Series: Short Stories with Jesus
Message: Faithless 
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira
Reflection: Karl Haffner
Live Wonder: Zan Long
Live Adventure: Zan Long
Live Purpose: Jessyka Albert
Editor: Becky De Oliveira

Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.

Read: Mark 9:17-27 in the English Standard Version (ESV). Note 1–3 insights or questions.

Reflect: Consider the following story told by Luis Palau noting how it is similar to the story in Mark 9:17-27.

Phil Callaway didn’t know what to say when his young children asked if Mommy was going to die. His wife, Ramona, suffered horrible seizures.

Hundreds of friends and relatives prayed, but Ramona’s weight eventually slipped to 90 pounds. Medical specialists tried everything, but by the fall of 1996, the seizures were occurring daily, sometimes hourly.

Phil rarely left Ramona's side. He wondered if she would even make it to her 30th birthday. One evening, when things looked utterly hopeless, Phil paced their dark back yard, then fell to his knees. “God!” he cried out. “I can't take it anymore. Please do something!”

Suddenly a doctor's name came to mind. Phil called the doctor, who saw Ramona the next morning and diag- nosed a rare chemical deficiency.

Within a week, Ramona's seizures ended. Her eyes sparkled again. The miracle was so incredible, Phil says, “God gave me back my wife” (www.preachingtoday.com)

Recalibrate: Have you experienced anything similar to the story in Mark 9:17–27?

Respond: Thank God for where you have seen His power in your story.

Research: Study the five great stories of faith in the Old Testament: Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, and Esther.

Remember: “Everything is possible for one who believes.” —Mark 9:23 (NIV)

Karl Haffner gets to hang out with some fabulous folk at the Kettering Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ohio where he serves as pastor. He's blessed with his wife, Cherié, and their two daughters, Lindsey (a senior at Walla Walla University) and Claire (a junior at Spring Valley Academy). They also have a mutt named Skip.

“Thank you” is such a simple expression that means so much. When help arrives, “thank you” is your best response. Our children learn gratitude from us. Talk with your child about all the things you are thankful for.

This week we have talked about, written about, and thought about talking with Jesus. When your questions are answered or problems solved or out of the blue you have the answer to a problem, know that Jesus is speaking to you. Thank Him, tell someone, and write it down in a journal so you remember that He is with you always.

Do you believe in miracles? Have you ever experienced a miracle? God is at work in our lives every day. Sometimes this is in really big ways, but sometimes it is in small ways. Thank God for the big ways you can see Him at work in your life and ask Him to open up your eyes to the “small” miracles that are happening every day.