Bring Others Into the Sunshine of God's Good News by Linda L. Linn - HTML preview

Chapter 6

1 Thessalonians 5:15b, … always follow that which is good,

both among yourselves, and to all men.

Oralie declared, “Thank you all for your extra help cleaning up the mess we made fixing supper!

“You’re welcome and thank you for being willing to teach us how to cook,” Kevin replied.

The other boys added their thanks and Oralie nodded, smiled and went on, “It’s my pleasure, and I’m glad all you boys have decided you want to learn how to cook.”

“For sure,” stated Cory, “then we can help our wives like Dad helps you, or we can take care of ourselves if we stay single.”

“Great idea, because I sure do appreciate his help,” Oralie responded and continued, “Sometimes learning includes making a mess of things, so don’t give up. It will get easier. Now we can enjoy another part of the book, “Become Honorable People,” as we rest.”

At the ranch Karen began, “Today we’ll use some verses from Proverbs and Psalms in our Bible Study Group teaching time to illustrate an idea I heard from Tony Robbins, a motivational speaker. He stated that it’s most helpful to link pain to negative behavior and pleasure to positive behavior in order to change bad habits. How many of you have bad habits you’d like to change?” All hands were raised, including Karen’s.

“As I read Proverbs 2:1-9, follow along and listen carefully. Smile as long as it’s about positive, pleasurable things. But when you hear about something bad, do a thumb down and frown. I’ll pause after each verse so you can think. … Receive my words and hide my commandments in you. Incline you ears to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding. Cry after knowledge and lift up your voice for understanding. If you seek wisdom as for silver and search for it as for treasure, then you shall understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom and out of his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous. He is a shield for those who walk uprightly. He keeps the paths of judgment and preserves the way of his saints (which is what you are if you are believers). Then you shall understand righteousness, judgment, equity and every good path. Verses 20,21 say, … Walk in the way of good people and keep the paths of the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land and the perfect shall remain in it. Verses10-14,22 say, When wisdom enters into your heart and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, then discretion shall preserve you and understanding shall keep you, to deliver you from the way of the evil man. Evil people leave the paths of uprightness and walk in the ways of darkness, and rejoice to do evil and be wicked. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it. I noticed that these last few verses are the only ones you gave a thumb down and frowned. I agree.

“For the rest of the teaching time for this study group meeting we’ll focus on all of Psalm 1. Read it out loud with me. Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. It brings forth fruit in season. Its Ieaf does not wither and whatever it does shall prosper. The ungodly are like the chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

 

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“Now take your red pencil and underline all the bad things you can find in this Psalm. … Next take your green pencil and underline all the good things you can find in this Psalm.” Karen had them share some of each kind they had underlined. Then they talked about it.

Next Karen instructed, “Your homework for the next meeting is to make a chart showing the difference between the righteous person and the ungodly one. Don’t groan. You’ll find this easy. Just use the words from this Psalm and make one column for each kind of person. You’ll notice you already underlined the righteous one with green, and the ungodly one with red. Use a whole page in your notebook, so you'll have room to add things to it as we continue this lesson in our next meeting.”

Oralie finished by saying, “The End.”

Daniel observed, “I noticed that the girls on the ranch also groaned about homework. Now I know I’m not the only one.”

“Yeah, but it was nice of Karen to tell them how easy it would be to get it done,” added Kevin.

Max stated, “I thought it was fun to smile for all the good parts, and then and do thumbs down and frown for the bad things in that long scripture she read out of Proverbs 2.”

“Same here,” agreed Levi, “and it helped me pay attention better, since it was so long.”

Cory shared, “I'm glad many teachers know how to make lessons interesting for their students.”

Oralie concluded, “So am I, and since you all have a notebook for taking notes, writing questions, answers, and comments, you can easily do the homework Karen described for this lesson.”

Daniel decided that it would be best to not groan, so he smiled and got started right away. When they all finished, they shared what they had done with each other.

On their Fourth of July RV ministry trip, the Jones and Warner families went to see the Uncompahgre Plateau, west of Montrose, Colorado. They looked for wildlife, hoping they might get to see deer, elk, desert bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, black bear, mountain lions, wild turkeys, peregrine falcons, golden eagles, or sage grouse.

There were tall aspen trees, pine trees, bushes, and lush green grass, making an artist’s pallet of many shades of green. That year the wild flowers were abundant and they enjoyed looking them up in the flower book Lora had brought along. They found light blue wild iris, scarlet gilla, blue lupine, pink wild roses, purple asters, blue bells, and yellow and white flowers of many kinds. Some of the flowers were in rock gardens the creator had planted, and others were blooming thickly in the meadows he had made.

One road side stop had a viewing area where there was a drawing of the mountain peaks to be seen with the peaks listed with numbers and the numbers above the peaks in the picture. It was a clear day, so they were able to find the peaks with binoculars and take telephoto pictures of them with their cameras. From another place they could see the La Sal Mountains near Moab, Utah.

They had called the visitor center and did get information about roads needing four wheel drive vehicles. On one of those days the cloud formations were spectacular against the very blue sky. They also saw many eroded steep cliffs, with evergreen trees growing above and below and sometimes right up the cliffs. It turned out to be a very colorful and pleasant trip, but there were not as many ministry opportunities, since few tourists know about the area.

During the summer Cory was talking to his ministry partner, “Van, we’re about half way through our junior year. Shall we compare notes on the progress we are making toward our goals?”

“This is a good idea, Cory,” agreed Van, “whenever we do this it helps me keep on track. I think we are both doing well in our classes this year, and I haven’t been bored since we both started that accelerated course of study in middle school.”

Cory nodded. “I feel the same way and I’m grateful for a middle school that provided a program like that one. It helped to prepare us for high school and now the classes aren’t too hard, but they are enough of a challenge, so I stay interested.

“Right,” stated Van, “I’ve been able to take the courses I had planned on, to prepare me for working from home when I find the right company. How are you doing?”

Cory responded, “I'm doing well also. Instead of study hall time this year, I added computer classes and maybe I’ll be ready to start my career of a home based business part time, next year when I’m a senior.”

“Great!” Van exclaimed. “I’m working toward that goal also and it’s so encouraging to have a good friend with similar interests.”

“Absolutely!” Cory declared. “Plus I’m glad we are still ministry partners. I think we work very well together!”

 

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Van added, “I agree and I’m so grateful that you stuck with me until I understood what you shared about the Good News and I accepted Jesus. Then you helped me learn how to be your ministry partner.”

“It has definitely been my pleasure, Van!” Cory emphasized. “And I wonder if you would be interested in reading the PDF of a short book called ‘Become Honorable People.’ My parents are reading it to all five of us boys as a Bible Study time.”

Van replied, “Yes, it’s a very good book, and so is the one that comes after it called ‘Choose Your Examples.’ Our youth group leader gave us PDF copies of both books to read. We can ask questions if we have any.”

