The Parable of Mr. Potato Head

Did you ever have a Mr. Potato Head growing up? I recently reunited with my old spud-friend through a mutual acquaintance, my son Nathan. One day we were walking through the store and Nathan somehow managed to navigate the complex maze of aisles to lead us to the toy section. He must have an internal GPS sensor which always leads him to the loot. As his eyes glazed over with each and every toy we passed, he soon set his sights on Mr. Potato Head. "What's that?!" he asked. After explaining to him what it was he asked, "Can I get one for me and one for Brookie?" Now before you get too emotional over his benevolent attitude, what's cleverly disguised as generosity, is actually Nathan's carefully conceived strategy to tilt the parental buying power in his favor (Nah, I'm sure he's just watching out for his sister). Generally we don't impulse-buy so I told Nathan we can count the money he has in his piggy bank when we get home.

(Mr. Potato Head sporting his western garb; photo courtesy of Flickr.com)

He didn't have quite enough money saved up but I reminded him that his birthday was coming in a couple weeks and maybe he would get it then. Sure enough, December 14th rolled around and he was overjoyed to unwrap the 'Mr. Potato Head - Family Edition' comprised of a Daddy, Mommy, and little Baby Potato Heads. Grandma also got him the pirate accessory set which comes complete with peg leg, eye patch, hook, sword, and parrot. He and Brookie play with it a lot. They like to put the arms where the ears go and the ears where the nose goes. They've really gotten quite creative.

As I watch the kids play with their Mr. Potato Head family, I can't help but think of Romans 12:4-6. In this passage, Paul writes "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us ... let him use it in proportion to his faith."

Just like Mr. Potato Head has interchangeable arms, legs, eyes, ears, and nose, figuratively, so does the body of Christ which is made up of unique members like you and me. God has blessed us each with special talents and abilities. Some may have the gift of teaching, some the gift of hospitality, some are leaders, while others are encouragers. Furthermore, in Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus used the "Parable of the Talents" to encourage us to put the gifts He's given us to good work. He wants us to use these talents to further His kingdom, not to just sit idle. If you are curious about what your special gift might be, here's a helpful survey you can take online to help you find out.

In closing, here's a short music video I created to help illustrate the unique members of our congregation at Grace Family Church in Richardson, TX. The central theme of this video is that "We are all One in Jesus Christ" and the video's soundtrack by Switchfoot is really quite appropriate. The video ends with John 17:11 , "... Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your name ... so that they may be One as We Are One."

Stay the course, finish the race ... AB

(Next Week: The Parable of the Soccer Mom)

The Parable of the Marathon Runner

As many of you know I ran the Dallas White Rock Marathon last week. Officially I ran the race as a member of a relay team comprised of myself, my wife Kristy, and our friends Rob Swagerty, Heather Jones, and Shasta Kalin. But after running the first 6 mile leg I decided to keep running the full marathon. The course is 26.2 relatively flat miles from the American Airlines Center out around White Rock Lake and back.

I hadn't run a marathon since my freshman year in college and I soon remembered why. The first thing you learn about a marathon is that it is a lot more fun telling people you're going to run a marathon than actually running it. I remember standing at the starting line wondering to myself, "Would I be non-chalantly sipping Gatorade at the finish line in a few hours or babbling incoherently on some stranger's front lawn?"

The weather was fairly cooperative -- low 40's, with some wind. While I was shivering at the starting line I met Mike Pluimer, a fellow FCA Endurance member. He was targeting a sub-3:00 race time which I knew was way too fast for me. But I did bump into another buddy, Petrus Booysen, who I had raced with in a duathlon in Tyler State Park earlier this year. It was his first marathon ever and my first after 12+ years so we decided to keep each other company. It's important to team-up with someone when running a marathon ... it certainly helps to pass the miles. We were cruising along at about a 7:30/mile for 16 miles when I finally decided that I couldn't hold that pace for the entire race. So I wished "Peet" good luck and I toned it down a few notches.

I tried to stay hydrated at each aid station and I took regular doses of Hammer Gel to fuel my fading muscles. Even still, by mile 20 my quads were starting to cramp up pretty bad. I kept repeating to myself, "My soreness is a sacrifice to my Savior" (this is part of the FCA Competitor's Creed). The mantra helped and I even shared it with a few other struggling runners. Since you use different muscles when you run and when you walk I resorted to running until I cramped, then walking until I cramped, back and forth until I crossed the finish line. As a result I didn't even come close to the time I was shooting for but just finishing a marathon is a rewarding experience. I had fought the good fight, I had finished the race.

Regardless of whether or not you ever run a marathon, the Bible says we all have a race of our own to run. Jesus challenged us in Matthew 28:18-19 to "... go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The Great Commission as it is called is even more rewarding and challenging than running a marathon. But just like I had a friend to run the marathon with, God also provides us with a friend to help us along in our journey. In John 14:16 Jesus promised to send us a Counselor, a Comforter ... the Holy Spirit to guide us until we "cross the finish line."

I close this devotional with one of my favorite passages from scripture, Acts 20:24 - "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." And believe me ... the reward for completing this race isn't some cheesy finisher's medal. It's everlasting life in the Kingdom of God. Priceless.

Stay the course, finish the race ... AB

(Next Week: The Parable of Mr. Potato Head)

The Parable of the Spilt Milk

This past weekend Kristy and I were preparing a scrumptious PB&J lunch for the kids. Nathan and Brooke were anxiously anticipating the the delicious sandwiches but were very "vocal" about their need for some milk too. With the kids following close behind, I retrieved the milk from the refrigerator and proceeded to shake it up as I usually do. Before I knew it, I was covered in moo-juice.

