Pockets

April 2010: Grace

“By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Children have a strong sense of what is and isn’t fair, what they do and don’t deserve. But the Christian life is not about what we deserve. Paul’s words to the Ephesians guide us as we consider God’s grace shown to us in the salvation offered through Christ’s resurrection. What are the ways we experience God’s grace on a daily basis? And how do we respond to that gift of grace by extending grace to family members, friends, classmates, strangers, and the world?

Stories: In “Having It All,” Mike is having a tough time. His dad lost his job, and the family had to move to live with an aunt. He’s made a new friend, Doug, who seems really nice. But Doug has everything that Mike wishes he had. Mike makes a bad decision that endangers their friendship, but Doug is willing to give him another chance. In “The Soapbox Derby,” Melinda doesn’t think her little brother’s dream of building a soapbox derby car is very realistic, but she’s willing to help him try. In “Brambleberry Island,” our continuing feature series, Miki is enjoying helping her favorite teacher, who’s on crutches after an accident. But when another student starts helping too, Miki resents it. In “The Montana Kid,” Miles tries to be friendly to a new boy at school. The new kid doesn’t respond, but Miles persists and convinces his friends to join him. In “The Grumblers,” Melanie is stuck with her grumbling parents after the basement floods and Melanie has to cancel her slumber party. When the guests and their parents show up ready to help, the whole family learns a lesson.

Pocketsful of Scripture features readings from the Gospel of John.

Faith Hero: This issue’s faith hero is Corrie Ten Boom.

Where In God’s World? focuses on Egypt.

Coming Up:

May 2010: Cooperation in the Family

Each year our May issue focuses on family life. This particular issue will look at cooperation in the family. What are some of the situations that require cooperation? How does cooperation in our families reflect God’s will for us and for the world we live in? If families are the basic community in which faith is lived and passed on, what do our family relationships say to the world about our faith? In our family issues, we always seek to help children affirm their families, whatever configuration those families might take. This issue might also help children see their families as part of an ever-widening circle of families that includes neighborhood, church, community, and ultimately the world.

June 2010: Peace

Many children live surrounded by violence in their neighborhoods or, perhaps, even in their own homes. Even those who live in safe homes and relatively safe neighborhoods are affected by news and images of conflict and violence in the world around them. What does it mean to be a peacemaker in our everyday lives in such a world? How do we deal honestly and respectfully with those with whom we have genuine differences? This issue will attempt to answer those questions in a practical way, helping children to see that peace on a large scale is possible only as we practice it in our everyday lives.