METAPHORS: Part 6–Quiz Time

Congratulations! You have completed the blog course, Four Metaphors for Evangelism. You have read every word, unpacked every parable and thought about every concept. Well done. There’s just one more thing to do. You need to take the final exam.  Now, there is nothing I like more than giving an exam. Sue Barker said, “Everyone loves sport, and everyone loves a quiz.” Now, I don’t know Ms. Barker, but I know she is right. Even Jo, who at first was really anxious (and maybe even a bit miffed) about being quizzed by me about topics she knew nothing about and cared about even less, now has a totally different opinion. But why wait for her to tell you how she feels. Below are four answers. Which one best describes her response to being quizzed today? Is it . . . She is annoyed at constantly being exposed as ignorant

METAPHORS: Part 5–Magnets

A true story (or so they say).  I put it in the form of a verse (which probably made the story even worse): There once was a songster with writer’s block Who had no more clever ideas left in stock. And so, in search of a creative spark, Wrote down some fun words -- almost as a lark. He cut them up and put them on a table And arranged them into verse as he was able. Hoping this act would cure his disease, It ended badly, when he had a big sneeze. What could possibly hold all these words down, But still allow him to move them all around? The answer was clear and simple to do, Attach the words to magnets with a dab of glue! He then placed them all on his refrigerator door. Everything was ready; he was free to explore! That’s why this guy gave

METAPHORS: Part 4–Disrupters

I love walks. I call them hikes (it sounds more daring); but if push came to shove, I would say a hike is just a walk in the woods. I also love Søren Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard said, “Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. If one just keeps on walking, everything will be all right.”  Almost every day, our dog Ragna and I go hiking in Patapsco State Park; and when I am on a hike, life cannot be much better. But imagine walking down the sidewalk. It’s a nice day and you have little on your mind except that you want to enjoy life by taking a leisurely stroll. Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone or something kicks you in the seat of your pants. You immediately turn around to see who dared

METAPHORS: Part 3–Spiritual Midwives

If I had to choose, give me Jimmy Stewart in Call Northside 777, or even Bob Hope in Call Me Bwana or the classic, They Call Me Mr. Tibbs with Sidney Poitier. I would also be happy with A Fish Called Wanda or the great Swedish movie (based on the book), A Man Called Ove. And if push came to shove, I would also agree to An Inspector Calls or The Call of the Wild or Better Call Saul or even Total Recall. I would agree to any of these, but please don’t make me watch Call the Midwife. Now Jo really enjoys Call the Midwife, and I am sure there will be people reading this who will side with Jo on this one (so what else is new?); but really, who wants to watch a group of overworked and overwrought nuns running around rescuing desperate women and delivering babies

METAPHORS: Part 2–Physicians of the Soul

Harry Potter is evil. I’m sorry, I meant to say that Severus Snape in the Harry Potter books is evil. All along we had hoped that Snape was Dumbledore’s friend; that while acting suspiciously, he was, in fact, in Dumbledore’s circle and not in the employee of “he who should not be named” (but I think his name is Voldemort). But in a crisis moment, when Dumbledore is surrounded by enemies, Dumbledore cries out, saying, “Severus, please. . . .”; but Snape doesn’t help. Instead, he kills Dumbledore. The weasel! (Sorry, I forgot to say “spoiler alert” before I told the story!). Now, such a betrayal is unconscionable, but I guess with a name like Snape, you’re destined to be evil.  But, a funny thing happens. In the last Harry Potter book, (spoiler alert!) we discover we had it all backwards! Harry extracts memories from Snape’s dying mind and discovers

METAPHORS: Part 1–Rocks and the Scale

I love rocks. There are, right now, in my study, within my reach (although I may have to stand up for some), 37 rocks that I can touch (add 22 more if you will allow me to take two steps). Now, some of these rocks are decorations; but many of them, I use. Some hold down pages of books. Some give me inspiration (but you have to hold those rocks just right) and some reduce stress. But some are just to have and to hold. Now, the bigger rocks are assigned a part in my stone walls (I know . . . I live in Maryland, but I have two New England stone walls). So, the rocks in my study are all generally the size of a softball or smaller. I have rocks from China, Nova Scotia, Sweden, Norway and rocks from various states. To be honest, if I go

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