Reading Psalms and Playing with Fire at the Virtual EBook Fair

It's Sample Saturday again, and time for another story from the Five Minute Bible Stories Series (TM). I've already posted samples from

Book 2: Exodus Tales

Book 4: Psalm Stories

so here's a sample from Book 5: More Psalm Stories


 Since the last sample was a story about playing with fire, I decided to pick another fire story for this week.



 ~ 81 ~
LEARNING ABOUT FIRE
Psalm 81:11-12 “But my people did not listen to my voice; …So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.”
God wishes his people would listen to him. And this little boy’s mother wishes he would listen to her.
Once there was a little boy called Toby who’d only just learned to walk. He followed his mother around everywhere, toddling behind her from room to room and crying loudly if he couldn’t work out where she was.
Toby’s mother put a safety gate across the kitchen doorway to keep Toby out. She put another gate across the top of the stairs, and another across the bottom, to make sure he couldn’t climb or fall. And she put a really big gate in front of the fire so Toby couldn’t burn himself.
Toby’s mother told Toby what all the gates were for. She said, “Kitchen’s can hurt you,” and, “Fires are hot,” and, “Toby might fall on the stairs.” Then Toby would stand at the kitchen gate while Mom was cooking and say, “Kitchen hurt. Kitchen hurt, Mommy.” And he would smile sweetly.
One day Toby’s Mom took Toby with her to visit a friend. The friend didn’t have any little children, so she didn’t have gates across the kitchen or the stairs or the fireplace. She did have a metal grate in front of the fire, so that nothing could fall into it. Toby thought the metal grate looked really interesting, and he toddled toward it.
“Fires are hot,” said his mother.
“Fire hot,” said Toby, smiling happily.
“Fire might hurt Toby,” said his mother.
“Fire hurt?” asked Toby, looking confused.
“Yes,” said his mother. “Fire hurt.”
The other lady brought some toast into the living room. She put the plate down in front of the fire so the fire could keep it warm. Toby reached out to grab some toast from the plate but his mother stopped him. “Fires are hot, Toby. Fire hurts,” she said and she gave Toby some toast from her own plate which wasn’t hot.
Toby sat down on the floor to eat his toast. Then he got up and started to toddle toward the fire again.
“Toby, fires hurt,” warned his mother.
“Toby want toast,” said Toby, continuing to walk.
“Toby, stop,” said his mother. But Toby didn’t stop. He walked forward with his hand reaching out in front of him, closer and closer and closer, toward the hot metal grate. Until he touched it. Then Toby jumped back and screamed and screamed and screamed until his mother put her arms around him.
“Fire hurt,” shouted Toby.
“Yes Toby,” said his mother. “Fires do hurt.”
And now, Toby knew.
Toby got hurt when he wouldn’t listen to his mother, but perhaps that’s one mistake he won’t make again. And perhaps if we listen to God we won’t get hurt so much either. Let’s pray.
O Lord, please forgive us for the times when we don’t listen.
Please protect us when we fail to follow your instructions.
Please don’t let us get hurt too much.
Please comfort us when we do get hurt
and please help us do better next time.

If you enjoyed this story, please go to http://capearagopress.com/Five-Minute.html to find out more.

You can purchase More Psalm Stories on your kindle at http://www.amazon.com/Psalm-Stories-Five-Minute-Bible-ebook/dp/B00ASE1I0Y/

And then, don't forget to go back to the virtual book fair and find more great e-reads.

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