“Super!” Cory exclaimed. “I’m glad we are learning about the same things!”

Fiona was talking to Glenda one morning. “Mom, I’m sure glad you told me to have our high school girls come to your After School Place on the days we go to volunteer in our children’s classrooms at the church school. Amelia will start volunteering when Mark is in kindergarten. Of course we made sure to get their parent’s permission first. It’s working very well for me! How is the young lady doing for you?”

Glenda answered,“She’s behaving very well and seem to enjoy being with the rest of the group. I’m glad both of them are such a good help to you and Amelia on the other days.

“Same here, because I got spoiled when Mindy was coming to help me. She was so good!” Then Fiona went on, “I will like taking care of Amelia’s twins while she spends the day in Mark’s classroom. And she enjoys my twins while I’m doing alternate weeks in Johnny and Patrick’s classrooms. I’m glad my sister-in-law is Amelia.”

“Yes, she’s a good one,” agreed Glenda. “What will you do when all four of your children, and all three of Amelia’s children are attending the church school?”

Fiona answered, “Both of us will volunteer daily and rotate through our children’s classrooms. This will help with the expense of tuition for the school and is a good way to keep up with the progress of all the children. Both of our high school girls will have graduated by then so it will work out just right.”

“Oh, I remember now,” said Glenda, “it’s just like you told me when you planned it several years ago.”

Fiona remarked, “Indeed, and I’m very grateful that Jesus helped us to plan it the right way.”

For the next segment of “Become Honorable People,” Oralie remarked, “If I give you these instructions now, you can do this as I read the next scriptures slowly. Just add what you hear to the chart you made for your homework last time.”

At the next meeting of the Bible Study Group, the girls added what they found in the following verses to their charts.

Proverbs 9:9, Give instruction to a wise person, and he will be still wiser. Teach a just person and he will increase in learning.

Proverbs 10:2,3,7,11,29,32, Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death. The LORD will not allow the soul of the righteous to starve, but he casts away the substance of the wicked. The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot. The mouth of a righteous person is a well of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked. The way of the LORD is strength to the upright, but workers of iniquity shall be destroyed. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked speaks disobedience.

Proverbs 11:5, The righteousness of the upright shall direct his way, but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.

Karen explained, “The reason we made these charts is to point out the great difference there is between the righteous and the wicked so you can use this knowledge to help you choose the right way. By looking at your chart you can easily see how painful a wicked life can be and decide to NOT live that way. When you look at the benefits of being upright or righteous, you can see the pleasure of living that way and choose to be an upright person.

“Remember, at our last meeting, we all agreed we have bad habits we need to get rid of. Now you’re going to use the idea of pain versus pleasure to help you get rid of a bad habit. Your homework this week is to choose one bad habit you know you need to change. Write down all the bad things about this habit you can think of and the reasons you need to get rid of it. What might happen if you do not free yourself from this bad habit? Write all those things down. How much discomfort, embarrassment, pain, and so on will it cause for you and others.

“Next, think of a good habit you need to add to your life to take the place of the bad one. Choose one that you feel strongly about so you will be motivated. You need to replace the bad habit with a good one so that you will NOT fall back into doing the bad one. A vacuum will be created in your life and it needs to be filled with a good habit so the bad one will have no room to reenter.

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“Last, and this is super important, write down the good habit you want to form, and next to it write all the good things that’ll happen to you because of this new, good habit and how pleasant it will be for you. Think of ways it will help you to have this good habit and how happy, joyful, relieved, you and others will feel because you have it. Write it in a way that will encourage you to make it happen so you can feel all those wonderful feelings and even share them with other people around you.

“I’m not saying this will be an easy thing for you to do, because you’ll need to convince yourselves about how bad it would be to keep the bad habit and how fantastic it will be to develop the good habit. Then you’ll need to work hard to put the new habit into your life. I think that when you find how well this plan works, you’ll probably decide to use it on other bad habits.

Oralie said, “This is the end of this section.

Daniel asked, “Why is it important to write it all?”

Max replied, “I think it’d because then it would be hard to argue with yourself.”

“I agree,” and then Oralie asked, “Would any of you boys like me to read the scriptures again so you can add more to your charts?”

They all nodded, so she read them again as they added anything they missed.

Then Cory exclaimed, “This lesson fits very well with the title of the book, since upright, righteous, and honorable mean close to the same things!”

“I think so too,” and then Levi added, “I already thought of a bad habit I need to get rid of, and a good one to replace it, so I’m going to try to do what this lesson teaches.

The other boys agreed and thanked Oralie for reading.

“By the way,” Cory inserted, “I talked to Van, and he already has a PDF file with the lessons for this book, since he’s in a church youth group where they get to ask questions about it if they have any.”

“Perfect!” Kevin stated, “I’m glad you have such a good partner to help you as you minister at school.”

On the ranch Tony, Maria, Ted, and Julie were all wondering and reminiscing.

Ted remarked, “This was a good horseback ride as usual. It’s nice we can have time to visit while we and the girls are cleaning up the tack.”

“Yes it is,” and Julie added “I was just remembering another ride we all had some years ago when we and our girls got to watch Tony proposing to Maria while they and we were still on our horses. It was such a beautiful setting there in an open place with trees on both sides, a little stream and a view of the mountains kind of like a miniature Mercy Valley Ranch.”

Maria continued, “I’m so glad you dismounted and Ted held your horse while you took pictures of us. They are a super keepsake!”

“Yes they are!” Tony exclaimed. Then he asked, “Maria, did you ever wonder why you and I didn’t do anything together after Ted took us all out to supper that one time.”

Maria replied, “Yes I did wonder often, and I even came up with a few answers. We found out our jobs were at different times of the day, and it would have made it harder to find a good time to go places.”

“And besides,” Tony tacked on, “all I had was a bicycle, and it wasn’t even built for two!”

Everybody laughed, thinking about the song with those words.

Maria explained, “I didn’t know about your bike at the time, but Ruth and Esther joined us the next week to walk in the park and told me she was interested in you. I told her I had been also until the two of them informed me about Jason's salvation. Then I felt I needed to give him a chance to grow in the Lord and ask again to court me. But all the while, I was still unsure about God’s will for me concerning marriage or singleness.

“So,” reasoned Tony, “that’s why Esther came to walk with me the next week and had Ted go tell the others about something. This explains a lot. I kicked myself many times for even considering taking her on a date, since I didn’t even have a car or much money to spend and she was a career woman with money and a car of her own.”

Ted encouraged, “Don’t be hard on yourself, Tony. As it all turned out, she wasn’t meant for you anyway.”

Tony nodded and smiled at Ted.

“Just like I wasn’t meant for Jason, even though he did try to ask again if he could court me. I had to tell him that I couldn't live like he wanted me to, as his queen, never having to work again. I didn’t like having to hurt his feelings, but I knew I’d rather be single than live that way.”

Tony reflected, “But you could have had a life that many women can only dream of having.”

“I know,” responded Maria, “but I think it was the reason I was afraid when I had the dream about being married to a wonderful man. I was scared to think that the man might be Jason, because like Julie told me ‘I'm going to be completely honest with you and tell you that I think you and Jason make the most unlikely

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couple I can think of, because you're poles apart in the area of finances and who knows what else.’ And she was one hundred percent correct!”

Julie commented, “Maria, you have an amazing memory. I can’t believe I was so blunt.”

“Well,” stated Maria, ‘I’m glad you were, and I’m very thankful for friends who were caring enough to give me good advice when I asked them. The situation was good for me because it gave me time to accept my singleness and serve Jesus instead of focusing on finding a man of my own.”

Tony shared, “I think my time of being single was also good for me. Acceptance and surrender were good. I was able to concentrate on my job and my new ministry better.”

“Exactly,” Ted agreed, “you both served the Lord and matured at the same time.”

Maria nodded and looked lovingly at Tony, “Even when we got that word of knowledge at our small group, I followed Anita's advice and surrendered to God’s will. But I admit I could not have been happier when I found out that the wonderful man in my dream would be you, Tony.”

“And I was just as happy when you said ‘yes,’ to my proposal and “I do,” at our wedding!” Tony declared. “I think we make a very compatible couple.”

Ted admitted, “I thought the same thing when I asked all of you if you’d like to go out for supper, because it would give Maria a chance to meet a good Christian man. Then I left it in God’s hands. He did work it out, just not in the time frame I thought it might be.”

“On top of that,” Tony tacked on, “The children's ministry I was doing with a partner stopped when my partner moved away. But after I married Maria the ministry was restored. Plus, it doubled when my partner, who moved away, got another partner.”

The others nodded thinking about how amazing God is. Ted led them in singing the chorus to “Our God is an Awesome God.” The girls joined the singing as they all finished cleaning and putting away the horses’ tack.

Oralie was ready to read the next section of “Become Honorable People” as soon as the boys had finished their outside chores.

Karen and William decided to do another lesson out of Proverbs. Karen began her lesson, “Let’s take another look at some Proverbs today and maybe find some other verses to go with them. Our topic today is to obey your father and mother. Of course this means the ones here on the ranch. Also remember that King Solomon who wrote most of Proverbs was speaking to his son much of the time. Find Proverbs 6:20-23 and read it with me.”

My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Bind them

always on your heart, and tie them

around your neck. When you go they shall lead you. When you sleep, they shall keep you, and when you wake they shall talk with you.

Christi asked, “Does it mean to actually tie them around your neck? I think doing it would be embarrassing.”

“I agree,” Karen answered, “there’s no need to give mean people a reason to make fun of you. I think it’s like a figure of speech that means to remember and think about them.”

Emma suggested, “Then they won’t really talk with you either. You would just think about them?”

Karen nodded in agreement, and they went on to read the next verses aloud together. Proverbs 7:1-3, My son, keep my words and lay up my commandments with you. Keep my commandments and live, and my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart.

Liz mentioned, “I heard somewhere that ‘the apple of the eye’ is the pupil, but the phrase has come to mean something cherished.”

“Right,” Hanna agreed, “also we won’t literally bind God’s laws on our fingers, but we will keep them in our minds and obey them.”

Everyone nodded, and Karen asked a girl to read Proverbs 4:10, Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life shall be many.

Stella commented, “This verse has a nice promise, but it’s conditional. The person has to listen and do first.”

“Exactly,” said Karen and asked another girl to read Proverbs 5:1,2, My son, attend to my wisdom, and bow your ear to my understanding, so you may regard discretion, and your lips may have knowledge.

Ellie remarked, “This is another verse where you have to do one thing to have the other one happen.”

Next a different girl read Ephesians 6:1-3, Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.

 

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Nan remembered, “That’s one of the Ten Commandments and it also has a good conditional promise. I noticed two of the verses talk about living longer.”

“Good comments, girls,” Karen commended, “now please find Psalm 19. Lets close by reading verses 7-11. As we read, notice how well they go with the verses we read in Proverbs.”

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul, the testimony of the LORD is sure, making the simple wise. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever, the judgments of the LORD are true and altogether righteous. They are to be desired more than gold, even much fine gold. They are sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover your servant is warned by them and there is great reward in keeping them.

Lisa expressed what many were thinking, “The verses we just finished are a good summary and addition to the ones in Proverbs, because they’re talking about the LORD’s commands and words.”

They all nodded emphatically and thanked Karen for the good lesson.

When Oralie finished that segment, she closed the book.

Cory stated, “I like listening to the girl’s comments and questions.” Then he wrote a thought in his notebook. He didn’t desire to share it with his little brothers. “I just realized that I can use the comments and questions the girls in these two families make so I can get to know them better. I won’t have a chance to hear any of them in person yet.”

Kevin observed, “I liked the way they compared the verses they read in Proverbs to the verses in Psalm 19.”

“I did also,” Max agreed. “I like the way that psalm uses so many synonyms for the law of the LORD and tells what it does.”

Daniel continued, “Yes, and it reminds me of some verses I memorized, Psalm 119:103-105, How sweet are your words to my taste, yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding and therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Levi concluded, “God’s word is also more valuable than gold like wisdom is. Proverbs 16:16a states, How much better it is to get wisdom than gold!”

The last family Brad tutored was Denji and Sara Suehiro and their girls, because that family had been very busy for a while. Ruby and Irene had been deciding what kind of jobs they could do when they moved to Pine City after they turned nineteen. They both decided they could ride with Sara to her job as a secretary. She could drop them off at Discount Mart where they would work until she could pick them up after her job. It felt good to have a plan.

Then they let Brad know when they would have time. The whole family was really interested in learning more about editing, so they all participated and generally chose different topics to write about.

Brad was mostly interested in what Ruby and Irene would write about since he was still evaluating the senior girls on the ranch. Ruby said her favorite free time activities were sewing and reading. Irene wrote that horseback riding was her favorite, but she also enjoyed sewing because it was a more economical way to get new clothes. Her essay sounded like she would miss riding horses a lot when she graduated from the ranch.

One day after horseback riding with this family he wrote when he got back to his apartment, “These girls are careful and thorough about cleaning their tack and putting it back in the proper places. I like the way Irene sang quietly as she cleaned the saddle. Ruby was quiet and worked quickly.”

The same day, he reviewed all he had written about the girls in the other families. Then he prayed that the Lord would show him which girl would be the best wife for him and foster mother for four girls on the ranch when a place was available for them.

The Suehiro family he had just tutored had asked him to come to their house for another lesson. The girls had more questions and wanted some more practice. They also wanted to learn some more about editing in general and whether it might be a career to consider as they got ready to graduate from the ranch.

Brad was glad to spend some more time with this family. So he went there for several weekends to teach them more and also chose times when he could go horseback riding with them after the lessons. He was able to take turns talking to Ruby or Irene on alternate weekends as they rode side by side. Therefore he had much to write in his notebook each week when he returned to his apartment.

