Conversations
Conversations exploring the Gospel of the Kingdom and its relevance to everyday life.
75 articles
Reflecting on a Day of Reflection
On Martin Luther King Day 2026, we revisit Dr. King's powerful 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' - a classic document of the civil rights movement that continues to disquiet and inspire us today.
Goodness
Defining goodness turns out to be surprisingly hard. A reflection on one of the great philosophical transcendentals—Truth, Beauty, and Goodness—and what it means for Kingdom living.
Beauty and Masculinity
Can beauty and masculinity belong in the same sentence? Why so many men struggle with the language of beauty in worship—and what the Kingdom has to say about it.
Beauty
Beauty Beauty is not purely “in the eyes of the beholder.” Certainly, there is some subjective opinion on what is most beautiful, but true unbridled BEAUTY is a reality to pursue and enjoy. I want to play all my cards right at the top of this conversation. Here in our Backyard Conversations, we have
Truth
Truth For the last few blogs here at One Hundred Fold Ministries’ Backyard Conversations we have been talking about truth. Just last week we talked about the dangers of an A.I. Jesus that you can have an internet conversation with. Ok, that is a cute enough idea, but my question is, “Is there any Tr
The A.I. Jesus
Looking at a current phenomenon – Artificial Intelligence – and why an A.I. Jesus, no matter how well-crafted, cannot replace the real King of kings who is available in every moment through prayer.
The Truth Dispensary
The Truth Dispensary I’m pleased to be able to inform all of you that in today’s Backyard Conversation I am able to inform you where you can find truth. I discovered it quite by accident driving through Salem, Oregon! There it was – the Truth Dispensary! I was surprised that there were not more peop
The Tree of Life
Trees are a big deal in Scripture. We live between two important trees set in time – the Tree of Life in Eden and the Tree of Life in the New Jerusalem. In this in-between season, Jesus has given us life-saving instructions called 'Abiding.'
Oak Trees and Banquet Tables
Oak Trees and Banquet Tables We started with this paragraph in our last blog on abiding: “All things we experience on earth; the trials and suffering, the beautiful images of ocean sunsets and mountain top views, betrayed relationships and relationships that give us life, the grief of tragic death a
Abiding is Positional and Progressive
Abiding is Positional and Progressive We have said here at One Hundred Fold Ministries’ blog site – Backyard Conversations – that this doctrine of abiding is a big deal. That is too small a manner of stating this. Abiding in Jesus and His abiding in us is The Key to abundant, victorious and power in
To Abide is to Have Fruit – To Have Fruit is to Abide
Jesus has offered us an alternative to the spiritual teeter-totter. He invited us into a new paradigm on the night that he was betrayed – the life-transforming practice of abiding in Him.
Getting Off The Teeter-Totter
Living a life in harmony and constancy with the Gospel of the Kingdom is transformative. Jesus has invited us to get off the spiritual teeter-totter between legalism and license, and simply abide in Him.
Forgiveness as an Act of Humility
A deep conversation about the difficulty of forgiveness, featuring a moving story of a friend wrestling with whether he must forgive his father for deep personal hurt.
The Most Dangerous Prayer
Forgiveness is a very high bar with eternal consequences in the balance. We explore what it truly means to pray 'Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.'
When God Breaks Through
When God Breaks Through In our last Backyard Conversation, I was noting something quite obvious – that when our skies are covered in dark, black clouds there is a sun behind them that is still shining. Duh! Still, it does seem a bit surprising when the clouds break for a moment and the sunbeams shin
When the Kingdom Breaks Through
When the Kingdom Breaks Through I find clouds fascinating. They can be wispy and gentle, they can “march”. They might be small and solitary against an otherwise perfectly blue sky, or they can inspire our imagination (“It’s an alligator” . . . “No, it’s a boat!”). The can be threatening and scary. T
Like a Child
Like a Child This is Backyard Conversations and we have been in a recent series of blogs looking at the Kingdom Parables. One Hundred Fold Ministries loves these stories! I want to finish this series with a brief parable of my own. More like a poem perhaps or just a word picture of how the [...]
