Ripples

RIPPLES

  By

  Jim Payton

  ****

  PUBLISHED BY

  Ripples

  Copyright 2012 by Jim Payton

  This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form, with the exception of quotes used in reviews.

  Your support and respect for the property of the author is appreciated.

  These stories and plays were written over a number of years primarily as a basis for Ministry to children. They are open to having the reader substitute appropriate names to suit their ministry and any other appropriate adaptations. They have also proved to be popular with aged people.

  The author is a New Zealander so please forgive the occasions that spelling differs from that in use by your country.

  Above all others, this book is dedicated to St Columba's Church, Taradale, New Zealand where The Lord and I met face to face.

  ****

  Table of Contents

  Story 1 Practical Faith

  Story.2.Promises

  Story 3 Belonging

  Story 4 Humpty Dumpty

  Story 5 A Ghost Story

  Story 6 Phillip and The Midnight Visitors

  Story 7 A Tale for 10 to 13 year olds

  Story 8 Joe Against The World

  Story 9 Lucy and Mary

  Story 10 Meeting Jesus

  Story 11 Sam The Samaritan

  Story 12 The Want-it-Now's and Fast Food Land

  Story 13 Easter

  Story 14 Talk to God

  Story 15 Do Not Tell Lies

  Story 16 Why Do We Go To Church

  Story 17 Mums

  Story 18 The Day the Minister Scared Me

  Story 19 Salt

  Story 20 The Messiah

  Story 21 The Prodigal Son

  Story 22 The Little Star

  Story 23 David

  Story 24 Redemption

  Story 25 End of the Year

  Story 26 Copy Cat

  Story 27 Reuben and Son

  Story 28 Jesus and the Real Indians

  Story 29 Sally and Food

  Story 30 Armour

  Story 31 The Circle of Life

  Story 32 Reasons and Seasons

  Story 33 What Are Presents

  Story 34 Easter 2

  Story 35 A Letter from Rex

  Play 1 Little Star

  Play 2 The Barbeque

  About the Author

  Story 1 Practical Faith

  Janet placed her lunchbox beside her. She chose biscuits and an apple from the box and put them to one side.

  “Yummy,” she thought. “Peanut butter sandwiches.”

  As she unwrapped the sandwiches, she looked up and saw the new boy watching her. He had only been at school for a week, but he had already been in trouble. His name was Karl, and like her, he was in year 5. He had no lunch to eat. He was also from another Country. Janet had heard other children calling him names because he spoke differently, and not very well. His clothes looked ragged, and his hair was greasy. As she bit into her sandwich, Karl looked away angrily. Janet wondered why he was angry. She took another bite and caught him looking at her again. She smiled at him. Her mother had told her she should always be polite. Karl frowned at her and again turned away. Janet put down the sandwich she was eating, and taking another one from her lunchbox, walked over to Karl and held it out to him. He sneered at her and turned away. Janet put the sandwich down beside him and said, “You can share my lunch.” She went back to her own seat. She watched as Karl touched the sandwich when he thought she was not looking, and then took a bite. She smiled to herself.

  Janet thought back to when her Sunday school teacher told her that Jesus had said, “Feed my sheep.” The teacher had said that did not mean giving food to sheep, but teaching people about God. Janet then took a packet of chippies and left them beside Karl.

  Over the next few days, Janet again shared her lunch with Karl, even when some of the other children told her she was silly. When Janet told her Mum what she was doing, her Mum put a few extras into her lunchbox.

  Janet and Karl started talking, and she helped him with his English and Math. Later, Karl became Janet’s friend, and she met his sister, Juanita, who started going to Sunday school with her. Karl never did go to Sunday school, but Janet knew that he would always remember how a Christian girl helped him in a practical way when nobody else would.

  Janet knew Jesus would understand her way of feeding his sheep.

  Story 2 Promises

  Janet was a child aged eight who lived in Masterton, New Zealand. Some of her friends had pets and Janet wanted to have a pet as well.

  “Mum,” she said. “Can I have a guinea pig?”

  “No.” said Mum looking up from the magazine where she was reading about Brad Pitt.

  “Awe, please Mum, please,” begged Janet.

