digging in the dirt

the parables of jesus are pure genius. the master storyteller, weaving truth in fiction. farmer and seed…scattering on soils. most people don’t understand. left scratching there heads. i count myself one of them on this one. i get the soil story after the explanation that jesus gives. but why does he only let a few of them in on the deeper meaning of the dirt?
jesus words to the disciples before he explains the significance of the soil are these:
"the secret of the kingdom of god has been given to you. but to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
" 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"
yeah…that’s what he said.
what does that mean to you?
i think i may have to do a little digging in the dirt this week
i’ll let you know what i find on sunday.
peace to you,
scott

hey hermano

then jesus' mother and brothers arrived. standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. a crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
"who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.
then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "here are my mother and my brothers! whoever does god's will is my brother and sister and mother. mark 3:31-35

jesus refered to his disciples as family, as brother and sisters, mothers and friends. what seems to be the prerequisite to one of those titles?
saying the sinner's prayer?
memorizing the ten commandments?
being a kind and generous person?
exactly what is obedience to the will of god?
if jesus were to give you a title, would it be hermano?
things to ponder until we meet,
peace to you,
scott

happy valentines day

what the what?

"i tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. but whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." mark 3:28-29

what the what?

peace to you,
scott

how he loves us

ooo! ooo! pick me mr. kotter

some of you are too young to remember the sweathogs, but i totally thought of them as i was reading this week about jesus picking the twelve disciples. they were quite a rag-tag bunch of hooligans. like horshack, washington, epstein and barbarino, you had impetuous, sometimes immature, guys who formed this close knit gang with jesus. peter shooting his mouth off like epstein and john, 'the one who jesus loved', raising his hand in the front like horshack.
it made me think of what that crew would look like if jesus were to pick them today. would they have piercings, mohawks and tattoos? or would they look like they just walked out of an old navy ad? would they be eccentric musicians and artists or perhaps math nerds who play world of warcraft? who would jesus choose today? would i have been one of the twelve? would you? i think we might be surprized.

peace to you,
scott