Helping Hurting Parents of Prodigals

A Praying Momma ~ T. Suzanne Eller

2012-01-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderfully encouraging article for parents of prodigals...keep on praying!

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

When he first started drinking, she and her husband weren’t sure what to do. Then he was arrested. Soon after they discovered he was using drugs. For the first time in her life, Mickey felt helpless as a mom.

Mickey’s son was raised in church and he once served as a leader in his youth group. Their home was a safe place where faith was lived out. And yet her son continued to spiral downward, no matter what they did. The night he broke into their small business and emptied the cash register was the bleakest night of all.

Mickey looked around the church and realized there were other moms with similar struggles. She started a Prodigal Prayer Group that met on Tuesday nights. They prayed one year, two years and then three.

Mickey saw others’ children come back to their faith, but her prayers for her own son seemed to be going nowhere. Nonetheless, she continued to show up, joining in strength and support with other praying mommas.

I wish my sweet friend had a video camera recording her son through those dark days. I wish she could have seen Austin rediscover his faith, overcome his addictions, and see him grow into the godly man he is today.

But the reality is that Mickey didn’t have a video camera. All she had was her faith. Faith that was tested over and over.

She was aware of the realities of her son’s choices, but she continued to pray. She continued to believe. She had to make hard choices like setting boundaries. She had to listen to other moms whose children were not straying and who did not understand her struggle.

Mickey says that during that time she began to see Austin through the eyes of faith. She knew that it wasn’t in her power to change her son, but that God could be her source of strength as she stayed the course.

We often say we would do anything for our children. If someone had told Mickey that it would take years of praying and believing like she did without seeing any sign of change, I wondered would she still do it? Mickey says yes, she would.

Maybe you identify with my friend. You raised your son or daughter with love. You provided a safe place. You showed them Jesus, and yet somehow they lost their way. Today I want to encourage you. The Father loves you and your child. In Jesus’ story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32, NIV) we see a son who has hit rock bottom. He finally decides to go home and this is the reaction of his father:

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.” (verses 20-24)

Jesus told this story to illustrate the love of the Heavenly Father. The beauty of a praying momma is not lost in the chaos of your child’s choices. You are not alone as you pray, because He’s waiting, just as you are, to welcome your child in His embrace.

Dear Father, thank You that You love my child even more than I. I am not alone. You are with me. Walk with me today. Give me Your strength. Give me renewed hope and eyes of faith. In Jesus’ powerful, precious Name, Amen.

View this complete article at Proverbs 31 Ministries

Featured Blog ~ Oil of His Grace

2012-01-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

Really good advice from a dear sister who is dealing with a prodigal herself...The link to her complete article and a video that will bless and encourage you is at the bottom of the page.

Encouragement for Struggling Believers

Your situation, whatever it is, is in God's hands! I have a feeling someone reading this needs encouragement today so let me share two things:

1.) Don't isolate yourself. If you're facing a battle in your life you need AN ARMY! You need sisters and brothers who will fight with you and storm the gates of hell in prayer. Don't allow the enemy to convince you that you should face it alone. Forget the lie that says you would be a bother to others. My dear friend - that's what the body of Christ is for. To bear one another's burdens!

Look with me at what the Apostle Paul admonished believers: "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2) Did you notice the last part of that verse? "Thereby fulfill the law of Christ." This means that when you ask another Christian to pray for you, you are actually helping them! How am I doing that? you might ask. You are helping them to mature and grow in Christ-likeness! You are helping that person to "fulfill the law of Christ." Have you ever thought of it that way? If not then I ask you to "chew" on that a bit. What a wonderful truth it is! Praying for one another is an absolute privilege. Right now I am praying for a dear reader and I count it a joy! So, please, if you're going through something, don't isolate. Instead seek prayer and counsel from other believers.

2.) Trust God yet ask Him for the grace to see a "glimpse" of what He's doing through your situation. What I mean is this: We can only see the past and the present (and even then we don't always see clearly). We certainly cannot see what's around the corner. In fact, you might compare our present reality to paddling a boat down a river. We can take in all the scenery as we pass by, but we are never able to see around the next bend.

Furthermore, on some days we paddle in calm waters, and on others we go through nothing but rapids. And yet, in calm waters or rapids, in neither can we see what's just ahead. But I wonder: Why is it we tend to only fret about what lies ahead when we're in the midst of rapids? When things are going our way - when the water is placid, the scenery beautiful - all is good and we have a sense of peace. Hey - we're trusting God!

But the minute the waters begin to churn....? Oftentimes when that happens we turn to self-comfort and our own (limited) understanding of things.

Friend, let me suggest another perspective for you. Consider this: While you and I are paddling downriver, only seeing what is around us, God is above - like an eagle. He has excellent eyesight to see the whole picture! Rather than merely having our "linear" perspective, He sees around the next bend in the river. But, even better than the eagle, God's "eyesight" is so keen that He's also able to see the end of all things.

It's easy to forget this when you're hurting and you want easy answers. But His promise to you is to not only "work all things together for good" (Romans 8:28), but to also work "all things after the counsel of His will." (Ephesians 1:11) This means that not only is our God all-knowing, but that He in His wisdom actually allows the trials we face to come into our lives. They are trials "with a purpose." His purpose. Dear sister, trust that not only is the Lord sovereign, but that He is also loving. Remember, the Word tells us that He actually IS love. He would never do or allow anything to destroy you. That is what the enemy wants to do. (John 10:10) God will only prune you (John 15:2) - which may hurt - but He intends it for your growth and fruit-bearing. You can trust your heavenly Father's heart.

To read the whole post please visit Oil of His Grace

Featured Blog ~ Families, Prodigals and Turkeys by Martina Mcgowen

2011-12-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

I came across Martina Mcgowen's blog the other day when looking for something to encourage parents during the holidays. I know this is a very hard time for families dealing with prodigals, but really it can be very hard just dealing with family. I chuckled when I read Martina's take on it...

"Families and holidays. I often think, “Could the Lord have made a worse combination?” Now, I don’t know about your family, but mine doesn’t always have it all together, but that makes them interesting, usually fun and sometimes downright bizarre.

Most of us worry that our families are a bit dysfunctional. Well, I’ve got news for you- they all are to some degree. Yours, mine, the girl with the perfect hair in High School, that lovely family down the street. All our families have some-thing or some-one that doesn’t seem quite “right.”

Martina is sharing a series called Families, Prodigals and Turkeys. She uses beautiful paintings to embellish her post on the prodigal story. Her series is concentrating not so much on the prodigal, but his brother. Something, as parents, that we need not to forget. The siblings that are still at home need our love and attention.Their hearts may not be quite right and when our focus is mainly on our prodigal, we may not see it.

Featuring Martina Mcgowen ...Families, Prodigals and Turkeys

Thank you, Martina, for this wonderful series.

31 Days ~ How Long?

2011-10-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

Day 31 ~ How Long?

This is the last day of the 31 Days of blogging with all the incredible bloggers out there. I'm going to leave you readers some links to older posts that have been really helpful to me and hopefully will encourage you. A special thanks to James Banks who wrote the wonderful book of prayers, "Prayers for Prodigals" that I have been reading through day by day, and that has inspired so much of this writing...

"How long, O Lord, how long?" Psalms 6:3

Some of you are just starting out on this journey. I think that is the hardest of all. When it all comes crashing down on you and the pain is excruciating and the nightmare you never dreamed would happen to you is now your life...

It's as if someone has died and you will experience the same stages of grief. I found this very helpful during that time...

God Loves the Broken Hearted by Cathey Stott

As time goes by in our loneliness we hear of others who have perhaps suffered a greater loss than our own and we realize that in order to heal we need to reach out and help others...

Encouragement Through Suffering

After a while we think, "I don't want this to last for years and years...how can I bear this...how long, Father, how long?"

We may even be tempted to take the battle into our own hands...

The Temptation to Take the Battle into Our Own Hands

How long, O Lord, how long? Is a phrase we will utter many times no matter how long it takes, but in the meantime God is not only working in our prodigal but also in us...

"Only God knows the end of the story for our prodigal. Every once in awhile we get a glimmer of hope that our son will fully return to God. Many times I’ve wished I could just read the final chapter; then perhaps I’d sleep better at night. But we are learning to walk by faith, one day at a time. God is sovereign, and we have learned much about His grace, His patience, and His love that we probably would not have learned otherwise."

I Am a Parent of a Prodigal

Praying today that we might comfort one another no matter where we are in this journey. We as parents are learning to TRUST and have FAITH in a way that transcends human understanding. Reach out and encourage someone today with the comfort you have received from the Lord. It is His way of bringing us closer to Him and giving us healing and peace.

From This Time Forth Go Comfort Others

Praying for our prodigals that no matter where they are in their journey that they will see Jesus. Father, take the blinders off their eyes that they might see You today. And we thank you and praise you for the work You alone can do in their lives.

31 Days ~ Strength to Go On

2011-10-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

Day 30 ~ Strength to Go On

Sharing again from James Banks Prayers for Prodigals...

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Habakkuk 3: 17-18

"I will remind myself of this, Lord. It's always good to praise you, regardless of how I feel at the moment.

"For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise" (I Chronicles 16:25)

"I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God" (Habakkuk 3:18), regardless of my external circumstances on any given day. And why not?

Yes, times are difficult with my child. She's running from me and from you.

My heart aches. I long to take her in my arms and protect her from harm, if only she would have it.

Then I am reminded of your Word and your promise:

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion" (Isaiah 30:18).

There's a lot of meaning in that one word, yet. You know how I feel, don't you?

Not only about my daughter. About the whole human race.

That's why you came, why you sent your one and only son: "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).

Not only do you understand, you've faced our rebellion with a heart that feels with more "depth" than I could ever know. (Romans 11:33)

I praise you for that and will wait for you, because "since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him" (Isaiah 64:4). ~ James Banks

31 Days ~ Sin of the Parents

2011-10-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Day 29 ~ Sin of the Parents

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" John 9:1-2

A very interesting and encouraging message today from James Banks...

