Subversive kingdom study free#

This is a great analogy and we should not lose sight of it, but there’s one thing about the mustard seed parable that we, in our 21st century context would not as readily understand as those who listened to Jesus’ words first hand. When Jesus tells us about mustard seeds, we often hear his parable in the context of the seed being like our faith: even the smallest seeds can grow into something huge and life giving. We don’t want them, so therefore they are bad.

The over-abundance of dandelions is almost subversive in that they fly in the face of our status quo they go against our cultural norms. There is no one that I know of, no one that I can imagine that is going out into their yards and planting dandelions. And yet, the status quo in our culture dictates that dandelions are bad they’re nothing more than a weed that we must destroy. In some cases, dandelions have shown a potential to help with diabetes and other health problems. There are studies that indicate dandelions as an effective tool to reduce cholesterol.

In other words, the dandelion root is able to rid the body of cells that have been damaged beyond repair. As a holistic treatment, they have the potential to selectively kill cancer cells. They have both internal and external uses. Again: why?īecause we now know that there are actual health benefits to dandelions that we lose sight of when we focus on them solely as pests that must be eradicated. But make no mistake, my mother hated dandelions and wanted every single one of them picked from the yard. She took the dandelions, put them in a glass on the windowsill with some water and there they stayed for a few days until she threw them out. Why do we go through all this effort, and why are dandelions so despised?Īs a little kid, I remember picking a few dandelions out of the ground in the front yard and bringing them to my mother, thinking I was being a good son, giving her flowers. Because as we all know, if you leave even a shred of a dandelion root in the ground, they will be back. Mostly, it’s through backbreaking effort, getting down on our hands and knees, and digging up every last shred of the insidious yellow weed, root and all, that will help us accomplish the goal. We have chemicals that are supposed to kill dandelions – some of which give us cancer, but that’s another story. I wonder how many of you have spent a lot of time or effort in your gardens or your yards getting rid of dandelions? For as long as I can remember, dandelions have been considered nothing short of a pest, a nuisance that must be eradicated. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable to you O God, my rock and my redeemer.

Subversive kingdom study free#

Nurture and grow your love within us that we may break free of the status quo of this world and demonstrate your love in astounding and unexpected ways. PRAYER: God of abundant mercy, you have planted seeds where we least expect them: in our souls.