(from last time)
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…
Suddenly there was a rock wall right in front of the lawnmower! Flash instantly turned the lawnmower to the right then there was another wall and Flash had to turn sharply back to the left! This went on and on… first a sharp turn one way, then a sharp turn the other way! They were zigzagging so fast that most of the time the lawnmower was up on two wheels and almost tipping over! Spark Plug yelled, “You’re going to get us killed! Stop the lawnmower! Spark Plug reached past Flash and turned off the key just as the lawnmower went around the last corner and coasted into a small, secluded valley. The lawnmower stopped behind some bushes, and that was a good thing because Spark Plug and Flash did not want to be seen right now. They could clearly see that there were two large dinosaurs and several smaller dinosaurs in this little valley.
The two large dinosaurs were about 5 ½ feet tall and 20 feet long. They were not as tall as Stego had been, but they looked much more dangerous! These dinosaurs were covered with armor! Their heads had a bony covering, they had bony plates and spikes on their backs, and at the end of their tail they had a large bony club! Spark Plug whispered, “These dinosaurs are built like a tank! Flash quietly took the tablet off the lawnmower and took a picture of one of the large dinosaurs, then she asked the tablet to identify the picture. After a few moments, the tablet told the children that the dinosaur was an Ankylosaurus.
They noticed that the two Ankylosaurus were eating plants, so Flash and Spark Plug were not afraid of being eaten by these dinosaurs, but they were afraid of making them mad! They did not want to get hit by that bony club on the end of those tails! Just then the kids remembered that there were also some smaller dinosaurs in this little valley and so they started to look around for them.
Just then there was a noise on the other side of the bush, and one of the little dinosaurs walked right up to Flash and Spark Plug! The kids noticed right away that the little dinosaurs looked just like the Ankylosaurus except that they were smaller. They were baby Ankylosaurus!
Flash took a step toward the baby dinosaur and then it happened! She stepped on something that cracked and broke with a loud noise! The baby dinosaur scurried away, and the big dinosaurs looked right at Flash and Spark Plug! Flash and Spark Plug did not notice that the Ankylosaurus had seen them, they were too busy looking at the thing that Flash had stepped on. It was like an old dried-up eggshell, but it was bigger than a football! There were many more of the old eggshells lying on the ground surrounded by piles of sticks. It looked like a giant nest on the ground filled with giant eggs. Flash and Spark Plug were scared! What kind of a giant bird would have eggs that size, and why was the nest on the ground instead of up in a tree? Then Spark Plug remembered something that he had learned in school! Dinosaurs hatched from eggs! They were looking at a dinosaur nest. Probably the baby Ankylosaurus had hatched from these eggs!
Spark Plug whispered this information to Flash, and they used the tablet to take a picture of the dinosaur nest. Flash said, “This little valley must be the nursery for their babies. It has food and water, and it would be very hard for their enemies to get in because of all the twists and turns in the path.
Just then a shadow blocked out the bright sunshine. One of the Ankylosaurus was standing right behind them! Seeing the dinosaur up close was frightening, the kids did not know if it was friendly or not! Spark Plug carefully reached down and pulled up a clump of grass and offered it to the Ankylosaurus. The dinosaur took the grass out of his hand and ate it while still watching the kids. The dinosaur was friendly, but not as friendly as Stego had been, probably because the Ankylosaurus had children to protect. Flash reached out and petted the dinosaur on the side of its head, but the dinosaur did not respond. Spark Plug pointed out that the dinosaur probably could not feel much because his body was covered with bony armor. The only part of the dinosaur that was not covered with armor was its legs, so Flash tried petting the Ankylosaurus on the leg. The Ankylosaurus liked this and made a rumbling noise just like Stego had done.
Spark Plug now got an idea! It was not a good idea, but he thought it would be fun! Since that Ankylosaurus did not have any feeling in his boney armor, it would not know if Spark Plug carefully climbed onto its back. It was not a good idea at all, but Spark Plug thought it would be so cool to ride on a dinosaur that he decided to take the chance. He did not tell Flash what he was going to do, but he waited until she was feeding the Ankylosaurus some more grass, then he carefully took hold of the armor on the dinosaur’s side and quickly climbed up on top. Spark Plug sat down on top of the dinosaur and wrapped his arms and legs around one of the spikes of the Ankylosaurus back. Just then Flash saw him up there, and she was filled with fear for his safety. Flash was going to tell him to get off that dinosaur right away and to watch out for that dangerous tail while he was getting off, but first she decided to take a quick picture of him on top of the dinosaur. Flash carefully picked up the tablet and quickly took a picture, but before she could tell Spark Plug to get off the dinosaur, something else happened!
