(from last time)
Flash got the lawnmower moving as fast as it could go, but the Compsognathus’ could run even faster! The dinosaurs were getting closer and closer, but the trees were getting closer too! Would Flash and Spark Plug and the lawnmower get to the trees in time, or would they get eaten? Then they noticed something else! Right on the other side of the trees was a steep drop-off right down into the lake! If they did not get eaten by the Compsognathus’ they would fall down the cliff into the lake, if the fall did not kill them, then they would probably drown in the lake! Things were not looking too good, then it happened! The lawnmower went past the first trees. Smoke began pouring out of the lawn mower’s motor, the lawn mower began to shake like a marshmallow roasting on an open fire, Flash began to scream, and the turbo charger began to make a noise like an ostrich singing in the rain. And…
The lawnmower rolled to a gentle stop in a still, calm valley. The sun was shining brightly, and the air was warm. After all the stress and adventures with dinosaurs Flash and Spark Plug wanted nothing more than to rest for a while and figure out what to do, and how to get home. They looked around carefully and saw no dinosaurs or any other creatures anywhere around. With a sigh of relief Flash lay down in the warm grass to rest. Then it happened! Flash jumped to her feet screaming! Spark Plug grabbed a stick and looked wildly around to see what was attacking Flash! He saw nothing and then Flash began to laugh at him. Flash said, “You look so funny standing there swinging that stick and looking for monsters! The reason I screamed was because I laid down on a prickly thistle!” Spark Plug was relieved that he did not have to save Flash from being eaten by a dinosaur, but he was also kind of irritated that she had scared him like that. The kids talked about their adventures with the dinosaurs and tried to figure out how all of this had happened. It was a mystery, but they knew they still were not home and they had no way to get home.
The valley was perfectly quiet except for the singing of some birds. It was so warm, sunny, and peaceful that they fell asleep and took a nap. Spark Plug had a surprise when he woke up! There was something sniffing him! Right by his face there was a large head that was attached to a large body, and it was making a low rumbling noise! Spark Plug yelled, jumped to his feet, hit his head on the creature’s jaw, tried to run away, tripped over the lawnmower, did two complete summersaults, and landed on that thistle! Flash woke up when she heard Spark Plug yell, and she watched him fall all over the place, but she was not scared. This dinosaur did not look mean at all, in fact it looked very friendly! The dinosaur also had watched Spark Plug and the rumbling noise that it was making got louder. The dinosaur now went over to Flash and carefully sniffed her. Flash reached out her hand and gently stroked the dinosaur’s face. Its skin was smooth and just as warm as the sunshine. Flash said to Spark Plug, “This dinosaur is friendly, even though it is as big as a bus. Do you hear that rumbling noise it is making? I think it is purring like a cat does. You do not need to be so scared.” Spark Plug answered, “Now that I have a chance to get a good look at it, I’m not scared, it just startled me because when I woke up, all I could see was that big head sniffing me. I do not need to use the tablet to figure out what kind of dinosaur that is, I recognize it, that is a stegosaurus!”
The stegosaurus was indeed very friendly. The kids backed up to get a good look at all the dinosaur. It had two rows of bony shields along the top of his back, and its long tail had four very big and very sharp spikes on it. The kids were very careful to stay away from its tail, they did not want to come close to those sharp spikes. The kids spent time getting to know the stegosaurus and they got the tablet from the lawnmower and took selfies of themselves with the stegosaurus. They even named him Stego.
Stego seemed to really enjoy spending time with the kids, he purred loudly when they hugged him or petted him. When they threw a stick up into the air, he caught it in his mouth before it hit the ground. Sometimes Stego would take a short break from playing and spend the time eating some of the grass or leaves off a plant. It took a lot of food to feed a creature as big as a bus!
Then Spark Plug had a great idea! He told Blade to stay by Stego and keep him calm. Spark Plug started up the lawnmower and began mowing the tall grass for Stego! Stego loved the idea! He purred very loudly and began following the lawnmower, eating big mouthfuls of the sweet freshly cut grass! It was a great day, and the three friends were completely enjoying each other’s company. Then it happened!
There was the noise of loud running footsteps and loud roar! A large T-Rex came crashing through the trees! This dinosaur was definitely not friendly, this was a meat-eater, and it was hungry! Flash screamed and began running to the lawnmower, but Spark Plug yelled for her to come back and stay close to Stego. Stego was not purring anymore, but he turned so that his tail was facing the T-Rex and he began waving his quickly from side to side. The T-Rex was careful to keep away from those sharp tail spike that were swinging from side to side. Whenever the T-Rex tried to move to one side or the other, Stego turned his body so that his thrashing tail was always between the T-Rex and the kids. Stego was protecting the kids from the T-Rex, and that made the T-Rex even madder! Suddenly the T-Rex lunged past Stego’s swing tail and with its huge jaws he bit Stego in the back! There was a cry of pain and there was blood! Stego’s tail had swung around and gashed the T-Rex in the side! With a roar of pain, the T-Rex ran away as fast as it could.
Blade and Spark Plug were sure that their friend Stego was seriously hurt and maybe even dying, but when they looked closely at him, they could not see any wounds at all. Then Spark Plug saw something very unusual. The T-Rex had bitten right through one of the bony shields on Stego’s back and the tooth had broken off and was still stuck in Stego’s bony shield! All that blood had come from the T-Rex, Stego was not hurt at all!
Flash and Spark Plug wanted to show Stego how grateful they were to him for saving their lives, so they got on the lawnmower and began to mow some more grass for him to eat. Flash was very careful not to let the lawnmower go fast because they didn’t want to leave their friend. There were some apple trees on the other side of the valley and there was some very thick and green grass growing under those trees, so the kids began to mow that grass for Stego. Stego reached up into the apple tree and pulled down some apples to eat. Then it happened! One of the apples fell right on the throttle of the lawnmower! The lawnmower zoomed immediately up to full speed and sped off through the apple trees. Smoke began pouring out of the lawn mower’s motor, the lawn mower began to shake like a marshmallow roasting on an open fire, Flash began to scream, and the turbo charger began to make a noise like an ostrich singing in the rain. And…
What can we learn from this story:
In the Bible in the book of Psalms chapter 23 verses 1-4 it says:
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
Let’s compare the story of the kids and Stego with the Psalm.
- God provides places of rest and comfort when we need it most, just like Flash and Spark Plug found rest and comfort in Stego’s valley
- God likes to spend time with us, just like Stego liked to spend time with Flash and Spark Plug
- God defends us from our enemies, just like Stego defended Flash and Spark Plug from the T-Rex
Psalm 23 contains wonderful promises for Christians, this Psalm shows how much God loves us and wants to care for us. We just need to trust God to provide the care we need at just the right time that we need it.