FROM OUR PASTOR

A young man who had been raised as an atheist was training to be an Olympic diver. The only religious influence in his life came from his outspoken Christian friend.
The young diver never really paid much attention to his friend's sermons, but he heard them often. One night the diver went to the indoor pool at the college he attended. The lights were all off, but as the pool had big skylights and the moon was bright, there was plenty of light to practice by. The young man climbed up to the highest diving board and as he turned his back to the pool on the edge of the board and extended his arms out, he saw his shadow on the wall. The shadow of his body was in the shape of a cross. Instead of diving, he knelt down and asked God to come into his life. As the young man stood, a maintenance man walked in and turned the lights on.

The pool had been drained for repairs.

Pastor Tony has been the pastor at Hillcrest since October 2006. Before that, he served at various Denver-area churches and, earlier, as the pastor of Granby Baptist Church, Granby Colorado. He has been married for fourteen years to Donna, who is a nurse at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Then He told them many things in parables, saying:
A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. I sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scortched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop, a hundreed, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.

Listen to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries about the things of this life, and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.
Matthew 13:3-9,18-23

I think the most important lesson here is often the most overlooked. We know the differences between where the seed fell, how the seed faired, etc...BUT, there is action here --- The seed was spread, not stored up for later use at a better time, a more convenient time, or safer time. As the story illustrates, the word was spread, not initially accepted, but when it mattered most the seed/word came to life. WHAT would have happened if the diver had never heard the word? God calls us to share the good news of Jesus to all, regardless of how we might view the 'soil' the seed is being spread on.