The Parable of the Sheep and Goats
The Parable of the Sheep and Goats When I was a kid I was really interested in telling the future. I read a lot of comic books when they were just 12 cents and one of the superpowers I wanted was to be able to tell the future. I was interested in Nostradamus and Edgar [...]
The Dragnet
The Dragnet Have you heard the phrase, “Now, But Not Yet” ? Hold on to that thought for a sec. At Backyard Conversations, we are working our way through a series of blogs that focus on the teachings of Jesus that describe the Kingdom of God. As we have seen, Matthew 13 is filled with [...]
Old and New Treasures
Old and New Treasures Recently, we had it in our minds here at the Scherrer household to ‘downsize.’ A nice term for getting rid of some old stuff. In our mind, not bad stuff, just old. Of course, someone would want our used furniture! Right?? Well, it turns out our daughters didn’t want it. Our [..
What Are You Willing to Pay?
What Are You Willing to Pay? Thanks for checking out the blog format of One Hundred-Fold Ministries – it is called Backyard Conversations. Let’s sip a lemonade, have a seat in one of our lawn chairs and have a chat about the things that matter most! Like finding eternal life and an eternal purpose a
Bigger Things
Bigger Things Here at Backyard Conversations, One Hundred-Fold Ministry’s blog site, as well as on our podcasts found at Kingdom Offerings, I have commonly noted how big and mysterious the subject of the Kingdom of God is. Even in our last blog, I noted that when teaching in the Kingdom Parables, it
Parable of the Sower
Parable of the Sower Welcome to Backyard Conversations, a resource ministry of One Hundred-Fold Ministries. We are in a blog series called Pray Kingdom, Think Kingdom, Act Kingdom. In this series, we are taking a look at the Kingdom Parables – the “stories” that Jesus told to help us understand this
The Lost Son
The Lost Son Welcome to Backyard Conversations, a resource ministry of One Hundred Fold Ministries. We are in a blog series called Pray Kingdom, Think Kingdom, Act Kingdom. In this series, we are taking a look at the Kingdom Parables – the “stories” that Jesus told to help us understand this excessi
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life Happy New Year! It will be interesting to see what 2025 has to offer. I have a habit of saying that “Life is relentless.” As I write this blog, I am sitting in a rehab center where my wife is recovering from a terrible fall that resulted in a broken hip [...]
The Center of the Sermon
The Center of the Sermon I am going to take us back in time to the start of this Backyard Conversations series that I have called: Pray Kingdom, Think Kingdom, Act Kingdom We stepped away from this series to look at some important cultural issues like our national election and the Thanksgiving holid
Understanding the Gospel of the Kingdom
What exactly is the Gospel of the Kingdom, and why does it matter for believers today? Exploring the central message of Jesus' ministry.
Called to Be Kingdom Citizens
We are not just saved from something—we are saved to something. Discovering our royal identity in Christ and what it means for daily life.
Gratitude: The Lost Habit of Thankfulness
Gratitude: The Lost Habit of Thankfulness “Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.” – – W. Tozer We are going to step away – again – from our series in the [...]
Red or blue?
Red or blue? This is Dave Scherrer and you have reached Backyard Conversations – the blog format of One Hundred-Fold Ministries. It is my honor to introduce our readers to a guest contributor, my friend and cohort in this ministry, Kevin Callison. Kevin and his wife Lynn are founding collaborators a
Kingdom and Elections
Kingdom and Elections Welcome back to Backyard Conversations, the blog format of One Hundred-Fold Ministries. It is no secret that, at the website and in the deep places of our ministry, our priority is celebrating and exploring the Gospel of the Kingdom. We have just started a series looking at the
Salt and Light - Not Just a Bumper Sticker Sentiment!
