Robbie: (Enters sounds depressed.) Hi, I'm Robbie.

Duke: (Enters) Yeah? And?

Robbie: Oh, hi Duke. (Sighs.)

Duke: Whoah, Rob, bud, what's the deal this morning? Bud you look sadder than a hot dog with no mustard! Anything I can, like, do?

Robbie: Not unless you can perform miracles.

Duke: Nah. Dude, I can't even do card tricks. What happened to make you so bummed?

Robbie: I lost someone very close to me this morning, Duke. Someone I tell all my secrets to and who even shared my room with me.

Duke: You don't mean...

Robbie: Yep. I'm afraid so. Matilda, my goldfish has died.

Duke: Aw... bud. No way! I don't know what to say Rob. That fish was, like, part of the family!

Robbie: I know. I already cried all morning about her. I don't have any tears left.

Duke: Don't make me cry too, bud! How did it happen?

Robbie: Well, last night everything was fine. She was swimming like always. This morning, I woke up and when I went to her bowl to feed her, she was floating. She must have died during the night.

Duke: Wow. That must be hard to take.

Robbie: It is Duke. It really is.

Duke: (Pauses, as if looking for the right words) Well, Rob. I wish I knew what to say. You know, this would be a good time for one of your Bible stories. You always help us out when we are having trouble by telling us about something Jesus said or did. Maybe I can help you today!

Robbie: I'm listening, Duke.

Duke: Ok. Check it out. I am going to try to tell you about something I read about this week in my Devotional Study Bible for Surfer Monkeys. (It was written by Max Lucado, ya'know.)

Robbie: (Impressed) Ooh!

Duke: It's out of the book of John. Here's the deal, Jesus is coming to Bethany which is this town where these 2 babes, Mary and Martha live. Well, actually, I don't know if they were babes or not. Like who knows, this was like 2 thousand years ago or somethin'.

Robbie: Anyway...

Duke: Yah, anyway, Jesus heard that their brother and his best bud, Lazarus had croaked. You know, he had bought the farm, kicked the bucket an' stuff.

Robbie: I get the idea.

Duke: So Jesus friend dies and his sisters tell Jesus, "ya know, if you had been here when Lazarus got sick, he wouldn't have died. They were kinda ticked.

Robbie: Wow. What did Jesus do then?

Duke: He went with them to Lazarus' grave and when he saw how sad the sisters were and realized that his friend was in that grave, he cried.

Robbie: Waitaminnit. Jesus cried?

Duke: Yep. The shortest Bible verse of all is "Jesus wept." Its John 11:35. (I learned that in Vacation Bible School last year, ha ha ha ha.)

Robbie: Wow! I never knew that Jesus cried about something! That makes me feel better!

Duke: The really cool thing is that after Jesus cried, he went over and told some guys to move the rock out from in front of Lazarus' tomb. The sisters weren't sure this was such a great idea because after 4 days they figured he wouldn't be smellin' too nice.

Robbie: Yuck!

Duke: Ch'ya! So they just kinda watched while Jesus whispered a prayer. Then he shouted like as loud as he could "Lazarus! Helloooo? Come on out, bud!"

Robbie: Jesus said "Helloooo?" and "Come on out, bud?"

Duke: Well, that's what it said in my Devotional Study Bible for Surfer Monkeys. I don't know if he said that in like the original Bible. I think He said "Lazarus, Come forth!"

Robbie: Yeah, that sounds more like something Jesus would say.

Duke: So the next thing they knew, old Lazarus came walking out of the tomb. He was all wrapped up like a mummy, but he was ok. Lots of people who saw this believed in Jesus right on the spot!

Robbie: Cool! So Jesus took something bad and made it into something awesome!

Duke: Yup!

Robbie: Wow. Thanks Duke! You have really helped me.

Duke: Hey Rob, what are friends for? Where you goin'?

Robbie: I'm going to go draw a picture of Matilda the Goldfish, just the way I remember her. Then I am going to put it on my wall. Every time I see the picture, I will miss Matilda but I will remember that Jesus was sad sometimes too. That'll remind me to pray to him and that always makes me feel better.

Duke: Cool! Can I help?

Robbie: Sure! Let's go!