Check out the “Weekly Memory Munchie” with free printable scripture note cards below to cut out and memorize. Click the download button, print, and post on your mirror, fridge, around your house, or add to lunch boxes. Keep an eye out for next week’s “Weekly Memory Munchie” that we will be posting each Sunday .
*Need a pop of prayer? Head on over to our Prayer Pop page here and leave a comment in the section below. We would love to lift you up!
Check out the “Weekly Memory Munchie” with free printable scripture note cards below to cut out and memorize. Click the download button, print, and post on your mirror, fridge, around your house, or add to lunch boxes. Keep an eye out for next week’s “Weekly Memory Munchie” that we will be posting each Sunday .
*Need a pop of prayer? Head on over to our Prayer Pop page here and leave a comment in the section below. We would love to lift you up!
Jessy looks for Peyton at the bus stop on her first day of junior high. Peyton and Jessy have been friends since kindergarten, but Peyton spent most of the summer making new friends at soccer camp. Jessy boards the bus hoping to see her friend on the first day of school. Truth is, Jessy hasn’t heard much from Peyton since she returned from camp.
At school, Jessy closes her locker and turns to head to her 1st-period class. She sees her friend, Peyton, walking toward her with a large group of girls. Jessy waves and says, “Hey Peyton,” loudly. Jessy knows that Peyton can hear her, but she walks by as if she doesn’t even know her. A lump forms in Jessy’s throat as a rock sinks in her stomach. She fights back tears as she doesn’t want to be seen crying on her first day of school in the middle of the hallway.
At lunch, Jessy again sees Peyton with the same group of girls sitting at a large table in the middle of the cafeteria. She walks up to Peyton this time so that she is standing on her right side. She has to hear me now, she thinks. “Hey Peyton, can I sit with you?” Jessy asks. Peyton turns toward her, looks her up and down, then returns to talking to her new friends as if Jessy isn’t even standing there. This time the tears cannot be held back. Jessy slams her lunch tray down in front of Peyton and runs off crying. She can’t understand what happened to her friend and why she is acting like this.
When the last bell of the day rings, dismissing the kids from school, Jessy can’t wait to get home. She rushes to her locker, grabs her backpack, and moves quickly to the school bus pickup. When Jessy boards the bus, to her surprise, she sees Peyton sitting by herself toward the back of the bus. Jessy really wants to ask her old friend what is going on. She begins to make her way toward Peyton who then slides to the end of her seat so that Jessy can’t sit next to her. Peyton looks out the window as if Jessy doesn’t exist. Giving up, Jessy sits in her own seat staring out her own window in disbelief. I can’t believe Peyton cares more about being cool than she does about our friendship, she thinks.
After getting off the bus, Jessy rushes home. “Jessy!” she hears from behind her. Through misty eyes, she sees Peyton rushing toward her. Surprised, she says, “Peyton? You can see me? I thought I was a ghost or something.”
“I’m so sorry, Jessy. I don’t know what came over me. I’ve been so wrapped up in trying to be cool with these new friends I made at soccer camp this summer that I thought they wouldn’t like me if they knew we were friends. But I’m so sorry, Jessy, I don’t care what anyone else thinks. What’s really important is the friendship we have. And besides, if they get to know you, I know they’ll love you. If they don’t, their loss! I really do apologize. I haven’t been a very good friend lately. If you acted like I have, I would be just as hurt. Still friends forever?” “Forever!” Jessy replies.
Jessy and Peyton embrace and everything seems like it is back to normal, the way it should be. The next day at school, Peyton introduces Jessy to all of her new friends. Jessy sits with them at lunch every day going forward.
Weekly Bible Verse: Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. -John 15:13 NIV
Note to nibble: Be kind to one another and don’t get so wrapped up in yourself that you forget about others.
Need a new spot to jot your thoughts about your daily Bible reading? Connect with God in your quiet time while sipping a lovely cuppa Java and using our free printable “Jesus, Jottings, and Java” page. Click download below and start your morning off right, in prayer and in His presence.
