The kingdom of God is like.......

Have you ever been trying to explain an idea or a concept to someone and

 it's just not clicking?

You then try your best to relate it back to something in their world. A story, an analogy, something rateable.

This whole conversation we see Jesus having with people is about the kingdom. But to make it make sense he has to try and put it ways they will understand a little more and more. Jesus didn't just want to share the truth he wanted people to discover it

It's like a

       Treasure

                     A big party

                                    Mustard seed

 I don't know about you but I can't recall the last time I really pondered the mustard seed, hunted for treasure or sowed in a field.

Want to share some of my own parables. We will get to the meanings laters. I shared these small stories with my church community

Novitas church  

You guys rock for playing along!

 

 and they were awesome enough to take the time to shed some insight on how they related to the parable and what they thought the teaching point was. And if you weren't there or you have a new thought. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
  Rob Bell has been doing this similar thing in his tumbler blog post and it inspired me to do the same.

So here we go.........

The kingdom of God is like......
A pen cap
It gets lost, chewed on, kept out of children's mouths, wedged behind a desk, thrown everyone's junk drawer. It also has many uses such as a hair pin, a way to pick a lock, restart your DVD player, scratch off a lotto ticket impromptu guitar pic, and the ever infamous way to open a Capri sun when that dang straw just won't work.

We encounter the pen cap every single day without even realizing it. Whether it is cleaning out the minivan for weekend sport activities or entering your boss’s office to discuss a new business strategy.

Here is what we have so far-

-We always forget about the kingdom of God and lose sight of it 

-Pen caps are considered almost valueless, yet they are extremely useful and helpful at times. We often ignore them, yet when we need to use them they are available all around us. We abuse it often, but then later find a need for it. Likewise the kingdom of God. It doesn’t seem to have value in day to day life, but when we cry out for help, God is there to comfort us or send another person to help us.

- It can be simple but/and/or useful. It can be found in everyday, mundane or the magical. It is often right in front of us and we don’t even notice. 

(Mundane sometimes is the best parts)

-We use it to pick the dirt out of our finger mails or itch a particularly irritating itch. It’s used to accomplish many goals, but we never think about it in depth.

-People throw it away and don’t give the kingdom the attention it deserves.

-We don’t understand the kingdom signification 

(Me either!)

-We are surrounded by it, but we do not always take notice of it. However, if we truly need it, it always seems that we lose it or can’t find it until we are desperate for it.

-Even the smallest things can change your heart even the course of your life.

(It all has significance. We may not be aware in the moment but it all adds up in some way)

Here is what I intended it to mean

Drum roll……………………………..

The pen cap
completes the pen in the tiniest way. You don't need the cap to actually use the pen, but they are meant to be together. And it will dry out.  Just as the kingdom here on earth.  The cap and life on earth are meant to be together and even though you don't need the kingdom to live this life NOW....life will eventually end. Dry out. Run out. Until the cap is placed on the pen to keep it from running dry.

What are other uses of the pen cap?