When it rained on the farm, Robert and his twin brother Ralph had time to play. One of the games they played was this. They took two ordinary soup cans, washed them, tore off the labels and made a little hole right in the bottom end of the can. (Mother had already removed the top end.) The boys then slipped a long piece of string through the hole to connect the cans. It worked like a simple telephone.

When Robert went inside the barn, pulled the string tight and whispered into one can, Ralph could hear him across the yard when he put the other can up to his ear.

The tin-can telephone is pretty simple. Just a bit of fun - but it reminds us of something greater. No, not just the wonder of cell phones or phoning somebody from a jet plane or even messages coming to us from astronauts far out in space. Something far greater. It's the miracle of prayer. You and me talking to God from anywhere - and God hearing us in heaven.

Any one of us can pray to God in Jesus' Name - and God hears us. Wow!

Have you talked to God today?

Prayer: Dear Father God, thank You that if we call to You, You will answer. Amen.

After Rick finished painting the wooden fence posts, they looked great. A couple of days later, Uncle Bill phoned.

'You didn't notice anything wrong with the fence posts, Rick?'

'No,' Rick replied. 'Why?'

'Because I leaned on one today and it toppled over. So I checked the others - termites have eaten out the inside of every post.'

'I didn't see anything,' Rick insisted.

'I'm sure you didn't,' Uncle Bill told him. 'You don't see termites. They burrow into the wood and chew away until the inside is rotten and weakened. I have to replace every one of them. Are you up for some more painting?'

'Sure, Uncle Bill,' Rick agreed. 'But these posts looked so good when I painted them.'

'They looked good because we only see the outside. It's like what God says about our hearts, Rick. We can look good on the outside but hey, inside, the termites of sin are chewing away.'

'I guess it takes more than a coat of paint to clean up our hearts, Uncle Bill.'

'Sure does, Rick. When we believe on Jesus, God takes all our sin away and gives us a brand new heart. God works from the inside out.'

Prayer: Thank you, dear Lord, for giving me a new heart that is clean and pure. In Jesus' name. Amen.

On the churchyard, the children watched as the ice sculptor took up his chain saw.

'The pastor said that the man's going to make an angel out of that big block of ice,' Martin whispered.

The whine of the saw ripping through the ice drowned out any more words. The look on the children's faces changed from puzzlement to amazement. In a few minutes, they could see the outline of a huge ice angel, wings spread out, face towards heaven. Wow!

'How did he know that angel was in there?' Martin called out. The sculptor only smiled.

'That's a miracle,' Martin shouted. Still smiling, the sculptor shook his head.

'Not a miracle,' he answered. 'My heavenly Father gave me the skill to make things out of ice. But I must have the ice.' He paused. 'It would be a miracle if I could make the ice or make the water to make the ice. You see, I make something out of something. God made everything out of nothing.'

'I don't think I understand,' Martin whispered.

'Then ask your Pastor - or your parents,' the sculptor said. 'Meanwhile, I have to finish off the fine details on my ice angel.' And he went back to work.

All the way home that evening, Martin thought about what the sculptor said. God made everything out of nothing. Only God could do that. 'God, you are wonderful,' Martin prayed.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You that You created all things and You're the only one who can make something out of nothing. Help me to praise You. Amen.

Mom and Dad would have done it, but both Billy and Rob wanted to change the wallpaper in their rooms without anybody else helping. They got to pick the wallpaper (which Mom and Dad paid for) and on Saturday morning, they started the job. Both rooms were in the attic, so the boys had no trouble reaching up to where the walls met the ceiling.

'We'll be glad to help if you have trouble removing the old wallpaper,' Mom said. 'Sometimes it's not so easy toó'

'Maybe Billy needs your help. I can do it on my own,' Rob interrupted.

'I'll manage okay, thank you,' Billy whispered. 'I'll call you if I need help.'

'Remember, boys, whatever we do, we should do our very best because God sees our work,' Dad reminded them.

Rob started out very quickly, tearing the old wallpaper off wherever he could. Billy soaked his old wallpaper and sat down with a book. 'I'm letting the old wallpaper soften up,' he called out to Rob. 'You should, too.'

Rob didn't listen. Soon, he had most of the wallpaper off - but it didn't come off clean. He should have soaked it or scraped it or found some way to get the ragged pieces off the wall - but he was in too much of a hurry. So he just covered it up with the new wallpaper. He was finished before Billy even started to take his wallpaper off.

After soaking a while, Billy's wallpaper came off clean. When Mom and Dad examined the rooms later, Billy's new wallpaper was smooth and straight.

'You can be very proud of your work,' Dad said.

Rob's was different. Some bits were good, but there was a little bulge wherever he had covered up the old paper.

'Nice job, son,' Dad said. 'But maybe those lumpy bits will remind you that it pays to take time and effort to do your best job.'

Prayer: Dear Lord, please help me to always do my best because I want You to be pleased with everything I do. Amen.

It was no fun being sick. Henry lay in his bedroom all day. He didn't want to read, or watch TV, or even sit up. Henry just lay there thinking.

What was he thinking about? He was trying to list ten things in his little room that reminded him of things in the Bible.

'The window,' Henry thought. 'It lets in light, just like the Bible, even the Lord Jesus Himself 'caus he said 'I am the light of the world. Oops, He also said, 'you are the light of the world.' That counts for three. Seven to go.'

Then Henry noticed the curtains. 'I can close the curtains and shut out the light. So the curtains are like sin that block God's light to me. But I can pull the curtains wide open and let in the light. So the curtains are also like my decision to read God's Word and let the light in. Let's see, that's five things.

Just then the door opened and Mother came into the room with some juice and cookies. 'The door! That reminds me of Jesus.' Henry spoke out loud.

'What did you say?' Mother asked. But Henry didn't tell her. When he finished his juice and cookies, Mother tucked him in and closed the door. 'Rest now,' she said.

As her footsteps died away, Henry thought sleepily. 'Mother. She reminds me of God. She makes sure I have everything I need. And she loves me with a love that will never change. Let's see - that's three, plus two, plus the door, plus Mother...'

Henry had three more to go to reach ten. But he fell asleep. Can you think of three more things in your room that remind you of God and His love for you? Or maybe thirteen more things? Or twenty-three?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You that we are surrounded by things that remind us of Your great love. Amen.