get hard”, Uncle Jeff said.

“What happened next?” Bobby asked.

“We’ll leave that for next time,” Uncle Jeff said, “I don’t want you to forget the lessons in this part of the story”.

Stories for Littlies

Differences!

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I heard a sermon recently  concerning how all believers are part of the body of Christ, and as such, need to work together in unity…we are to concentrate on the things that unite us, and forget the things that are different. It reminded me of this children’s  story….

    Jack and his sister Sue were squabbling out in the yard. Jack was playing with his new toy truck, and Sue wanted to have a turn. She got very cross when Jack picked it up and ran inside. She followed him and tried to take it from him . “Leave it alone”, Jack shouted, “It’s a boy’s toy! Girls don’t play with trucks! They’re too dumb! They play with silly dolls and things!”   “Mum!” Sue wailed, “I’m  not dumb, am I?” Mum tried to keep the peace. “Of course not,” she said, “But you ARE different to Jack just the same, not silly or dumb, just different! You are both part of our family and we love you both the same. We need you both.”   Sue quietened down and left Jack to his truck while she ran to get her doll. “Not silly”, she thought, “My dolly is the best after all!”     Jack made loud engine noises, and ran his truck around among the cushions on the floor. “Silly girls!” he muttered.

    That night, after Jack had got into bed, he started thinking about what he would do with his truck the next day. His thoughts got fainter and fainter as he drifted into sleep. Suddenly he heard voices. Somehow he knew it was his head talking. It was saying to his feet….. “I don’t need you! I’m the important one! I’m at the top and you are only at the bottom end of Jack!”    “Don’t be silly”, said the feet, “Where would you go without me? But I’m a lot better than the hands, they are only halfway down Jack!”  The hands answered in a high crabby voice, “And what would put the socks and shoes on you if it weren’t for me? Besides, my fingers are a lot longer than your toes!!”    “My toes might be short, but they are just as important as your silly fingers! Remember when my little toe was sore last week? I had to hobble around to save it getting hurt worse!”      “Be quiet!” the head commanded in a loud voice, “I’m getting tired of listening to you fighting! You ALL need each other. And I need you all too. Who would put the food in my mouth if the hands didn’t work? And where would we all go if  the feet didn’t take us? It’s quite true that when one thing hurts, we all hurt with it. Why, I felt that sore toe too when it got hurt. So be quiet, and be satisfied with what you are. We are ALL important, we are just different, that’s all.  And we are all part of Jack!”

     Jack woke up with a start. It seemed so real. His different parts all arguing with each other? How silly could they be! As he snuggled down under the blankets again, he thought how glad he was that he had all those parts and that they all did different things for him. He still remembered that dream the next morning, and then thought how he and Sue had been fighting the day before. Of course they were different! She was a girl and he was a boy. But they were all part of the same family. Perhaps he could let Sue have a turn today.

Grandma's Stories

The Green Sheep!

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   Bobby was jumping up and down with excitement. Uncle Jeff had just pulled into their driveway, and he always had some story to tell. Uncle Jeff was a train driver, and if that were not exciting enough, he always saw the funny side of things that happened on the side of the railway line as he went by. It didn’t take as much concentration as driving on the road, so there was plenty of time to look around as the train chugged along the line.

After Uncle Jeff got settled down with a cup of tea in his hand, Bobby snuggled up to him and said, “How did your train driving go last week, Uncle Jeff?”

“Well”, said Uncle Jeff, “We had quite an eventful week last week. We saw lots of animals near the line in different places”.

“Oh”, said Bobby, “Do tell us about them! What were they? ”

“One day we went past this farm where there was a pond for drinking water at the bottom of the hill. The sheep were all in a mob up near the railway line, so I gave a loud toot on the train whistle as we went past. You know, those silly sheep took fright and went galloping down towards the pond. When they got to it, they split in half and some went one way around it while the others went the other way. But would you believe it, there was one sheep sillier than the rest because it kept going straight ahead and flipped straight into the water! It was so funny to watch”, and Uncle Jeff chuckled as he remembered it all over again.

“Can sheep swim?” Bobby asked.

“Well, we asked ourselves the same question”, Uncle Jeff said, “But you know they can!”

“How do you know?” Bobby asked.

“Well, when we came back, we saw the same mob up near the line again”, Uncle Jeff said, “And this time there was one wet green sheep with them! He hadn’t only gone into the pond, but it was full of green slime and weeds, and the sheep got covered in it all. So he came out a green sheep. Ha,ha”, and Uncle Jeff laughed again at the memory of it all.

“Oh, that WAS funny!” Bobby said, “ What are the other stories?”

“They will have to wait for another time”, Uncle Jeff said as he got up and took his mug out to the kitchen and began to talk to the grown-ups there.

   There’s a moral to this story…..the Bible says we are all like sheep that have gone astray, we have all gone our own way and it’s only the Lord Jesus that can get us out of the mess we find ourselves in. Out of all those sheep that went running down the hill, most of them turned and kept out of trouble. All except for the one that went straight into the pond! That one is just like us when we follow the mob that is running into danger. We have to make sure that we use our head before we lose it, and be careful to keep away from friends who take us to wrong places.