One day when my oldest daughter was 5, we went grocery shopping and saw a woman come rushing out of the market. We watched as she pulled a cigarette and lighter out of her pocket. As she lifted the lighter to the cigarette perched on her lips my daughter surprised me by speaking directly to the woman. “Smoking is bad for you! It turns you black inside!” she exclaimed.
Slightly embarrassed, I smiled and hurriedly ushered my daughter into the store. As we walked by, the woman replied, “Yes, honey, I know. Don’t you ever smoke!”
The woman was just finishing up as we walked out with our small grocery bag. My daughter waved, and the woman waved back. Then my little one gave this parting remark: “You should pray about it. To stop smoking.” Visibly touched, the woman nodded.
“I’ll pray for you too,” my daughter added as we walked across the drive to our car. I wasn’t at all embarrassed anymore.
—Kimberly Luste Maran, Laurel, Maryland
My 31/2-year-old granddaughter, Claire, was playing with her Fisher-Price Nativity set on a recent Sabbath. She was telling the Christmas story as she played. Her version had new and unique details in it: “Joseph said to Mary, ‘I’m allergic to donkeys, so I’m not going to ride the donkey.’ ”
—Mary Jane Heilman, Collegedale, Tennessee
Fred Lam, a Sabbath school teacher and an elder at the Seventh-day Adventist Community Church in Singapore, gave members food for thought while teaching lesson 7, “Taming the Tongue,” on November 15, 2014.
“The tongue has no bones, but can break a heart. Before you speak, THINK:
T Is it TRUE?
H Is it HELPFUL?
I Is it INSPIRING?
N Is it NECESSARY?
K Is it KIND?”
—Rolf Gerber, Singapore
—Pastor Mike Lambert at the Stateline Seventh-day Adventist
Church in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, on November 22, 2014
Have a prayer need? Have a few free minutes? Each Wednesday morning at 8:15 EST the Adventist Review staff meets to pray for people—children, parents, friends, coworkers. Send your prayer requests and, if possible, pray with us on Wednesday mornings. Send requests to: Let’s Pray, Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600; fax: 301-680-6638; e-mail: [email protected].
