Kids Talk About God from Creators Syndicate

How Do You Sense God's Presence? (Part 5 of 6) for 02/13/2012

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"I sensed God's presence when he gave me courage to pull my cousin out of a deep ditch with a fishing net, and later that night, I knew God had helped me," says Dustin, age 9.

Good catch, Dustin! Every crisis presents an opportunity to experience God's presence and power.

"I sense God's presence when I am scared because he gives me courage," says Alex, 10.

...

Updated: Mon Feb 13, 2012

How Do You Sense God's Presence? (Part 4 of 6) for 02/06/2012

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"You should always read the Bible when you're bored or don't want to play," says Katy, age 8. "God is always around you whatever you do. If you were sad, God will still be with you."

Most people, and especially children, would never think of reading the Bible when bored or sad. We go for entertainment, recreation or food. Katy, if you can see boredom or sadness as a s ...

Updated: Mon Feb 06, 2012

How Do You Sense God's Presence? (Part 3 of 6) for 01/30/2012

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"I sense God's presence when I pray," says Kaillyn, age 9. "God comes into my heart and gives me the power to lift my heart up and tell him all the things I need."

Who are we trying to fool when we project an attitude of independence? Every breath we take comes by way of God's grace. Everyone is needy. Humble people ask God for wisdom, provision and strength.

S ...

Updated: Mon Jan 30, 2012

How Do You Sense God's Presence? (Part 2 of 6) for 01/23/2012

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"I feel God's presence in school," says Ridge, 7. "I feel God's presence in class."

Ridge, if you can sense God's presence at school in the second grade, you're light years ahead of where I was at age 7.

The presence I recall most vividly is that of the principal trying to decide what form of punishment to inflict upon me for what I considered to be creative be ...

Updated: Mon Jan 23, 2012

How Do You Sense God's Presence? (Part 1 of 6) for 01/16/2012

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"I can sense God's presence through my little brother," says Cole, 10. For many with little brothers, sensing God's presence through them would be a most unusual phenomenon. But all things are possible with God.

Cole has more: "When I am bored, I can sense God in my mind talking to me. He makes me relax. When I'm in church, I sing to the Lord. He makes me feel like I alway ...

Updated: Mon Jan 16, 2012

How Does God Guide You in Making Hard Decisions? (Part 3 of 3) for 01/09/2012

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"When my mom told me to clean my room, I asked God, and He said 'Yes!' Then, I did it. I thank God," says Christian, 8.

Christian, I'm so glad you didn't hear "No." If you had, I'm sure you would have heard something from your mama. You can be fairly certain that God will not override your mom's orders to clean your room (Ephesians 6:1).

"Imagine Jesus sit ...

Updated: Mon Jan 09, 2012

How Does God Guide You in Making Hard Decisions? (Part 2 of 3) for 01/02/2012

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"One of the decisions was what kind of ice cream I wanted, strawberry or vanilla," says Christen, 11. "That is a hard decision for me. I really don't know how God showed me the sign, but I picked strawberry."

Christen, are you writing from Earth? This sounds like a decision from heaven. If all of life were filled with these kinds of decisions, we would all be happy . ...

Updated: Mon Jan 02, 2012

How Does God Guide You in Making Hard Decisions? (Part 1 of 3) for 12/26/2011

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

"I talk to him and ask him what to do and what college to go to," says Abraham, 8. "God helps me make a decision like if I should hit my brother."

Decisions, decisions. If you'd like to enter college in one piece, you would be wise to refrain from hitting your brother. Hit mine instead. Just kidding.

"One day I wanted to beat up my sister, but God told me ...

Updated: Mon Dec 26, 2011

What Can We Learn About Christmas From the Song of Mary? for 12/19/2011

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

"The rich are empty and the poor are wealthy," says Laney, 9.

We don't normally think of the rich as being empty and the poor as being wealthy. But that's what Mary said or sang to her cousin Elizabeth after she was told she was blessed among women because of the child she would bear.

"He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty,&q ...

Updated: Mon Dec 19, 2011

How Do You Know God Hears You When You Pray? for 12/12/2011

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

"God doesn't only have one phone line," says Avery, age 10. Apparently, Avery has never heard a busy signal when praying.

We've all experienced the unavailability of important people. We may think God is too busy to listen to the details of our lives, but God is the perfect father. He takes special delight when his children come to him in prayer.

