Keys for Kids Submission Guidelines

TITLE: Offer a title suggestion, but please keep in mind it may be changed.

TO READ: Give appropriate Scripture passage, generally three to ten verses.
Give the reference only. Do not write out the whole passage.

STORY: Tell a story (not a Bible story) with a spiritual application.

1. Avoid "Pollyanna" type children—make them normal, ordinary kids, not
"goody-goodies."

2. Include an illustration of the lesson being taught—some everyday happening or object that illustrates the spiritual or biblical truth. (See the examples following these guidelines.)

3. Do not use minced oaths (gee, golly, gosh, darn).

4. Avoid "fairy tale" endings.

5. Teach one lesson only.

6. Try to include some action—not conversation only.

7. Some humor is good if possible.

8. Don’t be afraid of down-to-earth subjects that today’s children face, such as pornography, child abuse, racial prejudices, violence on TV, or peer pressure. These subjects can all be handled clearly and carefully.

9. Keep in mind an age range of six to fourteen, but remember that Keys is often used in family devotions. Try to keep your story simple.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This section makes the practical application to the child’s life. Be as specific as possible. For example, this:

Do you worry about the future? Just live like Jesus wants you to, "one step at a time," and the future will take care of itself.

. . . was changed to this:

Do you worry about the future? Do you wonder what you’ll do for a living? Whom you’ll marry? How long you’ll live? Trust God to reveal all those things in His own good time. Just trust Him for "one step at a time," and He will take care of the future.

TO MEMORIZE: Write out the reference and also the complete verse. Although Scripture reading and memory verses are frequently changed (when the editors have alternate suggestions or when what you suggest has been used too recently, for example), please make those suggestions. The editors prefer that you use the New King James Version.

KEY: Suggest a short key thought.

Your story submission should be about 375-400 words long, and the practical application should be about 85 words. Authors are paid $25 for accepted submissions. Materials not used will be returned if accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Please note that we reserve the right to adjust and revise the text as needed. We do not critique submissions we cannot use.

Your submission should be TYPEWRITTEN AND DOUBLE-SPACED, and may be sent via snail mail or email. Please send your submissions to:

Hazel Marett, Editor
CBH Ministries
PO Box 1001
Grand Rapids, MI 49501-1001
Email: hazel@cbhministries.org

Are you still unsure what we’re looking for? Read this example!

Some time ago, we received two stories which were in some ways very similar. They illustrate what we mean in point #2 of the Key guidelines. Very briefly, they went something like this:

In each story, a little boy (we’ll call him Tommy) stopped in to see his grandmother after a rough day at school. Everything had gone wrong, and he was quite depressed.

In the first story, Grandma listened to Tommy’s problems and sympathized with him. Then she reminded him of a verse he had memorized for Sunday school. It was Romans 8:28—"All things work together for good . . ." Grandma explained, very nicely, that although Christians can’t always see why certain things have to happen, they can trust God in everything. He loves them, and they can take comfort in the fact that God is using all these seemingly "bad" things for their good. Tommy felt better as he realized that God cared for him and would allow only what was best for him.

In the second story, Grandma was mixing a cake as she listened to Tommy’s problems. She was very sympathetic as she said, "Here, honey, have a spoonful of flour. That should make you feel better." Tommy declined, of course. He didn’t like flour. So Grandma offered him a bit of raw egg, a taste of oil, a sip of vanilla, and so on. In each case, Tommy declined. After all, "none of those things taste good alone," he told her. He was waiting for the finished product. He loved her cake! Then Grandma pointed out that, just as many of the cake ingredients don’t taste good alone, so some of the things that come into our lives may not always seem good to us. But God works everything "together for good"—He takes ALL the things in the Christian’s life and blends them together to make something beautiful in the end. We must trust Him to do that.

WE ACCEPTED ONE OF THESE STORIES. WHICH ONE DO YOU THINK IT
WAS? If you guessed the second story, you’re correct!

Please note: We plan to reprint Keys on a rotating basis, which means each volume would be reprinted about every eight years. Also, stories may be selected for use in other forms, such as flash cards, books, cassette or videotapes, Internet, radio scripts, etc.