The document discusses the Parable of the Sower as a metaphor for personal growth and spiritual transformation, emphasizing the importance of truth and grace. It outlines the various outcomes of the seeds based on their conditions and encourages deepening one's understanding and commitment to spiritual teachings. The text highlights the necessity of cultivating a receptive heart and engaging with God's word for fruitful living.

3. Matthew 13, Mark 4, Luke 8

4. Parable of

5. is a Catalyst for Change!

6. Truth without
is harsh and cruel and exclusive

7. without Truth
is spineless, meaningless, wishy
washy, and leads nowhere

8. and Truth
“The law was given through Moses, but GRACE
and TRUTH came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

9. is not a LICENSE to selfishness,
nor is it LEGALISM to harsh rules,
but LIBERTY to train & transform.

10. What will you do with it?
What HAVE you done with it?

11. When a great crowd was gathered, and people were
coming to Jesus from every town, he told them this
story:
“A farmer went out to plant his seed. While he was
planting, some seed fell by the road. People walked on
the seed, and the birds ate it up. Some seed fell on
rock, and when it began to grow, it died because it had
no water. Some seed fell among thorny weeds, but the
weeds grew up with it and choked the good plants.
And some seed fell on good ground and grew and
made a hundred times more.”
When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to
hear, let them hear.” Luke 8:4-8 NCV

12. Jesus said,
“Don’t you understand this story?
If you don’t, how will you
understand any story?” Mark 4:13

13. “Night and day, whether he sleeps or
gets up, the seed sprouts and grows,
though he does not know how.” Mark 4:27

14. (1) What’s going on?
(2)What’s essential?
(3)What limits our growth?
Parable of

15. 01
Some fell on rocky ground,
when it came up, the plants
withered because they had
no moisture.
02
Other seed fell among
thorns, which grew up with
it and choked the plants of
worries, riches, pleasures.
03
Night and day, whether he
sleeps or gets up, the seed
sprouts and grows, though he
does not know how. Mk 4:27
04
Still other seed fell on good soil. It
came up and yielded a crop, a
hundred times more than was sown.”
Sower and the Seed
00
Some seeds fell
along the path; it was
trampled on, and the
birds ate it up.
Growing in Depth and Wisdom
Embrace your doubts.
Serving, Giving and Exploring
Embrace Compassion
Outward Focus, Rising Generosity
Embrace Gratitude
Receptivity and Exposure
Embrace prayer.
Creating a Culture of Next Steps
Inward Focus Outward Focus

16. 01
02
03
04
Sower and the Seed
00
Some seeds fell
along the path; it was
trampled on, and the
birds ate it up.
Beware the barrenness of a busy life.
Creating a Culture of Next Steps
Inward Focus Outward Focus

17. 01
Some fell on rocky ground,
when it came up, the plants
withered because they had
no moisture.
02
03
04
Sower and the Seed
00
Some seeds fell
along the path; it was
trampled on, and the
birds ate it up.
Creating a Culture of Next Steps
Inward Focus Outward Focus
Beware the barrenness of a busy life.
To Rise Higher, you have to Go Deeper.

18. 01
Some fell on rocky ground,
when it came up, the plants
withered because they had
no moisture.
02
Other seed fell among
thorns, which grew up with
it and choked the plants of
worries, riches, pleasures.
03
Night and day, whether he
sleeps or gets up, the seed
sprouts and grows, though he
does not know how. Mk 4:27
04
Sower and the Seed
00
Some seeds fell
along the path; it was
trampled on, and the
birds ate it up.
Creating a Culture of Next Steps
Inward Focus Outward Focus
Train your mind to be stronger than your
feelingsBeware the barrenness of a busy life.
To Rise Higher, you have to Go Deeper.

