Due Date: February 3, 2009

A new year often prompts us to think about changes we need to make—getting rid of bad habits and taking up healthier ones. Making such changes is always challenging as we struggle with our natural tendencies to revert to our old, familiar ways. And perhaps even more challenging is dealing with changes over which we have no control. But change is an inevitable part of life, and our response to it often determines whether we are able to recognize God at work in the new circumstances of our lives. In this issue, we hope to help children begin to learn to live creatively and faithfully with change. (Writers, please note that this sort of theme usually produces many submissions on very “heavy” topics such as death and divorce. While those are appropriate, we also want “lighter” stories that can bring a humorous note to the issue.)