Parables of Matthew 13

The Kingdom of God is Upon You:

The “Kingdom of God” is wherever God is King. We know that God is King in an area when His will is being obeyed. So, no matter what we are looking at, we can find the Kingdom by looking for God’s will being carried out. I propose that in figuring out where the Kingdom is, where it is at work, and how we can join in; Jesus is the key.

The thought process is simple, but not easy. If we are to be like those first century disciples, our first duty is to diligently look for the Kingdom of God. It is only when we have found it that we can join in the work, and so bring the Kingdom into our own hearts and lives.

In one of His duels with the Pharisees, the multitudes were becoming convinced that Jesus was indeed the Messiah of the Kingdom—because of His many miracles. The most convincing of the miracles was Jesus casting out demons; for surely, only God could have authority over the spiritual realm. The Pharisees told the people that Jesus was using Satan’s authority, and not God’s. And so they were committing the unforgiveable sin—to blaspheme the Spirit. Jesus’ response in Matthew 13 is classic:

“… if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Christ’s claim was that He indeed was the Messiah, and that He had come to fulfill the Kingdom of God on earth.  If anyone truly desired to know if Jesus was God’s Savior, they could find out; but they had to be looking. Jesus wanted those in search of the Kingdom to have practical ways to discover it, and to join in its working. It is no wonder then, that after this duel with the Pharisees, He began to teach the crowds, and His disciples, parables beginning with “The Kingdom of God is like…”

The parables of Matthew chapter 13 were confusing. Jesus didn’t always give an explanation to them, which made them more confusing. Even His disciples had to ask for help in deciphering meaning. This, by the way, is awesomely right on the money. If we don’t know what the Word is saying, asking for help is the first step. Jesus is the key. Every time they ask for understanding, Jesus gives it to them.

Were the parables effective teaching tools, if indeed they were meant to be confusing? I believe that Jesus was using the medium of His message as a tool to communicate the very essence of the parables—the very essence of the Kingdom. Only people who search will find, and Jesus is the key to understanding and implementation.

It’s laughably true. People treat Christ’s parables in the same way they treat Him. They either struggle to find the truth, or they hide behind their questions.

For those committed to finding the truth, I propose using the following four step method; which is based upon Christ’s first parable (the parable of the sower).

1) Seek understanding.

2) Allow understanding of the truth to grow deeply in your heart.

3) Expect desires, especially those that are not inherently evil, to compete with that truth.

4) Wait expectantly for the implementation of that truth to transform your life, and the lives of the people you are around.

Jesus is the Key:

Jesus is the Key To Understanding. When we are seeking understanding of the parables, asking Jesus to reveal to us the truth is imperative. Jesus is the key to understanding. It is His Spirit that reveals all truth. Take a parable, and begin to pray that the Spirit would make known to you the truth. Furthermore, in virtually any parable, the key player/actor is not you—it is Jesus. You are not the sower, Jesus is. You are not the woman hiding the leaven, Jesus is. You are not the dragnet, Jesus is.

Jesus is the Key To Growth. Once we place Jesus as the primary player/actor in a parable, we can start to see the metaphor make sense. Now, we can begin to ask ourselves questions that make that truth show us where we are in relation to the Kingdom. In other words, we see what is lacking in our lives, and what kind of transformation God desires in our lives, in the Church, and in the world. Jesus is the key to this too; for we can compare our own hearts, actions, words, and relationships to His. Jesus is the standard to which we compare ourselves.

Jesus is the Key To Weeding Out Desires. As we ask for His truth to be revealed, and then compare our lives to His, we see how the Lord desires to bring about our obedience. This obedience is the Kingdom. Therefore, any thought, word, action, relationship, or desire that competes with this obedience must be taken out. This is work that only Jesus can do. Our prayers then are directed at our desires being changed. When our desires change, we find the Kingdom truth growing steadily, and our own hearts are not distracted from what God is doing in us.

Jesus is the Key To Transformation: We actually see the transformation, and it is contagious. When we are bearing Kingdom fruit, we can point to our lives, and other lives, being turned towards the Lord. The Kingdom is not just something that is growing in us, it is inspired into others. We become lights in a dark room, salt in a tasteless dish, and family to the orphan. Simply put, Jesus is not just acting in us, but acting through us. In this way, we start to violate the first step in what we are looking for: we start to see ourselves as the sower, ourselves as the woman hiding the leaven, ourselves as the dragnet.

Prayer is the Answer

I usually stress this every place I can. What I am proposing here is a lot of work. It may seem daunting. I know that it is for me. But, remember the first step, and repeat it all the way through.

Pray.

