Entry Number: 67

Location: Ventureville, USA 

Subject Explored: Being Zealous for God  

"I still can't believe you gave Tat Shing my Bible. That's huge, Addison. Way, WAY huge!" Adeline gushed.

"Yeah," I shrugged. "But Tat Shing and I have both changed a lot since our first meeting in the Forbidden City. Just goes to show how much God can change a life. And how big He is for being able to change both of us at the same time."

"What about Jai An? What's she like?"

"Well, her name means "peaceful heart" and it fits her pretty well. She's sweet and calm... unlike you today. Stop bouncing on the bed!" I lunged to grab my kid sister.

Adeline giggled and leaped to the floor with a thump, swerving safely out of my reach. "Sorry, Ad, I'm just so excited that my Bible is part of the Chinese church."

"And all those other Bibles you sent," I reminded her. "Pastor Li's church couldn't thank you enough."

"I'm just glad I could help," Adeline smiled. "Which reminds me... I did some reading while you were gone and-"

"Adeline, no."

"But, Ad-"

"No more adventures right now," I insisted. "I need to go back to ANM and sort some things out."

"Yes! I'm sooo there."

I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it again. I had no excuses, and Adeline has the travel bug as badly as I do. What can I say? It's in our blood. "All right. We better tell Mom that I'll be picking you up tomorrow."

"Sweet. But like I was saying... there are these starving kids in Africa who-"

"Adeline, you cannot possibly feed all of Africa."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ad," Adeline giggled. "of course I know I can't feed all of Africa. So I was thinking we'd start with Kenya. Or Liberia. But then, Ethiopia is always a good choice..."

Oh brother. Here we go again.

What does the word zealous mean exactly? It means having great energy or enthusiasm for a cause - like sending Bibles to Christians on the other side of the world. God has called us to be zealous for the things that are important to Him. He has called us to be eager to do the good works that will share His love and promote His message of salvation to everyone we meet. So, let's get busy sharing God's love - in everything we do!

Before class, prepare several slips of paper listing things that kids get easily excited over (birthday parties, playing with friends, a new toy, etc.) Then list things that they might not be so "zealous" about (washing dishes, sharing their new toy with their brother, doing homework, etc.) Place all the slips of paper in a bag or container. 

During class, have kids take turns drawing out a slip of paper and reading it as they show excitement over what it says. Discuss: Was it easier to get excited about some of the things than it was for others? Why? (We get excited over things that we enjoy doing; things that are for us; things that make us feel good, etc. Sometimes it's not so easy to be excited about doing things that serve others; things that require unselfishness or work; things that are not "fun" for us; etc.) How do you think God wants us to respond to all of these things? (Be excited about helping and serving others as much as - or even more than - we get excited about things that are for us.)