BOOK REVEIW: Discovering the Parables; An Inspirational Guide for Everyday Life

Fairy tales, fables, allegories, oral folk tales, and parables have been with us probably for as long as man has been able to speak. This was the way man passed stories and lessons on to other men before the birth of the printing press and computers.

Parables were the stories that Jesus told to help his early followers better understand the lessons that He had to teach. To help those of us today to have a better understanding of these stories, Henry G. Covert has written DISCOVERING THE PARABLE; AN INSPIRATIONAL GUIDE FOR EVERYDAY LIFE.

Jesus was a master storyteller. If some of His contempory listeners had trouble understanding all of his message, the same can be said for most of his modern “listeners”. We, today, have the disadvantage of not living at the time the stories were told. The references to seeds, fig trees, and vineyards are not in our experiences.

Reverend Covert takes time to give us the background of each of the parables and why it would have made sense to the people at that time.  Reverend Covert then goes into more detail about the message contained in each parable.

Even the parables I thought I knew and understood were given a deeper meaning. The parable of the mustard seed is one that most of us know. To me, it has always been a story to show that even a small amount of faith will grow. Reverend Covert takes it a step beyond the simple and the obvious. I loved his using the seed growing in Mary as something else to think about in reference to the growth of the mustard seed.

Each parable takes on its own importance in this book. The book is written in an easy style that flows well. Each chapter ends with a section with reflection questions and thoughts.

Henry Covert is an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ. He has served in the military, as a police sergeant and as a county detective in a district attorney’s office. He served as a state prison chaplain and as an adjunct faculty member at Penn State University. He is the author of four books.  His fifth book, The Crucifixion of Jesus, to be released this year.

From reading his books, the fact that he had been the chaplain for Pennsylvania’s first execution in thirty-three years made a lasting impression on him.

No matter what your faith, DISCOVERING THE PARABLES would be a good study guide. Whether you are Christian or not, the life lessons in the parables are worth reading.  Reverend Covert will certainly help you to walk through them.