Have you ever had the measles orchicken pox and were so sick that youthought you would never get well?Maybe no one came to see you for fearthat they might catch whatever you had.Maybe you went to a hospital for a longtime. Can you imagine what it wouldbe

Has a friend ever awakened you whenyou were in a deep sleep or interruptedyou when you were working on animportant assignment? How did yourespond? Jesus told a story about sucha situation. Imagine it happened like this.

Have you ever heard a sermon so radical that it made you want to change right away, but it made other people angry?Many in Jesus’ audience had that experience as He finished telling them about the invisible kingdom. Imagine again one of the boys your age

Has anyone ever said anything to youthat made you think differently than you had ever thought before? How did that change your life? Imagine a boy your age being on the mountainside and listening to Jesus.

Have you ever listened to someonetalk about something they did that was very important to them, and caught their enthusiasm? Maybe you said to yourself, I want to do that too someday. Jesus wants each of us to follow His example in bringing the good news

If you have ever doubted that you belong in your family, you may be surprised to learn that Jesus knows how that feels.In this lesson Jesus and the apostle John help set the story straight about family—forever.

Did you ever wonder what to do or which way to go? How helpful would it have been to have had a guide? Inthis story, several people received guidance from God. Try to picture their experiences…

Think of a time you heard some really good news. How hard was it to keep it to yourself? How did you share itwith your friends and family? Read on to find out how angels and shepherds shared the good news they heard.When you have finished the story, think

Think of a time you have been disappointed when plans you made didn’t work out. You might then understand how Joseph felt when he discovered that Mary didn’t appear to be the girl of his dreams. Let’s imagine their conversation.

Think of a time you were chosen for something special. How did you feel? Today in our lesson God sends anangel to tell Mary that He has chosen her above all others to be the mother of His Son. Think of how Mary musthave felt when the angel appeared to her

Imagine yourself being selected to serve as an elder in your local church. How would you handle church members who are not willing to serve God? Let’s find out how “Elder” Nehemiah handled the problems he faced.

Has anyone ever poked fun at you for doing what was right or tried to force you to stop doing it? Have you everfelt discouraged and wanted to give up? That is just how some of the Jews and Nehemiah felt when they were rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem.

Think about a fire drill. Do you think that all the details and practices were a waste of time? Anyone who hasescaped alive from a fire probably doesn’t feel that way about having a well-rehearsed plan to avoid disaster.Let’s continue to visualize Nehemia

Living with people you don’t know very well is not easy. Asking for favors from people you don’t know very well is even harder. Our story this week demonstrates how God gives us the power to serve Him and witness for Him no matter how difficult it may be.

Have you ever felt that you had messed up so badly that things would never be the same again? Did you wonder if there was any hope for the future? Elijah ran from God, asked to die, but ended up going to heaven in special transportation sent just for him.

Have you ever stood next to a busy highway or a building site where there were lots of noisy machines? How easy was it to talk to someone? Did you need to shout or whis- per? Elijah discovered God’s power in both the powerful, loud events and the still, q

Have you ever prayed for something and not gotten an answer right away? That happened to Elijah right after he had experienced an instant answer to prayer—when fire came down from heaven on Mount Carmel. This time, however, he prayed seven times before he

Have you ever had questions about something and then had it proved to you beyond the shadow of a doubt?That’s exactly what God did for the people of Israel, to turn their hearts back to worshipping Him.

What is the longest time you can remember without rain? A week? A month? A couple of months? A year?Close your eyes and imagine what it would be like if no rain came for three years. That is just the situation thatthe people of Israel were facing in the d

Who is your favorite relative? Why is that person special to you? What common interests do you have? What is your favorite memory of that person?

Did you ever have a bad habit that you wished you could break? Did you notice that the more you thought about it, the more it seemed to control you? You may have already discovered that once you admitted to God that you couldn’t handle it by yourself, He

Think of a time a tough situation made you wonder how much God loved you. Maybe it was a hard time at school or in your own home. Joshua faced a rather large problem too.

Have you ever watched the winning team at school and wished you could be a part of it? Did you feel as if you justweren’t special enough to be on it? Can you imagine the feeling of having the captain come up to you and say, “Hey, I want you on my team?”

Do you know someone who has done something so bad to you that you think you could never forgive them? You would rather just ignore them than have to face them.You avoid them and can’t even look at them when you pass by them. How do you think Joseph felt w