Kelly - Lk 8

My first impression is that I'm amazed that the disciples are amazed when Jesus calms the storm....."who is this that he commands the winds and the waves?"....so far in this gospel Jesus has healed countless people, forgiven sins, healed a man without being present, caused the fish nets to be full to breaking....why are the disciples still amazed? I'll allow for an ancient respect for the power of weather that I don't have in my central heat and air conditioned life....but I'm still stunned by their response.

My second impression is a long-time soapbox issue of mine - and since this is a blog, I feel fully entitled to jump back up on that soapbox. The parable of the sower is a generally well-known parable in the church. But those who talk about it tend to talk about the importance of being the right kind of seed in the right kind of soil - surrounding ourselves with those things that will help us grow in Christ and nurture our faith. I like to look at it from another view. We can't always control where we are, or what kind of seed we are -and God can bring growth anywhere from anything. It's not the parable of the seed - it's the parable of the sower. It's a challenge for us to spread the gospel, plant the seeds - everywhere and anywhere - and trust God for growth. I think it's especially important for Faith Lutheran - which has seeds to share - to be challenged a bit more into throwing them out there. And it's important for me - to move a bit beyond my comfort zone and into God's expectations.