"God promises in His Word that "the son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son" (Ezekiel 18:20). But as the disciples' question demonstrated, many in Jesus' day believed that sickness was the direct result of sin either in the life of the one who was ill or his parents.

Jesus' response to the disciples speaks volumes: "Neither the man nor his parents sinned...but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life" (John 9:3) While the disciples were busy looking for sin and someone to blame, Jesus saw an opportunity to show the greatness and the love of God. Sometimes the parents of prodigals may find themselves thinking like the disciples. We look for someone to blame, and don't look very far. More than one parent of a prodigal son or daughter has found themselves asking, "Is God punishing me through my child for something I did in the past?" Fortunately, Jesus' response to the disciples and God's promise through Ezekiel indicate that the answer to that question is an emphatic, "No."

God's promise through Ezekiel makes it clear that each of us must take responsibility for our own actions. We cannot blame parents or genetics for our sins. We also cannot blame ourselves for the sinful choices of a son or daughter. Still, that's not always easy.

There have been times when I've heard my parents' words coming out of my mouth when I talk to my children (the words, "Because I said so!" come to mind.) I've also heard the words I spoke to my parents coming out of my children's mouths. When those words are hurtful, I've caught my self thinking, "This sounds too familiar. Is my past coming back to haunt me? Is God judging me for my own rebellion by giving me a rebellious child? Is this my payback?"

Thankfully, God doesn't see it that way. His promise is worth repeating and taking to heart: "The son will not share the guilt of the father." I take great comfort in that, because I don't want my children to bear the burden of things I did long ago. It's also good to know that God isn't holding them against me.

The spiritual blindness in our children's lives is not caused by sins of the parents, but by sin that is part of the fallen nature we all share, because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3;23). That sin has consequences, and we must repent of it and leave it at the foot of the cross. But before that can happen for our prodigal children, Jesus must open their eyes.

It's interesting that Jesus came of his own initiative to the man who was blind from birth. The man didn't ask for Jesus' help. Jesus sought him out. He stopped and looked the man in his sightless eyes.

Jesus is also able to encounter our children when they are not looking for Him. God has ways of reaching our children that we've never thought of. Jesus loves out prodigal kids and wants to display the work of God in their lives, no matter what they've done. "God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Jesus died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus wants to touch our children and set them free, so they will become witnesses to the Father's kindness and power and one day love others into the kingdom."

I hope this blesses you today as it did me...

Jesus healing Bartimaeus by Eustache Le Sueur

31 Days ~ Quiet with His Love

2011-10-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

Day 28 ~ Quiet with His Love

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

He will quiet you with His love...

I don't think I have ever read this before...He will quiet you with His love...

I think it's because my version says it differently...

"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest (be quiet) in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." KJV

What a beautiful thought...He will quiet you with His love...

Remember the story about Elijah...how he ran in fear of his life from Jezebel and then he eventually hides in a cave and there is a great wind, but God is not in the wind...and earthquake, but God is not in the earthquake...a fire, but God is not in the fire... and then a still small voice ...

Then Elijah heard...in the stillness...in the quiet...

From Prayers for Prodigals ~

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
What beautiful thoughts, Lord.
You are all of those things!
You are "with me."
You are "mighty to save."
The thought of you taking delight in me and comforting me with our love gives my soul hope that this world cannot take away.
When I imagine you rejoicing over me with singing, I'm reminded that you are my Father, and I am your child (1 John 5:19)
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1)...
In the "quietness and confidence" that comes from you alone (Isaiah 32:17), I will wait and watch and pray." ~ James Banks

Praying that you will hear the Father's voice in quiet and stillness...that He will quiet you with His love...that he will give you grace and peace to wait on Him.

And praying that our prodigals, no matter where their journey takes them...whether it be through blinding storms or shaking earthquakes, or raging fires... will come to know the stillness of God and His all-encompassing love for them.

Elijah in the Wilderness ~ Washington Allston

31 Days ~ Despise Not These Little Ones

2011-10-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

Day 27 ~ Despise Not These Little Ones

"Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 18:10

From Prayers for Prodigals by James Banks...

"Your word says that you send your angels to do your "bidding", Father (Psalms 103:20).

Thank you for giving our children angels who "always behold" your face.

Thank you for all of the times you've looked after my child when I could not: the near misses,the fraction-of-a-second, happened-too-fast-for-me-to-react moments when your angel intervened.

My child needs the protection of your angels now, Lord.

You've said that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them (Psalms 34:7).

Because I "know what it is to fear" you (2 Corinthians 5:11) with reverence, awe, and love, I ask that you deliver my son.

Your word tells me about what you've done for those you call your own: "In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them" (Isaiah 63:9).

Redeem my son, Lord! Let him be a joy to you and to all of heaven, because "there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).

I don't know how you will do it, but I ask you to help his open his heart to you." ~ James Banks

Father, I pray for each and every prodigal represented here today by Godly parents who fear you and ask that You would deliver these children from the enemy of their souls.

And we will watch and pray and wait, and say with the angels, "Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" Revelation 7:11-12

The Guardian Angel Pietro Da Cortona (Barrettini).

31 Days ~ Joy in the Presence of the Angels

2011-10-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

Day 26 ~ Joy in the Presence of the Angels

"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents." Luke 15:10

What a beautiful thought this morning! I visualize the heavenlies full of rejoicing magnificence. And it happens every day...every day somewhere there are those that fall on their knees in repentance. What joy it must bring!

"I ask that he will make the angels sing, Father.
I pray he will turn from his past and run with an open heart and mind to you!
I can imagine the joy.
My joy here on earth would only be part of a much larger celebration, because "There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10)
Your word tells of "thousands upon thousands of angels" joyfully praising you (Hebrews 12:22), and so they should!
"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being" (Revelations 4:11)
You created my son and gave him life.
You long for him with an everlasting love.
You loved him so much that you gave your "one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
No wonder the angels sing when one sinner repents!" ~ James Banks

Praying today that our sons and daughters will know the joy of repentance. Praying that our prodigals will give their hearts to the Lord soon. Rejoicing today for every prodigal that repents this very day and the joy that they bring to all around them.

Praying too, Father, that Your joy, Your peace that passes all understanding will keep the minds and hearts of all the parents as they wait to see their prodigals return.

31 Days ~ Put on the Armor

2011-10-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

Day 25 ~ Put on the Armor

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:11

The armor talked about in Ephesians is something we should dress ourselves with every morning. Donning ourselves from head to toe with the protection our Father gives us will help us fight the battle that lies before us. It will also help our children. Perhaps this is an area of protection and defense from the enemy that we do not take seriously enough, especially in these perilous times we are living in.

Note in the scripture that the armor helps us to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Standing firm against lies and deception is so imperative. We are weakened by the attacks of the enemy whether it comes in the form of grief over our loved ones, or persecution from friends. Each blow that comes against us can either bring us to the ground in agony, or we can stand firm with the armor: the helmet of salvation, the breast-plate of righteousness, the sword of the spirit, the shield of faith, loins girt about with truth, and feet shod with the gospel of peace.

STAND FIRM

Your standing for Christ will speak volumes to your prodigals. I know what it feels like to be so weakened that doubt seeps in... Some of you are fearing for your other children that they will follow their prodigal brother or sister. I did too. In fact as a defensive mechanism for myself I backed off from my other children for a time. But they didn't stray, and we are not to fear. Jesus commands us not to fear, but to put the burden on Him and trust Him.

Why are we so prone to try to do things our own way? Even though we profess Christ, we do not walk in faith and trust as we should.

When my son was living in fornication, we told him we could have nothing to do with him, not even eat with him if he lived that way. (1 Corinthians 5:11) He justified his behavior and no matter how I argued with him, he would not listen. The sad part is that other Christians had no problem with it, they encouraged it.

We are living in such a fallen world today. We are living in perilous times. 2 Timothy 3:1

I don't know why some children do this...I always likened it to telling a child "No!" when they tried to touch a hot stove. Some listen and immediately pull their fingers away and never do it again. Some get burned and feel the pain and still do it again.

I pray for all of you parents today that you will take heed to the word and put on the armor and stand firm with your children. Jesus is the only way...His instruction is the best way...Teach your children as well , to put on the armor, and be an example of faith to them. Don't be afraid to call sin, sin. Even if the whole world is against you. God is for you. Stand on His side. The battle is His and He will be victorious.

31 Days ~ About Shame

2011-10-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

Day 24 ~ Shame Off Her

This is an interesting title for today. Being a little slow when it comes to understanding things, like jokes and puns, etc. I had to think twice (three times actually), before I realized that James was turning the term, "Shame on her", around almost as a command to take the "Shame off her".

Truthfully, I have never really prayed that before. I have prayed for a hedge of protection for our prodigals, that God would keep them from evil, etc., but today I will pray in a different way.

As the scripture says, "Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame." Romans 10:11

Quoting James Banks, "I pray you will move soon in her life to turn her heart from the sin back to you.

Let her hear your Spirit speaking to her, "I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." (Isaiah 44:22)

Let the fog clear and a bright new morning break!

Even when we rebel against you, you long for us to give our hearts to you.

When we do, you take our sins completely away.

You clothe us with "garments of salvation" and "a robe of righteousness." (Isaiah 61:10)

You present us holy in your sight, "without blemish and free from accusation" (Colossians 1:22).

You have said, "You will forget the shame of your youth" (Isaiah 54:4).

You tell us you will remember our sins no more (Jeremiah 31:34).

Take the shame of my daughter, Lord Jesus! Just as you have for me."

