Jeremiah Threatened for Telling the Truth

By Mary Vee
Jeremiah 27

From Jeremiah's Journal

Photo Courtesy

No one likes to hear bad news or that someone is unhappy with them. And Shemaiah was no exception. He told the prisoners from Judah they would be going home soon. God did not give him that message.

How do I know? Because God spoke to me and said they would be slaves in Babylon for seventy years.

The Lord asked me to send word to the people of Jerusalem and Judea who had been taken as prisoners to Babylon, telling them what He told me. He said they should go ahead and build houses for now and plant their gardens because they would be there for seventy years.

When Shemaiah, who lied to the people to make them feel good, read these words he became angry and wrote a letter to Zephaniah, the priest who was allowed to stay here in Jerusalem. 

In the letter Shemaiah said, "You should put any madman who acts like a prophet into the stocks and neck-irons. I don't understand why you haven't put this man Jeremiah who claims to be a prophet away. He is not telling the truth. He sent this crazy message to us saying we will be here in Babylon for a long time. That we should build houses and settle down, plant gardens and eat what the gardens produce. Really? No way will we be here a long time."

Zephaniah the priest didn't believe Shemaiah. He knew God had spoken to me. He brought the letter from Shemaiah to me and read it out loud.

When he finished reading, God spoke to me, saying, "Send this message to the men, women, and children who have been taken as prisoners in Babylon. 'Because Shemaiah has told you I gave him a message, even though I did not, and has led you to believe this lie, I will punish him. He will not see the good things I will do for my people. He will be punished because he has preached rebellion against Me."

I sent the message as the Lord instructed. Shemaiah will be the one punished, not me so that the people will know who is truthful and who isn't.

*******************************************************************************************************
1. What fruit did Jeremiah see in his vision.
2. What is the difference between a dream and a vision.
3. The good fruit was like...what?
4. The bad fruit was like...what?
5. How long would those who were taken to Babylon have to wait before they would come back to Jerusalem?
6. What would happen in that amount of time?

Jeremiah Tells a Story of Good and Bad Figs

By Mary Vee
Jeremiah 29

From Jeremiah's Journal

Photo Courtesy

At times God showed me what He wanted me to tell the people of Judah with a vision. A vision is different than a dream. When I see a vision, I am not asleep.

I am the prophet Jeremiah. God recently showed me a vision. I saw two baskets of figs in front of the temple of the Lord. One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early. The other basket had very poor figs, so bad they could not be eaten.

Then God said to me, "The people who Nebuchadnezzar took as prisoners far away to Babylon are like the good figs. I will watch over them and give them a desire to want to know more about me--that I am the Lord. They will be my people and I will be their God. 

"They have been led astray by the evil kings Ahab and Zedekiah, but one day, they will return to me with all their hearts.

"Zedekiah, his officials, and the survivors of Jerusalem are like the bad figs. Some will remain in Jerusalem, some will go to Egypt. These are the ones that will be hated by other countries. The people from those countries will make fun of them, laugh at them, call them names. A famine will come to where they live and soldiers will attack them until they are destroyed. These are the ones who never will have a place in their heart for me."

I sent a letter to those who had been taken to Babylon and told them about the vision of the figs. I wanted to encourage them that they would one day come back to their home and tell them not to listen to any prophet who told them a different message.

In the letter, God told me to say, "You will be there for seventy years. Plant gardens. Settle into homes. Raise your families. God knows the plans He has for you. Plans to take care of you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

"At some time you will call on God and pray to Him. When you do, He will listen. You will search for Him, and He will be there, waiting for you. That is when He will bring you back from captivity to your beloved homes in Jerusalem.

"As for Ahab and Zedekiah who are telling you lies in my name, I will hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon and he will put them to death.

Seventy years. Thats a long time. But at least we know there will be an end to the captivity. Then those who truly love God will come back home.

