Secrets I Gotta Know!: A Teen's Guide Through the Parables of Jesus

By David N. Washburn

You're loved for who you are, just as you are! 

GOD CREATED YOU TO BE LOVED! 

You were created to know yourself and to know God. 

Have you ever asked... 

"Why did God _?" 

"Where was God when I needed Him?" 

"Why doesn't God answer my prayers?" 

"Is Jes

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: May 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685563837

David N. Washburn

David dedicated himself to public education for thirty-five years. Much of his career was invested in teaching seventh-grade students. David enjoyed their level of energy and curiosity. His greatest passion is that everyone "would know the love and grace of Jesus - especially young people." He served as a youth minister, a leader in prison ministry, and was a United Methodist pastor for a number of years. He resides in Bergen, New York, with Cathy, his wife of twenty-five years.

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978-1-68556-382-0_Cover.jpg

A Teen’s Guide

through the

Parables of Jesus

BY David N. Washburn

Secrets I Gotta Know!

Trilogy Christian Publishers A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2022 by David N. Washburn

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.TM Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780.

Trilogy Christian Publishing/TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Cover design by: Kelly Stewart

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 978-1-68556-382-0

E-ISBN: 978-1-68556-383-7

Table of Contents

chapter one

God

Introduction: The Code!

Say What?

A Question —Soccer Practice— An Answer!

Getting Smashed!

The Spelunker

chapter two

Grace

Introduction: A Game of Words

The Gift of Grits!

A River —A Cliff— A Hope

Forgive Little Love Little

It’s Not Fair!

chapter three

Love / Forgiveness

Introduction: The Catch-All!

Where Were You When I Needed You?

The Gift

The Man of the Street

Deceived!

Running Away from Home!

An Awakening

The Grumpy Grandpa

The Secret Science Experiment!

chapter four

Trust / Faith

Introduction: Don’t Jump from the Plane!

I Found a Penny!

The Photo Album

Facing the Unbeatable Foe!

Letting Go to Grab Ahold!

Old Man on the Park Bench

Livin’ the Dream!

The Scavenger Hunt

I Met a Real Christian!

chapter five

Discipleship — The Cost!

Introduction: Go Big or Go Home!

Santa Claus Came to Town!

Heart Always Beats Height!

The LOLO Principle

Played Any Hopscotch Lately?

Lip Service Won’t Do!

A Surprise in the Museum!

The Case of the Toothpick!

The Poser!

Alphabet Soup Time

chapter six

Prayer

Introduction: God’s Gift of Autocorrection!

A Strange Encounter!

The Babysitter (The Lord’s Prayer)

A Wing and a Prayer!

The Bully!

chapter seven

Accountability

Introduction: Pay the Fiddler!

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time!

Trying to Herd Cats!

Last Chance, Kiddo!

Tarnished Trophies!

Not the End, but the Beginning!

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all the lambs: teens who are seeking the truth; those who are seeking God (Jesus).

This book is dedicated to all the sheep: parents and grandparents who are searching for ways to share their trust and faith in Christ (God) with their own children and grandchildren.

This book is dedicated to my wife, Cathy. Without her prayers, encouragement, and support, I would have given up long ago!

Foreword

The Wannabe!

The questions Who is God? or Does God exist? are forever questions. A forever question is one that everyone asks at some point in life. Only we can decide the answer!

Have you ever met a wannabe? You know, people who identify themselves one way but don’t live or act anything like their own definition?

For example:

People who preach peace, but are the first to bully.

People who call you friend, but gossip about you behind your back.

People who call themselves Christians, but live no differently than non-Christians.

All of these are wannabes.

They’re the skim milk version of the genuine article. They’re deceivers and liars!

This book is written to help you answer one question, Who is Jesus?

Its purpose is to challenge you to determine:

Was Jesus a liar? Was Jesus crazy? Or is Jesus who He said He is? They’re questions raised by C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity.

I encourage you to examine your own understanding and relationship with Jesus by asking questions. Your trust and faith in Christ (God) can’t rest on what somebody said you should believe. Your faith must be based on what you believe in your heart. Belief is an act of trust. It’s an action you take. The basis of your faith must be based on trust. Only through trust can a relationship grow and mature. Why would you trust or place your faith in someone you don’t personally know? That’s crazy, right? The process of un-crazy begins when you ask questions and have the courage to pursue the answers. Who is this Creator God who claims to love you so much that He willingly died on a cross? Why would the Creator of the universe even want to share His life with you forever and always?