In the meantime several girls like, Ellie and Lisa, Ruby and Irene, Nora and Kathy, Darla and Rita, Dana and Wendy, and the two girls in the other family who were their ages, were all silently speculating about the handsome reporter. He had spent weeks living in the Visitors Cabin on the ranch, and had

 

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interviewed some families. Then he had taught the high school girls about writing skills, and also tutored some families if they desired it, as a way to say thank you.

They all knew better than to talk about him or ask their parents about him, because they already knew what the answer would be. “Spend your time and effort to focus on schooling and learning all you need to know to make it on your own when you turn nineteen and move to Pine City.”

Some of the young ladies pondered about time running out for them to be able to do like Sara and Candy had done by finding spouses who also wanted to live on the ranch and raise four foster girls. They knew the houses would be all be finished in another two years and therefore the opportunities would be past for them, so these young ladies prayed very often about their desires.

Greg remarked, “Here’s another lesson related to farming in the book, ‘Become Honorable People.’ I think you’ll like it.”

William put together a special lesson for the older farm boys beginning with verses from Proverbs and continuing with a couple from other places.

“Good afternoon, boys. Today we’re going to start with some verses in Proverbs that have words related to farming. Please look up Proverbs 6:8 and read the last part aloud with me. The ant gathers her food in the harvest. Good, now follow along on verses 6 and 7, Go to the ant you lazy person. Consider her ways, and be wise. She has no guide, overseer, or ruler.”

Next he had them listen to a Nature Corner story about an ant, and how it worked with all the other

worker ants to bring food for the winter to the ant hill. They didn’t even have a leader. Each one just knew what to do and did it.

Afterward he showed a video he found on the web about lessons we can learn from ants.

“Wow!” Carlos exclaimed. “All this information is incredible!”

A boy agreed, “For sure! I never realized ants worked so hard and they don’t even have a boss.”

Evan added, “We have a lot of people working on this farm. We do need a boss, but by working together we get a lot done.”

Gary concurred, “Right, I like working on this farm, I’ve learned a lot in just the short time I’ve been here.”

Another boy continued, “The lessons I learned from the ants today is to work together and keep trying and don’t be lazy.”

“Great comments, boys,” William complimented them. “Let’s look at Proverbs 20:4, to see what can happen when people are lazy. Read it with me, The lazy person will not plow because of the cold. Therefore he shall beg in harvest and have nothing.”

Sam mentioned, “Lazy people can use the heat or the rain or the sun or many other things as an excuse to not work.”

A different boy concurred, “Yes, isn’t there a verse that talks about people who won’t work?”

William replied, “Indeed there is! Find 2 Thessalonians 3:10 and read the last part together. If any will not work, neither should he eat. There were some people there who wouldn’t work at all but were busybodies. In verse 14, Paul said to not associate with them so they’d be ashamed.”

He paused and then smiled, “Enough of the negative side! Write these Bible references down as I read them. Psalm 128:1,2, Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD and walks in his ways. He shall eat from the labor of his hands. He shall be happy and it will be well with him. Proverbs 11:18 the last part, He who sows righteousness will reap a sure reward. And we’ll close today’s lesson with Galatians 6:9, Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not faint.”

The boys nodded in agreement with those verses.

Then he had them sing the song that goes with Galatians 6:9.

Last, he instructed, “Choose one or all of those verses and memorize them. For our next meeting you can recite at least one of them from memory using what you learned from our lessons on how to memorize Bible verses. See you all next time!”

“This is the end of this section.” said Greg.

Max stated, “I like the last scripture you read and the song that goes with it with a little different wording. We sang it a lot of times at the church school, and it’s fun to sing.”

Oralie agreed, “So do I, and I got to hear it a lot of times while I volunteered at the school while you five boys were attending there.”

Levi added, “I remember that Nature Corner story about the ant. It was fascinating. So was the video you showed us during this lesson.”

“I think so too,” and Cory went on, “I learned a lot from the video.”

 

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Kevin mentioned, “I could add to Sam’s comment, part of Proverbs 26:13b, The lazy man says, … ‘a lion is in the street.’ I’m glad we don’t have any lazy people here on this farm.”

“Ditto,” said Daniel. “They’re all good examples for us.”

Vern and Lora had invited Frank and Becky to their house for supper on a weekend. It was nice to have more time to have a leisurely visit than while they were traveling.

Vern mentioned, “I was going through the box of tools I carry in our four-wheel drive vehicle for day trips or other times. I wanted to make sure I have everything I might need when we are pulling our little trailer and when we are driving around after we reach a destination.”

“This is a good reminder for me to do the same thing when I get home today,” observed Frank.

Vern continued, “I even found a few duplicates I could take out and added a couple other tools I might need sometime. I also found a broken one that I replaced. Then I checked through our first aid kit and replenished it.”

“I’m glad you did all that, Dear,” stated Lora. “I like the feeling of being prepared for things that might happen while we are traveling. It’s similar to the things we take with us when we go out to do couple’s ministries. Most of what we take is in our brains in the form of Bible verses we’ve learned by memory.”

Becky added, “Definitely, and when I have a lapse of memory, it’s very helpful to have a small Bible along to look up the reference or use the concordance.”

“Exactly,” agreed Vern, and this reminds me of the verse about being prepared in 1 Peter 3:15, … sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give an answer to every man who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and respect. I’ve found that I need to review those memory verses on a regular basis so I can say them with good expression and smoothly.”

Frank nodded emphatically, “Yes, the verses make a better impact when they’re said like that. It’s like we are keeping our tools in good working shape so they will do a good job.”

“Right, and I’m glad you know how to use both kinds of your tools, Becky went on. “And this idea goes with Colossians 4:6, Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer every man. The rest of what we say needs to be gracious and fit the occasion.”

Lora declared, “I agree, and I’m so thankful for Jesus promise in Luke 12:12, the Holy Spirit will teach you in the same hour what you ought to say. He can take over if we get stuck.”

Vern concluded, “It’s always good to go minister with two or more in the group so they can confirm what you say, or add other verses to back you up.”

“Absolutely! Frank exclaimed. “Plus the same thing goes for going four-wheeling. It’s best to go with another couple so we can both help each other. I’m so glad our two families can go together!”

The others agreed and they continued visiting about other topics until it was time for the Warners to go back to their home. One thing they talked about was to continue to find time once or twice a month to go on jeep outings with the local jeep club. They brainstormed various ways they could witness to the non-believing members.

The Fosters were amazed when at the end of those two weeks, there were fifteen-year-old twins, whose names were April and May, needing a foster home to get them out of an abusive home situation. Hope and Joy quickly moved what they needed to the other two rooms so they could help them both get settled at the same time.

As the family was talking to the girls, Joy remarked, “I really like your names.”

April explained, “I was born on the last day of April before midnight, and May was born after midnight so her birthday was on the first day of May.”