I know she has a choice to make and I pray she will make it soon and "choose life" (Deuteronomy 30:19)

I pray she will choose you!" ~ James Banks

We as parents may also be feeling shame, but why then would the promise be that we would not be ashamed. I think we need to rethink this and realize that our children are God's and we are given a time with them to nurture and bring them up, but then God has to deal with their hearts in His way. Anything that is not right in their hearts, He will make right in His time and in His way. That is why it is so important to "Let go and let God do the work". We need to trust Him, and not be ashamed, but magnify the fact that we have a Great Shepherd who cares about each lost sheep and seeks to find them and bring them home. Praise Him for He is Mighty to save!

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

31 Days ~ Called Out of Darkness

2011-10-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

Day 23 ~ Called Out of Darkness

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:" 1 Peter 2:9

Called out of darkness...how many of you were called out of darkness?

From the concordance darkness means: of night darkness; of darkened eyesight or blindness; of ignorance respecting divine things and human duties, and the accompanying ungodliness and immorality, together with their consequent misery in hell; persons in whom darkness becomes visible and holds sway.

I once was lost...and now I'm found...

I once was blind, but now I see...

"He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm." Psalms 40:2

If I had Christian parents they would have been devastated, but they also would have rejoiced at what Jesus has done in my life. I don't know that a single prayer was uttered for me during this time of darkness, but Jesus called me out of it.

"Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD Almighty." Malachi 3:7

Father, you are very aware of what our prodigals are doing right now. For from the beginning of time men turn away from you and follow darkness. Father, right now, our children are living in darkness, making horrendously horrible choices that will effect their lives forever. We cry out to you, Father, for we of ourselves can do nothing. Please bring them out of the miry pit, the ungodliness, the immorality, this horrible wretched darkness that holds sway over them and causes such blindness. Father, we cry out to you today, please call them out of darkness into your marvelous light.

Quoting James Banks, "I ask for your light to fall on this path and lead him home.

Let him see your light from the distance and be drawn to you.

Even though now he sits in darkness, I ask that you will be his light.(Micah 7:8)

I praise you that there is no darkness so black that you can not show him the way out of it.

Bring him to the place where he can say, "You are my lamp, O Lord the LORD turns my darkness to light" (2 Samuel 22:29)" ~ James Banks

And Father...I pray for none of this middle of the road stuff. I pray when our prodigals come to their senses and see your Light...when they truly give their hearts and lives to Jesus, that there will be no turning back. That they will put the past behind them and walk forward...the past immorality, drugs, rock music...make it absolutely abhorrent to them.

Thank you, Jesus, for what you have done in my life, I know without a doubt that you can do it in any life. And I especially ask today, that you would visit the suffering parents. Please take them in your arms. Fill them with your peace, hold them tight so that they know you are with them in their grief. Give them a knowing that you are at work in the hearts of those they love and hold most dear, right now as we are praying.

Forgive us all, Father, for we are so prone to wander, so prone to be unbelieving and faithless.

We are called to show forth your praises, even the sacrifice of praise...

"Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name." Hebrews 13:15

31 Days ~ Waiting for an Answer

2011-10-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

Day 22 ~ Waiting for an Answer

I'm going to share a story that James Banks writes about in his book about another prodigal. The lesson here again has to do with waiting on the Lord.

"When our daughter was 15 she ran away.

Katie had fallen in with the wrong crowd at school. When we grounded her and pulled her out of school to finish the final weeks of her sophomore year at home, she made other plans. One day she ran out the door and down the street, where a friend picked her up in a car.

She was gone more than three weeks.

Those were the longest three weeks of our lives. Carl and I looked everywhere for out daughter and sought help from law enforcement and friends. But no matter how hard we tried, it seemed like we were always a few steps behind her.

Her life was in danger and she didn't even know it. One day, Carl and I found ourselves sitting in the apartment of an armed drug dealer who knew some of Katie's friends and had seen her recently. Later, we discovered she was even a passenger in a wreck where the car rolled and others were injured. She left the scene when the police arrived.

In the desperate days that followed, Carl and I learned the importance of waiting on God in prayer for those we love. We had no other choice. We had come to the end of our strength and resources and had to rely on God. The more we prayed, the more effective our search became.

It was on Father's Day that we found her. Carl and I were in a restaurant parking lot, on our way to dinner, when the phone rang. A waitress at another restaurant had spotted her. Katie was only three blocks away. We soon had her home, safe and sound.

God always answers prayer. The answer is either yes, no, or wait. When the answer is wait, it's easy to confuse it with no answer at all...

Sometimes the answers don't come when we would hope. Things may even seem to go from bad to worse. But we have to persevere, keep believing and keep asking...

Waiting is never easy, but the end result is worth it. David put it this way: "Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord have never forsaken those who seek you" (Psalms 9:10)

Keep seeking! Keep trusting! Keep asking! Keep praying!

There is grace to be found in the waiting, even if it takes years for the answer to come."

James Banks has written another book called 'the Lost Art of Praying Together' that this story was taken from.

Here is a link if anyone is interested...

the Lost Art of Praying Together

I haven't read it yet, but I sure think this book that I have been reading and sharing with you, 'Prayer for Prodigals' is excellent.

Praying for all of us today that we will become more proficient in this 'lost art of praying and waiting' on the Lord through our trial. Perhaps, Father, this is part of the reason we are travailing in this trial...perhaps it is Your way of getting our attention and causing us to fall on our knees and seek You with our whole heart.

I know each one of us as parents, Father, needs to grow in some area in our walk with You. Please, Father, teach us Your ways. And in the meantime bring our prodigals to their senses and back home to know You, to desire You with their whole hearts and walk in Your ways.

31 Days ~ Thank You

2011-10-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

Day 21 ~ Thank You

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him." Psalms 127:3

From the book Prayers for Prodigals ~

"I don't think I've said thank you enough lately, Lord.

Your Word reminds me that children are a blessing from You.

I'd like to thank you again for the blessing of my son.

He is your own beautiful and unique creation.

There will never be anyone exactly like him.

I praise you for he is "fearfully and wonderfully made: your works are wonderful I know that full well" (Psalms 139:14)

I thank you for my son's good characteristics.

I even thank you for the strength of his will and look forward to the day that it will be used to serve you with devotion and resolve.

I thank you for the things I sometimes take for granted: the blessings of health and food, and a roof over our heads.

Even though times are challenging right now, I don't want to stop saying thank you.

Your Word tells me to "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)" ~ end of quote

........................................

I think this is such an incredible reminder, and I thank James Banks for writing this book...Giving thanks in all circumstances is so important in our walk with Christ and as Paul said in Thessalonians, it is God's will for us.

Spending time thanking God for our circumstances, because "He works all things our for good" is part of trusting Him. And I am convinced that He is teaching us to TRUST Him in a way that I never imagined. Perhaps we have gotten too self reliant living in a country that has so much. Whatever it is, there is a lesson for us...more than a lesson...a deep yearning for TRUTH and LIFE and FOCUS on Christ alone. And a major part of this is to totally rely on Him.

Give thanks in all things for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer says in his book The Cost of Discipleship, "...intersession is the most promising way to reach our neighbors, and corporate prayer, offered in the name of Christ, the purest form of fellowship."

In praying together we are in fellowship, and in agreement with each other, and in communion with Christ. And He loves us and hears our prayers...

Thank you all for all your prayers.

31 Days ~ Going the Extra Mile

2011-10-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

Day 20 ~ Going the Extra Mile

"And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." Matthew 5:41

It isn't all a bed of roses when a prodigal returns.

In the parable the father is delighted and rejoicing, but the brother obviously has some problems with the attention that is bestowed on the wayward son.

There, of course, are many lessons in this parable for us to learn...

The prodigal, even though repentant, will bring back the consequences of his behavior.

The wasted years will show themselves evident in his life, as if he has to start again at square one. If he has a gift, it may be that gift was taken away from him and he has to settle with less.

He may bring back a wife who was with him in his rebellion and consequently does not have the same values as you.

Regardless what it is we are compelled to go the extra mile. We can open our arms with forgiveness and rejoice in the return, yet there will be rough spots in the road, and our love must be as Christ's love for us...full of forgiveness and compassion.

All of it...this whole prodigal journey...is so like what our Father deals with in each one of us...what Jesus died for in each one of us.

Can we not go the extra mile, as He does with us?

James Banks ~ "This isn't an easy road, but I accept it gratefully knowing that I'm following You.

I know by faith that this road comes out in a better place for him and for me if I keep my eyes on You.

I pray that I will continue in "faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel". (Colossians 1:23)

Because love always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:7)

You are not only watching You are with me.

When I "pass through the waters" of difficult days, You have promised, "I will be with you."

When I pass "through the rivers" - those days when we're in over our heads - you have said, "they will not sweep over" us.

Even when I "walk through the fire" of trial or temptation or anger, "I will not be burned if I stay close to You (Isaiah 43:2)" ~ end of quote

Help us stay close to You, to keep our eyes on You, to be like You... to seek You early, to draw near to You, to acknowledge You in all our ways, so that our paths will be directed by You. Help us, Father, to go the extra mile, not just what is expected of us, but what may be out of our comfort zone.

Praying today that each one of You will know that you are not alone on this journey. This particular trial is set before you for a reason. It is the cup that the Father has given you to partake of, but Jesus will never leave you, or forsake you. Keep your eyes on Him and you will not sink no matter how violent the storm. He is with you forever and for always.

31 Days ~ New Mercy!

2011-10-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

Day 19 ~ New Mercy!

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." Lamentations 3: 22-23

"Something good is coming and I thank you for it, even though I don't know what it is yet!

But I know You, and Your kindness is "new every morning".

"Whom have I in heaven but You?" Psalms 73:25

"I will not give in to fear, and doubt and worry because You are with me." Psalms 118:6

Because of your kindness I will renew my hope in You today." ~ James Banks

Would you join me here today in praise to our Heavenly Father and thank Him for His mercies. I know that every day, even in the midst of our deepest trials, we can lift our hands in praise.

