Excerpt from In George’s Shoes Natalie Stewart

Owen kicked dirt beyond home plate, sending cloudy powder into the humid summer air. He scowled and pouted. He exhaled up at the sweat that trickled down his forehead as he hoisted the densely packed satchel from the ground. His baseball team, the Trail Blazers, had just won yet another series game; Owen, however, was feeling irritated.

He observed his teammates surrounding George, who had driven in the winning run. George was the team’s finest hitter, and the other players cheered, clapped, and high-fived him. The victory elated them.
In paragraph 1, why does Owen kick dirt?

A) He was happy for George because he made the winning run.
B) He was mad that he had been chosen as the equipment boy.
C) He was excited that his team had won another series game.
D) He was upset because he wanted to celebrated like George.

11-32. the main character in the parable, the forgiving father, whose character remains constant throughout the story, is a picture of god. in telling the story, jesus identifies himself with god in his loving attitude to the lost. the younger son symbolizes the lost (the tax collectors and sinners of that day, luke 15: 1), and the elder brother represents the self-righteous (the pharisees and teachers of the law of that day, luke 15: 2). the major theme of this parable seems not to be so much the conversion of the sinner, as in the previous two parables of luke 15, but rather the restoration of a believer into fellowship with the father. in the first two parables, the owner went out to look for what was lost (luke 15: 1-10), whereas in this story the father waits and watches eagerly for his son's return. we see a progression through the three parables from the relationship of one in a hundred (luke 15: 1-7), to one in ten (luke 15: 8-10), to one in one (luke 15: 11-32), demonstrating god’s love for each individual and his personal attentiveness towards all humanity. we see in this story the graciousness of the father overshadowing the sinfulness of the son, as it is the memory of the father’s goodness that brings the prodigal son to repentance (romans 2: 4).

he has become more humble and patient in battle.