*******************************************************************************************************
1. What fruit did Jeremiah see in his vision.
2. What is the difference between a dream and a vision.
3. The good fruit was like...what?
4. The bad fruit was like...what?
5. How long would those who were taken to Babylon have to wait before they would come back to Jerusalem?
6. What would happen in that amount of time?

Amy Carmichael-How I Got Rid of the Governess

By Mary Vee

Year: December 16, 1877-1879 

Amy Carmichael: 10-12 year old

From Amy's Journal

Photo Courtesy -
Katie Nana from Mary Poppins

My two younger brothers, Ernest and Alfred, always looked to me for creative fun. I'm not exactly sure how or why the ideas popped in my head. This I do know, I never considered the punishment Mother and Father would give, we just did it.

Let me first say, I hadn't asked Jesus into my heart yet and as a result, I wasn't always sorry for what I did wrong. My poor parents.

Mother announced she had hired a governess to teach us our school lessons. This woman fit every undesirable description I could think of. She was fat, didn't know how to smile or laugh, and definitely didn't know how to have any fun.

I talked my brothers into helping me put earwigs in her tea and toads in her bed. It didn't take long before she packed her bags and refused to stay. Mother took me to the sewing room. I knew I did wrong, but wasn't sorry. The governess was unreasonable. Mother said I could have told her about the problem and she would have listened. What she really wanted me to do was to be sorry. I wasn't. When mother stopped trying to convince me I had done wrong, she said she was leaving on an errand. Tears dripped down her face and her eyes were really sad. 

I didn't want to hurt her. I love my mother very much. "I'm sorry," I cried wrapping my arms around her. "Please forgive me, Mother." 

During the next two years, my brothers and I had several governesses, but none left because of our behavior. One day, Miss Milne came to be our governess. I loved her very much. She laughed. Told us stories. Took us outside and taught us about animals, flowers, and trees. She was so much fun.

Before you think this wonderful governess kept me from getting into trouble, stop the thought. On her day off, my brothers and I still needed to have fun. 

I had always wanted to climb through the skylight in the bathroom and onto the roof. We waited for my parents to go on an errand then piled up a few objects to stand on, pushed the skylight out of the way and climbed onto the roof. We worked together then carefully walked to the edge of the roof where the gutter hung. Guess who happened to be on the front walk just as we looked over. Yep, Mother and Father. They weren't very happy.

And there was the time I wanted to know how long it would take to die if we ate the poisonous berries from the tree out front. My brothers and I had horrible stomach aches and mother made us take the nastiest tasting medicine. We lived, even after the punishment.

At age twelve, I thought of the brilliant idea to have my brothers help me row our little boat out farther than Father said we could. What would really happen in the deeper waters? What was hiding out there? So we did. We rowed beyond the point Father allowed and found a swift current that carried us away from shore and toward a dangerous sand bar that could break up our boat. 

In a panic, I ordered my brothers to row hard toward shore and I held the rudder with all my strength. It didn't help. The waters continued to move us away from the safety of the shore.

My brother Ernest yelled, "Sing, Amy!"

The song we sang for family worship last night came to mind. "He leadeth me," I sung all the words to the first verse.

The waves grew stronger and continued to carry us farther. "Sing more," Ernest yelled.

I did. By the end of the second verse Alfred yelled over the sound of the water, "Look! The coastguard is coming." 

They came and rescued us. Well, they rescued us from being killed by the current and the sand bar and drowning. Not from the punishment by our parents. 

Resources used for this series:
Benge, Janet, and Geoff Benge. Amy Carmichael: Rescuer of Precious Gems. Seattle, WA: YWAM Pub., 1998. Print.
Davis, Rebecca Henry. With Daring Faith: A Biography of Amy Carmichael. Greenville, SC: Bob Jones UP, 1987. Print.
Dick, Lois Hoadley. Amy Carmichael: Let the Children Come. Chicago: Moody, 1984. Print.
Meloche, Renee Taft., and Bryan Pollard. Amy Carmichael: Rescuing the Children. Seattle, WA: YWAM Pub., 2002. Print.
Wellman, Sam. Amy Carmichael: A Life Abandoned to God. Uhrichville, OH: Barbour Pub., 1998. Print.

