Monthly Archives: October 2024

Stories for Teens

Christian’s (Pilgrim’s) Progress (Part 8)

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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 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 these kids 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!” “We have lots of fun, don’t we?” Betty had to have her say.

Stories for Teens

Christian’s (Pilgrim) Progress  (Part Seven)           

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

“Well now,” Uncle Jeff said as he settled down in the easy chair, “Let’s see…..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”.