"I want to start a garden, but my yard's a little problematic," a customer told the proprietor at the yard and garden center. "I get blazing afternoon sunshine for about two hours, but otherwise it's all shade."

"What kind of soil," asked the proprietor.

"Hard clay, lot of rocks," said the customer, "What do you recommend I plant."

"Hmmm," mused the store owner. "Why don't you look down Aisle B. We've got a big new supply of birdbaths and flagpoles . . . " (1)

Maybe you have a lawn like that--good for growing only birdbaths and flagpoles.

Jesus told a parable about a farmer who went out to sow seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soi…