Prayer is the way we ask for truth. It is the way we see our disobedience. It is the way we can be given a heart of obedience. It is the way we join God in His Kingdom. It is the way we join the work of extending the Kingdom to others. Consider the prayer that Jesus taught us:

Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen.

Nearness is Better than Curedness

Our pilgrimage was a success, from my perspective. I think, from God’s perspective too. A pilgrimage, like a fast, is only as spiritually focused as you make it.

And I struggled.

That’s part of what it means to be a pilgrim. You are volunteering to struggle under a heavy load. You hope and pray that in some way, God comes to meet you in the struggle. I asked each of the participants in this year’s pilgrimage to identify what they wanted God to transform in their lives—something that is out of our control.

For me, the pilgrimage was about my recent health issues being transformed. I wanted God to heal me. Bold. Improbable. Desperate. And yet, our Lord and Savior is able to do anything He wills. I was reminded of a passage from Mark, chapter 10:

And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call Him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

While struggling up a steep grade, which went on for miles, I felt like the blind man Bartimaeus; crying out without answer—knowing Jesus was out there performing miracles, but without the ability to come to Him myself.

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

We reached the top of Mount Coeur d’Alene, and I dropped my pack and went on without the rest of the group for a bit. I circled around to another campground (to see if it was a better spot for us to spend the night), and came back the long way. Finally, I felt the presence of God, as I puffed my way back up the trail.

The nearness of God is something I love to feel, but often, I do not. I try to pride myself on a faith that does not require a bunch of feelings to stay strong. But, I do need some feelings every once in a while. I need some strengthening and reminding that I am on the right path. Even John the Baptist sent messengers to Jesus, after John was in prison, to ask if He really was the Christ.

And there in the Presence, I felt the need to sing. And so I started singing the first song that came to mind, “Lean on me” by Bill Withers. After singing it, I felt like I should probably sing something a bit more spiritual.

And the words from Nearer my God to Thee came to mind. As I sang them, and the forest around me rang with those beautiful lyrics, I was touched by the deep truth of them:

                Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee

                Even though it be a cross that raises me.

                Still all my song shall be: nearer my God to Thee.

Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee.

And there, in the aloneness and nearness of God, wandering up the mountain; God began to transform my sickness. He was speaking to me about my health, and what it is accomplishing in my life. Perhaps sickness is a cross to be carried.

Even though it be a cross that raises me.

I was reminded that sometimes the greatest gift God can give us is not a physical cure, but spiritual transformation.

I still want to be healed. I still pray for it. But, it no longer is what I am desperate for. I am desperate for Him. I want to be nearer to Him, and I’ll take any method He gives.

Still all my song shall be: nearer my God to Thee.

Jesus taught us in Matthew chapter 10, in plain language, what it means to be His true disciple: “…[W]hoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

The mark of a true disciple is the bearing of a cross. It’s not optional. It’s not like some people get a super spiritual call to suffer, while most people just get to follow—and so the smarter of the disciples figure out how to follow without bearing a cross. No. Even the most feeble, weak-kneed and palsied disciples are bearing a cross.

But Jesus also says in Matthew 11: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

For me, sometimes the problem with prayer is all the disappointment that follows. Sometimes the problem with a pilgrimage is you don’t get what you came for. But, [God bless the Rolling Stones] you get what you need. And, what you need is Him.

Somehow, our cross becomes a lightness when we are bound to Christ. In His mercy, He heals on a level that cannot be fathomed. In the pain and suffering of sickness we can draw nearer to Him. And in His presence, we find our peace; we find our hope; and we find a way to love.

Aerial Firefighting: an Open Questionnaire

As a follow up to "What do I want to do when I grow up", one of the more creative ideas to use my skills and abilities to serve God post-military is to fly a Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) as an aerial firefighter. Demand for the job is evidenced by the 6 million U.S. acres devastated by wildfires this summer, affecting both where I live in central CA and in my home state of WA. During their 100 day seasons, the SEAT mission is also critical to being the first responders to a fire, and helping contain it early, by using AT-802 air tractors to effectively and efficiently lay smaller loads of retardant or water from a nearby air attack base.

From my initial research, the career might be a good fit. I believe that fighting fires to protect life and property is a worthy cause, and that my skills, education, and experience as a military aviator have possibly prepared me well for such a career. As far as I can tell, it also matches my initial job goals: flexibility with where I want to live, a limited/predictable time away from family, an adventurous flying job (that pays at least part of the bills), and the opportunity to thrive.

