[The Children's Chapel]
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                 A Fishy Tale by Steven WilsonText Version

          Morah sat on the beach throwing pebbles into the sea. She
     was angry! Her parents were always telling her what to do and she
     was fed up with it. Determined never to obey them again, she
     flung her last pebble into the water and turned to leave.

          No sooner had her pebble splashed down into the sea than the
     waters began to froth and foam. Huge waves rose and crashed onto
     the sand.

          "Crumbs!" she shrieked spinning round. "I didn't throw it
     that hard!" But it hadn't been her pebble that had caused the
     water to react so violently. It had been the forty-foot fish that
     was at that very moment beached right in front of her.

          Morah froze. She didn't like fish at the best of time and
     certainly not huge big ones that kept winking at her. She was
     wondering what she should do, when suddenly the huge fish began
     to retch. It was about to be sick and Morah was standing in the
     firing line. She dived for a nearby bush just in time as the fish
     gave one last heave and was sick all over the sand.

          What a mess! There were seaweed and timbers, and old rags,
     and...and...and.... Morah rubbed her eyes. She could hardly
     believe what she saw. There in amongst all the debris was
     a...man! He was alive. He was covered in goo and bleached as
     white as a lamb. But he was alive!

          The man staggered to his feet and the huge fish thrashed
     back into the sea.

          The man was small with a tangled beard that was more seaweed
     than hair. His skin was wrinkled like a prune and he smelled
     horrible. "What a pong!" thought Morah, as she cupped her hand
     over her nose and sank lower behind the hedge. "How on earth did
     he end up inside a fish?"

          She watched him pull a piece of driftwood from between his
     toes, clear the mucus from his eyes and ears, and struggle up the
     beach until he was gone.

          She heaved a sigh of relief and climbed out from behind her
     bush to set off for home.

          Although her thoughts were taken up by the strange events on
     the beach, she was still determined to tell her parents that she
     had decided not to do what they ask ever again.

          "I've just seen him!" she heard her father's voice tell as
     she neared the house. "The same man that told us to throw him in
     the sea because he had angered his God. He said it would stop the
     storm. And it did!"

          "Wow!" said Morah's mother as Morah entered the house. "He
     must have a mighty powerful God to stop the storm like that. Why
     didn't he drown?"

          "Well apparently," Morah's father continued, "he's been in
     the belly of a fish for three days and nights. Now that is a
     mighty God he follows, if you ask me."

          Morah froze once more at the mention of the big fish. So
     that's how the strange man had ended up inside the fish. He'd
     angered his God.

          "How did he anger his God?" asked Morah, somewhat surprising
     her parents who hadn't noticed her come in.

          "Well," said her father, crouching down to give his daughter
     a big hug. "Apparently he refused to do what God had asked him to
     do!"

          "Really!" gasped Morah remembering the sight of the
     bedraggled old man who had just spent three days inside the belly
     of a fish. "Oh dear!" And without another thought, Morah turned
     to her mother and said, "Is there anything you would like me to
     do? You only have to ask, you know. I'll be only too willing."

          And with that, Morah grabbed a broom and frantically began
     cleaning the house.

     THINK!
          Do you think Morah was right, not wanting to help her
     parents? Why is it important to help other people? What sorts of
     things can you do that would help God?

     REMEMBER
          Sometimes the simplest actions can bring the greatest
     rewards!

     A VERSE TO LEARN
          Jesus said: "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to
     one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you
     the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward" (Matthew 10:42
     - NIV).

     LET'S PRAY

            ****************************************************
             Dear Lord, please help me to know that every time
                     I do something for another person,
                        I am also doing it for you.
                     Please help me to show your love
                          to my friends and family
                        in the things I do for them.
                        In the name of Jesus. Amen.
            ****************************************************

     CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
          Jonah (in the Old Testament), chapters 1, 2, 3 & 4

     ---------------
     Used by permission. Copyright © 2006 by Steve Wilson. You may NOT
     re-post this story without permission from the author.

                             Pictures to color

                                 1 [Image]
                                 2 [Image]
                                 3 [Image]

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