My wife Andrea and I have the greatest kids in the world-and I hope you do too! Every parent should think so as long as it is tempered with a good dose of objectivity concerning their sin nature and an occasional attitude readjustment session (the politically correct phrase for"spanking")After all, God thinks His children are great too, yet we still get spanked when necessary.

Yes, even though I think my kids are wonderful, I will never forget a family devotion when I opened the Bible and began to read a passage about one of the many miracles that Jesus performed. Now, I get excited reading about Jesus doing anything, but I was nearly 27 years old when I finally "got it." It's not that the children rolled their eyes or moaned at hearing a story they had heard sixteen times before, but the glossy eyes and the staring at the ceiling to discover new patterns in the texture were a dead give-away. Naturally I paused and gathered myself up for a gentle dissertation on "getting it." After explaining the significance of redemption to a sin-sick soul, I was rewarded with the patronizing elephant nod and more blank stares.

I should pause to say that at this point in time, all of the children capable of making a decision for Christ had indeed done so of their own accord, genuinely, and from the heart. The faith of a child is a marvelous thing and something I hope to completely reacquire, but at what age do they really "get it"? When do they realize the absolute magnificence of being spared an eternal damnation simply because God loved us and gave His Son to die in our place? When do they become awestruck by His holiness, humbled by His power, astounded by His love, and overjoyed by His presence? All believing parents want to see that fire for Christ in the eyes of their children-the fire that consumes our thoughts, our actions, and our attitudes. That's what I was looking for that day six years ago.

Shortly thereafter, I awoke in the middle of the night. A medieval story of a prince from a distant land, sent by his father the king to save the people from the clutches of the Dark Knight, so enveloped my mind that I could not rest until I arose and wrote for several hours. At our next family devotion, I read the story to the children and watched their waning attention transform into complete and total anticipation. From the youngest to the oldest, they literally craved each sentence as the parable of Jesus unfolded.

Their response amazed me, and yet I was honestly quite disappointed. Why did it take a fictional story to get the response from my children I was searching for that should have happened from reading Scripture? Then I realized something superbly significant-that is how Jesus taught! He told fictional stories with deep spiritual meaning. Some were so deep that the people never got them, but you can bet they listened. Parables are powerful!

The next time you're in church and your pastor tells a story to emphasize spiritually significant application in his sermon, take a moment to look around at the congregation. If it is a good story and it is told well, you will see a room full of attentive faces. Even the babies seem to hush. Our family has been blessed to be able to minister to churches in music, and occasionally they will even let me speak. At one small church, as I began my sermon, I noticed three nonattentive boys at the back of the church. The long hair, dark attire, and rambunctious behavior were an indication that they were a bit too cool to get seriously involved in a worship service, let alone listen to a tall, skinny man talk about God. I delivered my sermon in accord with the professional training I had received in the Air Force and from my speech-major wife. With the exception of the three boys at the back, I received the considerate attention of most of the congregation. I do not even remember what my sermon was about that day, but I do remember this: when I told a story about one of my F-16 fighter squadron flight mates falling asleep and dying on a mission returning from Iraq, you could have heard a pin drop. The three boys at the back of the church were silent and still as I explained how dangerous it is for us to fall asleep in our faith for Jesus Christ.

This revelation of the power of parables to capture the attention of people launched our family into a project that only God could have planned. Andrea encouraged me to publish Kingdom's Edge, the allegory of the life of Jesus. An allegory is simply an expanded parable that accomplishes the same goal. The surface story captures the attention of the reader while the symbolism and allegorical content entice the mind to discover a greater truth.

Once the monumental task of forming a publishing company, Perfect Praise Publishing, and producing our first work was accomplished, I knew that the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Old Testament, needed to be added to the story. The result was Kingdom's Dawn and Kingdom's Hope. These two books span the time from Adam to Malachi and thus are books one and two of the series. The main character, Leinad, represents all of the Old Testament prophets and their mission to deliver the message of hope to the people. The swords, castles, knights, and battles all directly represent significant events, people, and places in Scripture. The romantic medieval time period provided a natural setting for portraying earth and the kingdom the prince came to save.

Kingdom's Edge then became book three, and the fourth and final book in the series is Kingdom's Reign, which spans the time from Christ's return to the New Earth. The four books compose The Kingdom series.

As is true for all questions worthy of asking and seeking answers for, I turned to Scripture and discovered affirmation, encouragement, and discernment.

First, does a parable really have the power to change lives and further God's kingdom? Absolutely! If it didn't, Jesus wouldn't have used them. Besides the many teachings of Jesus, another dramatic example of the use of a parable is found in 2 Samuel 12:1-14. The Old Testament prophet Nathan employed a parable of a rich man with many flocks and a poor man with one lamb. At the conclusion of the parable, David was convicted, broken, and repentant before God for his grievous sin. I cannot help but wonder what David's response would have been if Nathan had barged into the king's presence accusing and condemning him instead.

Through the process of authoring these novels, three questions arose for which I sought answers:

1. Does a parable really have the power to change lives and further God's kingdom?
2. What are the elements of a good parable?
3. Why is a parable so powerful?

Nathan's clever use of the parable subtly prepared David's heart for the crushing blow of truth. An effective parable tends to impact most people that way. It is as though the picture of truth has quietly occupied the room of our heart and suddenly the curtains are thrown back to allow the brilliance of enlightenment to be revealed in an instant. Can a parable change lives? The answer is a resounding yes, for it brought a powerful king to his knees in submission to truth!

Second, what are the elements of a good parable? At the top of the list, the parable story must be intriguing. It does not necessarily need to be full of action, although mine tend to be. At some point in time, the reader must know that it is a parable or an allegory and should be discernable as such. It should contain discernable symbolism. It should teach Scriptural truth and inspire the reader to seek God. It should inspire and motivate the reader or listener to aspire to develop noble character. It should lead the reader to revelations of truth. All of these elements are clearly evident in the parables that Jesus taught.

Third, why is a parable so powerful? People relate to people, not facts and lectures. A parable depicts the application of truth in a person's life, even a fictional life. That is something we love. God placed within every human a need to relate and a desire for truth. The parable gives us both, and Jesus used this venue extensively in His ministry on earth to transform lives. A simple parable has the power to transform lives because it reaches into the hearts of men and briefly allows the soul of even the hard-hearted to become vulnerable and malleable to the wise hands of truth. And what is truth? Jesus Christ is truth! (John 14:6) Thus The Kingdom series is a parable of truth about truth-Jesus!

I was a father seeking to draw his children to the incredible realization that the greatest Hero of all time threw down the royal garb of heaven and donned the cloak of flesh to die a vicious death for the sake of rescuing the souls of men. The allegory of The Kingdom series could not even begin to capture the magnitude of such a marvelous act of love, but for a short time, it helped me gain the complete and undivided attention of my precious small people and tell them one more time about Jesus. For this alone it was worth every word written.

Chuck Black is an author, a product design engineer, an inventor, and a former F-16 fighter pilot for the United States Air Force. Chuck first authored The Kingdom series books to inspire a zeal for God's Word in his children. Chuck and his wife, Andrea, live in North Dakota, where they are in their thirteenth year of homeschooling their six children. You can visit www.kingdomseries.com or call (701) 572-1700 for more information.