Darryl, Dylan, and the Seed

Right now, as I'm writing this, I've reached a new level of multi-tasking. I'm blogging with my 4 week-old on my lap. That is until he wakes up. I'm not that good yet.

I preached last week on the Parable of the Seeds and the Sower. If you want to listen to it, click here. Anyhow, I thought about illustrating the seeds that fell on rocky ground with some well known folks. In the parable, these seeds fell on rocky soil, and had no roots. When hardship came, they withered away.

There have been some famous folks who have received the gospel message with joy at first, but then they seemed to have departed the faith (either through lifestyle or profession). Darryl Strawberry, my favorite baseball player at the time (also the player whose swing I modeled my left handed wiffle-ball swing after) had a huge conversion experience but since has been through several wives, numbers of arrests, and drug and alcohol treatments. Yet I researched him the other day and found he had started an autistic foundation. I think he's still involved in a church.

Bob Dylan was another one who came to mind. He had the conversion experience and even recorded several gospel albums and used to preach at people in concert. Yet he retreated from this upfront Christian persona, and left to join some Jewish study group some years later. However, in a 2003 interview he explained that he had studied with this group as a Christian. Apparently he still performs some of his Christian songs in concert. Now I would rather hear him read than hear him sing. Certainly the best and most prolific song writer the world has known, Dylan's voice has not aged like wine. I'd say its been more like milk.

Regardless it was encouraging to see that these two still professed faith. After researching them, I realized they would have made bad illustrations. And besides, the debate over whether or not their faith is legitimate faith is not our debate. According to the parable, the good seeds will land on fertile soil and there will be fruit. Though they may turn away for a time, they will persevere until the end. So if they are truly believers, they will repent and believe until the end. The same expectation we should have with ourselves.