Salt and Light – Not Just a Bumper Sticker Sentiment! Welcome back to Backyard Conversations, the blog format of One Hundred-Fold Ministries. It is no secret that, at the website and in the deep places of our ministry, our priority is celebrating and exploring the Gospel of the Kingdom. This is the
Pray Kingdom, Think Kingdom, Act Kingdom
Pray Kingdom, Think Kingdom, Act Kingdom Before I launch into a new Backyard Conversations blog series, I wanted to shamelessly plug my podcast from last week. In that podcast (which you can find on our website under Kingdom Offerings for September 23, 2024), we talk about “wanting more” and we lear
The Power of Truth
The Power of Truth For the last several weeks here at Backyard Conversations, we have been talking about lies. And well we should, for as we have discovered, “We live in a world of lies” and that “These lies kill!” We learned that our adversary, the Evil One, is “the father of all lies” and [...]
Sifting Truth from Lies
Sifting Truth from Lies The last time we were together here in the backyard, having a conversation, we were talking about lies. Lies that kill. And we made the shocking statement that we live in a world of lies. A world steeped, saturated, and immersed in lies. That’s kinda hard to take. If we take
These lies kill!
These lies kill! For several weeks now here at One Hundred-Fold Ministries, the blog environment that we call Backyard Conversations (thinking “Let’s just sit on the back deck and have a conversation” – Sounds fun doesn’t it?) we have been exploring how paradigms tend to go unnoticed. These are valu
Unholy Trinity
Unholy Trinity We have been talking about paradigms here at Backyard Conversations for the past couple of posts. As we have learned, paradigms are a deal to be reckoned with! Too often the world in which we live and the information that insipiently comes to us creates a set of standards that can be
Spiritual Paradigms
Spiritual Paradigms The last time we were together here at Backyard Conversations, in the center of that blog, I stated this somewhat obvious but under-appreciated reality. How we understand the world or come to understand the truth is a huge game changer. I also said; “Typically we cannot see past
How Do You Make Scrambled Eggs?
How Do You Make Scrambled Eggs? I want to get highbrow for a second . . . but not so much that I confuse myself! We have something important to chat about. This is Backyard Conversations, our blog environment at One Hundred-Fold Ministries and I am Dave Scherrer, the President and Founder. Our atten
Jelly-Filled Donuts
Jelly-Filled Donuts Just before we get started in our Backyard Conversation for today, I have a question for you: How do you feel about donuts? Myself, I’m a fan – especially the filled ones that sort of squish all over your face. The filled ones with jelly in the middle . . . Yummy! (This [...]
Front Yard Conversations
Front Yard Conversations This is Backyard Conversations, the blog environment of One Hundred-Fold Ministries – but I just had a front-yard conversation, and the good news of the Kingdom of God showed up in power! For a long time, I saw door-to-door salespeople as an interruption to my day. Still, I
Ya Gotta Want It
Ya Gotta Want It You have found Backyard Conversations and last time we were together we laid into the idea that the Kingdom of God is ‘bigger’ and ‘different’ than we have been made to believe. In my mind, this Kingdom Conversation is the most important conversation for the church in America today.
Kingdom Unpacked
There are so many misconceptions and outright falsehoods about the Kingdom of God. Let me try to give the theological basics of what God has been trying to do to magnify His glory through the establishment of the Kingdom with Jesus as King.
Kingdom Manifesto
Kingdom Manifesto Concerns regarding the failure to fully recognize the centrality and primacy of the Gospel of the Kingdom in the church body and pulpit today have been spreading for some time! Here at One Hundred-Fold Ministries, we have it as our mission to declare and celebrate the Gospel of the
Resurrection Reflections
Resurrection Reflections The resurrection of the King of the Coming Kingdom of God is the cotter pin of the Christian faith. Pull this pin out, and it all falls apart. At One Hundred Fold Ministries we seek the robust celebration of the Gospel of the Kingdom and work to remove the misconceptions fou
Thinking About Sheep
Thinking About Sheep I was thinking about sheep recently. I actually know almost nothing about sheep. I grew up in the East San Francisco Bay area and I think I encountered sheep driving with my dad to Montana one time when I was sixteen. However, even without having much experience with sheep excep
Why Kingdom Conversations Matter
Why Kingdom Conversations Matter You have found Backyard Conversations here at One Hundred Fold Ministries. We are all about exploring, celebrating and advancing the conversation around the Gospel of the Kingdom. Of course, I suppose the conversations that actually happen in the backyard around the
Street lessons on dying to self
Street lessons on dying to self Do you know this nice looking person stepping up to the podium? Most do not. Too bad for us! He is Josef Tson. He is 90 years old this year, 2024. Born in Romania in 1934 to wonderful Christian parents, he grew up to love Jesus and to lead [...]