You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. -Psalm 16:11 NIV
*Need a pop of prayer? Head on over to our Prayer Pop page here and leave a comment in the section below. We would love to lift you up!
**For our other “tangible takeout”, take a peek here.
Check out the “Weekly Memory Munchie” with free printable scripture note cards below to cut out and memorize. Click the download button, print, and post on your mirror, fridge, around your house, or add to lunch boxes. Keep an eye out for next week’s “Weekly Memory Munchie” that we will be posting each Sunday .
*Need a pop of prayer? Head on over to our Prayer Pop page here and leave a comment in the section below. We would love to lift you up!
On the drive home from church, Josie’s mom says she needs her to try on the new dress she made for her end-of-the-school-year dance. Her older sisters, the triplets, or “gruesome 3-some” as she sometimes calls them, grumble under their breath as if angry and jealous that Josie’s mom made her a beautiful dress of many colors for the dance.
“Girls, remember, I made you three dresses for your end-of-year seventh grade dance too,” mom reminds them. The three girls mumble their “oh yeahs” and “okays” as they stare at their shifting feet. Josie can tell they are still a little upset, but she focuses her energy on the excitement she feels inside instead of the negativity inside their family minivan.
The following weekend, Josie goes to the mall with her sisters to help them pick out their dresses for the dance. One by one, they try on each dress from the pile they manage to bring into the dressing room. Madison tells Josie to have some fun and try on the dresses with them. Sadie hands her a ravishing blue dress that Brooklyn says really brings out her eyes. Standing in front of the full-length mirror, the triplets tell Josie how stunning she looks.
“I think you should wear this dress to the dance,” says Sadie.
“Absolutely,” replies Madison, “let’s go pick out some shoes!”
“I’ll do your hair and makeup,” Brooklyn adds. “You’re going to win the best dress contest with this one for sure!”
“I just don’t know,” Josie responds. “Mom spent a lot of time making me a beautiful dress for the dance. I’m just here for you guys.”
“Trust us,” the triplets state in unison.
“Keep it at school and change once you get to the dance. Mom will never know.”
At bedtime, the triplets plot in their room how they are going to lure Josie to the bathroom and ruin her new blue dress. Not only will Mom not know she’s going to change dresses, but they will destroy her chance at winning the best dress contest. The “gruesome 3-some” giggle themselves to sleep at the thought of driving a wedge between Josie and their mom while making her look like a fool in front of the whole school.
The night of the dance, Josie changes out of the dress her mom made her and puts the hand-made dress in her locker. Wearing the blue dress her sisters talked her into wearing, she makes her way to sign up for the best dress contest. Sadie stops Josie in the hall and says Madison and Brooklyn need help with their dresses in the bathroom. The three sisters push her into an open stall, throw fruit punch on her dress, and rip the sleeves off of it. “Good luck at the contest,” they say, laughing as they exit the bathroom.
Crying in front of the mirror, Josie fixes her hair and wipes the streaked makeup from under her eyes and cheeks. Just then, her best friend Katie walks into the bathroom. Josie tells her what happened. Katie runs to Josie’s locker and grabs the colorful dress her mom made her. She returns it to the bathroom where Josie changes into what she thinks she should have worn in the first place. “I can’t believe I let them talk me into changing out of the dress my mom worked so hard to make and then they treated me like that,” Josie said through welled-up eyes.
“That’s gotta really hurt coming from your sisters, Josie. Just know, they are totally jealous of this gorgeous dress. It’s one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen, with such soft pastel colors. I can’t believe your mom made this,” Katie encourages. “Now let’s go sign you up for that dress contest. I guarantee you’re going to win! And let’s make sure we turn this night into one we won’t forget!”
“Thank you, Katie! I don’t know what I would have done tonight without your help.”
Weekly Bible Verse: Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. -1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV
Note to Nibble: The plans of the noble will always win out in the end.
Today’s “Bite-sized Bible Bit” is about your forever friend, Jesus. We hope you listen and find some encouragement for the week!
You are my friends if you do what I command.
-John 15:14 NIV
No matter what you are facing, Jesus is right there with you. He is the One friend you can call on and count on through thick and thin, forever and always.