Don't forget to comment! 
Let Amy hear from you!

Jeremiah-The Thieves Who Robbed Temple Treasures

By Mary Vee
II Kings 24, II Chronicles 36, Daniel 1

From Jeremiah's Journal

Photo courtesy

My name is Jeremiah. I am a prophet who witnessed what Nebuchadnezzar did.

Taking King Jehoiachin, all his officers, and all the smart, young men as prisoners wasn't enough for Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon 

He also removed all the treasures from the temple of the Lord, the royal palace, and took away all the gold items Solomon, king of Israel, had made for the temple. 

He took everything, the beautiful golden lamp stand, cups, basins, the golden table, the gold covering all the walls, the jewels, all the richness given as an offering to the Lord. He loaded it in the military chariots and wagons and hauled it to the temple of god in Babylonia. 

Lost from us.

There were so many wagons full of gold, bronze, and silver hauled away with no care taken for their importance at all. These hand crafted temple items were crammed into every open space. The army's greed grew with each additional item they found. All that had once been given as an offering to God--now gone. Treated as mere metal.

The armies stayed for days removing all Nebuchadnezzar wanted.

The temple was a wreck. The beautiful place to come and worship God, in ruins.

Next he took into exile ten thousand men who were craftsmen, officers, and fighters from Jerusalem to put to work, leaving behind only the poorest people. Those that didn't have the strength to work or survive--left to find their own way in Jerusalem. 

Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin's uncle, Zedekiah, the king and made Zedekiah promise to obey him or suffer a great punishment. Of course, he agreed.

Because the kings of Judah would not lead the people to worship God, we suffered ruin, just as God said. The only thing we can do is pray for forgiveness that one day the great city of Jerusalem will be returned to us.

*******************************************************************************************************
1. What king came to Jerusalem to conquer the city?
2. What people did he take for prisoners?
3. What did he take from the temple?
4. Where did he take the temple things?
5. Who did he leave in the city?
6. Which prophet is a witness to this story?

Nebuchadnezzar Conquers Judah

By Mary Vee
II Kings 24

From Jeremiah's Journal

Photo Courtesy

My name is Jeremiah. I am a prophet. There is nothing left to be done other than to continue to pray for God's mercy on us.

The king, Jehoiakim, chose to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar from Babylon.

God sent so many prophets, including me, to warn Jehoiakim about the trouble that would come if he did not change from his evil ways and lead the people to worship HIm. But would he listen? No. Then he had this crazy idea to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the great city Babylon, by not paying the dues. Of all earthly kings, Nebuchadnezzar. The man had a huge army. Two wrong choices by Jehoiakim.

God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to attack Judah and take away all our smart young men, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego were only a few of the boys taken from the royal and nobel houses. Many more will be taken as slaves soon.

God allowed the Babylonians, the Armeans, the Moabites,and Ammonite raiders to attack Judeah. They came and destroyed our land, our buildings, and took our people to serve as slaves. 

I am convinced this happened by God's command in order to punish our nation for all the sins we have done, especially worshipping idols and the killing of innocent blood. King Manasseh started the bad treatment of the people, but several other kings have led Judah to worship idols instead of the God of Heaven, too. O, if only they had listened to God.

Because of what Jehoikim has done, the people will not cry when he dies. God warned him and Jehoikim said he would not listen. From a young man he chose not to obey God. And now all these words from God came true.

His son, Jehoiachin was crowned king at age eighteen, but only ruled for three months because he, too, did evil by disobeying God, just like his father. 

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, himself marched up to the palace where Jehoiachin hid with his officers. Jehoiachin and all those with him surrendered and were taken prisoners to Babylon.

O, if only the kings had listened to God and led the people to worship the one and only God who would have protected them for all of this trouble.

*******************************************************************************************************
1. What did the king of Judah do wrong?
2. Who did God send to warn him of what would happen if he kept doing wrong?
3. Who came to the palace to take the king of Judah as prisoner?
4. What could and should the kings of Judah have done to prevent all of this?

Amy Carmichael- Saving the Mouse

By Mary Vee

Year: December 16, 1875 

Amy Carmichael: 8 year old

From Amy's Journal

Photo Courtesy

One of my fondest first memories was the time I saved a mouse. My mother didn't think it was so amazing, but my brothers did.

As a proper Irish girl growing up in the 1880's, I had to sit with my mother and learn how to hand sew. Nothing could be more boring. It wasn't sitting with mom that bothered me. She kept me busy with conversation. It was my brothers shouts of happy play outside in the fresh fallen snow that tugged at my real spirit. 

My baby sister let out a cry announcing she'd woken from her nap. I love the sound! No, I'm not crazy. Mom always said, "Go out and play with your brothers while I take care of the baby," when this happened.

It took only seconds for me to bundle up in my coat, boots, gloves, and hat. I whipped opened the door. My brothers shouted, "Yeah, Amy's here to play."

They showed me their snow fort and the need for ammunition. Hah, we made and threw snowballs until mom called us in for family worship time. I can't believe how fast the time flew. 

As I ran to the door, though, a strange sound came from the water bucket on the porch. I looked inside and saw a mouse struggling. "Oh, you poor thing." Without help, it would die.

My brothers looked in the bucket. "Come on, Amy. We gotta get inside or Dad will punish us for not coming when called. The mouse looks dead, anyway."

"You go inside. I'll be there in just a second."

They opened the door. I took off a glove and tenderly reached into the freezing water. The mouse climbed up my hand and onto my dry arm, shivering. The poor thing was soaked and so cold I couldn't leave him outside to die. I dried his soaking fur and put him in my dress pocket to get warm. "There you go, little one."

He wiggled a little then settled into my pocket. His cold came through to me. I knew that my warmth went to him. I flung opened the door and whipped off my coat, hat, and boots then ran to the sitting room.

"Well, Miss Amy, so nice of you to join us for worship time," said Dad. He wasn't pleased. His eyebrows pointed down as he spoke. 

I sat in my seat and listened to the Bible reading. Part way through, the mouse made a squeak. 

"Did you say something, Amy?"

I shook my head and set my hand on the pocket to quiet the mouse. He did quiet for about a minute then squeaked again. The little guy must have warmed enough to want to escape. He poked his head out of my pocket.

My mother screamed. Dad let out a sound. My brothers laughed. "I'm sorry, Dad. He fell into the bucket and was drowning. I only put him in my pocket to warm him up." I stood. "I think he's ready to go back to his family outside."

"We'll talk about this after worship time, young lady."

Sigh. We did. I managed to get myself into many talks with Dad as I grew up.

Some might call the younger me precocious, which is an awfully big word for managing to find trouble instead of doing what I should be doing. I think God thought of it as a good sign I would survive on the mission field.

Resources used for this series:
Benge, Janet, and Geoff Benge. Amy Carmichael: Rescuer of Precious Gems. Seattle, WA: YWAM Pub., 1998. Print.
Davis, Rebecca Henry. With Daring Faith: A Biography of Amy Carmichael. Greenville, SC: Bob Jones UP, 1987. Print.
Dick, Lois Hoadley. Amy Carmichael: Let the Children Come. Chicago: Moody, 1984. Print.
Meloche, Renee Taft., and Bryan Pollard. Amy Carmichael: Rescuing the Children. Seattle, WA: YWAM Pub., 2002. Print.
Wellman, Sam. Amy Carmichael: A Life Abandoned to God. Uhrichville, OH: Barbour Pub., 1998. Print.

