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An excerpt with recipes from Clubhouse Magazine

RECIPE
Power-Packed Pasta
by Christopher from New Jersey Gather 1 pound cooked ziti 1/4 stick pepperoni, sliced 1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, cubed 1 green pepper, diced 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cubed 16 cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths red onion (optional) olive oil and vinegar Go 1. Ask a parent to help you chop the ingredients. 2. Mix everything together in a large bowl. Season with oil and vinegar to taste. 3. Chill, covered in the refrigerator. 4. Serve with warm breadsticks for a power-packed meal. This article first appeared in the August 2006 issue of Clubhouse magazine. Copyright 2006 Focus on the Family. Used by permission. Photo Ron and Karen Nickel.

RECIPE
Bear-Faced Meatloaf
by Marlene Hibbard Gather 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 1/2 cup tomato soup 1/2 cup bread crumbs 1 egg 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1/3 cup green peppers, chopped small onion, finely chopped 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper cooking spray broccoli 1 slice red pepper 1 slice zucchini 2 crackers ketchup (optional) Go 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Mix together ground beef, tomato soup, bread crumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, green peppers, onion and black pepper. 3. Mold the mixture into an oval head shape and place on a greased baking sheet. Place broccoli for the bear's eyes, red peppers for the mouth, zucchini for the nose and crackers for the ears. 4. Bake for 40 minutes or until brown and cooked all the way through. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. (If the vegetables for the eyes and mouth brown too much, replace with fresh veggies and serve the cooked ones on the side.) 5. Serve with ketchup or your favorite meatloaf topping. This article originally appeared in the March 2012 issue of Focus on the Family Clubhouse magazine. Copyright 2012 by Marlene Hibbard. Used by permission. Photo Ron and Karen Nickel.

RECIPE
Blackened Chicken
by Erika from Minnesota Gather 1 teaspoon paprika 4 teaspoons sugar, divided 1-1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon lemon pepper 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 1-1/3 cups mayonnaise 1 teaspoon water 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar Go 1. In a small bowl, combine paprika, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, thyme, lemon pepper, cayenne pepper and 3/4 teaspoon black pepper. 2. Sprinkle mixed seasonings over both sides of chicken and set aside. 3. In another bowl, combine mayonnaise, water, vinegar and remaining sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and chill one cup of mixture for serving. Save remaining sauce for basting. 4. With a parent's help, grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear, basting frequently with sauce. 5. Serve with the chilled sauce for a zesty flavor! This article first appeared in the March 2010 issue of Focus on the Family Clubhouse magazine. Copyright 2010 by Focus on the Family. Used by permission. Photo Ron and Karen Nickel.

Whits End Mealtime Devotions Copyright 2013 Focus on the Family A Focus on the Family book published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188 Focus on the Family and Adventures in Odyssey, and the accompanying logos and designs, are federally registered trademarks of Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO 80995. TYNDALE and Tyndales quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission of Focus on the Family. Editor: Marianne Hering Cover design by Jacqueline L. Nuez Cover illustration and interior illustrations of characters by Gary Locke Interior design by Lexie Rhodes ISBN: 978-1-58997-676-4 Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 /18 17 16 15 14 13 12 For manufacturing information regarding this product, please call 1-800-323-9400.

Contents

Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Any Day Mealtime Devotions Bulls-Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Water, Water Everywhere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Time-out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Youve Got Mail! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Plain Ol Vanilla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Soul Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 King-Sized Oven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Attitude of Gratitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Sweet as Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 True or False? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Kids Rule! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Dirty Dishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Lost and Found . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Companys Coming! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 The Greatest Commandment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Need an Eraser? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Be a Bookworm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Caterpillar or Butterfly? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Nicknames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Bread of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Not by Bread Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Snack Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Whats on Your Label? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 The Great Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Its Good for You! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 God-Sized Water Bottle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 150 Watts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Name That Tune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blowin in the Wind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eat Your Veggies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good News! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fish Dinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Got Milk? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gifts That Money Cant Buy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heard WHAT on the Grapevine? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . King on the Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A Rocky Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Construction Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What Time Is It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Real Big Shot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . When Less Is More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Not Hanging with the Crowd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No More Baby Food! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Who Said It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Truth or Consequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Its a Boy! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back to the Cradle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Be a Peach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I Spy! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Be a Wise Guy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Salt of the Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A New PB&J . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dont Go Solo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gigantic Grocery List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gods Phone Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Giant Grapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Talking Stones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bite Your Tongue! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . All in the Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Better Than Spinach! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Whats for Dinner? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Surprise Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64

