From “The Parabolic Chickens”

“Now listen, dear ones, and I’ll tell you something I’ve learned from both the past and the present—because even a hen like me can remember things older than the chicken coop.

“Back in the days when Jesus walked the dusty roads, folks didn’t drink much water. It wasn’t always safe, you see. So they drank wine—sweet, strong, and full of story. But they didn’t have glass bottles like you do now. No, they carried their wine in skins—soft, supple pouches made from animal hide. A new wineskin could stretch and breathe, just right for the bubbling, living wine inside. But an old wineskin? It was brittle, stiff, and already stretched to its limit. If you poured new wine into that, it would burst wide open, and all that goodness would spill out into the dust.

“Now, I’m just a chicken, and I don’t drink wine. I prefer water, thank you very much—cool and clear, from a dish I can reach without tipping it over, but I don’t carry it around. I go to the source.

“I’ve watched people try to carry the new in old ways. They try to fit fresh joy into tired habits, or pour Spirit-fire into hearts that won’t stretch. And like those old wineskins, something gives. Not because the wine is bad—but because the container vessel isn’t ready.

Jesus said, ‘You don’t put new wine into old wineskins. If you do, the skins burst, the wine is spilled, and both are lost. No, you put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.’

“So I ask myself, when the Spirit brings something new—some wild, fermenting joy or truth—am I ready to receive it? Or am I clinging to the old shell of what used to be?

“As a chicken, sometimes, the kindest thing I can do is molt and let the old feathers fall to make room for the new ones.

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Please stay with us as Pearl explains in her own chicken voice each parable. There are almost 40 in all, so we will send them out as soon as we have them ready to post which is more frequent than we had planned or announced.

Thanks to all of our Friends, Family, and Fans for reading, liking, and sharing! We will keep you in our prayers!

Sincerely,

John and Pearl, (with fond memories of Gracie, Bessie, Blanche, Emily, and Amelia) and our newest Little Buddy, Ernest (who is still patrolling and keeping us all safe and together as a family!)