Monthly Archives: September 2024

Stories for Teens

Christian’s (Pilgrim) Progress (Part seven)

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                                                            Christian’s Next Test.

     The fire was crackling, and the curtains pulled, as the family heard Uncle Jeff’s car coming up the drive. “Ooh, goody!” cried Betty, “Here’s Uncle Jeff, now we can have more story tonight!” “Now,” said Dad, “Don’t go pestering him as soon as he comes inside, he has to have a break first.”     So after Uncle Jeff had been talking grown-up talk with Dad for a while, he said, “I guess you want more story, Betty!” “Ooh, yes please Uncle Jeff,” Betty cried, and Bobby echoed her too. So they all settled down in front of the fire, along with Sarah and Mum and Dad this time too. “Can you remember where we got up to?” Uncle Jeff asked. “There were those three men asleep on the side of the track, and they were too lazy to move,” said Bobby. ” What happened to Christian while he was going up the steep hill?” Bobby asked.

“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’.

   So he set off again, feeling rested and refreshed. After going for a while, 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 interrupted, “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 because they are chained at the side of the road’. ‘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”.

Stories for Teens

Christian’s (Pilgrim) Progress (Part Six)

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    The fire was crackling, and the curtains pulled, as the family heard Uncle Jeff’s car coming up the drive. “Ooh, goody!” cried Betty, “Here’s Uncle Jeff, now we can have more story tonight!” “Now,” said Dad, “Don’t go pestering him as soon as he comes inside, he has to have a break first.”     So after Uncle Jeff had been talking grown-up talk with Dad for a while, he said, “I guess you want more story, Betty!” “Ooh, yes please Uncle Jeff,” Betty cried, and Bobby echoed her too. So they all settled down in front of the fire, along with Sarah and Mum and Dad this time too. “Can you remember where we got up to?” Uncle Jeff asked. “There were those three men asleep on the side of the track, and they were too lazy to move,” said Bobby.

   “That’s right,” said Uncle Jeff, “Well, Christian carried on walking along the track, and soon found himself going along beside a high stone wall.  He was busy thinking  as he walked along with his head down,  and 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 yours!’ And they flounced off pushing past him and going on 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 forest 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, not knowing what had happened to the other two.

And that’s enough for today”, said Uncle Jeff, “It’s time I went home and we’ll carry on with the story next time!”

Stories for Teens

Pilgrim’s Progress (Part Five)

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    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 cheerfully as he had been before.

“So, what happened to them in the end?” Bobby asked. “They just stayed where they were and never did get to the Heavenly City, I suppose”, said Sarah. “What lesson do you get out of that Bobby?” Uncle Jeff said. “It doesn’t pay to be lazy and never get around to doing anything about these sort of things,” Bobby replied. “That’s right Bobby,” said Uncle Jeff, “And we have to remember these things and make sure that you DO something about them. But I think that had better be enough for today, as your Mum and Dad will be wanting to get back home with all this wood!”

  

Grandma's Stories, Stories for Teens

Pilgrim’s Progress (4)

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“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, Uncategorized

Pilgrim’s Progress (3)

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Still on the way to Losing the Back-Pack

     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?” “ Pilgrim wanted to get rid of his back-pack but he didn’t know how to”, Bobby said. “That’s right, I remember now,” said Uncle Jeff and he carried on with the story.

Pilgrim’s  heavy 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.’

  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!” “Yes, he should have,” uncle Jeff said, “We can learn a lesson from this for ourselves, and that is to never give up staying on the right road even if it DOES seem harder than the other ways”.