As you read, I invite you to record your thoughts and opinions. Each story and parable poses questions on which to journal. Here’s the wonder: when you read this book again later on, you’ll discover your answers might change! I won’t tell you why, because I think you’ll be able to figure that out by yourself!

This book contains two forms of writing:

A story—Something that helps you understand specific ideas within a chapter.

A parable—Something that will help you see things differently.

The parables are based on the parables recorded in the Bible that Jesus used to address a question somebody asked or an attitude someone displayed. Each story and parable includes a Bible reference. I encourage you to read the scriptures yourself from your own Bible.

It’s always fun to share a story or parable and invite others to share their thoughts!

chapter one

God

Introduction

The Code!

Every tribe, every nation, and every people have created some sort of god to serve and worship. Polytheism is having many different gods. The ancient Greeks created many gods from their imaginations.

For example:

Zeus ruled over the local weather. He was best known for thunder and lightning during his stormy tantrums!

Have you ever heard anyone make a statement and then add, Knock on wood! as they tap on wood three times? This superstition is from Greek mythology! The Greeks worshiped the oak tree because it was sacred to Zeus. To touch the tree brought good luck. To knock three times became a practice to avoid bad luck.

Monotheism is having only one god to love, serve, and worship. It began with Abraham. But you’re probably more familiar with Moses. So, let’s start there. When Moses encountered the Creator of the universe in a burning bush, he was sent to free the Israelites from slavery in the land of Egypt. This living God performed ten miracles. Each miracle revealed the falseness of an Egyptian god. Our true God wants no false gods to come between Him and us.

Brain Thumper—

Think about These Questions

How do seeds put into soil grow into a plant? Nobody coaches it or teaches it. It just does! Why? There’s code written in its DNA!

How do trees know when to form new leaves and fruit in the spring or shed leaves in the fall? It never attends tree school or gets taught. It just does! Why? There’s specific code in its DNA!

How do birds know how to build a nest and take care of their young? There’s no parenting class. It just knows! It’s more than mere instinct. It’s that code in its DNA!

Why do we crave in our hearts to connect with the Creator of the universe? It’s neither intuition nor instinct. It’s a unique code written in our DNA!

The God of our creation desires to have a personal, intimate, loving relationship with us. That’s the message of the Bible! Many people struggle with this Biblical truth. Many people reject this truth.

People walk away from God for many reasons, such as:

Events occur in their lives that they don’t understand. (This is a valid concern!)

Unresolved questions like, "Why would a loving God allow _____ to happen? (This is a valid question!)

They don’t like what’s written in the Bible. (This is a valid reaction!)

They’ve never read the Bible. (There’s no valid reason for this one!)

Because of the God-code written within our DNA, we’re wired to seek God. Until we make that connection, there’s an emptiness within us. Nature hates a vacuum. So we create gods made in our own image and likeness! We create false gods to chase after instead of seeking God himself.

God’s chosen to reveal to you who He is, just as He did to Abraham and Moses. He wants you to know how much He loves you! He demonstrated this through Jesus. God knows everything about you and will always love you. All that’s required is to be a DNA code-breaker by seeking Jesus as much as He’s searching for you!

As you read through this book, my prayer is that you’ll encounter the one, true living God of the Bible!

Say What?

Does the God of the Old Testament

seem different from the God of

the New Testament? Is He?

What’s this? Zach asked. The book at hand aroused his curiosity.

Seriously? It’s a Bible! exclaimed a kind-faced gentleman who was handing free books to anybody interested. The man was slightly bent over, and his weathered face sported a straggly beard. His worn overcoat matched his tattered hat.

"I get that! But where’s the rest of it?" inquired Zach.

An expression of puzzlement crossed Collin’s face. The rest of it? he asked.

"Yeah! This is only the New Testament. What happened to the Old Testament?"

Ohhhh. Now I see what you’re asking, grinned the older man. His smile revealed he’d not seen a dentist in a very long time! "All we need is the New Testament. You know, Jesus, the God of love, joy, gentleness, and peace! The God of the Old Testament is angry and wrathful. He’s a God of vengeance, judgment, and destruction. I don’t like Him! He’s not like Jesus at all!"