vi

Holiday Devotions Birthday: Its Original . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Years Day: If at First You Dont Succeed . . . . . . . . . . . . . Valentines Day: Show-and-Tell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April Fools Day: Whos a Fool? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good Friday: Who Took the Sun? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Easter Sunday: Sunday Surprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mothers Day: Marvelous Moms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Memorial Day: Flowers and Flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fathers Day: Fabulous Fathers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Independence Day: Lets Party! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thanksgiving Day: Gobble, Gobble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christmas Eve: No Vacancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christmas Day: The Best Gift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boxing Day: Whats in the Box? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Years Eve: Looking Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Theme Devotions Search for Treasure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Upside-Down Gospel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Getting to Know You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fortune Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bible Riddles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Home on the Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hooray for Grandparents! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lets Bake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rainbow Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sweet Treat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Whatcha Watchin? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

67 68 69 70 71 71 72 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95

vii

The Power of Devotions at Mealtime

by John Avery Whittaker
There are a lot of surveys by reputable organizations demonstrating the importance of consistent mealtimes for families. But those of us who grew up with consistent mealtimes at home dont need surveys to tell us how important those times were. To sit down together to share food, to talk about how our days went, to explore our joys and pains as a family, was invaluable not only to our health and well-being, but to our relationships as a family. I can easily understand why the Bible talks about mealtimes as often as it does. And God used mealtimes to teach His peoplefrom Moses teaching his people about the Passover to Jesus teaching His disciples at the Last Supper. In both the Passover and the Last Supper, we can see how conversation, and even the food itself, was used to grab everyones attention and give the items around the table a deeper eternal meaning. Though those original occasions were somber, they have also become sources of joy and fun for everyone involved. Thats the point of this book: to turn mealtimes into lively times for talk and teaching about the Christian life. Its laid out to make family conversation as easy as pie for you to do. Heres the recipe for meaningful mealtimes (and, yes, the puns are intentional): After announcing the title, read the Mealtime Prayer suggestion and then ask your children to pray it together. Then read the Appetizer. The Appetizer is just thatsomething to whet your appetite for more. Follow it with the Main Course. This contains the meat of the section. Once youve given your family something to chew on, its time for Table Talk. These challenging questions will help your kids think about what theyve just learned and explain how to digest it for their daily lives.

Finally, end with Vitamins and Mineralsa Bible verse that relates to the days reading and discussion. To get the most out of this book, allow yourself to be flexible. You dont have to go through it from cover to cover. You might want to use the table of contents to find a topic that relates to whats happening in your family on that day. Besides these regular readingssome of which are anything but ordinary weve included extra sections: Holidays ans Special Occasions, and Theme Meals. Kids will especially enjoy these. Be sure to leaf through those sections in advance so you know whats coming up. Plus, a few of them require a minimal amount of preparation, just to add to the fun. The point is to turn mealtimes into a fun and enjoyable time of learning about each other, and about bringing God into every part of our lives. Be sensitive to how your children respond. Allow enough time for them to answer the questions, but dont force conversation if they dont seem interested. That usually isnt a problem with kids, Ive found. These readings have been timetested around a few tablesand should stir up animated conversations about the things that really matter. Have fun!

Anytime Mealtime Devotions

Bulls-Eye
Mealtime Prayer: Thank God that He is always with us and that we never have to be afraid. Appetizer: The giant Goliath was over nine feet tall. How many people from your family would have to stand on each others shoulders to be as tall as Goliath? Goliaths armor weighed about 125 pounds. How many kids in your family could Goliath have picked up to equal that weight? Main Course: Imagine facing a giant in battle. What weapons would you want to help you? David, a young shepherd boy, was brave enough to fight a giant. Read the exciting story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:1724, 3151. Table Talk: What did David take to help him fight Goliath? Where did David get his courage? What would you have done if you were David? What kinds of giants do you face in your everyday life? What can you do when youre afraid? Vitamins and Minerals: [Moses said,] Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Water, Water Everywhere

Mealtime Prayer: After the leader prays each phrase, everyone says, We thank You, dear Lord. Leader: For food to eat and water to drink, For healthy bodies and minds that think, For all that we have and all we enjoy, For every girl and every boy. Appetizer: Try to come up with ten uses for water. Go! Main Course: Eat as much of your dinner as you can without taking a drink. How long could you last? Why do we need to drink? What makes us thirsty? When do you most appreciate an ice-cold glass of water? Table Talk: Jesus is called the Living Water. How is He like water? Why do we need Him? Where can we find living water? How can we drink living water? Why does the satisfaction of living water last forever? Vitamins and Minerals: [Jesus said,] But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14).

