Stories For Ears To Hear: A Re-imagining Of The Parables Of Jesus

Foreword - I Would Like To Go Home

An offering such as this—a collection of short stories—can be especially gratifying to impatient readers with minds prone to drift, like me. I became quickly drawn into each scenario, captivated by the characterizations and perplexing plots. It's a fine thing to be willingly taken elsewhere now and again—to empathize with another soul's dilemma—only to eventually realize that it is, after all, your own.

 I found much cause for reflection between passages, as lightshone amid the very shadows where I presently wander, where we all live each day. 

Timeless tales well told enlighten listeners gradually. As Tin Can Caldwell raises his lantern slowly, we find ourselves in curious settings, such as a hospital waiting room in Madrid, Spain, where we encounter intriguing individuals who are foreign yet familiar. 

The manuscript I received in advance did not include the subtitle A Reimagining of the Parables, but in each story there would come a point, usually just past midway, where the light shone clearly and I would think something like, Ah,this is a new version of The Lost Son, from the gospel of Luke.xiiI would visualize Jesus on a hillside, in a marketplace, or under an olive tree in Jerusalem—astounding, bewildering,and inspiring first-century Jews. 

The parables of Jesus, as they are universally known, are eternally resonant because they will, for all time and in all times, be relevant to our lives. These stories are taut with provocative circumstances whereby the actions or in actions of persons may result in just reward or severe consequence.The focus is on human relationships, imploring listeners to consider their own responsibilities as fellow citizens of this world—or even as heirs to God's heavenly kingdom.Perhaps above all others throughout literary history, these stories told by Jesus of Nazareth warrant retelling—andyes, reimagining—as Caldwell dares to do so adeptly here and now. 

As the details of each modern narrative unfold before us,we may see something of ourselves in the characters—the good guys and the bad guys. This is because in true life,the lines that separate light from dark, and virtue from evil, are likely to be blurred. It is imperative that our ears hear stories such as these, because when a gifted storyteller leads us to the conclusion of an insightful tale—holding his lantern high—we may understand our world better and see ourselves more clearly within it. 

In contemplation of "The Pigs of Ibiza," for example, it is apparent to me that I am a contemptuous, self-seeking brother. I am a cold-hearted marauder, complicit in cruelty.I am a wounded, compassionate father. I am a foolish, sorry,badly beaten son. My name is Steven Hindalong. My father is Paul Hindalong of Montebello, California. I would like to go home. 

Steven Hindalong, 

Drummer and lyricist, 

The Choir