Something like 40 or 50 years ago I was in church and we had a guest preacher. He was in his 60s, possibly 70s. He gave an interesting little story--- probably not true, but perhaps it was. It was something like this... "When I was a young boy in church, our pastor was preaching, and …
Category: Parables/Allegories
Articles on the use of stories, parables, allegories, metaphors, similes (and so forth) in expressing God truth.
Planting Mangos— A Parable
Paolo and Tomas, cousins, lived on a small island in a big river. They were born there as were their parents before them. In the fields, they found a spot of shade as they ate their merienda before returning to work the land. As they were eating mangos, Paolo put his mango seed in a …
Joseph— The Boy Who Could Not Read a Room
Joseph one day walked into the tent where all of the male members of Jacob’s family were together. Joseph’s brothers pretended not to notice him. Jacob said, “Joseph. You are late. Was their anything wrong?” “Oh no Father,” replied Joseph. “It just took me longer than I expected. With my brothers, who were supposed to …
Quote on Story-telling by Dorothy L. Sayers (and Reflections)
It is easy enough for superior persons to scorn the story-teller's art and patronise his unsophisticated audience. Story-telling (so they say, and I will not deny it) is a knack often possessed by very vulgar and illiterate writers; the eagerness to know 'what happened next' is (no doubt) a mark of the eternal child in …
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Orality Webinar
I have been watching a series of Webinars on the Orality Movement. It is a partnership between Lausanne Movement and International Orality Network (ION). The focus has been on the recent work of Tom Steffen and Bill Bjoraker, particularly in terms of Oral Hermeneutics and Character Theology. It is available on Youtube at "Lausanne Orality"---- …
Another Important Life Story
The last post I included the first life story I created. As I stated before, none of us have a life story. We have to create them... and there is a potential for infinite stories based on our experiences, thoughts, motivations, interconnections with others and the world, and meanings we come from the interpretation of …
The Tooth Fairy and My First Important Life Story
How many stories does a life have? I would like to suggest the following as the two possible correct answers: First, a very good answer is ZERO. Nada. Wala. We interact with the universe in near infinite ways in an approximately infinite number of moments in a span of time that connects eternities. Things happen …
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Escaping the Labyrinth: A Parable
The story of Theseus and the Minotaur is well-known. In the story, Theseus volunteered to enter the Labyrinth--- a maze-like structure created by Daedalus, in the Minoan capital of Knossos. Doing so was considered a death sentence. Either Theseus would be killed by the Minotaur, a creature who is half-man and half-bull who roamed the …
“When Bill Caught Death”— A Reflective Story
Bill texted me early today. “I CAUGHT DEATH!! GET OVER HERE NOW!” Bill was not one to CAP LOCK his messages so I figured it was important. I drove over and Bill opened his door even before I got out of the car. “Get in here now! I got him... or it... or whatever!” I …
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Ollie and the Meaning of Life— A Story
Ollie hatched and drifted up to the surface of the pond. As his eyes adjusted to the surrounding landscape. He saw a dragonfly clinging to some grass growing from the edge of water. Of course Ollie did not know what a dragonfly was, or grass. All he knew was his name and he did not …