Don't forget to comment! 
Let Amy hear from you!

Daniel-Having Everything isn't So Great

By Mary Vee
Daniel 2

From Daniel's Journal

Photo Courtesy

Not that long ago, I lived in my parents' home, had my own bedroom, hung out with my friends, and basically enjoyed my life.

In a flash, I went from having a normal life to becoming a slave. King Nebuchadnezzar's army conquered Judah, my homeland. His army didn't want all the people from Judah for slaves at first. They only took young men who did well in school. 

My best friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and I along with other boys were put in chains and forced to march for days to Babylon.  

We ate well and studied the Babylon language then took a test to prove we learned the information. My friends and I did really well. 

Although we were slaves, we had a nice place to live. Guards watched over us, preventing us from escaping and making sure we did our work. 

This week the king had a horrible nightmare that he wanted interpreted. He ordered his Babylonian wise men to tell him the dream. Of course they didn't know what he dreamed. King Nebuchadnezzar ordered all wise men, including my friends and I, to be killed. Thanks be to God, He saved us by telling me the dream and the meaning.

The last time I wrote, I had told the king the meaning of the dream just as God had shown me. The king was impressed and chose not to kill the wise men. He gave me many gifts and let me ask for anything.

I asked the king to appoint my friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be administrators over the province of Babylon. The king agreed but wanted me to stay at the royal court.

I'm so happy for my friends to have a safe place where they could live well, but I will miss them. They are far away from me. And because all four of us are still considered slaves, we won't have the chance to talk or meet. 

We won't be able to joke around, play pranks, and have the fun that young men should have. 

I know I should be grateful that we aren't living in chains like other slaves who will be brought from my homeland. I am grateful God has given me a quick mind to learn the Babylonian language and other schooling. 

But I live mostly by myself. The other wise men are all Babylonians and look down on me. They whisper when they walk past me. My family isn't here, and when they are brought to Babylon, I won't be able to talk to them. Sometimes I just feel alone.

Do you feel alone, too? Even though people are around you?

I keep busy with my work. This helps a little. But what helps me the most is my window. I knel before the window and pray to God each day. He has became my best friend. I tell Him all my thoughts and questions knowing He listens and cares.

Slaves from Judah have started to arrive and are placed in different places all over the city. King Nebuchadnezzar loves the power that he has over my people. 

I wish I could go home. I'd give up all the gifts Nebuchadnezzar gave me if only all of Judah could go back home.


*******************************************************************************************************
1. Nebuchadnezzar liked Daniel because he interpreted the dream. What did Nebuchadnezzar give Daniel?
2. What didn't Nebuchadnezzar give Daniel?

Daniel Interprets the Impossible Dream

By Mary Vee
Daniel 2

From Daniel's Journal

Photo Courtesy

I told king Nebuchadnezzar his dream and it pleased him. He didn't even stop me from speaking.

The men who crowded the room sat with wide eyes, listening to what I said. No wonder Nebuchadnezzar had been frightened by such a dream.

All I did was repeat what God showed me. God is the one who should receive all the glory, I made sure to tell the king this because there was one point the king's wise men had absolutely correct. No mere man could tell another what they dreamed. The person may guess, use information we give, but on his or her own, no person could tell another what they dreamed.

Since the king didn't stop me, I kept talking.

"And now the interpretation. You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you this power. In your hands, he has given mankind, animals of the field, and birds of the air. Where they live, he has made you ruler over all of them. You are the head of the statue you saw in your dream.

"After your reign, though, another kingdom will rise up. One that is not as strong as yours. Next, a third kingdom, one shown by the bronze in your dream, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom. One strong as iron--for iron breaks and smashes everything--and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.

"Just as you saw in your dream that the feet and toes were made of baked clay and iron, so this will be a divided kingdom. It will have some of the strength of iron and also be weak like brittle. The people will be a mixture and will not unite any more than iron will mix with clay.