Praying that God will bless your day with a newness of hope and a refreshing of living waters to nourish and satisfy your every need.

31 Days ~ Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

2011-10-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

Day 18 ~ Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18

Are you fearful? Do you worry about your prodigal? Are you afraid that your other children may follow in the same footsteps of your prodigal? Do you fear for your child's life, for their salvation?

I understand...I've been there. This is a tough one, but fear is torment and the TRUTH of the matter is that we are told over and over not to fear.

Father, help us in this area of fear and worry...help us to trust You more, as our Father, our Friend, our Counselor...a Father who will teach, provide and protect...a Friend who is a loyal companion, trust-worthy, caring...a Counselor who hears our petitions and gives us wisdom and knowledge.

But even more...our Husband who loves His bride and enfolds her in His strong arms to care for, honor and protect her.

You are all these things and more, Lord...You are our Deliverer, our Fortress, our strong Tower...

When, Oh, when will we put away vain imaginations, and worries of the world and fears of what may happen and just look up into your all glorious...all marvelous...all powerful...all knowing Presence...and BELIEVE You at Your word?

Fill us, Father, with Your love today...Your Love that is so powerful, so all consuming, so sacrificial, so perfect that any and all fear and worry will be cast out.

And Father...as James Banks prays...

"I ask that Your perfect love will drive out any fear in my daughter's/son's heart about coming to You.

Help her/him understand that knowing You is all about love, which is so different from any-less-than-loving examples of legalism or judgmentalism she/he may have seen along the way.

I pray that Your love may be "made complete" in her/him so that she "will have confidence on the day of judgement" (1 John 4:17)

Let her/him live in love, because "whoever lives in love lives in" You (1 John 4:16), and You in them.

May the wonder of all that you are bless my child and draw her/his heart to you today!"

31 Days ~ Take Heart

2011-10-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

Day 17 ~ Take Heart

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

I read these words several times this morning...Do we really believe this? These are words coming straight from our Savior's mouth recorded by His beloved disciple John...

These words are TRUTH. If He was to sit before you today and say to you..."In Me you shall have peace". You might reply, but Lord, this is more pain than I can bear...He would say, "Cast your burdens on Me, for I care for you. Be anxious for nothing."

"In the world ye shall have tribulation", Yes, Lord, this tribulation, this prodigal journey...it is so very painful...it is the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with...

"Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world". Be of good cheer...or as James says, "Count it all joy..." James 1:2

This just seems impossible...but Take Heart, Be of good cheer..."nothing is impossible with God" Luke 1:37

"For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." 1 Timothy 4:7-8

OK, everyone, get ready for a spiritual boot camp!

I started afresh just the other day committing myself to physical exercise after healing from a broken toe. Walk/run 1 1/2 mile morning and evening and alternating cardio and core workouts everyday!

Guess what? Today I am sore...but it is the good sore and I do have more energy and I feel better mentally and physically...

But what does the Bible say...physical exercise profits little. But that's not the point Paul was making. Exercise is good for you , but spiritual exercise is FANTASTIC for you.

Could it be that we need to exercise our faith, that this suffering can be overcome, if we focus entirely on Jesus? Why would He say, "Be of good cheer"?, if it were not possible? Can we believe Him for this? Can we exercise our belief?

James says, "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James 1:4

I'm suggesting here that we need to take this walk...this spiritual exercise...seriously. We need to take Jesus at His word, for it is TRUTH. We need to exercise focusing on Him every hour, every minute...if need be...

I believe Him and I know when I surrender, and truly TRUST Him with my life that He gives me peace like a river. Like rivers of living water that heal, that nourish, that wash the cares away...

Praying for you today...for a time of refreshing, a time of healing...a new determination to focus on Jesus...to let Him take care of a seemingly impossible situation...to trust Him totally.

Could it be that not only is He dealing with our prodigals hearts in bringing them to salvation, but He is also dealing with our hearts to bring us into His Peace and Rest?

Photos by Clear Angle

31 Days ~ Coming to Our Senses

2011-10-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

Day 16 ~ Coming to Our Senses

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!" Luke 15:17

James Banks tells the story of his maternal grandmother, whose 3 year old child had an aggressive form leukemia. To try and save his life the baby's father gave him blood. One night as she was praying in the hospital she heard a distant singing, an angelic sound. "It soothed her soul and wiped the worry from her brow", she felt as if she were standing "in the very presence of God".

The next day she told her husband that she knew that whatever happened would be all right, because she heard angels singing.

The child died that day and her husband in a weakened state from giving blood, contracted pneumonia and died a few months later.

His grandmother never remarried. She had another child, for she was pregnant when her husband died. God always took care of her, but the most amazing thing is that she never became bitter. She kept her faith in God.

Quoting James Banks, "Through faithful prayer and the touch of His Spirit, God gives the gift of "the peace of God which transcends all understanding," that guards our hearts and our "minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).

"That's why prayer is "the Christian's vital breath". God uses it to give us grace that we would never encounter otherwise. For parents of prodigals prayer is a lifeline...

That lifeline moves through us to our children. God uses our prayers to teach our children wherever they may be, and to accomplish good in their lives that would not have occurred if we were not praying...

The prodigal son "came to his senses" in a far country (Luke 15:17)

The parents of prodigals may "come to their senses" as well, especially where prayer is concerned. God frequently moves through our challenging circumstances to cause us to pray more than we ever have before. He uses our prayers to pull us close and show us what He alone can do. He sharpens our "spiritual senses". giving us the peace that we so desperately need and a fresh strength that we never knew possible." ~ End of quote.

Thank you for these words of wisdom today. I needed to hear this, how about you?

I pray that you will draw close to God in prayer and that your prayers for your prodigals will be the lifeline that brings them home.

Thank you, dear Father, for working on our behalf, even though we can not see it, we know in faith that You are doing a marvelous work in the lives of our prodigals to bring them to a true salvation and knowledge of Jesus. Open their eyes, cause them to come to their senses, and turn to you with their whole hearts.

31 Days ~ Father, Forgive

2011-10-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

Day 15 ~ Father Forgive

"And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." Luke 23:33-34

The Holy Spirit many times has brought to remembrance the words of our Savior..."Forgive them for they know not what they do"...

They really don't know what they are doing...our prodigals really have lost their senses...they have lost their way...they don't have ears to hear and eyes to see... and until they regain their "eyes to see", they don't realize the pain that they are causing. They justify their behaviors.

Quoting James Banks, "You died to set us free from the law of sin and death" Romans 8:2 and rose to give us life.

And while you were dying, You interceded with the Father for your murderers.

They really didn't know what they were doing, did they?

If they had understood, "they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:8)"

Praying today that the words of Jesus, "Forgive them for they know not what they do"...will transform your heart and mind and free you from pain, knowing that through your suffering you are partaking of the suffering of Christ and being conformed more to His likeness.

Praying for the forgiveness of our prodigals... Praying, also, that they will come to that place where they ask forgiveness for themselves.

Help us, Father, to have the patience to wait for Your deliverance, for Your timing.

31 Days ~ If I Should Die Before She Wakes

2011-10-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

Day 14 ~ If I Should Die Before She Wakes

"Father I want so much to see my daughter come to you. But what if it takes longer than my lifetime?
I will still live by faith and welcome the answers to my prayers "from a distance"." ~ James Banks

This rings so true to me. I honestly got to the point that I believed my son WOULD turn back to God, but I didn't think it would happen before I died. And I think that is something that we as parents need to accept. What is most important is their relationship with Jesus. How and when that is worked out is up to the Father. If we get to see it, that is an incredible blessing, and one that I pray you will all experience. But we have to put our children totally in God's care and that includes the timing.

"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised, they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance." Hebrews 11:13

If you haven't totally surrendered your prodigal into God's hands...I pray this prayer for you today.

Here are a couple of posts I wrote about surrender that I think will be helpful and encouraging...

I Know Your Pain

Peace That Passeth All Understanding

May God bless you with the peace that passes all understanding...as you surrender your life and your prodigal's life totally into the hands of the Great Shepherd.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:6-7

31 Days ~ Praise When It's Dark

2011-10-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

Day 13 ~ Praise When It's Dark

"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." Acts 16:15

After Paul cast a demon out of a possessed woman, the men who could no longer make money off of her were infuriated. They dragged Paul and Silas before the magistrates, who tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten. After being whipped they were thrown into the dungeon and their feet bolted down in stocks.

Have you ever really thought about how Paul and Silas felt through all of this? Humiliated and dragged through angry crowds...mercilessly flogged and cast into some dirty prison...

How would you react? Would you feel hopeless and forsaken? Would you blame God? Would you cry out and say, God, I was just doing what you told me to do, I cast out the demon from this woman, how could you allow this nightmare to happen?

I know my reaction wouldn't have been like Paul and Silas... They praised God and began to sing loud and the other prisoners heard them.

But our reactions need to be like Paul and Silas.

Quoting James Banks from Prayers for Prodigals, "What Paul and Silas did was beautiful and inspiring, Father.

Even though they had been "stripped" and severely flogged" and were in a dark jail cell after midnight with their feet in stocks, they were praising you (Acts 16: 22-24)

What an amazing example! Please give me grace to do the same when I feel defeated and in the dark.

I want to give you the glory due your name (1 Chronicles 16:29) and continue praising you even when I don't know what the next day brings.

You are always worthy of praise."

Praying today that no matter what your circumstance, no matter where you are on this prodigal journey, you will lift your heart and hands in praise to your Father in heaven. Let's praise Him together...Hallelujah!

31 Days ~ Let Every Road Lead to You, Lord

2011-10-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

Day 12 ~ Let Every Road Lead to You, Lord

"Surely the arm of the Lord is not to short to save, nor his ear to dull to hear." Isaiah 59:1

"Father, I thank you there is no where my son can go where you are not already present.

Even though, he is far from me, I rest in your promise that your arm "is not too short to save."

