Jared Dees's Blog: The Latest from Jared Dees, page 17

The Parable of the Lost Sheep: Bible Story for Kids

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Luke 15:17

The lessons in Jesuss parables were always unexpected. Jesus told these stories to show people how much God loves even those who are struggling in life. In this parable, Jesus explains how God is like a shepherd who searches for even one lost sheep.  

As you read this story, pay attention to the lesson Jesus gives to explain this parable.

Many of the people listening to Jesus preach were tax collectors and others who were known to be sinful people....

The Unfriendly Old Man: A Psalm 5 Story

An old man lived up on a hill near a forest. He was a private person. He didnt like talking to people very much.

One evening he heard a knock on the door. He came to see who it was and saw a woman there that he had never seen before. He opened the door and said, What do you want? 

Dear sir, please let me in and give me shelter the woman started to say, but the old man slammed the door in her face. 

The evening went on and the light began to fade outside. Another knock came at the door. This...

Crossing the Red Sea: A Bible Story for Kids

Crossing the Red Sea

Exodus 14

After God performed many miracles, Pharaoh finally released the Israelites from Egypt. Moses led the people out into the wilderness, but then Pharaoh changed his mind and came after the Israelites with his army. 

As you read this story, pay attention to what God says and does for the Israelites to save them. 

Pharaoh gathered all the chariots in Egypt to chase after the Israelites and bring them back as slaves again. Even Pharaoh mounted his chariot and set...

Which is Correct: One foul or fowl swoop? (Neither: It's one fell swoop.)

The other day I tried to use a cliche phrase one foul swoop.

Once I wrote it, I wondered about the original meaning. Was there a foul, like a mistake swooping in?

Or maybe the phrase refers to a fowl bird that swoops down all at once.

It turns out that neither is correct. Instead the phrase should be one fell swoop.

One fell swoop means all at once. It appears in Shakespeares play, Macbeth.

While we dont often use the word fell in this way anymore, it meant fierce, villain, terrible,...

The Unexpected Answer: A Psalm 4 Story

Call out to God in pain and sorrow. He will answer us. We may not see him. We may not even hear his words, but he hears us. He will give us comfort in times of sorrow if we remain grateful and faithful to him.

Most of all, God grants peace to sinners. When we make mistakes, he forgives us. He loves us. He made us. He wants to be close to us. The biggest challenge is finding the strength to forgive ourselves.

In this Psalm 4 story, a girl finds the strength to forgive herself through an...

Jesus Heals the Leper: A Bible Story for Kids about Hope

Jesus Heals the Leper

Matthew 8:14; Mark 1:4045; Luke 5:1215

There were many diseases in the ancient world without cures yet. Leprosy was a disease that caused someones skin to break out in large bumps. It was very contagious, so anyone with leprosy was sent away from the communities to live in isolation.  

As you read this story, pay attention to what Jesus says and does when he heals the man with leprosy.  

Jesus came down from a mountain after teaching the crowds of people that followed...

March 2020 Project Report

Here is a report of where I spent my time and how well I progressed towards reaching my goals last month.

My 2020 Goals Professional Goals: 

97% / Double the number of members of The Religion Teacher (December 2017 to present) (+2%)

279,097/1,000,000 words for kids (A part of my #1millionwordsforkids goal) (+24,548 words)

516/600 Resources (Videos/Worksheets) for Members of The Religion Teacher (New goal!)

Personal Goals: 

17/75 books read (+7 books)

25/73 Books: Read the entire Bible from...

The Confident Captain: A Psalm 16 Story

Psalm 16 begins with a prayer asking for Gods protection. Keep me safe, O God for in you I take refuge (Psalm 16:1). While others might be tempted to turn away from God for help, we must turn to the Lord and trust in him during times of trouble. He will give us confidence if we keep him always in our hearts. With this confidence comes great joy, which gives hope to the people in fear around us. Stay strong. Trust in the Lord. He will show you the way.

The Confident Captain

There was a boat...

Book List: Christian Fantasy and Science Fiction

I have been an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy books since I was a kid. I hated reading until I first opened up The Hobbit and then delved into the world of Middle Earth with The Lord of the Rings in the seventh grade. J.R.R. Tolkien taught me to love reading. So I may have him to thank for my later love of reading the Bible as well.

I did not realize when I was younger how much Tolkien and Lewiss Christian faith influenced the words of The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of...

The Road to Emmaus: A Bible Story for Kids

The Road to Emmaus Luke 24:1335

After Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to many of his disciples. He encountered two of these disciples shortly after his death and resurrection just outside of Jerusalem. They were traveling on the road to a village called Emmaus. 

As you read this story, pay attention to the way the disciples finally realize that it was Jesus who was with them. 

It was a difficult few days for the disciples of Jesus. They had seen and heard about the death of their Lord....