I don’t mean any disrespect, sir— Zach attempted to muster a reply.

The older man smiled and interrupted, My name is Collin, and I’ll take no offense by anything you share. It’s good to speak openly and honestly.

By this time, several people had gathered near Collin and Zach. One laughed, This oughta be entertaining! Two ‘Christians’ going toe to toe over the Bible!

Zach was troubled by the man’s comment.

It’s okay, son, speak your mind, encouraged Collin.

Zach softly asked, Are the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament not the same God?

Several people in the crowd nodded in agreement. Others seemed confused.

"I dunno. But the Old Testament just doesn’t seem very relevant today. Who wants an angry, punishing God? Jesus isn’t like that at all!" Collin offered.

Before Zach could respond, a teenage girl asked, "But didn’t that very same God free the Hebrew people from captivity and slavery in Egypt? Didn’t He show mercy and kindness when no others would?"

Well, yes, that’s true, but—

Before Collin could complete his sentence, a teenage boy asked, "Isn’t this the same God who chose to have a personal relationship with us? The God who loved us before He gave the ten commandment laws? Aren’t those acts of kindness and love?"

Collin smiled as he shared, "Ya know, I never looked at it that way. Those are loving things God the Father would do, aren’t they? I thank all of you!" Collin replied earnestly as he prepared to leave.

As the crowd left, Zach asked if he could walk with the old man. Collin smiled and welcomed his company.

I never gave much thought to all the loving works of the God in the Old Testament. I got so hung up on His judgment and destruction of nations and people that I didn’t see grace and love.

Zach happened to glance over his shoulder. Two men wearing sunglasses and dark suits were following close behind. Collin noticed Zach’s discomfort and said, "Pay no attention to them. They probably think they’re like those special agents in the movie Men in Black!"

Zach chuckled to himself, "Men in Black! That’s a good one! They look exactly like those guys!"

There was a brief moment of silence before Zach shared, Collin, the New Testament helped me to understand the Old Testament.

Really? How so? questioned Collin with interest.

"The New Testament reveals God’s the same today, yesterday, and forever! That must mean that God is the same in both Testaments. That made me curious about the Old Testament. God used the Israelites to teach us about who He is and how we’re to love Him and others. The Israelites blew it all the time! Then I realized I’m no different than they were! I just rebel—sin—differently!" laughed Zach.

The God of punishment is also the God of grace and love. Discipline can seem like a punishment rather than a correction done from love. If God didn’t love us, He wouldn’t discipline us to teach us right from wrong; good from evil.

Tell me more of your thoughts, Collin encouraged.

"Well, I think of it like this. I started out as a baby, right? My parents loved me just as I was. As I got older, because of grace and love, they gave me rules and guidelines by which to live. They taught me responsibility through accountability. Truthfully, I really don’t like their rules. A lot of them seem pretty stupid to me! If there was a T-shirt that said, ‘I Hate Rules!’ I’d wear it!" laughed Zach.

Collin chuckled. Any rules in particular?

"Yeah! I hate having a curfew on weekends. I’m old enough to come and go as I please! I don’t like having limited computer video time. And I definitely don’t like having to do homework before being allowed to shoot some hoops! Oh, yeah. I don’t like having to take out the garbage all of the time!"

Collin heard the frustration and conflict within his new friend. So, what you’re telling me is that God is like your parents. He loves you as you are. He gives you boundaries that keep you safe. But when you rebel against His rules—His authority—you get disciplined because He loves and cares about you. Hmmm… Do I sense a big ‘but’ is coming? laughed Collin.

Zach couldn’t help but grin. "Ya know, you remind me a lot of my grandpa! I can always talk with him about stuff! I can tell him anything! We really have great discussions! The big ‘but’ is I understand my parent’s love and concern for me. They’re protecting me until I learn to make responsible decisions. I get that. But being disciplined isn’t much fun! That’s like the God of the Old Testament!"

I don’t think discipline is designed for your enjoyment, chuckled the old man.

"Anyways, that’s my understanding of the God in the Bible, the God of both Testaments. God wants only good for us. His love and care for us never change! Not now; not ever; never! That’s true for the people in the Old Testament too. That’s why I think the Old Testament needs to be part of every Bible. I can’t understand God without it. And… Ummm… Do you remember the end of the book of Revelation? God returns on a white horse, on a triumphant warrior’s horse, to judge the world!"

