Back and forth the sailors swung Jonah's body. Then they let go. Jonah sailed through the air and - splash! He hit the water.

If Jonah thought that was the end of his life on earth, he was wrong. In all that huge sea of swirling waves, God had sent a huge fish to be at the right place at the right time. The fish's mouth was as big as a door. The moment Jonah started to sink, the massive sea creature opened its mouth and swallowed Jonah.

Jonah was inside the big fish for three days and three nights. Then the fish did what God told it to do - it swam close to shore and spat Jonah out on dry ground. God still had plans for Jonah and Jonah was now beginning to learn that it's a good idea to obey God.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You don't give up on us, even when we disobey You. Amen.

The sailors didn't want to do it. Still, Jonah insisted. 'God sent this great storm because I am running away from Him,' he said. 'God told me to go and preach to Nineveh. I hate that city! I hate those people. I'm on this boat because it was going in the opposite direction.'

'We don't want to throw you overboard,' the sailors cried. They swung their buckets, trying to bale the water out of the boat. It was no good. The storm got worse.

'It's my fault. Throw me over,' Jonah insisted.Finally, the sailors did it. They threw Jonah into the sea. And that was the end of the storm.

But it wasn't the end of Jonah. God had lessons that His disobedient servant had to learn. Jonah was learning the hard way.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You control the sea, the storms - and the lives of Your children. Amen.

Excited, Billy came bouncing into the house.

'You know what, Mom? Bruce brought his pet rabbit to school today. The teacher let him tell us all about how to feed and take care of it. It was cool. Can I have a rabbit, Mom? Can I? Can I? Please?'

'Bruce told you all about how to look after a rabbit?' Mom asked.  'Like you would have to clean the rabbit's cage and give it water and food every day?'

'Yea. That's right. Every day. If you let me have a rabbit, I will take care of it  - I will, I promise.'

'I'll talk to Dad.'

Next morning, Billy got up early but  Dad had already left for work. 'Mom, did you talk to Dad?'

'Yes,' Mom replied. 'Dad said that looking after a rabbit might teach you about taking responsibilities.'

When he got the rabbit, Billy looked after it faithfully - for about a week. Then Mom had to remind him, or Dad had to remind him. By the end of the first month, Mom did most of the looking after.

'Mom, where is my rabbit? I checked the cage. It isn't there.'

'I sold it.' Mom looked stern.

'Mom, that was my rabbit!'

'You didn't keep your promise to look after it.'

'I did too!'

'Then why are you asking me about it today? I sold the rabbit two weeks ago.'

Billy trudged out of the house and slumped down by the picnic table. He knew Mom was right. He hadn't done what he'd said he would do. Billy didn't know if he should cry or be angry at himself.

Billy had learned a hard lesson.

Jake Peters, Winnipeg, Canada

Prayer: Dear God, please help me to always keep my word. Amen.

Billy's dad planned to make a birdhouse. He took pieces of wood and cut them carefully. Then he nailed and glued them together. When the birdhouse was finished, he painted it in bright colors to attract the birds.

Billy was impressed. 'That's just like how God made the world,' he told his dad. 'Before, there was no birdhouse. Now, there it is. You made it.'

Billy's dad laughed. 'Not quite like God,' he said. 'I had to find the wood and glue and nails and paint before I made the birdhouse. When God made the world, there was nothing to make it with. God made the world out of nothing. Only God can do that.'

'How could God do that,' Billy wanted to know.

'It's beyond our understanding,' Dad said, 'but it shows us how wonderful God is.'

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You are the great Creator and my Heavenly Father. Amen.

Uncle Derek couldn't wait to tell his story.

'I went fishing today, by the canal,' he burst out.

Billy interrupted. 'That's a No Fishing Zone. It's wrong to fish there.'

'But what do you think I caught?' Uncle Derek didn't want to talk about the No Fishing Zone.

'Let's see. A whale? A mermaid? A submarine?'

'Get serious.' Uncle Derek shook his head. 'I'll give you a clue. It wasn't anything in the water.'

'I know! A tree. You didn't catch anything - a tree caught your hook.'

'Wrong.' Uncle Derek chuckled. 'I put bait on my hook, and cast the line. When the hook was sailing through the air, a big seagull swooped down and swallowed it. I caught a seagull.'

'Did it manage to get unhooked?' Billy asked.

'Yes. After it twisted and turned and snarled my line into knots. I wasn't able to fish anymore,' Uncle Derek told Billy.

Uncle Derek fished where he wasn't supposed to - and caught something he didn't expect.

Prayer: Dear Lord, please help me not to do things that You don't want me to do. Amen.