Apprentice 2 Jesus

Parables

  • Can you hear?

    I reflect back to Dallas Willard’s newest work, The Scandal of the Kingdom. Dallas worked to get to the heart of why Jesus used parables. The long and the short of it is this: God’s people have ears… but don’t listen. They have eyes… but refuse to see. We have our presuppositions of what the… Read more

  • What is your life?

    16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and… Read more

  • Lost… and not knowing

    I am digging into Dallas Willard’s newest release, The Scandal of the Kingdom. I am so thankful his family carries on his work! This is a book looking at key parables and how Jesus’ teaching scandalized the religious and secular world of his day… and continues to do so if we truly look at the… Read more

  • The narrow door

    The entrance to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is interesting. Everyone has to enter through a very small door. Once in, you come into this massive worship space. Read more

  • The shallow soil of the American church

    The church in America simply is not a soil capable of growing deep roots. Read more

  • The serious problem of the “good” Samaritan

      The parable of the Samaritan in Luke 10 isn’t about figuring out who is “qualified” to help. It is about a radical love for God and others that is so deep, the first inclination is to help. It’s risky. It’s dangerous. It puts us in hard situations. And through all of it we find the… Read more

  • The “soil” of the American Church

    The church in America simply is not a soil capable of growing deep roots. Read more

  • The curse of abundance

    When we allow the deceitfulness of riches to distract us, we create something that looks good but isn’t bearing fruit. We need fruit in the American Church. Read more

  • The bus and the kingdom of God

    I ride  the  bus a lot and the other day was reminded once again of what is possible in the Kingdom of God. Things don’t always run on time. And you take a little extra time to help people who need the extra time to get on board. Read more

  • Greed isn’t about being rich

    Then Jesus said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourself against all kinds of greed. After all, one’s life isn’t determined by one’s possessions, even when someone is very wealthy.” (Luke 12:15) If we could easily identify “greed” as just a dollar amount, it would be so much easier. We often try to put a dollar amount on greed…… Read more