May went on, “We like our names because they’re a good reminder of why our birthdays are on different days even though we are identical twins.”

“How interesting!” Hope exclaimed. “We’re glad you are twins like we are and you can be our big sisters. We’ve been living on this ranch for two weeks now and we get to teach you what we’ve learned about how to do the household tasks that need to be done. We also get to show you how to care for and ride horses.”

April and May looked at each other and smiled for the first time since they had arrived, and May stated, “Riding horses sounds really great!”

Joy agreed, “It sure is great. And then you’ll get to teach the next girls who come here and you’ll get to be big sisters to all four of us younger ones. Hope and I will move back into another room then.”

Sherry added, “Our family will be bigger than the other families on this ranch because Hope and Joy are our natural children.”

 

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Roy explained, “The reason we came here to this ranch is that we decided as a family with a last name like Foster, we would like to do what our name says. So we came here to this home that has an extra bedroom and Mom and I can be foster parents to four extra girls, along with being natural parents at the same time.”

“Exactly,” and then Sherry concluded, “I realize this may seem like a strange reason to you, but we desire for you to be part of our family and we hope you will feel happy and safe here.”

The two girls smiled again and April said, “Thank you.”

Flora and Reba, who are Evan and Candy’s girls, helped the new twins as they got used to a new high school, since Joy and Hope were still in middle school. Hope and Joy moved back into their own room when the fourteen-year-old girls were assigned.

April and May were able to help their new roommates, who as another big surprise, were also identical twins. They were very relieved to be rescued from an abusive household, and they were in awe about the beautiful ranch. Their names were Tina and Lina. Their big sisters gave them a lot of help as they got used to the new high school. They were also good teachers to teach them their tasks around the house and how to care for and ride horses on this amazing ranch.

After all four girls had adapted to the home and ranch and school, April and May asked if they could be roommates now, since they were twins and wanted to be together. Of course that request was granted and Tina and Lina were also happy to be roommates.

Oralie said, “I’ll read the next part of ‘Become Honorable People.’ It has some helpful ideas in it. As we go, I’ll give you time to follow Karen’s instructions.”

Karen and William talked to their study groups about Jesus’ command to love one another.

Karen began, “Think about how we can follow Jesus’ command in John chapters 13 and 14 to love each other. … Write a few of them in your notebook.”

After giving them some time she continued, “We can get some more ideas from the Bible verses we’ll read today. After we read them I’ll give you time to look at the ideas you already wrote in your notebooks. If you find different ideas in the verses, you’ll also have time to add them to the ones you have.”

The girls nodded in understanding, so Karen instructed, “Look up Romans 12:10,16a and read them out loud with me. Be caring and devoted to one another with brotherly love, … Be of the same mind toward one another. …”

Karen observed the girls doing what she had instructed. When most of them were finished she went on, “Now find Ephesians 4:32, and let’s read it aloud. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake forgave you.”

She gave enough time to write, and then said, “The next verse “is 1 Peter 3:8.” They read it together. All of you be of one mind, having compassion on one another. Love as brothers, be merciful, be courteous. They wrote those ideas in their notebooks.

“Last, we’ll read Philippians 2:2b,3 out loud.” Be like minded, have love for each other, be of one accord or of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or pride, but with humility, let each one consider others better than themselves.

The girls wrote diligently for a more lengthy time since these verses had so many ideas.

When they finished, the class time was also over. One of the girls invariably said something like, “Thank you, Karen, for this lesson. Now we have many ways we can follow Jesus command to love each other.”

And Karen would respond, “You’re very welcome. All these ways came right out of the verses we read today. You could probably find some more by using the concordance in your Bibles. In fact you could use this method for many topics.”

Then Oralie told them that the section was finished.

The boys had finished writing in their notebooks also, and Cory stated, “I’m glad we had our Bibles with us, so we could look up the verses too. Now we also will have many ideas about how we can show love to others as Jesus commanded.”

“I think so too,” and then Max added, “it’s almost like being in the Bible study with them.”

Levi added, “Yes it is. I’m glad we got to go to the church school and learn so much there, and this is a good way to continue learning.”

“Right,” agreed Kevin, “and we are also learning some ways to do independent Bible studies later.”

Daniel continued, “Exactly, and this way we can become lifelong learners.”

“Absolutely!” Greg exclaimed. “Your mother and I’ve gained some ideas for our independent Bible studies also.”

 

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Jose had been looking on the web at job possibilities. “Look, Dad and Mom, I looked up some jobs on the web and I wrote all the ones I was interested in on a chart and filled in spaces for each one if they had included the information. I put places for wages, hours, schooling requirements, responsibilities, advancement, vacations and miscellaneous.”

Sunny commented, “This looks like a very comprehensive chart with some good prospects, Jose.”

“I agree,” stated Felix, “have you decided on one yet, Jose?”

He replied, “After studying and comparing them, I think I will choose Discount Mart because they have more flexible hours and only require a high school diploma. Their beginning wages are comparable to many other places and they give raises for various reasons.”

“Good reasoning,” declared Sunny, “and while you are still living here, you could ride to the city and back to the farm with a man who works near the Discount Mart and get hours that match his.”

Felix continued, “Perfect, and you could help pay for his gas and car maintenance.”

“Right,” agreed Jose, “and I could save the rest of the money after tithing to pay for renting an apartment and buying food until my first payday after moving from the ranch. Anything extra I will save to buy a vehicle.”

Later the same day, Hugo talked to Felix, “Dad, I really like all the things I’ve learned about farming while living on this farm with this wonderful family. I wonder if I could do what Gary did after he graduated from high school.”

“I remember,” Felix remarked, “He got a job here on the farm, earning apprentice wages and learned as much more about farming as he could from me and the owners of this farm.”

Hugo nodded and went on, “I could save all but my tithe money to buy what I need for an apartment and pay for my first rent and food, after I move from the farm. And I’m hoping maybe I could get a job on another farm after I turn nineteen.”

Jose and Hugo told each other their career plans and were glad they could also tell Pedro and Luis the next time they would come to visit. But both of them kept praying about the other part of their daydreaming session a few months ago. That part would need to wait until the graduation / going-away party after the new year.

On one of their RV ministry trips, Tomo and Ami and their new foster girl, who had already accepted Jesus, went on a hike in Canyonlands National Park. Tomo stepped to the side of the path to let a forest ranger go past. But the ranger became irate, “Stay on the path! Don’t hurt the cryptogamic soil crust!”

Tomo calmed him down and explained, “Yes, sir. I do try, and if you will notice, both of my feet are still on the path. They’re just heel to toe along the edge, so you could get past me on the path.”

He apologized, “Oh, I am sorry! I got into trouble yesterday as I was being trained, because I didn’t remind someone to stay on the path, so now I overdid it.”

Tomo responded, “I do forgive you, and I’m glad my Father in Heaven forgives me when I do something wrong.”

The ranger commented, “My father never forgave me, he just kept reminding me of all the things I did wrong. I didn’t know our fathers could forgive us if they went to Heaven. But I don’t think mine will make it to Heaven since he’s so bad.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean my earthly dad,” explained Tomo. “He’s still alive, and he will go to Heaven when he dies, not because he’s good, but because he accepted Jesus as his Savior, who paid for all his sins and for the sins of all who will believe in him. Anyway, I was talking about God as my Father in Heaven. He forgives me when I do something wrong because I confess my mistake and also because I’ve accepted Jesus as my Savior.”

The ranger suggested, “There’s a bench just a little ways along the trail ahead of you. Could we go there and sit while you explain to me more about what you just said.”

“What a good idea!” Tomo exclaimed. “I’ll be glad to do that.”

So they went there and Tomo told him all about the Good News, answered all his questions and when he agreed, Tomo helped him pray to accept Jesus as his Savior. The ranger was full of joy and peace as he left with the little booklet and promised to find a good church with a small group to teach him how to live now.

Meanwhile, Ami and their foster girl had stayed back a little ways and had prayed for him. Then they went and rejoiced with Tomo.

Greg stated, “I like reading in the book of Proverbs, so I’ll enjoy reading this next section of ‘Become Honorable People’ to you boys, since it has many verses in it from Proverbs.”

 

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William was teaching the newly believing boys on the farm about honesty and truthfulness as opposed to lying and dishonesty. First he read Proverbs 12:19,22, “ The lips of truth shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal truly are his delight. These verses mean he hates lying but delights in the truth.”

Hugo stated, “Thank you for explaining those verses to us.”

“You’re welcome,” William replied. “What do you think this verse means? Ephesians 4:25,… put away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”

Pedro thought, “Since we are now believers we all belong to God’s family and we should be truthful.”

“Exactly,” William commended him. “Accuracy fits in this same category. Read Proverbs 11:1 with me, A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight.”

Jose shared, “We need to be accurate in our homework and in what we say in class so we’ll be truthful.”

“Absolutely, Jose,” said William. “There are many wise sayings in Proverbs. For our next Bible Study lesson, please read Proverbs 22 and 23 and find one or more wise sayings you like and that’ll help you as you live your life for Jesus. Be ready to tell why you like it or how it will help you.”

Luis observed, “This should be interesting.”

At the next meeting these are the verses from Proverbs 22 and 23 chosen by the group members.

One boy said, “I chose Proverbs 22:1, A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold. It tells about things that are more valuable than money. It’ll help me build a good reputation.”

Luis shared, “I liked many verses, but this is my favorite. Proverbs 22:17: Listen and hear the words of the wise and apply your heart to knowledge. I like it because it’ll remind me to listen to wise people like my new dad and you and Pastor Don.”

Pedro stated, “I chose Proverbs 22:24,25a, Do not make a friendship with an angry man, and don’t go with a furious man, lest you learn his ways… It’ll help me choose friends wisely.”

Another boy continued, “I like my summary of Proverbs 22:26b,27. Don’t say you will pay somebody’s loan because you might lose all you have. These verses will help me so I won’t have to learn this the hard way.”

Jose declared, “I chose Proverbs 23:12, Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to the words of knowledge. I like it because I enjoy learning and if someone makes fun of me for being a bookworm, I’ll just smile and repeat this verse in my mind or out loud if it’s an appropriate time and place.”

Hugo continued with “I made this summary of Proverbs 23:20,21a, Don’t join with wine drinkers or drunkards or gluttons or you shall come to poverty like they do. I like these verses because if someone invites me to drink alcohol, I’ll just say ‘No thank you,’ and walk away repeating these verses to myself.”

William inserted, “You can all use these verses Hugo chose for anything with alcohol and change the words as needed to include smoking, vape, mind altering drugs, or anything else that would not be good for your bodies or could become an addiction that would be hard to eliminate. It’s much easier to avoid bad habits than it is to break them after they get started.”

Several of the other boys in the group had chosen some of the same verses. Two others had lame excuses for not doing their homework. The last one admitted, “I looked ahead into chapter 24 and chose verse 13 because I like honey and I can use this verse to ask for more honey at home. My son, eat honey, because it is good, and the honeycomb, which is sweet to your taste. But I also have to add verse 14, because I know my new parents know it, plus it’s a good verse for you, Jose. So shall the knowledge of wisdom be for your soul. When you have found it, then there shall be a reward, and your expectation shall not be cut off.”

Greg told them it was the end, and Kevin noticed, “That boy was pretty smart, and when you take those two verses together I think they mean that wisdom is good and will reward you as surely as honey is good and sweet to eat.”

“Good thinking, Kevin,” Cory applauded, “and I liked the verse Jose picked because I feel the same way he does about learning.”

Levi stated, “I think the verses William started with about lying, truthfulness, and accuracy were very good.”

“I think so too,” said Max. “and William’s assignment to find a verse they liked and tell why or how it would help them was a good idea.”

Daniel agreed, “Yes, and then we got to hear them and learn from them also. I really liked what William said about staying away from things that are not good for our bodies.”

Oralie concurred, “I’m glad you realize how important that is!” And it could also include junk food, having too much candy or carbonated beverages since they have so much sugar in them.”

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“Right,” added Greg, “and I was talking to William and he told me that families with foster kids in Pine City are using these same teachings with them. See if you can find some scriptures about taking care of your body.”

Max was first, “I remember that 1 Corinthians 6:19 says … your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, … you are not your own.”

“Right,” agreed Levi, “and verse 20 goes on saying, For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God’s.”

“I like what 3 John 1:2 says. Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers,” stated Daniel.

Kevin added, “If we do what it says in Romans 12:2, it will help our bodies. It says, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so you may prove the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.”

Cory concluded, “Luke 21:34 says to take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts are weighed down with excess and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so the day of Jesus return would come upon you unaware.”

“Thank you, boys,” said Oralie, “those are all good scriptures.”

After many weeks of teaching Denji and Sara’s girls more about editing, Brad started dreaming in his sleep about all the girls he had worked with on the ranch. The things they had said and the way they had acted were all included in the dreams and in each dream one girl stood out as better than the others. He was delighted to realize it was Irene, because he had been very impressed with her all the times he had been with her and her family. He thought he would prefer to have her for his wife and partner in raising foster girls on the ranch.

On the other hand, some of the other girls had been on the ranch for a longer time than she had. Therefore, they would have had more Bible teaching time and would have been with good foster parents for a longer time. Or some had older parents who might have had more experience than Irene’s young parents. His mind ran around in circles and got nowhere. This idea he had was causing him extra stress, and he had not wanted that.

One morning after his latest dream, he spent much time talking to Jesus about the dreams and his own impressions. He ended with, “Please, Jesus, if Irene is the best one for me, give me one more positive dream about her and then show me how to win her. I know dating is against the rules on the ranch. Maybe there’s a way that will work for us.”

