Parable Poems by Nick Weatherhogg
Parable Poems by Nick Weatherhogg
Ask your average church member to quote any part of the Bible, and you will probably get the Lord’s Prayer or the 23rd Psalm – and the recitation will probably be pretty accurate. Beyond that it will be a stab at the Christmas story, the Easter account, or one of the Lord Jesus’ parables … and here the rendition will undoubtedly be fairly sound on the major points, but somewhat more vague some of the key details and (particularly) the application. Why should that be, since we know the stories so well? Perhaps that is the problem … we know them so well!
They say familiarity breeds contempt. Amongst the best-known passages of Scripture, those with which we are generally most ‘familiar’ are the wonderful series of stories that Jesus told his disciples. I have long feared that this familiarity often means that, while we may not be contemptuous, we can often miss the thrust of the parables, take them for granted, and forget the application to us. Hence ‘Parable Poems’. I have rewritten every parable in poetic form to try to breathe fresh life into them (not that they are dead, but that our response to them often is!). I have very carefully stuck to the absolute truth of what the Lord Jesus said, but have also extended into application for us, and at times tried to add a little humour as well as further challenge.
The book has been well reviewed online. One reviewer stated ‘author Nick Weatherhogg simplifies these timeless teachings by retelling Christ’s parables through poetry. After reading these illuminating poems, the words of Christ will reside within you. His wisdom will sparkle with clarity as you absorb the true meaning of his words’, and another said ‘This book makes the Parables of Jesus fun and easy to understand by retelling them as poems’. This book may certainly help you achieve your New Year’s resolutions in learning more about Jesus and drawing closer to Him!