The Kingdom of God is like . . . Thrift Store Shopping
The Kingdom of God is like . . . Thrift Store Shopping Jesus seemed to delight in telling stories. Especially stories about the Kingdom of God. Here at Backyard Conversations, we love to talk about the Kingdom of God as well. It was, after all, the central theme of Jesus’ life, work and teachings! P
An Abundance of Life
An Abundance of Life Welcome to Backyard Conversations, the blog environment of 100-Fold ministries, where we like to chat about things that really matter! Like not just life, but having an abundance of life! We are starting off this new year with a brief series on the themes of life, light and love
soon and very soon
soon and very soon Greetings and Happy New Year!! January 1st, New Year’s Day, marks the one year anniversary of the public ministries of 100 Fold! I have a question for you today – "Where were you in 1976?" That was the year that Andre Crouch and the Disciples released a gospel song called "Soon
The still, small voice
The still, small voice We are in a relentless pursuit of the Gospel of the Kingdom and so we explore it here… in our backyard. So that you and I can slow down and think about things that really matter. Perhaps over lemonade and some nice sherbet. For instance . . . Have you noticed [...]
What child is this?
What child is this? It is Christmas time. What a great time of the year. Baby Jesus, the tiny little 6-pound, 11-ounce bundle of joy! The happy couple’s first baby. They are dirt poor, but they are happy – they have their love to keep them warm. The child is angelically celebrated in the skies [...]
Things that trip us up - like money!
Things that trip us up – like money! Welcome! I want to have a chit chat about something we don’t chit chat about very much – Money! In fact, I want to spend a few weeks looking into how the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world look so differently at how we [...]
Thirsty?
Thirsty? These are flowers. No big deal. Very pretty I admit, but I see flowers all the time. However not these flowers! These we see maybe two or three times in a decade. This is a Death Vally “Superbloom.” Thanks to some unusually heavy rain storms last fall, the generally very thirsty National Pa
A grieving world
A grieving world This from CNBC on October 10, 2023: Hamas launched a devastating and coordinated land, sea and air assault on Israel over the weekend, sparking chaos in the region and thrusting the nationalist movement firmly into the global spotlight. The militant Palestinian group orchestrated an
The Martyrdom of Perpetua, Felicitas and their Friends
The Martyrdom of Perpetua, Felicitas and their Friends This will be the last in this series on the martyrdom of various saints through Christian Church history. I am sharing these here with you at Backyard Conversations, the blog format of 100 Fold Ministries. Here at 100 Fold, we seek the manifold
Fearless faith of the apostles
Fearless faith of the apostles Here at 100-Fold Ministries, we have our eyes on the gospel of the Kingdom of God. But what we have seen is that this gospel is not so much a doctrine as it is a lifestyle! For several weeks now here at Backyard Conversations, the blog format of 100-Fold Ministries, [.
Blandina
Blandina Here at Backyard Conversations, we are in a series remembering some of the great servants of Jesus who, in their duties of faith, found themselves sacrificing their lives for the Kingdom. We tend to think of the disciples who each, save John, were all martyred for their faith. But some very
Polycarp
Polycarp What exactly does a Good King expect of His followers? Of course, a bad King might have a very similar list, but they would demand obedience and kill those who did not serve loyally. A faithful citizen of a Good King would willingly surrender their will for the will of that Good King. I [..
The 40 Martyrs of Sebaste
The 40 Martyrs of Sebaste Hello, this is the blog format of 100 Fold Ministries. We are in the middle of a series of stories about unknown Christians who understood the Kingdom of God and the lifestyle it inspires. The lifestyle and in some cases the ‘Deathstyle’ too. Do you recognize any of these n
telemachus
telemachus Hello! This is Backyard Conversations, the blog format of 100 Fold Ministries. I’m Dave Scherrer and this ministry is devoted to expanding the Kingdom of God by celebrating and furthering the Gospel of that Kingdom! We are going to start a brief series on people who have made a difference
Caring and sharing in the 21st century (Part 2)
Caring and sharing in the 21st century (Part 2) Welcome to the 100 Fold Ministry’s blog we call Backyard Conversations. Pull up a chair here on the patio and let’s have a robust conversation about things that matter. That is always fun! We have set off on a brief two week series here at Backyard [..
Caring and sharing in the 21st century
Caring and sharing in the 21st century Welcome to 100 Fold Ministry’s blog we call Backyard Conversations. Pull up a chair here on the patio, let me pour you some lemonade and let’s chat for a bit! We are about to set off on a brief two week series we are calling the Caring and [...]
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it!
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it! With today’s blog we will be two thirds through our series on life, light and love, a three-week series here at Backyard Conversations exploring three great foundational Kingdom themes of the Scriptures. Together they form a thre
Life in the Kingdom is not of this world
Life in the Kingdom is not of this world Life in the Kingdom is not of this world. That may seem obvious. Heaven and earth are not the same thing. Jesus Himself said that He is indeed a King, but that His kingdom was not of this world. So, I feel pretty confident that life [...]
Being a peacemaker is always costly
Being a peacemaker is always costly Thanks for joining me here at Backyard Conversations. This is the blog format of 100 Fold Ministries. You can also find some challenging thoughts on our podcast environment, Kingdom Offerings.These, along with our Kingdom Parable page “The Kingdom of God is like .
Shalom
Shalom One of the great untapped benefits of living into the Gospel of the Kingdom as lived and pronounced by Jesus is the overflowing abundance of peace. Deep personal abiding peace! Remember the old camp song I’ve got peace like a river? We used to sing it in Campus life back in the 70’s and [...]
Manage your expectations!
Manage your expectations! Around our home, probably yours too, there are these sayings that get picked up on and then used by the family – kinda like an inside joke – or more like inside “Truth.” “Ya gotta know their history” translated means “Lighten up on the other guy, you don’t know what they’ve
We live in a world of lies!
We live in a world of lies! I want to highlight something that seems to me most critical for the Church at large and our culture to not only be aware of, but also to be in front of. The Church, it feels to me, has taken a cultural back seat on most every moral [...]
Hold Fast
Hold Fast We are new blog friends. If you started connecting right at the beginning, we still have known each other for a bit over a month. Since we are new friends, I think it is only fair that you know that I have longings. I long for the fullness of God’s presence and blessings. [...]
Why would anyone want a King anyway?
Why would anyone want a King anyway? In our last 100 Fold Backyard Conversation we opened up all kinds of questions and problems when it comes to Jesus’ title of “King.” Here in the 21st century United States, we don’t have such a positive regard for monarchies and kings. The USA made our name, so [
Names Matter
Names Matter It turns out names matter! So, just to be clear, Christ is not Jesus’ last name. We are at a bit of a disadvantage here in 21st century America when it comes to understanding first-century Jewish customs and cultural norms. For instance, names back then were kind of a big deal. They are
Ta Panta
Ta Panta By saying “All Things” did Jesus mean all things? With this blog I am starting a short series on Kingdom Things to Remember. When it comes to having a sound understanding of the gospel of the Kingdom, there are a handful of non-negotiable truths that we need to keep in the front [...]
Is there more?
Is there more? Welcome to 100 Fold’s Backyard Conversations. I’m imagining that you and I are sitting in the backyard, and we find ourselves talking about Jesus Christ and the gospel of His kingdom. I think our conversations will be fascinating. In fact I’m sure of it! The gospel of the kingdom is t