That night, Brad had another dream. This time it was only about Denji and Sara’s family and he was able to compare Irene with all her foster sisters. Again Irene was exceptional in every area. When he awoke, Brad had one thought surface. “I could tell them the story about my great-great-grandfather.”

Then he prayed, “Thank you Jesus for your clear answers to my prayer. I’ll do it, and I ask you to guide all I say and do!”

In the meantime, Denji remarked when they were alone, “Sara, Dear, I’ve begun to wonder why Brad is so willing to spend so much time teaching our girls. Do you think he might be interested in one of them?”

“I’ve been having the same question lately,” she responded. “I think if we wait a little longer he might be willing to tell us.”

Their girls had noticed he only spent one week with each of the other families, but he had been willing to come back for several weeks to answer their questions and teach them other things. Ruby and Irene especially, pondered why, but neither of them spoke about it to anyone. They knew they could not even consider dating until they were nineteen and had graduated from the ranch. But he sure was a nice young man!

Some people were watching a race in a park with a “handicap” added for the racers. They had to take off one shoe and run, staying together, but with one shoe on and one shoe off. They would leave the other shoe with a friend.

A boy who had a problem with his legs was trying to take the shoes to a couple in a race. It was just one shoe of each pair and he didn’t want them to have to walk all the way back in the same way they had run the race.

Another couple saw him struggling and walked along with him. Then the woman said, “They don’t match.”

The boy disagreed, “Yes they do, they make a good couple in this ‘handicap’ race.”

“I meant the shoes don’t match,” she corrected herself.

 

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Then her husband offered, “Please let us do this for you and you rest here. We’ll come back here and tell you how they did.”

“Right,” she went on, “we’ll be able to find them by matching these shoes with the ones they still have on their feet.”

“OK,” the boy finally agreed, “Thank you.”

The woman grabbed one shoe and her husband the other and they ran off following the racers. They got there in time to see the end of the race with that couple winning the race. So when they gave the shoes to them, they explained how they had gotten them as they put on the other shoe.

The husband said, “Please come back with us. I’m sure the boy will want to see and congratulate you for winning the race.”

His wife thought it would be great if all three of them would get to see a miracle and then be saved after hearing the Good News.

The boy had sat down on a bench and had gone to sleep until they returned and that couple told him they had won the race. He smiled and congratulated them.

Then all of them talked some more and the husband asked the boy if he and his wife could pray for his legs to be healed of the problem they had. When he agreed, the husband and wife knelt down by the bench and each put a hand on one leg. Then they prayed to the Great Physician, Jesus, who was also the creator to heal what he had created and make the legs work the way he had planned. Jesus healed the man’s legs so he was able to get up and walk and run normally.

After praising and thanking Jesus, the couple took turns telling those three the Good News that Jesus was not only the creator and healer, but he was also the only way to get to Heaven. They included many of the verses in the first part of this story and then helped the people pray to accept Jesus as their Savior. Then the couple really rejoiced, gave them little booklets and invited them to go with them to church where they met the pastor and soon joined a small group for new believers.

When the boys came inside after running some races, Oralie instructed, “Today bring your Thankful Notebooks also, so you can write some references that you might want to include in them as you listen to this next section of ‘Become Honorable People.’ It has some good ones.”

Karen asked all her classes of girls on the ranch to bring their Thankful Notebooks to their next class, to share with their classmates. Their homework was to, “Choose a verse or verses you’d like to read aloud and tell us why you like it or them.”

At the beginning of the next class she instructed, “Show the person on each side of you a page or two in your notebook.

They busily followed her directions and it was a bit noisy for a few minutes. Then it got very quiet except for the one telling about and reading a chosen verse or two.

Nan shared, “I like 1 Thessalonians 5:18, because it helps me remember to be thankful instead of complaining. It says, In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Emma continued, “I chose to share Psalm 119:103,104a because honey’s my favorite sweetener. How sweet are your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I get understanding from your precepts.

Liz said, “I picked Psalm 92:1,2 because I like the way I can make it a personal prayer. It is a good thing to give thanks to you LORD and to sing praises to your name, O Most High, to show forth your loving kindness in the morning and your faithfulness every night.”

Stella went on, “The verse I chose tells me I can trust God’s promises. 2 Peter 3:9 says, The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, … but is patient with people, not wanting any to perish, but that everyone should come to repentance.”

Hanna shared, “My verse is about God’s promises also. I like promises that are kept. Joshua said to the people of Israel in Joshua 23;14b,… ‘ not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God promised you, all of them came to pass…’ God had a perfect record.”

Christi stated, “I like Galatians 6:9 because I can be thankful that it says, Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we don’t faint. This verse reminds me to keep sharing the Good News so some of my classmates will eventually ask Jesus to be their Savior.”

Lisa continued, “I'm thankful for Acts 1:3, because I can use it to help convince some of my school friends that Jesus is alive. Jesus showed himself alive after his crucifixion to his disciples, by many infallible proofs for forty days, and spoke to them about things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”

Ellie said, “The verse I chose to share has helped me many times when some of my classmates have tried to get me to do something wrong. 1 Corinthians 10:13, There has no temptation come to you, but

 

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those common to man. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted above what you can handle, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, so you will be able to bear it.”

June shared, “I’m grateful that the LORD is perfect. I like Deuteronomy 32:4, because it was part of a song written by Moses, The LORD is our Rock, his work is perfect. All his ways are just, a God of truth and without iniquity. He is fair and right.”

Candy declared, “This was a fun homework assignment. I enjoyed reading many of the verses I had written. I’ll reread them more often now that I know how much I like it. I chose John 8:12 and I like it because Jesus said it. … I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

Sara smiled at Candy’s frankness and went on to say, “I like Romans 15:4, because it tells why the Bible was written. Everything that was written in the past was written for our learning, so that through patience and the comfort of the scriptures we might have hope.” I’m thankful I can take my Bible with me as I leave the ranch, and that I’ve learned so many things about how to study it and use it to guide my life.”

Kim agreed, “Same here! And I’m grateful for all the things you’ve taught us, Karen. I chose Psalm 145:8,9, and I like them because they talk about many of the LORD’s wonderful qualities. The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.”

At the end of each class session Karen said, “I have some verses that go very well together that I’d like to read to you from my Thankful Notebook. I like them because they tell about the hope we have all of our lives no matter whether we’re home with our families or out on our own. Titus 2:13, I’m grateful that we are looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, and Hebrews 6:18b,19a, I thank you, God, that, since we have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us, we have much encouragement. We have this hope as an anchor for our souls, firm and unshakable. No matter what happens in our lives we can trust Jesus and look forward to his second coming.”

Then Oralie stated, “That’s the end of this section.”

Cory remarked, “I was busy writing all the references,” and in his mind he included, “and the name of some of the girls who read them.” He planned to look them up again and see if he could learn things about the girls he was interested in knowing better.

Levi mentioned, “I liked hearing the reasons they liked those verses.”

