Login / Signup

Free Access

Dominic’s Tree

Children's Story
Dominic Owl lived in a big, old oak tree, right in the middle of the wood. He hadn't lived there very long, because he was only a baby owl. He loved that big old oak tree, and best all he loved to perch on its broadest branch and watch his mother as she skimmed silently over the tree tops searching the ground for Dominic's next meal.

Gradually Dominic began to grow. His feathers grew warm and soft and fluffy and he would often fluff them up and spread his wings as he perched on his branch, just to see what it felt like. The old tree felt very safe. Its branches were large and strong, and its leaves were so thick that no one could spot Dominic.

But one evening Dominic's mother said to him, "Come on, Dominic, tonight you must come hunting with me."

Dominic was horrified. He didn't want to leave his branch on the tree, he didn't want to fly, and he certainly didn't want to hunt. After all, the best part of his day was when his mother returned from a hunting expedition and shared her spoils with him. All of that would stop if Dominic had to hunt for himself. And he didn't want to leave his favourite tree.

So Dominic hunched up his shoulders, folded his wings tightly to his side and refused to budge. Dominic's mother gazed at him sombrely, blinked once and flew off. For the first time ever, she didn't return that night.

By the morning, Dominic was frantic with hunger. He called and called for his mother, and at last she reappeared with his breakfast. Dominic hungrily gobbled down the food. Then he said to his mother, "I hate you."

Dominic's mother opened her big eyes wide. "You must learn to hunt for yourself," she said. "And you must learn to leave this tree it isn't safe. There are plenty of other trees in the forest, and all of them would be glad to have you perch on their branches."

But Dominic ruffled his feathers in disgust and turned his back. What did his mother know! She was only trying to take him away from something he loved!

After that, Dominic's mother never came back during the night, but she would always appear sometime next day with a titbit or two for Dominic. Dominic often felt very hungry but he loved his tree. And his hatred for his mother who was so unkind to him, grew and grew.

Then one day Dominic began to shiver. The wind was growing very strong, and even with his warm feathers Dominic felt cold. Then he noticed that the tree had fewer leaves than usual. Dominic frowned. He hadn't noticed any leaves disappearing, but as he opened his eyes he began to notice that the leaves were no longer bright green but almost overnight had become a dark, orangey brown colour, and the wind was blowing them all off the tree.

Dominic was frightened. He didn't know what was happening and so he crept back along his branch to cuddle up close to the great trunk of the tree.

Just then his mother appeared. "Go away," shouted Dominic. "I hate you!"

But to his surprise, his mother took no notice of his words but flew up behind him and pushed him hard with her beak. Dominic fell off his perch, but as he was falling, falling, falling to the ground, he discovered his wings had opened and he began to float on the wind. After a while, he found he enjoyed the sensation, and before he knew what he was doing his sharp eyes had picked out some food on the ground. Without hesitation Dominic swooped down, clutched the food in his sharp talons and carried it off.

He felt rather proud of himself, but he was determined not to share his spoil with his hateful mother. He flew around and around, searching for his favourite tree, but the wind was howling now and it was beginning to rain. And Dominic's eyes were hurting from bright flashes of lightning and his ears were hurting from loud claps of thunder.

Just as he approached his tree there was a brilliant flash. The whole forest lit up, and Dominic's tree began to stagger and totter, then fell in a great crash. Dominic couldn't believe his eyes. He felt as though his whole world had shattered with the crash of the tree.

Then he noticed a silent movement just beside him. "Come on, Dominic," urged his mother gently. "I know of a wonderful tree where we'll both be safe and we'll both be welcome. Come with me."

Dominic gazed at his mother with wondering eyes. "You knew the tree wasn't really safe, didn't you?" asked Dominic.

His mother nodded. "I've been around the forest for a long time," she said.

"But I've been so nasty to you," admitted Dominic.

His mother looked at him with wide eyes, then blinked twice. "But I love you," she said.
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 23 | OT 28 | Pentecost 18
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 24 | OT 29 | Pentecost 19
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 25 | OT 30 | Pentecost 20
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Nazish Naseem
Mary Austin
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
For October 12, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Jeremiah 29:1,4-7

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
As he entered a village, ten men with a skin disease approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (vv. 12-13)

“I wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot pole.”

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This message is a role-play story. If you have enough children, you could have them play the roles of the ten lepers. However, for the most fun, I suggest planning ahead and recruiting ten adults from your congregation to play the roles.

* * *

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott

Call to Worship:

Jesus healed ten sick people, but nine of them were only interested in themselves and their own condition. Just one was able to look beyond his own concerns and say thank you. In our worship today let us look beyond ourselves and see God.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes we are consumed by ourselves and fail to really care about other people.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we focus so intently on ourselves that we forget to say thank you.
Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

James Evans
(See Easter 6, Cycle A for an alternative approach to vv. 8-20.)

Schuyler Rhodes
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (v. 10). "Perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). These two powerful statements reveal for us the inadequacies of the translation process of the English language. These two juxtaposing passages reveal only a tiny fraction of the contradictions and conflicts found within our holy Word. No wonder people have trouble reading and understanding.
Scott Suskovic
"... suffer as I do" (2 Timothy 1:12).

It was in 1965 that the Rolling Stones recorded the song, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." Even today, over forty years later, we are still saying the same words and feeling the same emptiness of trying and trying, but getting no satisfaction. Commercials promise it with whiter teeth and fresher breath. Wall Street promises it with higher returns. Soap operas promise it with a dynamic love life. Yet those who have conquered each of those summits come up with the same cry, "I can't get no satisfaction." Can you?

Stephen M. Crotts
Have you ever had this experience? You walk into a dark room to do something, flick on the light switch, and nothing happens. I suspect a lot of our Thanksgivings are like that. Thursday late in November rolls around and suddenly it's Thanksgiving! So everybody gives thanks! But quite often the gratitude is just not there. Like the light switch, we reach for it at the appropriate time and it won't work. It's burned out.
Richard E. Gribble, CSC
Once there was a wise king who died. His son, who was young and rather brash, came to the throne and after only two months ordered a review all of his father's appointments. He called in the royal secretary, the royal treasurer, and the viceroy for interviews. He found them all to be unworthy and sent them into exile with only the shirts on their backs. Next he decided to interview the local bishop. A courier was sent to the bishop's residence with this message: "You are to report to the palace and answer the following three questions: 1) What direction does God face? 2) What am I worth?

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL