We recently studied the parables found in the first half of Mark 4. The first is very famous about the sower and four types of soil. A second one is connected but less well known: the parable of the growing seed. After looking at these a couple of weeks in our weekly Bible study, I asked the street youth to explain to me some examples of things from the street that relate to these parables. Please keep in mind this comes from a group of about a dozen street youth who on this particular day were almost all were under age 24, most living and sleep on the streets or in tents in greenbelts, about three quarters abusing drugs and alcohol, and almost having grown up churched at one point or another. We wrote theirs ideas onto the white board during class:
What makes me a hard path when it comes to letting faith take hold in my life?
o Feeling stuck
o Trying and failing every time
o Drug addiction
o Legal barriers (ID, tickets, warrants, felonies)
What makes me shallow ground so that my faith withers?
o Drugs
o Pushy Christians
o People (including myself) who believe once homeless--always worthless
o Love of money and materialism
What makes me a briar patch so that my faith cannot be shared with others?
o Ridicule
o Peer pressure
o Stereotypes
o Being judged
What does the parable of the sower tell us about how to be good ground where faith grows and is shared?
o You need to find the right light to grow
o Do our part
o Let God do his part
o Don't resist... if something make you feel wrong, do something about it.
o Be present and respond to growing pains
This lesson was possible because someone sacrificially provided sandwiches over which these important discussions take place. Won't you consider making a difference by checking out volunteer.StreetYouthMinistry.org?
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