Archbishop Desmond Tutu - Children of God Storybook Bible

I n the very beginning, Gods love bubbled over when there was nothing elseno trees, no birds, no animals, no sky, no seaonly darkness.

Out of this love, God spoke. Let there be light. And there was day. And there was night. And when the first day was done, God smiled and knew that it was good.

On the second day, God said, Let there be sky where the clouds can float and the wind can blow.

And the sky was bright blue and beautiful.

On the third day, God said, Let the waters gather together into oceans and let the dry land appear. Now God decided to make the world even more dazzling, with tall trees and long grass. And then the first flower opened in all its glory.

On the fourth day, God said, Let the sky be filled with the sun and the moon. And God scattered stars across the sky like sparkling diamonds.

On the fifth day

God said, Let there be birds to fly and sing and fish to swim and splash. And the world was filled with the joyous sound of birdsong.

On the sixth day, God said, Let there be animalselephants and giraffes, cats and mice, and bees and bugs. And suddenly the world was a very noisy place.

But something was still missing. Then God said, I will make people, and Ill make them like me so they can enjoy the earth and take care of it. He did just as he had said, and it was all so very, very good.

God looked at everything that he had made and clapped his hands together in delight. Isnt it wonderful!

And on the seventh day, God laughed, and rested, and enjoyed his glorious creation.

Dear God,

help me to enjoy and care for your beautiful earth.

G od breathed the breath of life into the first person and called him Adam. He put Adam in a beautiful garden called Eden, where there was every kind of delicious fruit to eat. Adam could play all day long and eat whenever he was hungry.

But Adam was lonely.

God said, My child, it is not good to be alone.

So God brought all the birds and animals to keep him company, but Adam said, I need a proper friend.

Yes, you are quite right, God said, and put Adam into a deep sleep. When he awoke, Adam saw that God had made a woman.

Wow! Adam said, his jaw dropping in amazement. He had never seen anything so beautiful and so wonderful.

Her name was Eve, and she would be the mother of all people.

Adam and Eve laughed together and loved each other and were happy in the Garden of Eden. God smiled when he saw their joy. He told them to have children so that love and happiness could spread over the whole earth.

Dear God,

thank you for giving us each other to love.