Tim W wrote:

And what of the tale
of great trees growing from the tiny seeds? Any advice?

I don't think anybody has ever finally solved the mystery of the
"mustard seed" in the parable. The Oxford English Dictionary says:
The mustard seed ... of the New Testament, spoken of as producing a
tree, is probably the seed of the black mustard (Brassica nigra) which
in Israel grows to a great height. However, some commentators have
identified it with the toothbrush tree, Salvadora persica.
_Flowers and Trees of Palestine_ (1929) says _Sinapis nigra_
(=_Brassica nigra_) reaches a height of twelve or fifteen feet in
Syria. _Salvadora persica_, it says, is a shrub. Either way, I don't
see why Jesus shouldn't be permitted a degree of rabbinic embroidery.

--
Mike.