The old man smiled and winked as he said, "You

have great insight, Zach. Thanks for sharing your heart with me. It’s a pleasure to know you! You’ve given me plenty to think about! I so enjoy when I can get out and talk with people!"

A black limousine pulled up to the curb. Immediately the two men in black suits took positions near the car. A man wearing a chauffer’s uniform got out and opened the rear door. He said, Good morning, Mr. Raphael! Did you meet any people of interest?

"I did!" he replied as he shook Zach’s hand.

Zach suddenly realized Collin was no longer bent over. When Collin removed his overcoat, Zach was impressed by the quality of the suit hidden beneath. What really surprised Zach was when Collin removed his fake beard and false teeth! Before he could ask a question, Collin added, "Zach helped me see God in a whole new way! Turning to his chauffeur, Collin instructed, I’m sure I’m running a little late. Let’s get to my plane quickly!"

As the car sped away, Zach finally realized with whom he’d been sharing ideas. It was the newly elected governor of the state!

Scripture Reference

Malachi 3:6 (ESV), For I the Lord do not change.

James 1:17 (NLT), Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

Hebrews 13:8 (ESV), Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Brain Thumper—

Think about This Question

How can a God of judgment also be a God of love? (Hint: Think about Zach’s parents.)

Secrets I Gotta Know!

What’s one secret God wants you to know today?

A Question

—Soccer Practice—

An Answer!

Question: Who is Jesus?

You never know how the

answer will show up!

How come when I ask you what time it is, you tell me how to build a clock? Madison cried out in frustration. Just tell me the stinkin’ time! All I want is the bottom line! Just give me the facts!

Brian’s look revealed confusion. Madison clarified her thoughts, I ask you a straightforward question, and you go around the block to give me an answer!

Brian broke into a broad grin. Oh! You mean like when you asked what football team I liked, and I told you everything about the team before naming the team!

"Yes! Yes! Yes! You’re driving me crazy!" shouted Madison.

Brian burst into laughter. That’s just how I think. I see big picture stuff, and it takes me a while to get the details. You, well, you see the pieces and details, but sometimes you miss the bigger picture!

Madison paused to assess Brian’s statement. OMG! He’s right! she thought. So, when I asked you about Jesus, that’s why you told me how to build a barn before you opened the door, right?

Brian couldn’t help but grin at her analogy. Yep! So, what’s your question about Jesus?

Madison sighed. I don’t have time for your ‘global thinking’ right now! She laughed and left for soccer practice.

As Brian thought about their conversation, he chuckled, "Heck! If I don’t challenge her to see the bigger picture, she’ll only have a bunch of unrelated facts dancing in her head! I’m just trying to give her a way to connect the dots!"

"You’re such a liar!" screamed Tess at her teammate.

What do you mean by that? challenged Roberta. She was much greater in size than Tess.

Their loud outburst caused Madison and several other players to drop back from their dribbling drill.

You claim to be the best striker on our team, but you haven’t scored a goal in the last four games! You keep telling all the boys how great you are, and you’re not! You’re a liar! That’s what I mean!

As Roberta moved closer to Tess, Madison squeezed between them. Hey, you guys, what’s goin’ on?

Madison, you may be our team captain, but if you don’t get out of my way, I’m going to squish you like a bug! threatened Roberta.

Okaaaaay. But how many bugs are you going to squish before you’re willing to accept that you’re in a slump? replied Madison.

Roberta began to calm down. "You’ll find your groove again. I believe in you!" Madison encouraged.

Roberta slowly backed away and started her dribbling exercise. She hadn’t gone far before she turned and kicked the ball with all her power toward Tess. Madison quickly stretched out and caught the ball. She laughed as she threw the ball back to Roberta, "That was a great kick! That’s your striker kick!"

Holy Moley! Tess sighed, "That really was a powerful kick! I’m glad you’re an all-state goalie!"

One day, Madison saw Brian across the street. He was sitting on a park bench playing one of his many video games. The different game sounds grew louder as she snuck up behind him.

Madison smiled as she thought about how much fun it was going to be to scare him. Just as she was about to make her move, Brian leaped up, spun around, and scared her! They both laughed.

How did you know I was there? asked Madison.

"You have