I pray that you will meet him where he is, Lord.

Let him encounter you everywhere he turns "behind and before" (Psalms 139:5)

Open his eyes to "paths of life that lead in your direction and draw him close to you (Acts 2:28).

Not home to me, but to his eternal home with you.

Just like the prodigal son who "came to his senses" in a far country, I ask that he will become aware of anything that separates him from you.

Let every road he takes lead to You, Lord." ~ James Banks

Praying this very thing for your loved ones today...

31 Days ~ Accepting Rejection

2011-10-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

Day 11 ~ Accepting Rejection

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Isaiah 53:3

This is a hard one, especially considering that the ones rejecting us are our dearly beloved children.

Rejection hurts...A lot of us spend our lives trying to please people hoping not to be rejected, because it hurts. And some of us put up invisible walls around ourselves to protect ourselves from getting close to other people, because we have been hurt and we don't want to go there again.

But our own children? Do we ever think that the ones we have nurtured and loved since they were infants, would turn against us, reject us and hurt us so very deeply...to the very core of our being?

"You know what it is like to have those you love reject you, because you came to earth and we "did not receive" you. (John 1:11)

You chose to accept our rejection for your own benefit, to save us and set us free.

In a small way I am beginning to understand that, Lord.

It's because I love her that I'm trying to help her to choose what is right, despite her defiance.

Thank you, Father, for doing that for us.

Your Word makes this so very clear.

Even when we were "your enemies", you chose to reconcile us "through the death of Your Son" (Romans 5:10)

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:10) ~ James Banks

Father, today I pray that we can be more conformed into the image of Jesus by accepting rejection as He did, as He does, as You do...Help us to feel the bitter sweetness of life and not run from it, but love through it...not with our paltry love, but with Your everlasting and perfect love.

Sometimes that means standing aside...like the story of the prodigal in your Word...the Father let's go until the son returns in a humble state and asks forgiveness. The father's love is always there, just as Your love is always there for us...

Thank you, Jesus, that You will never leave us or forsake us.

Thank you, Father, that we can draw nigh to you and you will draw nigh to us...

Rescue our prodigals from the world, Father. Please draw them to Yourself...I know that you are...I know that You are at work in their lives to bring about their salvation.

Thank you, dear Savior and Friend, Counselor, Almighty God...the Master of the Universe...the great I AM... Thank you...

I know all things are possible to those that believe. Mark 9:23

31 Days ~ Open Our Eyes

2011-10-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Day 10 ~ Open Our Eyes

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope in which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomprehensible great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:18-19

The blog post Eye Salve is perfect for today...

Praying today that our heavenly Father will restore right understanding to our prodigals. That Jesus will touch the eyes of their minds that they will see truth as never before, and in seeing truth will come to repentance and raise their eyes to the great Fountain of love and grace and mercy, the most high King of all heaven and earth. He will make the crooked places straight! He will make the blind to see!

Praying that you will be encouraged keeping your eyes focused on our all powerful Friend and Counselor and Savior...Praise His precious and Holy Name...King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Open our eyes, Lord...we want to see Jesus...

31 Days ~ Wanting What God Wants

2011-10-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

Day 9 ~ Wanting What God Wants

"Some of my son's choices have affected his future, Father.

The missed opportunities, denied admissions, and closed doors would not have been so if he had applied the gifts that you've given him.

But that doesn't mean he's missed the greatest opportunity of his life.

You are that opportunity, Lord! And You can make new opportunities for Him.

More than wanting him to seek Your hand and what You can do for him, I want him to seek Your heart."

Ask most parents what they want for their child and you'll find they want good things, a successful career, a happy home, good health, a life with fewer challenges than they had.

But what does God want?

... Our prayer needs to be, "Father, help me to want what you want for my child. Help him to love you most of all!"

When that prayer is answered then your son or daughter will be truly happy and have all that he or she needs. Not just for a few years on this earth but for every day to come, stretching on beyond forever, because "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him." I Corinthians 2:9

~ James Banks Prayers for Prodigals

I did a review of a book by a fellow traveler Dan Mayhew called The Butterfly and the Stone... Dan's son is addicted to alcohol...he was in the military and has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder...

Here is a quote from his book..."I see less of the man I dreamed he would become and more of the one he seems determined to be. He seems to have set out with deliberateness to be everything I have always hated about disfigured manhood.

Drinking. Smoking. Partying. Gambling. Foul-mouthed. Unkind. Selfish. Abusive. Mocking. Smelling of smoke and alcohol. At home in rancid taverns and among reprobates and miscreants.

I detest it. All of it. That I should be the father of such a one is hardly bearable. I wish I could forget him. Reclaim my life and put this interminable season of reckless debauchery behind me. To forget the lies; the times when my affection only made me feel foolish when it was repaid only with more of the same; to sleep through the night without fear and dread; to turn away on last time and be free of love.

When the Creator of this world looks upon it sinking into depravity - when He sees the hatred and the filth; malice and the cruelty; the selfishness and the violence, when He sees all that He hates, will He turn away?

No. Because the love of the Father in heaven exceeds my feeble love. He has already turned His face away from all that, when He turned away from Christ on the cross. It had to be the cross. Anything less brutal could never stand amidst the refuse of human depravity and declare forgiven. Atonement for the sins of the world - all that the Creator detests in His children - had to be the cross.

And that is what makes Him Father. Grace beyond limits. Forgiveness without end. Hope beyond endurance. Life to overcome death. This is grace. It is the love that never fails and will prevail in spite of all that is detestable among His children."

Dan began a community of home-based churches called The Summit Fellowships where he serves as a church planter, teacher and encourager.

Please add Dan and his son to your prayer list. His book is really incredible...to see the review go here...

31 Days ~ Prayer Makes a Difference

2011-10-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

Day 8 ~ Prayer Makes a Difference

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James 5:16

It is because of what Christ has done in us that we can be called righteous. He is our righteousness. And because He is TRUTH and the Word is TRUTH, we can trust that what James says here is true.

And if that is the case we have a very powerful advantage in fervent prayer, because it avails much.

James Banks uses a different translation..."The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

He says, "Your word tells me that the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective - and this means that even my prayers are, because of what you have done for me. Jesus has become for me my "righteousness, holiness and redemption". (1 Corinthians 1:30)"

So, let's keep on praying and believing. We may not see with our physical eyes a difference, but I know that our prayers are effectual. Looking back on my situation...I didn't see any hope. In fact the only hope that I had was that as believers we are to hope, and I felt that not to hope would be unbelieving. Yet, God was working it all out behind the scenes. When he opened the curtains to reveal His glory, I was astounded. It really was as if this nightmarish black curtain fell over us, and 6 years later the curtain lifted...the nightmare lifted and now it is a dreamy mist almost unreal...the secret place of the Most High. Yet, He is there all the time...

Remember...Prayer makes a difference!
Praying for you today...

31 Days ~ Another Chance

2011-10-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Day 7 ~ Another Chance

What prodigals do not only hurts the parents, but the siblings as well. One of my daughters wrote a song about her brother called Another Chance...

It was early in the morning when I walked into the vineyard,
The sun was just coming over the hill.
Tears filled my eyes as I took in the sight of the drooping vines
They wouldn't respond to my gentle hands and care.

No fruit again...No reason to keep this branch.
No fruit again...I've worked so hard, but it just won't begin...to grow.

I pulled out my shears and picked the branch up from the ground
When I felt someone standing by my side
He took the vine in his nail scarred hands and held it up
With tears he quietly looked into my eyes.

Just one more chance... Please don't give up so soon
Just one last chance... I want this vine to give me precious fruit... again.

Several years later after many a pruning and cutting
That branch flourished again in the sun
It was covered with fruit of the sweetest sort and stood so strong
A sign of submission in the Master's hands.

Here's fruit for you...Only by your grace and mercy
Take all I have... What you have given me, I give back... to you

There's fruit again... Reason to keep this branch
There's fruit again...I've worked so hard and it just began...to grow.

"I love what you did for Peter, Lord.

After he had denied you three times (Matthew 26: 34), you still forgave him and gave him another chance.

Thank you for your mercy, Lord!

Not only did you give Peter another chance, but you also gave one to me.

And you continue to give me chances. You forgive me again and again...

I pray for a second chance for our sons and daughters, just like you gave Peter.

I ask You, "Lord of the harvest" to send workers into the "harvest field" (Matthew 9:38) that is our prodigal's lives.

Let our sons and daughters encounter your people wherever they go and let your people share Your love with them in ways they cannot miss.

Let their hearts be "burning within"(Luke 24:32) "~ James Banks

"God sees not only our pain but He sees his plan and when He sees his plan He knows that His plan includes your pain that will bring you to your purpose…"

31 Days ~ Be On Guard

2011-10-06T14:49:00.001-07:00

Day 6 ~ Be On Guard

"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life," Luke 21:34

I looked at several versions of this scripture, and this particular one that James Banks uses says "Be careful". The KJV says "Take heed" and the NASV says "Be on guard", which I like the more forceful implication of being on guard, because we really do need to take heed to these words that Jesus spoke and "Be on guard"...all of us do.

The first thing we tend to think of is drunkenness, waywardness, definitely this is one that consumes many prodigals. It's now termed substance abuse and applies to overuse of drugs, alcohol, tobacco. But honestly, I think it can apply to over the counter drugs and prescription drugs, not to say that some of these are needed at times, but I think we have become a people way too entirely dependent on drugs.

Dissipation means intemperate living. That totally describes the prodigal son in the Bible who wastes away his inheritance on useless vanity. It also means wasteful expenditure...Again we need to be on guard that we are not consumed by extravagant expenditures. These scriptures speak to everyone...