“Yeah,” agreed Max, “they made the verses more meaningful.”

Daniel remarked, “The verses I liked the best are the ones Karen read at the end each class session.”

“Ditto!” Kevin exclaimed. “And it was also good to listen to all the other ones.”

One day in their room Joy remembered, “When we were still in our house in the city, Mom came in with all the sheets and pillow cases for our beds and asked us to choose our favorite set.”

“Yeah,” Hope nodded, “I wondered why, until she explained that since we had three sets, we could give the other two sets to be used for the new girls on the ranch. All three sets are pretty. We chose the one we like best and now when we launder our sheets and pillow cases, we just wait until they’re dry and put them right back on our beds.”

Joy giggled, “It works great, and we don’t even have to fold and put them away in the linen closet. It makes less work for us!”

“Right,” agreed Hope, “and we don’t even have to choose a different set to use, because we only have one set. Plus it makes less work for Mom now, since each pair of girls does their own laundry, puts the clothes away, and remakes their beds.”

Joy mentioned, “I’m glad it’s easier for us to get that bottom sheet on our beds now than when we first learned how. We’ve gotten stronger than when we were younger.”

“I remember that day!” Hope exclaimed. "We brought the clean sheets to Mom in our room singing, ‘Bringing in the Sheaves” but used the word ‘Sheets’ instead, as a joke, and she liked it too.”

As if on cue, their mom came into their room carrying her sheets and singing the same song the same way. They all had a good laugh and a hug before she asked, “How are you doing here on this ranch?”

Joy answered, “We are doing great! And it’s so good to see how well the new girls are doing here also. I like being Fosters here on this wonderful ranch.

“For sure,” and Hope nodded. There’s something very special about this ranch. Just being here with all the beauty and the horses to enjoy, sets the stage for renewal.”

Sherry concurred, “Besides those things, all the people are so nice, that I’m sure they must be able to see the big difference from the way they were living just a few weeks ago.”

 

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“Indeed,” and then Joy suggested, “maybe we can share this fun time with those girls after they learn more about hymns.”

Hope nodded and said, “For sure, and it can be like a family joke and a way to help them feel like they belong to the family.”

They all had another hug and time to pray for the new girls before their mom went to remake the bed she and their dad shared.

On the working cattle ranch, Carlos and Jana and their four foster boys, Mike, Alex, Eric, and Lane, were out riding horses along the fence line one Saturday morning. The weather was perfect, and they all enjoyed taking their turn to do this important chore for the ranch where they lived.

“Oh look, Dad,” shouted Alex, “there’s a break in the bottom line of the wire fence!”

Carlos came over to look. “Yes, a calf could easily roll under the fence here and not be on the ranch any longer.”

“Right,” agreed Jana, “and it probably would not be smart enough to know how it got out or how to get back inside. Do you have the right materials and tools in your kit to fix the break, Alex?”

“I think so,” he answered. “I’ve watched Dad fix breaks like this and I would like to try it today.”

“Go for it, son,” stated Carlos. “The rest of you can ride on ahead and we’ll catch up with you later.”

Alex was glad his dad stayed with him. If he had trouble fixing it, he could ask for help.

Carlos commented, “I’m glad this ranch doesn’t use barbed wire for its fences since they’re harder to fix and can result in wounds.”

“Same here,” responded Alex, “and we’ve heard that they aren’t really very effective anyway.”

Before long, the fence was repaired and Alex hoped it was good enough.

“Good job, Alex,” Carlos complimented. “Now we get to canter up to where the rest of our family is.”

It was a good feeling to get a compliment from his dad and then the canter on their horses was exhilarating. No more problems were found with the fence that day. Carlos and Alex walked their horses long enough that they were cool off by they time they got back to the tack room.

Oralie went outside with the boys to watch them play basketball on the driveway while Greg got ready to read another segment from “Become Honorable People.” When they came in, he called them over to listen as he read.

William and Karen encouraged the older boys and girls to seek the way of the LORD. On the farm William stated, “In 1 Samuel 12:23b,24, Samuel said to the people of Israel, ‘I will teach you the good and right way: fear only the LORD and serve him in truth with all your heart, for consider how great things he has done for you.’ Remember, the fear of the LORD is to have deep respect and reverence for God’s power and authority. We talked about this in another lesson.”

“Yes,” said Sam, “I remember that lesson, and this is a good reminder. There are also other verses to remind us to love God with all our heart, so this statement is extra important.”

One boy mentioned, “There are also a lot of verses where the writer listed some of the great things the LORD had done.”

“Indeed there are,” Evan concurred. “and besides those, it would be a good idea to remember and be thankful for things he has done for each of us individually, like putting us into these caring families, and saving us, plus all his daily blessings.”

William commended them, “Those are good points, boys. Now please find and listen to 2 Samuel 22:31-33, As for God, his way is perfect. The word of the LORD is proven. He is a shield to all those who trust in him. For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? God is my strength and power, and he makes my way perfect. These verses are part of a song David wrote after the LORD had delivered him from all his enemies including Saul who had tried for years to kill him. I don’t suppose any of us will ever have problems like David had, but I’m glad to know we have the same LORD as he did.”

“For sure,” Carlos agreed, “we can trust the LORD because we know about his trustworthiness from these and other verses in the Bible.”

Gary shared, “Precisely! I’m so glad we can trust the LORD as we get ready to go out into the workplace and make our own living. If we had to do it on our own, it would seem impossible.”

“Definitely!” William emphasized, “This is the reason we can pray Psalm 25:4,5 together.”

He gave them time to find it and then they prayed it out loud. Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. …

William, concluded this lesson by saying, “We need to pray for his guidance and remember that it says in Isaiah 55:8,9, (The LORD said,) ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways and my thoughts higher than yours.’

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Sometimes it might seem like what we think he tells us to do, doesn’t make any sense because his thoughts and ways are so much higher than ours. If you ever have a question about his leading, search in your Bible to see if it agrees with Bible truth. And if you get stuck, call your parents on the farm and talk it over with them. That’s what we parents are for!”

Greg emphasized, “Remember those last two statements, while you are still home with us and after you move away from the farm!”

“Thank you so much, Dad!” Kevin exclaimed. “I’ve been thinking about when we have to move away from the farm, and it’s scary in a lot of ways. But knowing we can call you and Mom helps a lot.”

Daniel agreed, “Ditto! We have such a wonderful family in this home that I wish we didn’t have to move away. But I know we have to grow up and be able to take care of ourselves.”

“My feelings, exactly,” added Cory, “and I’m thankful for all the things we’ve learned in this wonderful family to get us ready to be independent. Thank you both very much for taking such good care of us! The boys in that class made some good comments and I liked all the Old Testament scriptures in this lesson.”

“So did I,” said Levi, “it was a good reminder to remember the great things the LORD has done for us.

Max stated, “For sure, just like Psalm 126:3 says, The LORD had done great things for us, and we are glad for them.”