Time-out
Mealtime Prayer: Thank God for times to rest and worship. Thank Him for your church, the minister, and the leaders of your church. Appetizer: What would happen if people worked every day and never took a day off? Why do we need a day of rest? Main Course: What different types of churches have you been to? What is your favorite place of worship? Why do we need to take time to worship God? Table Talk: In the Ten Commandments, God tells us to remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. What does that mean? (Read Exodus 20:811.) What did God do on the seventh day after He created the world? If God doesnt get tired, why did He take a day off? Think of ten good reasons to go to church. Vitamins and Minerals: Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders (Psalm 107:32).

Youve Got Mail!

Mealtime Prayer: Name some missionaries you know. Ask God to bless and protect them, as well as other missionaries throughout the world. Appetizer: Have you ever read a letter from a missionary? When was the last time you wrote a letter on paper or in electronic form? When was the last time you received one? If someone collected your letters and put them in a book, what kind of book would it be: mystery, adventure, drama, comedy? Main Course: What is the most famous collection of letters ever written? (Hint: Theyre in the Bible.) The apostle Paul became a missionary, traveling to many places, from Rome to Syria, to tell people about Jesus. He didnt stay in one place very long, so he wrote thirteen letters (now in the New Testament) to keep in touch with the new Christians. Why do you think he wanted to keep in touch with them? Table Talk: Would anyone besides the friend youve written to be interested in your letters? How are Pauls letters different from yours? Pauls letters are messages from God to you. How should you treat them? Vitamins and Minerals: I thank my God every time I remember you (Philippians 1:3).

Plain Ol Vanilla
Mealtime Prayer: Let each person offer his or her own kind of prayershort or long, silent or aloud. Have the last person thank God for your different tastes in prayerand food! Appetizer: Which ice cream flavor is the top seller: Strawberry, Cookies N Cream, Chocolate, or Vanilla? (Answer: Vanilla.)1 Whats your favorite flavor? Main Course: Why isnt there just one flavor of ice cream? If you were ice cream, which flavor would you want to be: Mysterious Mocha, Cheery Cherry, Quiet Kiwi, Grumpy Grape, or Outrageous Orange? Why? Why didnt God make just one kind of person? Every one of us has different tastes. Your flavor is what makes you you. Each of us has a different way of praying and worshiping God, too. Some like to sing praises. Some are champs at quoting Bible verses. Others would rather sit quietly and think about Gods goodness. All these are part of your flavor. Table Talk: Take a vote on the following questions: Would you rather sing a praise song with motions or without? Why? Would you rather pray standing up, sitting, kneeling, or bowing with your face to the floor? Why? Now that youve voted, should you all have to sing and pray in the ways that got the most votes? Why or why not? Vitamins and Minerals: There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord (1 Corinthians 12:5).
1.  Ice Cream Sales & Trends, International Dairy Foods Association, 2012, http://www.idfa.org /news--views/media-kits/ice-cream/ice-cream-sales-and-trends/.

King-Sized Oven
Mealtime Prayer: Thank God for the many ways He takes care of us. Ask Him to give you the courage to obey Him. Appetizer: Youve probably said, Id give anything for a soda! or Id die for an ice cream cone. What would you be willing to die for? Chocolate mousse? To score a winning goal? Your beliefs? Main Course: Three young men were willing to die just to stand up for their God. Or were they? Read the thrilling story of three brave men from Daniel 3: 16, 1213, 1618, 21, 2628. Table Talk: What was the most exciting part of the story? What were they willing to die for? Do you think the three men knew they would not burn up? Why or why not? What should we do when someone wants us to disobey God? Vitamins and Minerals: Then they called them in . . . For we cannot help speaking about what we have see and heard (Acts 4:1820).

Attitude of Gratitude
Mealtime Prayer: What are some things that your family members have done for each other today? Thank God for your family and the ways you can help each other. Appetizer: How do you feel when you do something nice for someone else and he or she doesnt thank you for what youve done? Have you ever forgotten to thank someone for doing something nice for you? Main Course: The Bible tells us that, one day, Jesus healed ten men who were sick with a disease called leprosy (Luke 17:1219). Only one of the men took time to thank Jesus for healing him. How do you think Jesus felt about this? Why do you think the other nine men didnt thank Jesus? Why is it important to say thank you to our friends and family for things they do for us? Why is it important to thank God for what He does? Table Talk: What things do we take for granted but should be thankful for? How does it help our relationships when we remember to show gratitude? Write a thank-you note to someone, and give it to him or her tomorrow. Vitamins and Minerals: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done (Psalm 105:1).

10