And the third "anxieties of life"...I would love to know what you are thinking right now. Are we not supposed to "Cast our cares (anxieties) on Him, for he cares for us." 1 Peter 5:7

We are just as guilty as those that are drunken, if we are not on guard, not taking heed to cast our anxieties on Jesus. He does not want us to be anxious about anything...Philippians 4:6

So, today I'm praying that we will take a serious look at ourselves and if we are anxious, not just over-anxious, but anxious about anything that we will put our guard up, put the armor on, put on Christ and believe and have faith and cast all our cares on Him, just as we are commanded to do.

And for our prodigals...

"Call them out, Lord! Out of darkness, out of dissipation, out of any substance or drug abuse and out of relationships that contribute to these things.

Set them free, Father!

I know that they have to want to be free. So I ask you to open their eyes to see the consequences of their actions, and let them long for something more.

Let them "hunger and thirst for righteousness" and then they "will be filled" and blessed! Matthew 5:6" ~ James Banks

31 Days ~ Abounding Grace

2011-10-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

Day 5 ~ Abounding Grace

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

From Prayers for Prodigals ~

"Sometimes I don't feel like I have much grace, Father.

My child knows just the right "buttons" to push and sometimes even seems to enjoy pushing them.

We need more grace at home, Lord!

There's been too much tension lately. Sometimes we are so focused on the negative that we lose sight of positive things.

Help me to "give thanks in all circumstances," because that is exactly what you want me to do (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Help me to never lose sight of the truth that "the joy of the Lord" is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10)

I need to be filled with your joy, Father!

I don't want my son to see my faith as simply as set of 'dos and don'ts', I want him to see You in me!

Give me grace to grow all of the fruit of your Spirit "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23)

I pray you would also give him grace, Lord.

I ask for grace to discipline him with the love and wisdom you alone can give, so that I may show him "the way of life" (Proverbs 6:23), because your word says "he who loves" is careful to discipline (Proverbs 13:24)" ~ James Banks

Praying for you today...

May grace abound in your hearts and homes today. May God's grace like a beautiful cloud by day cover your relationships...and like a fire at night consume any evil and light the way to open the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, and may His wisdom overtake and reign in each one of your circumstances.

31 Days ~ Snatched From the Fire

2011-10-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

Day 4 ~ Snatched From the Fire

"Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them." Jude 22-23

"He's been playing with fire, Lord, and he doesn't even know it.

He thinks he's having 'a good time' doing whatever he wants to do.

He doesn't realize that "there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12)

Father, the thought of my son being anywhere near the vicinity of "the fire of hell" (Matthew 18:9) is almost too painful for me to bear." ~ James Banks

I'm sure you have felt this way, and that you would do anything to save your son or daughter...to fix things...

But most of the time prodigals don't listen, especially to their parents. I'm sure you have seen that blank look in their eyes. The look of shutting you off. They don't want to hear what you have to say. They want to go their own way and rationalize their sin.

James Banks continues..."I ask that You use me in whatever way You want to save my own son. Whatever it takes, Lord."

For me, personally, this was getting out of the way. It may be different for you...but whatever God leads you to do, prayer and trust are vitally important.

Praying today for your sons and daughters, even for prodigal mothers and fathers, that Jesus, You will save them, that You will snatch them from the fire, that You will give them eyes to see where they are headed...And Father I pray for the intercessors, the mothers here, and fathers, that they would hear your voice, know your desire for them and please build their trust in You.

Thank you, Father, for Your loving-kindness to us and Your answers to our prayers. You are ever merciful and faithful.

31 days ~ The Narrow Gate

2011-10-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

Day 3 ~ The Narrow Gate

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7: 13-14

This scripture today made me think of another one...

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Mark 10:25

I love the explanation I've heard before of a camel overloaded and carrying many burdens, but in order to go through the gate of the city called "The Eye of a Needle", all the burdens had to be taken off and the camel would have to squeeze through this narrow gate on his knees...which was almost impossible.

But another explanation has been brought to my attention saying that in Aramaic there may be a different meaning...

"The Aramaic word gamla means camel, a large rope and a beam. The meaning of the word is determined by its context. If the word riding or burden occurs then gamla means a camel, but when the eye of a needle is mentioned gamla more correctly means a rope. There is no connection anywhere in Aramaic speech or literature between camel and needle, but there is a definite connection between rope and needle." ~ Dr. George Lamsa

It makes sense that Jesus would say that it is easier to for a "rope" to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Either way, though, we know that the cares of the world, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life need to be done away with to enter into the perfect will of God.

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." 1 John 2:15-17

Praying for our prodigals today that they will desire to seek the narrow way and put off the burdens that keep them from walking close to Christ.

As James Banks prays, "Direct their feet from the broad way "that leads to destruction" and on to the narrow road "that leads to life" that "only a few find."

Bring them to the place where they can genuinely ask, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Mark 8:36

31 Days ~ He Has Been There

2011-10-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

Day 2 ~ He Has Been There

"And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, 'If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.'" Luke 19: 41-42

My heart weeps every time I read this scripture...it reminds me of a blog post I wrote called Deep Communion with the Almighty...

O Jerusalem ~ Greg Olson

Jesus knows how you feel, because He has been there.

"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me." Isaiah 1:2

We long for our prodigals to know the Truth...to know His peace, but "it is hidden from their eyes".

James Banks ~ "If I have such longing about one child, I can only begin to imagine how You feel about an entire city!

You understand completely what it is like to have a prodigal child.

Some people cannot understand because they haven't had a prodigal child.

You know what it's like to have a world full of prodigal children and only one child who did what was right- Your Son and our Savior!"

Praying for our prodigal's eyes to be opened so they may see what is TRUE, so they may see Jesus...

31 Days of Prayers for Prodigals ~ For Chains to Fall

2011-10-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

I have been praying through James Banks book Prayers for Prodigals and decided to discipline myself to pray for prodigals and their families for 90 days...Yes!...That's how many prayers are in this wonderful book. So my daughter suggested that I go ahead and do the 31 days ~ a challenge to post all through the month of October with the rest of the incredible, encouraging delightful bloggers out there, and share what I have been given to share. So here goes...

Day 1 ~ For Chains to Fall

One of our very good friends and a brother in Christ is a returned prodigal... His story is a little different than ours, as he ran from God when both his parents died in a car wreck when he was 18. For 12 years he ran from the pain...ran from God...

Today he is a man of God. He has a wife and 3 beautiful children. Circumstances have been very rough lately. When he returned he did not have parents to return to...he had to face an immense loneliness that very few of us have had to face...

He is a horse-shoer and he writes a blog...this is what he shared today after writing about all that he had to do to replace the handle of a very important tool...his hammer.

"Today I have a hammer handle that feels amazing, does it's job very well, is easy on my hand as I drive nails. Yet it holds the scars of being driven in a spot not large enough for it, burnt by fire, infused with green poison, all to make it into the exact utensil desired.

That's kinda how Yahweh does with us sometimes. We see constant failure in life...He sees perseverance in the making. We see loneliness...He sees someone being groomed to stand alone in the gap. We see hurt and heartbreak...He sees someone being given a huge, unique, dose of compassion. We see persecution and shame...He sees someone being refined by fire. Little bits of our old self being stripped away and cast aside in a pile of ash; spent and beaten we emerge a vessel worthy to be called a fellow heir to the Throne. Always will we bear the scars of the fire, the hammer of the Master as He buffets our soul. Refining us with every blow. Until we are made to fit His hand perfectly, to be wielded by the Master for His perfect purpose." ~ A Journey to True Freedom

Wouldn't it be wonderful to hear your prodigal utter words like this? It takes deep refining that only God can do in our prodigal's lives and in our own lives as well.

..................................................................................

"He brought them our of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains." Psalms 107:14

"My son has his chains too, Lord.They're not made of iron. They're made from the sins he forged of his own free will, thinking they would bring him more freedom.

They've done anything but that. They've only kept him from coming closer to you.

You promised that "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36)

Your word says, "The Lord sets prisoners free" (Psalms 146:7)

Set him free, Lord! He needs You to break his chains.I ask to hear the sound of chains falling with a dull thud, never to be put on again.

I long to hear my son say, "The Lord has done great things" for me and I am "filled with joy" (Psalms 126:3)

~Prayer by James Banks

Prayers for Prodigals ~ James Banks

2011-09-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

I have been reading this book, for the past 28 days and I couldn't wait for the full 90 days to post about it and tell you how wonderful it is. Having been through a prodigal journey myself, from the nightmarish departure to the dream-like joy-filled return, I have prayed many of the prayers that James Banks shares in this book.

But there are times when we grow weary...we just don't know what to pray any more. This book can be of great value during those times...

About the Book from James Bank's website
PRAYERSFORPRODIGALS.ORG

Other parents may not understand what you’re up against with your prodigal son or daughter, but God understands. He knows what its like to have a world full of prodigals, and He waits for you to bring yours to Him through committed, passionate praying.

Parents can bless their child in no greater way than to pray for his or her salvation. Yet sometimes knowing what to pray can be difficult. Prayers for Prodigals will help you pray for your prodigal child while encouraging you and reminding you of the power of God to answer prayer. Ninety Scripture-based prayers cover emotional and practical challenges faced by parents of prodigals, including: When You Feel Like a Failure as a Parent, When You’ve Said Something You Regret, Praise for Small Victories, A Better Attitude, For Freedom from Substance Abuse, Innocence Found, and He Is Yours and So Am I.

Use this book to partner with God, through prayer, to change your child’s eternal future by bringing your son or daughter into a vital relationship with Jesus. Nothing in this world or the next could possibly matter more.

You can purchase the book at amazon.com

Thank you to James Banks for writing such a wonderful book to encourage those of us who are on this difficult prodigal journey.

The Butterfly and The Stone ~ Dan Mayhew

2011-09-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hope is a butterfly

Fear is a stone

As the father waits

for his son to come home.