"In the time of those kings I just mentioned, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. It won't be left to another people. It will crush all the other kingdoms and bring them to an end. It will endure forever. This is the meaning of the rock cut out of a mountain--not by human hands--a rock that will break iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold to pieces."

I bowed before the king and took a deep breath. "The great God of heaven has shown you, O king, what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation given to you, by God, is trustworthy." 

Photo Courtesy

King Nebuchadnezzar leaped from his chair and fell on the floor, laying flat before me. "Bring an offering and incense to Daniel, at once." He stood and said to me, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to tell and explain to me this mystery."

Nebuchadnezzar gave me a high position and many gifts. He made me ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed me in charge of all of his wise men. 

Not only did God answer the prayers of my friends and I to spare our lives, He honored us by giving us jobs of great importance.

*******************************************************************************************************
1. How did Daniel know what the dream meant?
2. Who had the dream?
3. What did the gold head represent?
4. What did the next pieces mean?
5. What did the rock stand for?
6. What would the rock do?
7. Could the rock be destroyed?
8. What did Nebuchadnezzar do for Daniel? Why?

Amy Carmichael-If Our Wishes Really Came True

By Mary Vee

Year: December 16, 1880 

Amy Carmichael: 3 year old

Due to Amy's Young Age, 

Her mother, Catherine Will Tell Today's story

Photo Courtesy - An Irish hillside

As a wee little girl, my sweet  Amy had a wish. The angel was born with brown eyes, given to her by the good Lord, and she didn't like them. 

You may not know but typically Irish have blue eyes and many of us have red in our hair. I'm told it we show our tempers especially well with our fair skin.

Little Amy showed her spirit just the same. She truly wanted blue eyes. 

At only three-years-old, she pulled a chair up to the mirror and climbed to see if the color had changed. But it hadn't.

"Mama," she called to me. "Why didn't God give me beautiful blue eyes like yours?"

The answer seemed simple to me. Still, I had to find a way to help my little girl understand that even God who loves us doesn't always give what we want. "Sweetie, you know that your father and I love you very much right?"

"Yes."

"And sometimes you ask for things we don't give you, like the cookie you wanted this afternoon?"

"Yes, I know."

"God loves you, too." I hugged her and set her on my lap. "I have a feeling, someday you will know the reason God gave you those beautiful chocolaty brown eyes instead of blue ones."

The answer didn't make her happy at the time. She prayed every night, asking God to change His mind and let her have blue eyes like the sky and the ocean. Each morning she checked and found her eyes brown.

Sometimes we pray and wish for something so deeply we still remember the prayer as adults. That is when we can look back and understand a bit better why God did what He did. 


A note from Mary Vee- Gladys Aylward had the same wish as a child. She too, was born not far away in a place called England. Kids teased her about her brown eyes. When she grew up, though, God called her to be a missionary in a country where all the people had brown eyes. Imagine that. I wonder, if on our journey with Amy Carmichael, we will see her happy to have brown eyes.

If you'd like to learn more about Gladys, I have included a two-year series about her life on this blog. Go to the Missionary Adventures tab at the top and scroll down a bit. You'll see all of the stories about Gladys Aylward. Click on the one you want to read.


Resources used for this series:
Benge, Janet, and Geoff Benge. Amy Carmichael: Rescuer of Precious Gems. Seattle, WA: YWAM Pub., 1998. Print.
Davis, Rebecca Henry. With Daring Faith: A Biography of Amy Carmichael. Greenville, SC: Bob Jones UP, 1987. Print.
Dick, Lois Hoadley. Amy Carmichael: Let the Children Come. Chicago: Moody, 1984. Print.
Meloche, Renee Taft., and Bryan Pollard. Amy Carmichael: Rescuing the Children. Seattle, WA: YWAM Pub., 2002. Print.
Wellman, Sam. Amy Carmichael: A Life Abandoned to God. Uhrichville, OH: Barbour Pub., 1998. Print.