  “No.” Mum said again.

  “I’ll wash the dishes,” said Janet. “I’ll make my bed.”

  “Wait until your father gets home and ask him,” said Mum.

  When Dad duly arrived home, he got a beer out of the refrigerator, kicked at the dog, and threw the cat off the rocking chair. He sat down and switched the television over to a sports channel.

  “Dad,” said Janet. “Can I have a guinea pig please?”

  “No,” said Dad.

  “Please,” said Janet. “Please, please, please. I’ll do anything.”

  “See your mother,” replied Dad.

  “Mum. Dad says I can have a guinea pig,” said Janet telling a lie

  “What?” yelled Mum.

  “Dad says I can have a guinea pig.”

  “Well, we’ll see,” said Mum.

  Two days later a guinea pig arrived. It sat in a hutch on the back lawn.

  “Mummy, Mummy, thank you,” said Janet hugging her mother.

  “Just remember young lady,” said Mum. “You have to make sure that you check every day to see it has enough water and food and you also have to shift the hutch every third day.”

  “I will. I will,” said Janet. “I promise. I’ll call him Abe.”

  Over the next two weeks, Janet was very good. She feed Abe, gave him food and water and shifted his hutch. On the third week, she forgot to check Abe. She remembered a couple of days later, and although he had eaten all his food, there was still some water left.

  The week after that Janet forgot all about Abe because she had a birthday party to go to, and then she slept over at a friends place, and then something good was on T.V. and then one night it was raining.

  Abe shivered cold and alone in his hutch. He felt weak and sad. He felt that no one loved him. He was also scared. He tried to squeak out loud so some one would hear him, but no one did. He lay down on his wet straw and prepared to die.

  Just as he was about to die Abe heard a strangers voice.

  “What have we here?” asked the voice.

  “Oh it’s nothing,” said Janet’s voice. “Come on. You came over to play, not look at an old guinea pig.”

  “No. I think this is more important,” said the voice. Abe felt the hutch move and gentle hands pick him up and cuddle him into a warm jersey.

  “What’s his name?” asked the voice.

  “Abe,” replied Janet. “But he’s got all stinky and yucky now.”

  “I’ll look after him,” said the voice. Abe felt himself carried away from Janet’s house.

  “I’m Judy,” said the voice. “Don’t worry I’ll look after you.” Abe found himself fed with warm milk and going to sleep on nice warm freshly torn up newspaper. Gradually Abe got well again. His coat shone and his eyes sparkled. Judy took him to a guinea pig show and won first prize. They received a ribbon and a bag of lollies. Janet did
not get anything.

  So because Janet was lazy, did not keep her promise, and lost interest, poor Abe nearly died. Judy, on the other hand, kept her promise to look after Abe, won a prize, and of course, Abe lived happily ever after.

  That is what Jesus is like. When other people do not like you, or have lost interest in you, Jesus will always look after you. He will always be with you. He will make sure that you are cared for, fed, and kept warm.

  Story 3 Belonging

  Sally was a butterfly. Well she thought she was a butterfly. Somehow, though, she was different. Her Mum and Dad had white wings. One of them had two black spots on their wings, and the other had one black spot. Some of Sally’s cousins had beautiful bright orange wings, some had black wings with orange marks on them and some had brown wings, but none of them was like her. Sure, she had white wings and black spots, but she had three black spots. Not one, not two, but three. This was terrible for poor Sally. None of the other butterflies at butterfly school had three spots. Everyone made fun of her. Even the caterpillars at kindergarten would call her ‘three spot’. She had tried to make herself look like the other butterflies. She had tried to paint over one of the spots but you could still see it through the paint. She had tried dyeing her wings bright green, and bright yellow, but that made her look even sillier. Nothing seemed to work. No matter what she did, she still had three black spots on each wing. Sally was so sad. She felt as though she just did not belong. One day, while all the other butterflies were at butterfly school learning how to eat cabbage leaves faster, Sally went and sat in the shade of a dock leaf. She felt all alone and sad. While she was sitting there, a worm poked his head up above the ground.

  “What’s wrong with you?” asked the worm. “Why aren’t you at school?”

  “I