Sunny U Week 5 devotional

 


Here's Sunny U – Week 5 as a cozy Maple Lane Mystery devotional featuring Kyle Carlyle, our beloved class clown with surprising insight.

🍩 Maple Lane Mystery Devotional

Featuring: Kyle Carlyle
Week 5: “God’s Joy is Strength”
📖 Nehemiah 8:10 & Psalm 16:11
“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
“In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Devotional Title: "The Case of the Cracked Cupcake"

It was Bake Sale Day at Maplewood Rec Center—and Kyle Carlyle had promised to deliver “the greatest cookies this side of Maple Lane.”

What he didn’t say? He’d never baked a thing without setting off the smoke alarm.

Rita, Lane, and Georgia stood near the donation table, staring at Kyle’s contribution: a tray of what looked like deflated pancakes with chocolate chips clinging to life.
“Are they edible?” Rita asked.

Kyle grinned. “Let’s just say they build character. And possibly dental bills.”

Everyone laughed—even Georgia. And in that moment, a stressful week at the Rec Center, a few tears over Aimee’s vandalized studio, and the overwhelming sadness of Miss Lottie’s move to assisted living all felt a little lighter.

Not because the problems vanished—but because joy had found a crack and slipped in.

Later that afternoon, as Kyle swept up the kitchen (a deal he made after baking-gate), Lane said, “I don’t get how you stay cheerful all the time.”

Kyle, pausing mid-sweep, replied, “I’m not always cheerful. But I figure if God’s still writing my story, I shouldn’t skip the funny pages. Joy’s not the frosting. It’s the fuel.”

💛 Devotional Thought:

Kyle reminds us that God’s joy doesn’t come from perfect circumstances—it flows from His unchanging presence. Even when life feels cracked or half-baked, we can still find joy in the middle of the mess.

Joy doesn’t ignore pain. It walks beside it and whispers, “You’re not alone.”

✍️ Journal Prompt:

  • Where in your life do things feel “cracked” right now?

  • How might joy help you face those things differently this week?

📝 Write: “God, thank You that Your joy isn’t something I have to earn or pretend to feel. Help me to notice Your joy in unexpected places—even in burnt cookies and broken plans.”

🎉 Activity: “Joy Jar Jokes”

Decorate a small jar or cup. Each day this week, write something that made you smile or laugh (even a groan-worthy pun counts—Kyle would approve). At the end of the week, read them back and thank God for being present in the giggles and the groans.

☕ Group Question:

“How has someone else’s joy helped lift your spirits before? How can you be that spark for someone else this week?”

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