For anyone who has loved a prodigal child, here is a voice in the night that says you are not alone. ‘The Butterfly and the Stone’ is a story of fear and hope on a journey that leads from the safety of home to Iraq, and home again to face a fiercer enemy: post-traumatic stress and addiction. Along the way is God’s love…found in a most unexpected place…

This book is an incredibly deep and heart felt portrayal of a father's love for his prodigal son.

Quoting Dan Mayhew from the preface as he describes his book, "It is a journey ongoing, to a destination uncertain. It is a narrative of waywardness and the lessons that come from it. Moreover, it is not a devotional, nor a book of advise on parenting. It is a book of questions that hunger for answers; or perhaps, of encouragement - the hopeful sound of a distant voice in the darkest night that says you are not alone. At the heart, it is the story of God and me - and all His rebellious sons; of the Father and His prodigal race, as seen in the dark mirror of earthly fatherhood."

Dan's description practically takes my breath away. As you can see he is a very gifted writer. As I read his book, I found myself underlining sentence after sentence, because what he was saying was what I felt, and I was astounded that he could so eloquently express what so many parents of prodigals feel in the midst of their heart-wrenching pain.

Dan describes so many lessons he learns traveling this prodigal journey. He comes to the point at the end of the book where he realizes he has been enabling... Speaking about the scripture found in Matthew 17 : 14-15, Dan writes, "The father knew he could not help his son so he had stopped trying. He had reached the limits of his own love, so he gave his son to Jesus whose love had no limits. I had to do the same..."

The story doesn't end with a prodigal home-coming, but I hope that there is a future sequel...a rest of the story. Thank you, Dan, for writing your story. For reaching out to hurting parents, letting them know they are not alone. For giving comfort and wisdom and hope found through what you have suffered.

I would highly recommend parents read this book, especially if their prodigals are suffering from addictions.

Dan's website... Stone Butterfly Woodcarving

The Butterfly and The Stone can be purchased at Amazon

A Beautiful Testimony from a Parent of a Prodigal

2011-08-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

I never thought that I would say that a prodigal is a gift!

And, I have been gifted with two? Praise the LORD, I had two, and now only one!

Now that you call it a gift, I have looked back on the day I received my gift! It has been a gift that I have unwrapped carefully! It was not one to tear the ribbon off of quickly and dive into! But I can say that as I have TAKEN the GIFT from HIS Hands, and let me say, I was ever so hesitant to do so, I have found this gift box FULL of Hidden treasures.

In this gift box I found a special invitation to travel with Jesus, The Great Shepherd to The High Places! I was Much-Afraid, but I followed. I have learned a lot, seen a lot, and found treasures along the way! The disciples had this privilege as well! They also saw Great and Mighty things!

I was also given a personal invitation to be a SPECIAL GUEST at the foot of GOD's Throne, getting to KNOW a Beautiful God and LOVING Father in a very Intimate way.

He has shared secrets with me!

Divine appointments along the way have been surprising and exciting! The Master Potter has kept me from drying out. He has dipped His hands in Living water and moistened me, and has with His LOVE, filled my broken places.

The Great Shepherd been my Special Guide! I have seen valleys suddenly filled with flowers, Sonshine on stormy rugged Mt. tops, an oasis in a heated desert, and He has watched over me with His rod and staff, as I took rest.

The Vine Keeper has brought me nourishment when I was a bit dry and bent over. And He has shared joy with me over fruit in my season!

The Creator, The Redeemer, The Master Weaver, The Wonderful Counselor, has paid me many a visit, as if I were someone special!

The Sower of The Seed has tilled my heart soil, broken clods up, prepared the soil and planted The Seed of LOVE in my heart,and when that planting brought a bit of pain, The Loving Saviour held me in His arms and wiped my tears...I have come to know the Sower so much more personally, and that seed He planted has grown more each day, bearing fruits of forgiveness, patience, etc...

The Great Physician has anointed me with His healing oil...

I have been so gifted with this adventure, that I must say I am glad I held out my heart to take this gift! I have Been given a Gift beyond all measure! I know now how Joseph must felt! Cast down to only find Hidden Treasures! Beauty from ashes!

I actually believe I can say that I have seen and experienced His hand, His power, His LOVE and mercy.

I have lived through a storm, a battle, and I still stand in His armor! The enemy is falling all around me! The Great Shepherd has given me Hinds Feet on the High Places!

So, Yes! To be Nearer to the Heart of God, under His wings, learning to TRUST in Him, It is a gift!

Wow I said it! It is a gift, and someday I can say to my prodigal, Many waters can not quench LOVE! God worked all things for good. He gifted me!

Thank you, Debbie, for sharing your gifts with us!

Mission Impossible ~ Anabel Gillham

2011-08-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

A friend shared this blog post by Anabel Gillham and I found it so encouraging and insightful that I'm sharing it here with you. You can find more posts by Anabel at LIFETIME.

Mission Impossible

By Anabel Gillham

And her neighbors and her relatives
heard that the Lord had displayed
His great mercy toward her;
and they were rejoicing with her.
Luke 1:58

And the angel said to her
“Do not be afraid, Mary;
for you have found favor with God.
Luke 1:30

“I’m going to have a son! And He is going to be great and will be called the Son of the Most High! That I should be chosen for this magnificent event! Me! Mary! Incredible!” Luke 1:32

So Mary had her Son. The miraculous was accomplished! If you are a mother you know what was in her heart from the very beginning because you’ve been there. You want to protect this tiny little being who has been such an intimate part of you, who has lived within you, encased in your body and completely dependent on you and your care for him for nine months. As that child grows, you want the very best in every way for him. Mary was a mother–just like you and just like me.

She lost Joseph somehow after Jesus was twelve years old. He disappears from their lives and from the pages that tell the story. This means that she didn’t have her husband by her side when Jesus told her that He was leaving home to begin His ministry. She needed someone to encourage her, to hold her, to face this heart-rending event with her, to assure her that it was going to be all right, to speak as a father to his son with words of wisdom.

She and her other children were terribly concerned about Jesus and the reputation He was making for Himself and the enemies–high-ranking religious officials who were seeking to destroy Him. Sit around the table with them as they spent hours trying to decide what they should do to help Jesus–to protect Him from those who hated Him. They pled with Jesus to come home so they could “take care of Him” thinking that He had lost His mind with the fervor and zeal of His fanatical teaching.

She heard all of the rumors–good and bad–about Jesus and there was someone who hurried to her house in the darkness the night Jesus was arrested–Oh, Mary! Mary! Jesus has been arrested! I’m sure she had friends that came to comfort her, but they had “come and gone” and she was alone at the foot of the cross that day when she witnessed the suffering of her “beloved Son.” She was there to see His mutilated body, the horror of His crucifixion, and to hear His agonized cries.

Surely the prophecy of Simeon came to pass: “and a sword will pierce even your own soul” (Luke 1:35).

This is favor?

Even though Zacharias had been struck dumb by the angel (Luke 1:5-20), I’m confident that he communicated with Elizabeth some way! We’re going to have a son! An angel appeared to me in the temple and told me! We’re to name him John and he will be great in the sight of the Lord! They had prayed for a child for many years and the Lord had heard their prayers. Now “the fullness of time” had come and a precious little boy came to bring laughter and love to their home.

But then one day their boy left home. He left the room they had fixed just for him; he left his place at the table; he left broken hearts and dreams behind him and lived in the desert, dressed in camel’s hides, eating locusts and wild honey. Elizabeth and Zacharias anxiously asked every traveler if they had seen their son, John.

They shook their heads in amazement when they heard about John baptizing his cousin, Jesus, and the miraculous events that surrounded that baptism. Their amazement turned to agonizing fear when the word came that John had been imprisoned. Then came the day when someone tearfully sought them out to tell them, “Your son, John, was beheaded last night.” Crushed. Grieving as they remembered those days when he was a happy little boy living at home.

This was a blessing?
* * *

I must confess that I was perplexed when these words penetrated deep into my heart. Oh, I had read them many times, but how could these things have been a “blessing” or come into your life because you were “favored?”

I know the answer of course–God is omniscient–we aren’t. He sees beyond this earth and its perplexities and knows what is to come–when it is to come–and how it is to come. But when you put flesh and blood on the rows of black print on onion-skin paper and put yourself in the company of those who were favored and blessed, it becomes painfully real to you that He spells “favored” and “blessed” differently than we do! Remember the song, “This world is not my home, I’m just a’passin’ through?” And while I’m “passing through,” God may decide to “favor” me with a very special mission–perhaps a difficult mission, a sorrowful mission, a mission of suffering. Who am I to question the results that He knows are to come as this mission He assigned to me is completed?

What I MUST remember as these perplexing thoughts come is that He is with me, strengthening me, encouraging me, loving me, and living in and through me to complete the mission He has given me. Oh! I must remember this! I do not always know His plan, but I do know His heart and I set my mind on the Lord as I have come to know Him. He was assigned an impossible mission–agree? I thank You, dear Lord, for Mary–for Zacharias and Elizabeth–for Jesus and all of the multitude that have gone before, showing me that a mission that seems to be impossible can be conquered–but only through You.

About the Author

Anabel Gillham

Anabel spent decades teaching in many contexts through Lifetime Guarantee Ministries. She has taught countless others how to have a genuine intimate faith and a sound marriage. She shared from her heart about living from the heart. Lifetime’s beloved founder and mentor passed away November 7, 2010. Her legacy and influence are timeless and priceless.

The Sights and Sounds of Enabling ~ Diane Viere and Elaine Altman-Eller

2011-08-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

"When a child is an addict—we don't have to stop loving them; we simply must love them differently. It is a higher calling. To withhold what comes naturally, to surrender our child's future to their Creator, to let go of our paternal instincts and have faith in our God who shares in our love for our children is sacrificial love. I sacrifice my human nature—that I have the answers—that I have control over my child's decisions—that I must intervene. Conversely, it is when I intercede for my son that I practice real love—love on its knees." ~ Diane Viere

I am so excited about this ebooklet. I have seen Diane reaching out to so many people in so many ways with such a compassionate heart, because she knows the pain, she knows the prodigal journey and she knows the hope we have in Christ, and the miracles that enfold as we surrender and allow God to work in our lives and the lives of our prodigals.

