Ripples

by Jim Payton

him.”

  “But he is invisible,” confirmed Barbara.

  “In some ways,” agreed Poppa. “You see, my invisible best friend is God. I talk to him every day, sometimes several times a day. He sits in that chair beside you.”

  “Don’t be silly Poppa,” said Barbara. “Talking to God is saying your prayers.”

  “Indeed it is,” agreed Poppa. “But talking is a little bit different to praying. When you talk with a best friend you tell them your secrets, your dreams, your likes and your dislikes.”

  “But that’s prayer,” protested Barbara.

  “Ah,” said Poppa, “but when you have a friend you don’t do all the talking. Your friend talks to you as well. That means you have to stop and listen to your friend. Listen to what they have to say.”

  And you know that is the important thing when you talk to God. You have to listen to what God says back to you, or asks you to do. Sometimes you might hear him speak aloud, even though you will not be able to see him. Sometimes he will speak in other ways; something you read in a bible story might seem like it is God talking to you, or it might be a thought that comes into your head, or it might be something some one says to you. It might be in a dream. You will most often hear God talk when you are sitting very quietly. He has a soft voice and you really have to listen to hear him. Try it and see. When he does speak to you, talk to an adult about what he said. Check with Mum, Dad, Pastor or Sunday School Teacher to be sure that it is God’s voice you are hearing.

  Story 15 Do Not Tell Lies

  Heather and Peter were playing with a basketball. Peter was in bed because he was not feeling very well. To keep him quiet his sister stood in the doorway of the bedroom and threw the ball to him, which he would catch and throw back. This went on until they both started to get bored. As they played, Heather started asking Peter for the use of his cell phone. He got one for his birthday, and Heather was jealous. Peter said 'no.' Heather started to make her throws more awkward for Peter to catch and Peter started making his harder. Surprise, surprise, one of Heather’s throws sent the basketball through the bedroom window. Before the glass had even hit the ground Heather was running down the hall to tell their Mum what had happened. Peter was out of bed and off outside like a shot. As he passed the kitchen, he heard Heather saying to their Mum, “Peter broke the bedroom window.” Peter thought that he would be in trouble. He hid in the family orchard until eventually their Dad came home. Soon he could hear his Dad calling out his name. To Peter he sounded angry. Peter said nothing and eventually darkness fell. Peter was cold as he still had only his pyjamas on. He could hear his parents calling out for him but was scared to answer. He was scared because he thought his Dad would blame him for the broken window, and be angry for him not going to him when called. Peter quietly left the orchard and headed away from the house.

  It turned out that the night was darker than he thought it would be. There was no moon. While he had no idea of where he was going, or what he would do if he got there, he blundered on. Eventually, as he tried to jump across a ditch, Peter fell. He heard quite a loud crack and felt a terrible pain in his left leg. He tried not to cry but the pain was awful. It was impossible for him to get to his feet. As Peter lay in the water, he thought that he would die. Then he heard voices calling his name. They were a long way away but they did not belong to his parents. He tried to call back, but his voice did not seem to go very far. Next, he heard a helicopter and then a bright searchlight found him in the ditch. The voices Peter had heard were the Police and Search and Rescue people trying to find him. He was taken to hospital all wrapped up in blankets and a silver rug especially made to keep him warm. The Doctors put plaster on his broken leg, and treated him for being very cold.

  At the hospital, his Mum, Dad, and sister came to see him. They all told him that he was not going to get into trouble for breaking the window. Peter did not say that he did not break it, but just looked at Heather. She did not own up. For the rest of his life Peter had very little to do with Heather. One day he met some Church people. He went to Church with them a few times and, in due course, he prayed to God asking him to forgive him for not having anything to do with Heather. He said that he forgave her for telling a lie about the window. After that, he felt much better and went to see Heather. He told her that he forgave her for telling that lie and they then became good friends again.

