Mustard Seed??

Well I guess it is high time I posted something!!
Life here in mostly sunny FL is going alright. Another week of classes blurred by and I can hardly believe that we are into November already!! It doesn't seem natural to not have the leaves change or the temperature drop or the winds pick up or to have to with sleep pants on under my comforter. I actually just sleep under a sheet every night, and I have only woken up chilly once (when there was a "cold" front and the temp got down to the 60s!). But I sleep like a rock. Anyway. I got facebook so I could keep in contact with friends from school and there are so many on there! It is cool, but sorta annoying because I feel like I need to keep checking to see if anyone left me a comment or updated something. Hopefully that will fade away. This morning I got up at 6:30 to go to the nearby middle school to play basketball with some kids with the YFC guy who comes to Randy's class. It was neat, but I am not used to getting up that early anymore! Back when I was throwing trash I was up at 4 or 5 every morning and working by 5 or 6, respectively.
The Title, it has a purpose. Pastor Randy told us the other day about the mustard seed (it was a rabbit trial, we're in Romans). I want to warn you now, what I am about to say may BLOW YOUR MIND!! (Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32, Luke 13:18-19)
So when Jesus talks about a "mustard seed" he isn't talking about a mustard seed. He is actually referring to the seed for a weed in Israel. It is a large weed with yellow flowers. When the Bible was being translated into English, there were none of these weeds in England so the translators decided to use a mustard seed. The reason Jesus refers to these weeds and not a mustard seed is because...
Houses in Israel will most often have a small garden not much more than a few dozen square feet inside a small wall attached to the house. In this garden they would grow their spices and mint, etc. so that they wouldn't have to walk the whole way out to the field to get a few spices for cooking. What Jesus is saying is that the "kingdom of God" is like a man who plants this weed in his garden and allows it to grow up and cut off all the light to the other plants. This seems like a stupid idea, which it is, except that the man isn't caring as much about the other plants as much as he is about the birds who can now rest in the weeds branches. God's ways may not always seem to make a lot of sense to us, but just like the man was actually watching out for the the birds, God has a purpose behind what He is doing and it will be good. Isn't that crazy!! We have all heard or read that parable before, but even today we didn't understand what God was trying to tell His disciples. "He who has ears let him hear."
Some time I will need to explain to you the parable of the sower. When you know what an Israeli field looks like, it will make so much sense to you that you will be amazed. Or maybe that is just me.

So, how about some pictures?

This is Sebring Grace Brethren Church

This is the sanctuary

This is Summer's tiny dog compared to the Brewer's dog

I pressure washed this huge picnic table. The whole thing was the darker color. It looks nicer now.

This is the Living Room at Grace Bible Church, down the road. This is the young adult singles ministry that we attend Wednesday evenings after our service at our church (now Cross Connections) is over. We hang out, worship, and Aaron usually teaches.