19. 01
Some fell on rocky ground,
when it came up, the plants
withered because they had
no moisture.
02
Other seed fell among
thorns, which grew up with
it and choked the plants of
worries, riches, pleasures.
03
Night and day, whether he
sleeps or gets up, the seed
sprouts and grows, though he
does not know how. Mk 4:27
04
Still other seed fell on good soil. It
came up and yielded a crop, a
hundred times more than was sown.”
Sower and the Seed
00
Some seeds fell
along the path; it was
trampled on, and the
birds ate it up.
Train your mind to be stronger than your
feelings
Outward Focus, Rising Generosity
Creating a Culture of Next Steps
Inward Focus Outward Focus
To Rise Higher, you have to Go Deeper.
Beware the barrenness of a busy life.

20. Aligning our Hearts to God.
Prayer
Leading from the Inside-Out
SERVING
Intentional Spiritual Growth
NEXT STEPS
A Catalytic Power for Change.
GENEROSITY
Cohesive strength & stability
COMMUNITY
Word & Sacrament
WORSHIP
There’s more to life than where you are now!
“I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of
fruit. But you cannot do anything without me. Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you.” John 15:5,7

21. Aligning our Hearts to God.
Prayer
Leading from the Inside-Out
SERVING
Intentional Spiritual Growth
NEXT STEPS
A Catalytic Power for Change.
GENEROSITY
Cohesive strength & stability
COMMUNITY
Word & Sacrament
WORSHIP
There’s more to life than where you are now!
“They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8

22. Dull, static, lifeless, boring

23. “You are dust, and to
dust you shall return.”

24. “All have turned away, they have
together become worthless” Romans 3:12

25. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness,
how can it be made salty again? It is
fit neither for the soil nor for the
manure pile; it is thrown out.” Luke 14:34

26. Jesus said…
“I tell stories to create readiness, to nudge the
people toward receptive insight. In their
present state they can stare till doomsday
and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face
and not get it. I don’t want Isaiah’s forecast
repeated all over again: “Your ears are open
but you don’t hear a thing. Your eyes are
awake but you don’t see a thing. The people
are blockheads! They stick their fingers in their
ears so they won’t have to listen; They screw
their eyes shut so they won’t have to look, so
they won’t have to deal with me face- to-face
and let me heal them.” Matthew 13:15 (Message)

27. If our Message is obscure to anyone, it’s not
because we’re holding back in any way. No, it’s
because these other people are looking or
going the wrong way and refuse to give it
serious attention. All they have eyes for is the
fashionable god of darkness. They think he can
give them what they want, and that they won’t
have to bother believing a Truth they can’t see.
They’re stone-blind to the dayspring brightness
of the Message that shines with Christ, who
gives us the best picture of God we’ll ever get.
2 Cor 4:3-4 (Msg)

28. Spiritually Dead
(people’s hearts have become calloused)

29. Active, Powerful, Transforming

30. God means what he says. What he
says goes. His powerful Word is sharp
as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through
everything, whether doubt or defense,
laying us open to listen and obey.
Nothing and no one is impervious to
God’s Word. We can’t get away from
it—no matter what. Heb 4:12-13

31. Night and day, whether he sleeps or
gets up, the seed sprouts and grows,
though he does not know how. Mk 4:27

32. “A Congregation is Christian to the degree
that it is confronted by and attempts to form
its life in response to the word of God”
– William Willimon

33. The Bible is a visionary book, one that engages our
minds, fires our thoughts, and rouses us to action. It
is not a tame book. Play with it and it will swallow
you whole, transforming our understanding of this
world and the next. If we do not let the biblical
testimony of heaven and hell play in our minds, it
will surely rest lightly on our hearts.

34. the seed on good soil stands for those with a
noble and good heart, who hear the word,
retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. v15

35. Anxiety does not come from fear of the future,
but our desperate need to control it.

36. 1. Noble and Good Heart - Desire
2. Who hear the word – Engage it
3. Retain it – Process it, Consistency
4. Persevering - Testing

37. Noble and Good Heart
There more to life than this
There more to me than this

38. Who Hear the Word
Engage it, Pursue it, Long for it

39. Retain it
Consistency, Nurturing, Rooting

40. Persevering
Testing, Commitment, Boundaries

41. When the roots are deep, there
is no reason to fear the wind.

42. The