*Need a pop of prayer? Head on over to our Prayer Pop page here and leave a comment in the section below. We would love to lift you up!
Maybe you are going through a challenging trial or facing a mountain only God can move. Whatever you are up against, we’d love to pray for you. There is power in prayer! Check out our Prayer Pop page here, leave a comment on that page in the section below, and we will be sure to lift you up!
but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. -Psalms 66:19 NIV
Oakley and Piper are homeschooled sisters who live on their family farm. The duties involved with living on a farm can almost be a full-time job at times. With long days of focusing on their studies, their added chores are often tiring.
One morning, Oakley is feeding the horses when she hears the chickens clucking behind her humming, like trying to bring a beat to her song. Her sister, Piper, is not a morning person. Getting her to feed the chickens in the morning is a chore in and of itself. Oakley decides to gather the eggs and feed the chickens to help her sister out. Won’t she be surprised when she smells the breakfast eggs cooking while she still fights to get out of bed, Oakley thinks.
As expected, Piper comes downstairs to the smell of eggs with a look of confusion on her face. “I fed your chickens too,” Oakley says, while sliding sunnyside eggs onto a plate with buttered toast.
“What’s going on, it’s not even my birthday,” Piper exclaims.
“I was feeding the horses and just thought I would help you out this morning,” Oakley says.
“Thank you very much, Oakley – that was super sweet of you!”
“Well, God says to treat others the way you want to be treated,” Oakley states, remembering their Sunday school lesson from last weekend. They both get on with their day, and begin working on different subjects.
A few days later, Piper is the first to finish school because Oakley is working through a very difficult geometry lesson. “Great, you’re already done? I’m going to be at this lesson for another hour,” Oakley says to Piper as Piper pushes on her cowgirl boots.
“That’s too bad, I’ll be done with my chores by then. I guess I’ll see if Maizy next door wants to go for a trail ride since you won’t be done anytime soon,” Piper says.
“Or you could help me out with my chores so we can be done at the same time and all go for a trail ride together?” Oakley suggests.
“I’m not mucking out your half of the stalls,” retorts Piper.
“How about if you muck the stalls, I’ll dump the wheel barrel?” offers Oakley.
“How about the last one to finish mucking the stalls dumps the wheel barrel? Oh wait, guess that’s you, bye!” calls Piper as she slams the door behind her.
After school, Oakley walks out to the barn to see a half-full wheel barrel of horse manure, her horses unfed, stalls not cleaned, and Piper’s horse gone. Saddened, Oakley begins mucking the stalls and feeding the horses. After dumping the wheel barrel, she tacks up her horse and makes her way to the trail only to see Mazie and Piper already returning from their ride.
“What took you so long?” called out Mazie.
“I was doing my geometry lesson and it was very difficult today. I asked Piper to help with my chores so I could ride with you two, but she didn’t feel like helping me, I guess,” Oakley replies disappointedly.
“Next time just text me, I can help you with geometry or your chores, Oakley. Don’t forget that math is my best subject and my mom says that service is my second best,” Mazie says with a chuckle.
“That’s really sweet of you, Mazie. I really appreciate that!”
“I’m sorry Oakley, I should have helped with your chores today,” said Piper regrettably. “You did my chores the other morning because you knew I was having a hard time getting out of bed, but I didn’t help you when you needed my help. How about I do your afternoon chores tomorrow so we can all go for a trail ride together?”
“I would love that,” Oakley and Mazie said in unison. The three girls laughed as they brushed their horses.
Weekly Bible Verse: Do to others as you would have them do to you. -Luke 6:31 NIV
Note to Nibble: With kindness and a heart of service for God, help those in need.
Today’s “Bite-sized Bible Bit” is about avoiding mind traps to keep your thought life healthy so you can do God’s will. We hope you listen and find some encouragement for the week!
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. -Ephesians 2:10 NLT
Whatever is pure, whatever is true, whatever is lovely, think about these, while being a God-pleaser. And, keep your eyes on the One who created you, so you can do what God made you to do.
PhillFamily Ministries 