Don't forget to comment! 
Let Amy hear from you!

Daniel Tells Nebuchadnezzar His Dream

By Mary Vee
Daniel 2

From Daniel's Journal

Photo Courtesy

Arioch, the commander of the king's guard escorted me down the corridor. The last time we marched through to the king's chambers my friends and I were quizzed by king Nebuchadnezzar. I shook in the king's presence, knowing his power and cruel ways.

But this time-not so much.

King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that frightened him. He wanted his wise men to not only interpret it for him, but also tell him what the dream was. Of course these men couldn't. They worshipped idols.

God could. 

The guards said my friends and I would be killed with the others. That's when we prayed and asked God for help. God told me the meaning of the dream and now, here I am, on my way to the king's chambers to answer his questions. I have no fear in me. None at all. God has not only given me the answer, but also a sense of calm.

Arioch stopped at the king's door and said, "I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell you what the dream meant."

King Nebuchadnezzar sat forward and rested his head on his hand. "Can you tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?"

I shook my head. "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown you what will happen in the days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these:

Photo Courtesy

"As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me not because I have a greater wisdom that other living men, but so that you, O king, may know the interpretation and understand what it meant.

"Before you stood a large statue--an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 

"While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like powder. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

Come back next time to see what the dream meant.
*******************************************************************************************************
1. Why did Daniel ask to go before the king?
2. What did Nebuchadnezzar ask Daniel?
3. What did Daniel answer?
4. What appeared in the dream?
5. What destroy most of the object?
6. Where did the rock turn into?
7. How did Daniel know what Nebuchadnezzar dreamed?

Daniel-The Life or Death Prayer

By Mary Vee
Daniel 2

From Daniel's Journal

Photo Courtesy

I didn't waste any time hurrying back to my quarters to tell my three friends the news.

"Daniel, you're back! What did the king say?"

I closed the door and spoke softly. "He had a dream that scared him. He wants it interpreted but he won't tell anyone what it was about. Since none of the wise men could tell him what the dream wass, he assumes they cannot give him the correct interpretation and has sentenced all of them, including us to death."

I was very proud of my friends for not crying out in panic. "I need all of us to pray. Pray from the deepest places of our heart that God will provide the answer to spare our lives. It's the only chance we have to survive this."

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego agreed. They went to their room promising to neither eat nor sleep until God provided an answer.

I did the same. I went to the window facing the east and dropped to my knees, asking God for mercy. To spare our lives by telling me what Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed.  

I have no idea how much time went by before the answer came to me in a vision. A true and blessed gift from God. I praised and thanked God right away.

"Praise be to the name of God of ever and ever,
Wisdom and power are His...
I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers.
You have given me wisdom and power.
You have made known to me what we asked of you.
You have made known to us the dream of the king."

I got up and ran to the door. "I must speak with the commander of the army, Arioch."

The guards at my door escorted me to Arioch. "He says he needs to speak to you."

"Well, what is it, Daniel?"

"Don't execute any of the wise men. My God has shown me the king's dream and the interpretation. Take me to the king so I can interpret it for him."

I must admit, the surprised look on his face was great to see. I thanked God again and followed him to the king's chambers.

Come back next time to see what happened.
*******************************************************************************************************
1. What did Daniel ask his friends to do?
2. When they left, what did Daniel do?
3. Why?
4. What did God do?
5. What did Daniel right after he knew the answer?
6. Where did Daniel want to go, right away?
7. What did he want to do there?

Amy Carmichael-Missionary to India

By Mary Vee

Year: December 16, 1867 

Amy Carmichael: Born

Photo Courtesy

This year for the Monday missionary story,  we will take a hike to India. We'll start out first in the United Kingdom spend a short time there then devote the rest of our time touring India with Amy Carmichael.










Amy was born December 16, 1867 in the United Kingdom. Around age twenty-nine she left for India to become a missionary. She served for fifty-five years without a furlough (a vacation back home).