The was the noise of heavy feet running on the path, and two T-Rex dinosaurs came running around the last curve in the path and right into the little valley! They wanted to eat the baby Ankylosaurus. Both adult Ankylosaurus roared loudly, and the babies all went running to the protection of their mother! Spark Plug was still on the back of the father, and the father Ankylosaurus attacked the two T-Rexes. There was no time for Spark Plug to get off the dinosaur, he was caught right in the middle of a battle between two T-Rex’s and one very angry Ankylosaurus!
The father Ankylosaurus charged straight into the first T-Rex with his bony head! The T-Rex lost his balance and crashed to the ground! Then the Ankylosaurus turned his body sideways and smashed the second T-Rex in the jaw with that bony club in his tail! The second T-Rex fell to the ground unconscious. Blade was hanging on as tight as he could because he knew that if fell off, he would die! The first T-Rex had now gotten back onto its feet, but the Ankylosaurus charged into it again and then began beating it with blow after blow with the club on his tail. That T-Rex had had enough, it was bruised, one of its small front legs was broken and several of its teeth were broken! It ran back out of the valley! The second T-Rex now began to wake up, it was dizzy and did not want to fight anymore! It ran out of the valley right behind the other T-Rex!
The father Ankylosaurus chased them, with Spark Plug still on its back! Spark Plug almost fell off several times as they twisted and turned down all the curves of that path! Once they got out of the pathway, there was an open field and then some tall cliffs. The Ankylosaurus chased the T-Rexes across that field and trapped them against the cliff! Now the injured T-Rex’s could not run anymore, and they had to turn and fight! As the Ankylosaurus approached the T-Rexes at the cliff, he roared his loudest and jumped in the air and twisted his body as he flew through the air! Spark Plug went flying off the dinosaur’s back and landed on top of some bushes! He saw the Ankylosaurus whip his tail around and bring is smashing down on the knee of one of the T-Rex’s. The bony club on that tail hit the knee so hard that the knee and the shin bone below it shattered. With a great cry of pain that T-Rex fell to the ground, and he could not get up again! The other T-Rex managed to get away from the cliff and took off running again with the Ankylosaurus chasing it!
Spark Plug got down out of the bushes and found that he was not hurt. His plan was to go back into the small valley again, but that did not happen! The crippled T-Rex saw Spark Plug and it began pushing itself along the ground toward Spark Plug with its one good leg! It wanted to eat Spark Plug! Spark Plug took one look at those huge jaws, and he started running! He was not looking where he was going, and he tripped and fell down a steep bank. Over and over, he rolled as he fell. At the bottom of the hill, he landed with a splash in a river! This was not a calm river; it was a fast-moving river and right in front of Spark Plug there were rapids and a waterfall!
What can we learn from this story:
The Ankylosaurus was a dinosaur that was feared by its enemies because of its armor and its powerful weapon (the bony club at the end of its tail).
In this world Christians have many enemies, some of them are human, but there is also Satan and the other fallen angels, which are called demons. God does not leave us helpless in this world, He gives us armor and a great weapon.
In the Bible in the book of Ephesians chapter 6 verses 13-17 it says:
“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Christians have 5 pieces of defensive armor for protection from evil, they are:
- Truth – we learn the truth from the Bible.
- Faith – we believe the truth we learn from the Bible and by faith we ask Jesus to come into our life.
- Salvation – when we ask Jesus to forgive us, our sins are forgiven, and we are saved and on our way to heaven.
- Righteousness – this means that we ‘measure up’ to God’s standard. When we are saved, Jesus gives us His righteousness so that we are acceptable.
- The Word of God – all these pieces of defensive armor come from God’s Word – the Bible.
Christians have one offensive weapon to attack the enemy, it is:
- The Word of God – knowing Bible verses and using them during times of temptation will make the enemy run from us! Satan and his demons cannot stand against the Word of God!
The Ankylosaurus did not fear the T-Rex because he was confident in his armor and in the powerful weapon he had in his tail. In the same way, a Christian can go through this life with confidence when they know the Word of God. It is so important to read a part of the Bible every day and memorize verses that will help you when you face temptations. It is also important to go to a Church that believes in the Bible and teaches from the Bible and pay attention to what you are taught!