The Gospel, Part One

Merriam-Webster defines the Gospel as "the message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation."  It is my desire to share the Gospel with others.  However, I find it difficult, if not impossible, to put it all in a nutshell.  Therefore, I am going to try each day to describe a facet of the Gospel as best I can.

When I was a very little girl, I can remember standing on the sidewalk in my neighborhood.  The grass was green, the sky blue, and neat little houses stood in neat little rows.  I did not worry about things much then. The world was my stomping ground and I was pretty fearless (well, except for a few things, like Simon Bar Sinister, tomato hornworms, and the patterns in my bedroom curtains at night...) Well, okay, I guess I was not fearless. But I was not afraid of rollercoasters, riding on the back of my dad's motorcycle, charging around the neighborhood by myself, or people. I was not afraid of people.

I would boldly go up to any kids on the block, or the next block, and ask them to play. And I wouldn't really take "no" for an answer.  I also made friends with the old people next door, which is where I learned about tomato worms. In nursery school (what we used to call preschool) I had a best friend, Camille. I loved to see her every day and we were always together. The joy of her friendship did not stop me from clinging desperately to my dad's leg, pleading for him not to leave me each morning.  But for the most part, I had confidence back in those days. I was an optimist, outgoing, content.

As you can see I am not any good at all with nutshells.  This is getting too long so I will continue tomorrow.

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.  Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” --Matt. 13:31-32