Amy was best know for rescuing Indian children from terrible situations. She started an orphanage to help care for the needy little ones and to share God's love with them.

Every Monday the missionary story will continue on this site.

For the last three years we traveled with Hudson Taylor to China and read about the amazing things God did there. I'll give you a little spoiler. At one of the meetings in England, Hudson spoke to a large crowd. Young Amy Carmichael went tot he meeting and heard about the need for missionaries. 

Each story is told as if the person were speaking to you, telling you what they see and feel. The idea is to help readers understand these events happened to real people any truly give the glory to God. So while the events are true, other aspects will be added, like weather, feelings, tastes, and more to bring the events to life.


So join us next Monday when Amy's mom tells the story of her three-year-olds greatest desire. 


Resources used for this series:
Benge, Janet, and Geoff Benge. Amy Carmichael: Rescuer of Precious Gems. Seattle, WA: YWAM Pub., 1998. Print.
Davis, Rebecca Henry. With Daring Faith: A Biography of Amy Carmichael. Greenville, SC: Bob Jones UP, 1987. Print.
Dick, Lois Hoadley. Amy Carmichael: Let the Children Come. Chicago: Moody, 1984. Print.
Meloche, Renee Taft., and Bryan Pollard. Amy Carmichael: Rescuing the Children. Seattle, WA: YWAM Pub., 2002. Print.
Wellman, Sam. Amy Carmichael: A Life Abandoned to God. Uhrichville, OH: Barbour Pub., 1998. Print.

Don't forget to comment! 
Let Amy hear from you!

Daniel-The Dream That Brought Death

By Mary Vee
Daniel 2

From Daniel's Journal

The soldiers marched through the corridors. It was a horrible sound. A deathly sound.

Not long ago, I had been take from my parents' home in Judah and forced to work for the king of Babylon.

God has led me here for a reason. I'm not sure what it is, but I wouldn't think it would be to die at a young age in the palace of a notorious king. 

My three friends who had also been taken as boys from their home in Judah came to my room and spoke in our Hebrew language. "Who are the soldiers after?"

They trembled. We all knew of the king's power. One raise of his hand could signal the death of any person for any reason.

"I'm going to ask."

The three grabbed my arm. "You can't go out there."

"If they want us, they are going to find us. No use hiding. We may as well ask what the problem is. Maybe we can help."

"Daniel," said Shadrach. "We will stand together no matter what happens. Whatever God asks us to do, we will do."

I agreed with him then opened the door and let the commander of the king's guard see me. "Arioch, what's going on?"

"The king has issued a decree saying all the wise men should be put to death. That includes you and your friends."

"What caused him to say this?"

"The king had a dream last night. He called for all his usual astrologers, sorcerers, magicians and not only asked them to interpret the dream, but he also wanted them to tell him what he dreamed. They, of course, couldn't. He became angry. And decreed all wise men be put to death."

I thought about his words for a moment. There had to be an answer other than killing all the wise men. Then a bold idea came to me. I'm sure it was from God. "Arioch, before we are led to our death, could I speak with the king for just a moment? Maybe I can reason with him."

"I will take you, but I make no promises."

"Understood." 

The commander of the king's guard led me to the king's chambers. "Oh king, Daniel request to speak with you."

The king's face turned from red and angry to questioning. "All right. He has proven himself to me in the past. He may have one chance."

The commander allowed me to walk closer to speak. "What is the problem, sire?"

"I had a dream last night that bothered me terribly. I want it interpreted. Prove you can give me the correct interpretation by first telling me the dream."

Only God could do such a thing. "All right, sire. Give me some time so I may interpret the dream for you."

"Very well. You have until this time tomorrow." 

*******************************************************************************************************
1. Who marched in the corridor?
2. Who did they want?
3. Why?
4. Who hid in Daniel's room and why?
5. What did Daniel ask the guard?
6. What did the king say?