Even when President Kenn ...

Updated: Mon Dec 12, 2011

How Can God Be Everywhere? for 12/05/2011

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

"I think God can be everywhere because he can look at everybody from the sky," says Kate.

"God has angels everywhere to help him be everywhere," says Emilee, 8.

Friends, I believe you're trying to confine God to the space of his creation. Instead, imagine dipping a cup in the ocean. Let the water in the cup represent the entire universe. Now, compare the water ...

Updated: Mon Dec 05, 2011

Why Does God Perform Miracles? for 11/28/2011

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Miracles are big business today. If you have any doubt, type the word "miracle" into your favorite online search engine.

My personal favorite is "The Cat Miracle Diet" website. This diet promises the same lean, svelte figure as most cats. By dining on lizard tails, blades of grass and moths, "you'll find that you not only look and feel better, but you will have a ...

Updated: Mon Nov 28, 2011

Why Did God Command Us Not to Lie? for 11/21/2011

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

"The first lie detector was made from Adam's rib, and it hasn't been improved on since," writes humorist James Hefley.

According to Heather, age 11, there's a more accurate lie detector: "Your conscience will bother you. You think nobody knows, but God knows. So you shouldn't lie."

How do you know when your conscience is speaking? Nicole, 9, says, "When yo ...

Updated: Mon Nov 21, 2011

How Can You Give Thanks In Everything? for 11/14/2011

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

"Let us be thankful for the fools," wrote Mark Twain. "But for them the rest of us could not succeed."

Is there more to thankfulness than this rather cynical view expressed by one of America's most beloved humorists?

Yes, say a cadre of kids with some rather remarkable ways to apply the apostle's mandate to give thanks in everything.

"When I broke m ...

Updated: Mon Nov 14, 2011

Is Life an Accident? (Part 2 of 2) for 11/08/2011

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

"I would tell people to look at all the beautiful things around you: the birds, the trees, the sky, flowers and your family. How could such beautiful things be caused by an accident?" asks Anna, age 9.

Design demands an intelligent designer. If you found a functioning mechanical hand, would you think that it had come about by accident or design? Why should you think any differe ...

Updated: Tue Nov 08, 2011

Is Life an Accident? (Part 1 of 2) for 10/31/2011

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Editor's Note: Carey Kinsolving is off. The following column originally was published in 2007.

"If life were an accident, why would we be here on the Earth?" asks Jenna, age 6.

The "why" question is what separates humans from animals and other living things. Animals don't ask "Why?" They don't question their destiny or pose existential q ...

Updated: Mon Oct 31, 2011

How Big Is the Love of God? for 10/24/2011

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

"God's love is so big, almost nobody can explain it," says Jamie, age 8. "It's bigger than 999,999,999 gallons of chocolate milk. No one really knows how big his love is, but all I know is that he loves us no matter what."

We're so used to conditional love that it's difficult even to imagine a God who loves us unconditionally. Human love is often evoked by appealing o ...

Updated: Mon Oct 24, 2011

If You Were King or Queen of the World, What Would You Do? for 10/17/2011

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

"I would be normal, and if someone did something wrong, I would send him to the dungeon," says Claire, age 6.

Yikes! Claire, if you consider the dungeon normal punishment for bad behavior, dare we ask what you would do for a serious crime? Perhaps, you've seen too many movies set in medieval times.

"If I were queen, everybody would serve God, or they would go to jai ...

Updated: Mon Oct 17, 2011

What Is Hope? for 10/10/2011

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Before we look at what my friends have to say about hope, consider this newspaper ad: "Hope chest: Brand new, half price, long story."

Instead of a long story, try a long time, says Megan, age 7: "I think hope is when you wish for something to go a certain way, and sometimes you have to wait for a long time."

While Megan waits, Richard, 9, gets another at bat: ...

Updated: Mon Oct 10, 2011

Why Is Forgiveness So Important? for 10/03/2011

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

"Because you're 6 years old," says Jessica, 6. Whether you are 6 or 60, everyone needs forgiveness.

"I don't know what that is, but my mom and dad do," says Trey, 6. I'm glad for your mom and dad, Trey, but I hope by the end of this column, you'll know what it is, too.

"Forgiveness is important because everyone makes mistakes," says Erike, 10. "I ...

Updated: Mon Oct 03, 2011