  If you look up Deuteronomy Chapter 5, Verses 20 and 21 in a Bible, you will see that God says you should not tell lies about others, and that you should not want anything belonging to some one else. In the story, Heather told lies about Peter and she wanted what he had, a cellphone. Because of those two things Peter almost died. Verse 16 says that you should respect your Mother and Father and Peter did not do that. So, even though Peter and Heather live today, God knew all those years ago that telling lies and wanting things belonging to others would cause trouble. What this story tells you is that you should never tell lies, not want anything that belongs to others, and always respect you Mum and Dad. If you do those things then your life will be a lot easier than Peter and Heathers life was.

  Story 16 Why Do We Go To Church

  “Come on lazy bones,” said the voice. “Time to get up. Today’s Sunday, and if you don’t get a move on we’ll be late for Church.” Sean recognised his mother’s voice but it would be cold up and he could hear the rain beating against the bedroom window. His bed was warm. Outside would be cold and miserable.

  “I’m sick,” said Sean. “I don’t think I will be able to go to Church.”

  “Tough,” said his mother as she pulled back the blankets. “Up.” Whining and moaning Sean got up, had a really quick wash, where the flannel barely touched the water and did not quite make it to his skin. Cereal and toast were on the table but in an attempt to make his Mum feel bad Sean did not touch them.

  “My tummy hurts,” he said. His mother put the cereal away and the toast went out to feed the birds.

  “At least some of God’s creatures will appreciate your feeding them,” said his mother. As the birds enjoyed the extra food, Sean regretted his stubborn actions.

  “Why do we have to go to Church?” asked Sean. “None of the others at school do.”

  “Whoa,” said Sean’s mother. “Big question young man. Do none of your friends go to Sunday school or Church?”

  “No,” said Sean although he did not know as he had never asked and they have never said. “So why do I have to go?” His mother looked at the clock. If they did not leave now, they would be late. This was important though, and she knew God would rather she dealt with Sean’s question than be on time for the start of Church.

  “Come on Sean,” said his Mum. “Come and sit down. Let’s have a Milo and biscuit while we talk.” They settled down at the kitchen table and in between sips at her Milo, Sean’s Mum talked, while smiling at how her son’s tummy had suddenly become right. “A long time ago Sean there was no earth. There were no birds to feed, no beaches to go to, no parks to visit, no supermarkets to buy food at, and no people. There was nothing. Then God spoke. He spoke for six days. During that time, he made the earth we live on. He made night and day. He made the sun, the moon, and the stars. He made the sea and the dry land. He made plants, fish, animals and birds. Then he made us, humans. It took him all six days to make everything.”

  “Our teacher says it took millions and millions of years to do that,” said Sean.

  “Is that right?” asked his mother. “Well that shows how little he knows.”

  “The books at school say it too,” said Sean.

  “Well,” said his mother. “That is why we go to Church on Sunday. The book we read at Church is called what?”

  “The bible,” replied Sean.

  “Yes,” said his Mother. “The Bible and who wrote the Bible?”

  “God,” said Sean.

  “God,” agreed his Mother. “Some people say the Bible was written by humans, and while to a degree that is true, the words came from God. Numerous attem
pts to prove the Bible wrong have failed. Not only have they failed, but also the longer we live on this earth, and the more information that we gather, the more true the bible becomes. The Bible, our book, has been here longer than the books at school.

  “As I was saying, God made everything in six days and then, says the Bible; he rested on the seventh day and made it a special day. That special day is Sunday and we go to Church to learn about God who made everything and to say thank you for doing that.”

  Story 17 Mums

  The sun was hot. Sweat from my forehead ran down into my eyes and they stung. It did not matter how often I wiped them, they continued to sting. I longed to be back in New Zealand and not in a foreign country where it had taken me so long to learn how to speak the language.

  I was here where the people were a different colour, and lived a different way of life, because life in New Zealand had become impossible. Mum had repeatedly told me to get a different job, to meet a nice girl, to change this, and to do that. To get married to a nice girl and to have children. I felt as though she was trying to run my life. To get away from it all I came to this place in Africa where I lived by taking food to the hungry. In the distance, I could see a tree and headed for it to get some shade from