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”.

Stories for Teens

Pilgrim’s Progress (2)

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. Uncle Jeff was just visiting his young friends again, and Betty said, “You were going to tell us more of that story, Uncle”. That’s right”, he said, “Exactly where did we get up to in it?” “I remember,” said Bobby who had just come into the room, “Weren’t his friends wanting him to come back to them instead of going to the gate in the distance?” “That’s right,” said Uncle Jeff. “Yes, and he was a very worried man,” chimed in Sarah who came in then too, “What happened next, Uncle Jeff?”

  “Well, let’s see,” said Uncle Jeff, “His two 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. “That’s right,” Bobby chimed in, “and Pilgrim kept on going, slipping and sliding in the mud. So how did he get out?” Uncle Jeff carried on, “Well, as he got to the other side, a man called Help came and pulled him out onto solid ground. “What a horrible place that swamp is!” said Pilgrim, “Why is it like that?” ‘Well, it’s like this,” Help said, “People keep throwing all their good deeds in here to make a solid path through it, but nothing works, it all keeps getting more mucky all the time. All peoples’ good deeds 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, it’s well named Swamp of Despair’, Pilgrim said, ‘I nearly gave up, but I’m going to carry on 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.

“What happened then?” 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.” “I guess the lesson this time is that our good works don’t help us when we get to the end of this trip through our life,” Sarah, “We have to trust in Jesus instead”.

“That’s right Sarah,” Uncle Jeff said, “Now I really must go. See you all next time!”

Stories for Teens

Pictures from 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. ‘Why are you so upset?’ Evangelist wanted to know. ‘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”. ‘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.

“I think we’ll leave it there for now,” Uncle Jeff said, “We want to have time for the meaning of it all to sink in, otherwise it will only run  off”. “It seems funny that he ran away at that stage” Bobby said thoughtfully. “Oh, well, we’ll find out what happens next time”, Uncle Jeff said, “It’s time for me to go and talk to the others now”. “Ohhh,” said Betty, “I can hardly wait!”

Random Devotional Thoughts

The Storms of Life

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      We seem to have been attending quite a few funerals in the last few weeks. In each case it has been a man who was taken, leaving his wife to weather the storm that his death was bringing. It reminded me of different times when we too, have been faced with a storm and a decision to make and haven’t known which way to take. Then when things haven’t worked out as we wanted them to, we berate ourselves, saying we have made a mistake.

    But you know, there was a time when the disciples of Jesus were caught in a big storm. They were seasoned sailors and they must have wondered how this came about….why didn’t they see the warning signs? Yet their Master had told them to go across the lake and they had done just what He said. Why then, had this storm come upon them?

      Storms come to us to teach us lessons that we would otherwise never learn. So when the disciples experienced the worst storm of their life, they had been sent across the lake by Jesus Christ. They were experienced fishermen who could read the weather signs and knew how to handle these sudden storms that whipped up the lake surface into a frenzy. Jesus knew all this, and He knew a storm was coming up that would test them to the maximum.  They hadn’t made a mistake that brought this upon them, they were there for a purpose. Remember this….Jesus Christ knows the storm we are in at any given time. He could have stopped the storm coming to the disciples, but He wanted to show them His power. He knows the storm that I may be in right now, but He wants me to go through it so He can show me His power and refine the dross out of my life and strengthen the faith I have in Him.

The Lord speaks to us in these three ways …. In the storm….He comes to us through the storm, walking on the water…”I will never leave you”, He says. Through the storm… He reminds us that He is there with us…”don’t be afraid”, He says, “trust Me”. The storm within you….often when these storms come, they attack us from the inside. We are all in a turmoil because of circumstances beyond our control, and wonder where we are going to turn next.

Don’t be afraid of being afraid….storms always have an end. There will be a period of calm when it is over and then another one may come but because we have proved our Lord’s help with the first one, we have confidence within the next one. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) We cannot stop these storms coming, but we have confidence in the outcome because we have weathered the first one with God’s help!

Remember….He is the Lord of all our storms.

Random Devotional Thoughts

Disaster Strikes

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     We have been going through the book of Samuel in our Bible Study, and there are many lessons to be learned and that we can apply to ourselves. So lets read these thoughts about this passage and apply it ….

As time went by, Samuel was able to reveal God’s word to the people, and all Israel accepted him as he took over Eli’s priestly duties. But things didn’t always go smoothly, and the Philistines began to harass the edges of Israel. We notice this in our own lives….if we neglect God’s Word, the world will begin to creep into our lives and harass us even more…..      The first thing the leaders of the land began to do was to blame God….”Why did God allow this to happen?” they asked. Instead of seeking God’s advice, they did what they thought was a good idea…they went out to battle taking the Ark of the Covenant from its resting place which they should never have done. Eli didn’t like the idea, but had no power to stop them as his sons were the main instigators, going along with it.      

   The trouble was that the people looked on the Ark as some sort of mascot, rather than as God’s resting place….they were merely following a form, rather than having their hearts towards God Himself. This is another thing we have to be careful of….how much do we read God’s Word for ourselves, or do we just open it in church once a week as a matter of form?

    The enemy recognised the Ark as God’s presence and doubled their efforts in battle, eventually overcoming Israel and killing many of them in the process including Eli’s two sons. They also took the Ark for themselves as some sort of magical talisman to add to their collection of idols. The trouble was, that this was exactly all that it was at that time  because Israel had .left God out. of their lives. We need to follow the Lord for ourselves and not just follow a form or ritual for there to be any spiritual strength in our lives. The enemy will have the upper hand in our lives for sure if this is all we are doing.

   The chapter ends in further disaster as when Eli heard the news, he collapsed and broke his neck, and his daughter-in-law went into early labour and died giving birth. So the prophecies that God had given Samuel as a child all came to pass.

When we leave God’s Word out of our lives, We cannot expect to spiritually thrive, God acts for us as we  respond, Following  Him we form a strong bond.

See what God has to say to YOU.