I know you're thinking to yourself, "Aaron is a grown adult. Surely he's capable of handling a jug of milk without creating "Pool de Leche" in the middle of the kitchen floor." Well I'll let you in on a little secret ... there's an individual in our household (who will remain nameless) who has a tendency to place the cap ever so gently on the milk jug without twisting it on all the way. This saboteur has also been known to strike bottles of apple juice, Gatorade, and salad dressing.

Brooke, who was eager to join the fun, made a bee-line for the pool of milk when out of the blue Nathan shoved her to the floor. I could see the look of confusion on Brooke's face as the water works started and she pouted, "Na-Na!" (her affectionate name for Nathan). It was like she was trying to say, "Why would you do that to me Nathan? I was only trying to have a little fun." But upon interrogation, Nathan claimed he was just protecting his little sister from falling in the milk. I helped him explain this to Brooke who seemed to shrug the whole thing off after they exchanged hugs.

(Don't cry over it, clean it up; photo courtesy of Faux Food Diner)

From Brooke's perspective, Nathan was unjustly inflicting harm on her. But that really wasn't the case. How often do we question God's intentions when "bad things" happen to us? We don't fully understand His purpose but I'll tell you another secret: God is infinitely smarter than you or me and His love for each and every one of us is never-ending. Paul writes in Romans 8:28, that "... in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." He follows up this statement with another verse in Ephesians 1:11, saying "... [God] works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will ..."

You see, God knows what He's doing. Better yet, what may seem like a streak of misfortune is in fact all part of His master plan. We may not understand it at this time, for He is sovereign. But in Jeremiah 29:11 God promises the following: "For I know the plans I have for you ... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

That's why we can look forward to life in His kingdom where "He will wipe every tear ... There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain ..." (Revelation 21:4). Let's look forward to that day when Christ returns (pssst ... that's part of His plan too) and pray that it comes soon.

Stay the course, finish the race ... AB

The Parable of the Dirty Truck

My grandmother was visiting us for Thanksgiving this year. Being a native of New Jersey, Grandma has always had a "tell-it-like-it-is", "no-holds-barred" way of communicating. Well, we decided to take Grandma out for a special lunch one day while she was here. When we picked her up from my parents' house she commented on how dirty our truck was, "You should wash your truck. It's filthy." I casually shrugged it off by responding, "Grandma, if we wash it, it's just going to get dirty again." And we went happily on our way.

(To protect the innocent, this isn't really my truck; photo courtesy of PhotoBucket)

I thought about my response later that day. I know Grandma was probably right in that it's important to take care of the things God has blessed us with. But beyond her comment, looking at my defense, it made me think how fortunate we all are that Jesus didn't respond in the same way. I mean, can you imagine God planning the redemption of all mankind by asking His one and only Son to lay down His blameless life to cleanse the world of our transgressions. Picture the desperation we would all be in if Jesus simply responded, "But Dad, they're just going to get dirty again."

DON'T PANIC! That's not the way it went down. In Romans 5:8 we read that "... God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." So while we were still "dirty", Jesus laid down His life for us so that we could be "clean" and reconciled to God. And notice the present tense: "demonstrates". This confirms that Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross paid the price for past sin, present sin, and even for the sins we're going to commit in the future so long as we have a penitent heart. As hard as we might try, God knew we were going to get dirty again ... and again ... and again.

That's why He sent us His Son. In Ephesians 1:7 Paul writes, "In [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Let's prayerfully thank Jesus Christ for giving us hope and for paying the ultimate price, once and for all, so that we may be clean with God.

Stay the course, finish the race ... AB

Blogging for Christ

On November 11, 2006, I had a difficult decision to make. I could stick to my plan and run one of the premiere trail races in North Texas, the Rockledge Rumble. Or I could participate in Re-Ignite, a youth ministry conference put on by Group Magazine Live. Having prayed about the situation, I made up my mind and emailed the race director just days before the event:

Dear Tom,

I am extremely disappointed that I won't be able to participate in the Rockledge Rumble this year. It's my favorite local race and I look forward to it all year long. However, as a youth pastor in my church we have an important conference going on that day this year.

I take both trail running and my faith very seriously but in this case my loyalty to Christ and strengthening our teen’s relationship with Him comes first ...

I knew I had made the right decision and the conference was exactly what I needed to “reignite” my passion for youth ministry.

At the conference, the other Grace Family teen leaders (Nancy Newkirk and Corinne Brunet) and I participated in an exercise called “parable-mining” where we took everyday experiences from our lives and tied in the Gospel message. The lesson learned from the activity was that experiences provide our deepest, longest-lasting lessons in life. That's why we're so fascinated by stories, and why Jesus used stories - called parables - so often in His ministry.

The conference hosts were even selling little journals where these personal parables could be documented. I didn't want to shell out the dough for a paper-based parable-diary so I decided to put a modern-day twist on the journal idea. After some nifty webpage development, I setup an internet “blog” (short for web-log) entitled, “21st Century Parables”. The blog is dedicated to “parable-mining” from my life experience in an effort to reveal the character and compassion of Jesus Christ and what life is like in His Kingdom.

Since I’m only able to meet with our Grace Family youth group once a week during Sunday’s discipleship class, I wanted to provide a mid-week “pick-me-up” to let the teens know that I am thinking about them and praying for them.
I hope that you will laugh and learn with me on this journey. I’m going to try to publish one devotional per week (generally on Wednesdays) so everyone is invited to bookmark the site and return often to read my latest musings.

(Screenshot from 21st Century Parables; courtesy of Flickr.com)

To check out the current blog entry, type the following into your internet web browser of choice:

http://modernparables.blogspot.com/

To be notified via email when I post a new blog entry, sign-up on the right where it says, “Syndicate This Blog”.