[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Ftwo-parables":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Ftwo-parables-surround":88},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":71,"date":72,"description":16,"extension":73,"image":74,"meta":75,"minRead":76,"navigation":77,"path":78,"postType":79,"publication":80,"publicationUrl":74,"seo":81,"stem":82,"topics":83,"__hash__":87},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Ftwo-parables.md","Two Parables",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"Philippians",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":67},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,26,29,32,35,38,41,49,52,55,64],[14,15,16],"p",{},"Two Hungry Men",[14,18,19],{},"And it came to pass that a man desired to eat dinner, so he ventured forth to a restaurant known for its homemade cuisine. While driving there, the man pondered how strange it was that hungry individuals would leave the comfort and convenience of their own homes and pay others significant sums of money to prepare “homemade” food for them.",[14,21,22],{},"Upon his arrival at the restaurant, he found fault with the meal and found many reasons to complain. The server was slow. The salad dressing was too tart. The spaghetti was undercooked and the dessert was overpriced. Angry and disappointed, the diner stormed away from the table without leaving a tip, vowing never to eat in that restaurant again.",[14,24,25],{},"On the same evening another man ventured forth to the same restaurant, feeling tired and hungry after a hard day’s work. While driving there, he wondered if he should simply have stayed home and opened a can of soup.",[14,27,28],{},"But upon his arrival at the restaurant, he was pleasantly surprised by the meal. The server treated him kindly despite having to care for many other tables as well, including one where a particularly cranky customer complained about everything. The salad was crisp and cold, with a tangy dressing the man had never tasted before. Twisting the spaghetti on his fork, the diner commented about the sauce and the meatballs. The server smiled and said, “The chef was born in Italy. It’s a special family recipe. He will be delighted to hear you enjoyed it!” The satisfied diner left a generous tip and walked to his car, looking forward to the next time he would eat in that restaurant. He thought to himself, “I’m going to tell my friends about this place.” And while driving home he pondered how we tend to find good if we look for it, and bad if we look for it.",[14,30,31],{},"And it came to pass on a Sunday morning that two men ventured forth to go to",[14,33,34],{},"church . . .",[14,36,37],{},"The Preacher Who Wouldn’t Say ‘No’",[14,39,40],{},"The late Dr. Ward Patterson wrote the following parable, which appeared in the *Christian Standard *on June 8, 1980.",[14,42,43,44,48],{},"Behold, a certain preacher went forth to labor. He was most eloquent, and wherever he journeyed great multitudes enjoyed his orations. And it came to pass that he was in great demand. He traveled to far states to speak at conventions, and to serve on panels, and to work on committees. And he became a great man in the brotherhood, for it came to be known that indeed here was a man who wouldn’t say ",[45,46,47],"em",{},"no",".",[14,50,51],{},"And it came to pass that the people of his own congregation began to be in want, for there was a mighty famine in the work of the local church. But none said, “I will arise and go to my preacher, and will say to him, ‘Preacher, I need thy help.’” For it was widely known that the preacher was a busy man and should not be bothered with trifles. Was he not a great preacher?",[14,53,54],{},"And his children grew far from him, for their father was always journeying to a far state or preparing an important message. And their mother comforted them, saying, “He maketh a great name for himself and you.” But the children wanted not a great name—they wanted a great father.",[14,56,57,58,60,61,63],{},"And it came to pass that the preacher died. And at the judgment, he said, “Lord, Lord, am I not known to you? I am the great man who was never known to say ",[45,59,47],{},". Have I not delivered many mighty addresses in Thy name, and in Thy name served on committees, and in Thy name done many well-known things? Have I not used my time well—I who wouldn’t say ",[45,62,47],{},"?”",[14,65,66],{},"And the great Judge of the universe said, “No.”",{"title":68,"searchDepth":69,"depth":69,"links":70},"",2,[],"Another Look","2010-03-14","md",null,{},4,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Ftwo-parables","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Ftwo-parables",[84,85,86],"Church Leadership","Biblical Theology","Intergenerational Ministry","ZR4m_W-PJ7UL3ZfBs3-IJBlViKioImkYSC2GaW_KP-k",[89,94],{"title":90,"path":91,"stem":92,"description":93,"children":-1},"Two Loaves of Bread","\u002Farticles\u002Ftwo-loaves-of-bread","articles\u002Ftwo-loaves-of-bread","When my wife Candy and I moved to a different neighborhood a couple of years ago, we asked God for opportunities to connect with our neighbors, and the Lord answered our prayers. A Muslim family whose house sits directly across the street from ours invited Candy to attend a monthly Turkish cooking class where she befriended a group of young women—most of them Muslim as well.",{"title":95,"path":96,"stem":97,"description":98,"children":-1},"Unacceptable","\u002Farticles\u002Funacceptable","articles\u002Funacceptable","Do you ever look at a situation and think, “That’s not the way things are meant to be”?"]