The tactical problem: aside from a few hours of internet searching, and YouTube, I have very little perspective and information to help make such career decisions. I have the basic facts (which I'll spare you as the reader from reiterating here). There are few pilots, with some of my research suggesting there are fewer than 100 SEAT pilots nationwide. There are even fewer companies who fly them (my research coming up with about 14 total). Since my list of friends flying SEATs is small/nonexistent, to pursue more information, I will resort to the dreaded "cold call" tactic, starting with 2 or 3 contacts I have found online.

It's not an impossible one, only a rough place to start without a strategy. So, here's mine: a short 10 question survey to make the most effective and efficient use of the interviewee's time. Every day, I will attempt to conduct a short interview with an individual related to the SEAT business, whether by email, phone, or (preferably) in person, using the following questions. My goal is to maximize the info with the questions asked, as well as the order I choose to ask them.

1. Why did you choose SEATs?
2. What is your story/flying background, and how did you go about getting into the business?
3. (3 parts) What is a typical fire season like? A typical day like? A typical SEAT mission?
4. How would you characterize current market demand for the SEAT mission/pilots?
5. How would you characterize the culture of the SEAT community as a whole?
5. How would you characterize current SEAT pilot retention/turnover?
6. What qualifications & experience is a SEAT business looking for w/a new hire?
7. What are the expectations of a new SEAT pilot? What makes them successful?
8. What resources do you recommend to learn more about the career?
9. Given my personal goals/timeline, how can I prepare for this career now?
10. Is it worth it?

I hope to achieve success by A) focusing on the individual's perspective, B) minimizing my own role in the conversation, and C) being very open-ended with where the interviewee wants to take the conversation.

What do you think? How can I make this interview process more effective?

The Five Minute Auto-Writing Plan: Results

As a follow up to the previous post on writing, let me preface by way of saying that my stated goal of "automatic writing" has so far been successfully executed. I'm writing more, and with better quality.

Just not in the way that I imagined it would.

Small goals have a tendency to lead to big change. That's why Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover goes after the smallest debts first, some diets advocate changing one meal a day, how "Five Minute Cleanings" focus on small clutter disasters, and why my own daily "to do list" has focused on 3 or 4 main tasks.  As the individual accomplishes a small goal (in my case, five minutes of automatic writing), they start to gain momentum and sway their own motivation, often in surprising ways.

For me, I pursued my five minute goal by choosing to do this as the very first thing I did in the morning. I would wake up, ramble into my home office as quietly as possible (often unsuccessfully, waking my two young boys), open my beautiful red leather-bound journal which I purchased last week to support an independent Seattle bookstore, pick up my Skilcraft 3-in-1 pen, rotate the bevel to the black ink (sometimes mistaking it for red), and, in a pre-caffeinated daze, write down the first five minutes of thought came to mind.

Unbelievably, the words came. I would write about the first things on my to do list which nagged me throughout the night, some memories of the day before, a thought I'd had about a book I was reading, or a few things I was looking to about the present day. As much as possible, I refrained from reading what I wrote, as I was writing it, a difficult but necessary task in order to keep my momentum going. On several occasions, this resulted in mostly incoherent rubbish from half awakened dreams. Other times, it was marginally comprehensible, but mostly boring.

Then came three surprising things.

The first thing is that what I wrote with consistency. Five minutes each day was just too easy not to do. Sure, the quality left something to be desired, but the quantity was growing. The result: my desire had converted into a goal, which transformed into action, which became a pattern, and finally an addiction. I have written, at least in some degree, every day since that post, with the same habitual calling as that nicotine which pulls the smokers to their designated outside areas throughout each day. It should surprise you, dear reader, to realize that this is unprecedented for me.

My second unexpected discovery was that this prescribed process had a side effect of increasing the authenticity and connectedness to my emotions all on its own. While the quality of my morning writings seemed definitively static, during later writing sessions, I experienced a freedom and increased clarity to craft the words I wanted to write, and sensed a greater kinship towards what I wrote. It was like these "automatic" writing sessions were sifting through my subconscious to glean a richer quality of material underneath. Simply put, I was panning through the silt of the poor writing to reveal the gold. While I still have not uncovered any nuggets, at the very least, I now have some slivers to work with.

The third realization is that not only was I writing more, and writing better, but also I was hungry for more material. Whether it was an episode of The Wire, the narrative from an Audible book, a YouTube lecture, a conversation with my spouse, or a sermon series from the church I attended in South Korea, it didn't seem to matter. My subconscious wanted, and continues to demand, more.

So, there you have it. With one small change - prioritizing the first five minutes of my consciousness to automatic writing, I have set in motion a monstrous habit/addiction necessary to make me a better writer. I am writing more, I am writing better, and I am accessing more material to keep "the boys in the basement" busy (Stephen King's analogy, not mine). My next goal: apply my "five minute" principle to wholly dedicated, quality time with my boys & spouse.