Blossoms in the Rain

 Good morning folks.  Today we go over the last part of this reading, which is the Cornerstone. I decided to leave this for a separate post because this part of these passages, frankly, confuses me. I put this off way too long, but I'm going to try to tackle it.  I somewhat understand the part about the rejected cornerstone becoming the capstone, but I don't understand the difference between the one who falls on it and the one who is crushed by it. By extension, I also don't know what that means for you and me in our current time and lives. This is where in-depth study and using your resources comes in. There's no shame in not understanding a passage, otherwise, what would I be learning? This is a place to dig in, use my resources if I hit a roadblock, and find out what it means. Will I always understand it correctly after studying it? No, but Lord willing, if I am wrong in my interpretation now, God will bring the correct answer to me in the future, either through some...

 Here is where I am going to consistently update what resources I use in my studies, and some background information on them. Feel free to look through these as you study the Word of God with me.  - Baker Commentary on the Bible: Based on the NIV:  This is a Bible commentary that I do not usually use. I grew up with it, but I have not been overly impressed with it as a commentary, and there are some things in this commentary that I do not agree with. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this as a primary commentary, but it is a fair commentary to use alongside other commentaries if you are wanting the opinions of multiple scholars. -Bible Gateway: Bible Gateway is an online resource for different translations of Scripture, which can be very helpful for Studying Scripture. It also has some commentaries and other resources, most of which can only be accessed if you subscribe and pay for a membership. I generally just use it for the various translations, as I don't have a big enoug...

 Hello, hello! I'm back again! I hope you are well!  This section of my study is focused on the three parallel accounts of this parable found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. I may or may not include Jesus speaking of the Cornerstone in this reading. I'll see how much time it takes to get through these passages. Now, Matthew was an eye witness, and Mark and Luke obtained their information through other eyewitnesses, and faithfully recounted the details as they had been passed on to them. You might notice that some of the details vary between the Gospels in some of their recountings of what occurred, but don't let that be a discouragement, as it would be far more disturbing if they were exactly the same. When different people recount a story, there will always be minor differences between their accounts, as one will hear one thing that another might miss, another will notice something that the others did not think significant, and all three might omit things based on what their f...