I have not personally dealt with addictions, but from what I have read in this booklet Diane and Elaine are offering a life changing way to deal with anyone having this problem. They take you step by step and show you if you are enabling your child and how to free yourself of the destructive behavior of enabling. If you are dealing with this kind of trial in your life, I recommend that you read this booklet. You will probably relate in some way with the examples that are given. Knowing how to free yourself and let go of your child or the person in your life who is an addict may be the very thing that leads them to recovery.

Thank you, Diane and Elaine for helping hurting parents of prodigals!

Here is the link to purchase and download the ebooklet ...

http://www.partnersinprayerforourprodigals.com/e-booklets.html

Summary ~ In this first ebooklet of the Putting the Spotlight On series, written by Diane Viere, Founder of Partners In Prayer For Our Prodigals, Host of The Prodigal Hope Network and Christian Counselor and Elaine Altman-Eller, Family Recovery Specialist you will discover the critical difference between helping and enabling, the traps of enabling, and the cycle of destruction that occurs until we stop enabling the addicts we love.

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Have you tried everything you can think of…to no avail? Are you exhausted? Do you feel helpless and hopeless; trapped by the knowledge that what you have been doing is not working? Have you sacrificed your own well being with the sole desire of saving your addict? Why isn’t it working?

The Sights and Sounds of Enabling puts the spotlight on the ineffectiveness and collateral damage caused by enabling. Discover why enabling never works and how you can stop enabling today. Step out of the darkness of your hopelessness today; step into your strength—learn how to love your addict effectively and become a guiding light for their recovery.

Some Wonderful Links

2011-08-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

I'm posting today some wonderful links to fellow travelers that will encourage you on your prodigal journey...

Butterfly and the Stone - Dan Mayhew - "For anyone who has loved a prodigal child, here is a voice in the night that says you are not alone."

His Heart My Desire - An interview with Grace Fox - Moving From Fear to Freedom

Partners in Prayer for our Prodigals - "The Sights and Sounds of Enabling" is the first ebooklet of the Putting the Spotlight On series, written by Diane Viere, Founder of Partners In Prayer For Our Prodigals, Host of The Prodigal Hope Network and Christian Counselor and Elaine Altman-Eller, Family Recovery Specialist.

A Way Toward Healing and Freedom

2011-07-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

One of the most wonderful things about this little booklet When Disappointment Deceives is how it presents a simple answer. Often times we forget the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ when we are entangled in webs of deception. As Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress remembered the Key of Promise, we also have a key to unlocking the dungeon of despair…

This is the fourth and last part of this series inspired by a booklet that has been a great blessing to me...If you would like to read the first post in the series, click here.

Quoting from the booklet, When Disappointment Deceives, “We’ve all been wounded deeply by the lies that come to us in our disappointment. Ultimate healing won’t occur until we get to heaven ~ Revelation 21:4. Then “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” But for now, healing occurs when we realize how we’ve been deceived in our disappointment and allow God to show us what is true. Finding the truth heals by freeing us from the prison of deception and releasing us to be the people God intended us to be.

God wants us to heal and set us free from the power of the evil one’s lies, both past and present. He doesn’t save us from our sins, give us a new nature in Christ, and then just leave us at the mercy of Satan’s deception. The apostle John wrote, “ the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” 1 John 3:8

Remember one of the devil’s primary works is to mislead us with deception. That is how he causes the greatest harm. The good news is that Jesus came to put a stop to it – in a deeply personal way. He wants to meet with us in our hurting and deceived hearts and speak truth that brings healing and freedom.

He says to all of us who have accepted Him as our Saviour, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock” Revelation 3:20. We first invited Him in when we trusted Him to save us from the penalty of our sins. Now the Lord wants further access into those places inside of us that are disappointed and misled. But He won’t come in unless we invite Him as we did the first time He met us in our hearts.”

I don’t know about you, but when I read these words they took hold of me… I have been a Christian for almost 35 years… I have been walking on this prodigal journey for 6 years now… I have run from my pain, I have run from my Savior… I cried out to God in my deep suffering a couple of years ago…my heart was so broken for my situation and others who were experiencing the same excruciating pain. I asked God to take his scalpel and do a surgery on my broken heart… and He gave me peace then, and He used my pain to comfort others, but there were still times when it would hurt again, when I would go through another disappointment or fear.

Not once did I simply think of asking Jesus to come in and heal my heart… to invite Him in to heal me. And when I read the words in this booklet it seemed so simple. Instead of running from my pain and my Savior, trying to comfort myself with my hobbies and other activities to get the thoughts out of my mind, I decided to turn to Jesus totally…to be still…to ask Him to heal me…to cry and give Him my pain.

“Inviting God into the disappointed and deceived regions of our hearts is a deeply personal and unique process. Sometimes it occurs alone in our private moments of prayer and reflection. At other times it happens in the presence of a caring friend or spiritual advisor. Some of us experience healing suddenly, while most of us come to know it gradually. God will ask many of us to revisit a wound more than once to bring a deeper sense of healing. “

So, there it is…so simple. Do not delay in your pain, do not run from your pain, but open the door of your heart and ask Jesus to heal the brokenness.

And remember it may not be instantaneous, but the healing will begin…

A brief summary of Jeff Olson’s steps that he shares in his booklet…

WAKE UP
“Recognize what is actually happening to us in our disappointment and admit that we’ve played a supporting role in making things worse (even though we do not fully understand it).“

SURRENDER
“Before we can give God greater access to our wounded hearts, we must surrender to Him by giving up our commitment to self-reliance and humbly present ourselves helpless and vulnerable to Him…

Surrender is putting to death our enemy within, the sinful flesh that wants to be in control. Sometimes life can hurt so much that we are willing to take over and do anything to end our pain. Surrender, however, is giving up the right to escape our pain through false comforters.”

RECOGNIZE OLD DISAPPOINTMENTS
“Once we surrender to God, the old disappointments that misled us will start to make their way to the surface.”

SPEND TIME IN DISAPPOINTED PLACES
“It isn’t easy for any of us to spend time in the places where disappointment has paid an unwelcome visit. We will be tempted to cover it over with anger and soothe it with a false comforter. Many of us would prefer to shove our disappointment back down and pretend that it no longer exists. But we can’t invite God into parts of our lives where we won’t stay ourselves. Healing can occur only if we remain in them.”

INVITE GOD INTO UNHEALED PLACES
“We also need to ask God to come into those unhealed places inside of us and surround us with His presence and truth. We need to ask Him to help us see more clearly the lies we are holding on to that we’ve learned in the midst of disappointment…and to speak to us in our place of need.”

LISTEN TO WHAT GOD IS SAYING
God can speak to us in many different ways. It may be a still small voice, it may be a sense of His presence, a peace that passes all understanding. “ But He can also speak to us through other people, music, books, movies, a card or letter from a friend, and many other sources.”

“We must evaluate any idea or impression that comes to us by comparing it with the truth of the Bible. And we need to reject anything that contradicts or draws us away from the wisdom of His written Word and the love of Christ…If what we hear leads us to feel discouraged or feeds a bitter attitude, it is not from God.”

I hope that this message will bring you to a place of healing from the pain you are suffering, as it did for me. I highly recommend getting this little booklet, or reading it online... discovery series booklets

How Do We Respond to Lies

2011-07-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

After writing this third part in the series beginning with Disappointment and Deception, I felt uncomfortable posting it, until I realized that I have responded to my prodigal situation in almost every way this little booklet describes. So, dear readers, as you follow on here, whoever you are, rest assured that you are not alone, if you find yourself saying…'This is me!'...

There is HOPE, though, and I can’t wait to publish the fourth part of the series titled A Way Toward Healing and Freedom. Until then...

"When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me."-Psalm 56:9

In any disappointing or hurtful situation, we should first cry out to God. In the above verse we are assured that our enemies will turn back when we cry out to God for help. How comforting to know that deception cannot overtake us if we turn to God- for He is for us, not against us.

But how many times, in this vulnerable state of disappointment, do we respond in accordance to lies that we have believed?

Quoting from the booklet “When Disappointment Deceives” by Jeff Olson:

“Unknowingly, many of us have agreed with the lies we’ve been told about life, ourselves, and God. We hang on to them as if they are true. Once we accept a lie, that’s when it starts to control us.”

Jeff Olson points out many different ways that we process disappointment, choose the wrong response and accept the lies. To summarize:

HIDING ~
Some may become withdrawn, hoping that others will not see them. Or, in an opposite way, become boastful or use a broad intellectual vocabulary to cover their hurt and make themselves appear as someone they are not in order to keep others from seeing what they presume are flaws in themselves.

By any chance do you see either one of these reactions in your prodigal? Unconfessed sin and guilt often times will cause a prodigal to hide from his parents by withdrawing from them.

On the other hand the shame and pain that the prodigal experience brings to parents may cause them to withdraw from friends and family.

HOLDING BACK~
Some respond to disappointments by holding back love and desires. Some may try and protect themselves from further hurt by closing up, and not letting anyone come close.

“For those of us who are deceived into believing that life is just one long series of letdowns, it seems that the only way to keep from being disappointed again is to limit our desires and take pleasure in very little.”

In all honesty I struggle with this one. Because of the pain and suffering I’ve gone through with one prodigal, I find myself pushing away my other children in fear of the same rejection. It isn’t at all fair to them. I consistently have to face that fear, realize it is a lie, and ask Jesus to take that burden from me.

TURNING TO FALSE COMFORTERS~
False comforters can be things like food or hobbies - things that are not inherently bad, but if we are running to them to get our mind off things we do not want to think about, or for the comfort we should be getting from the Holy Spirit, we will not receive the healing that we really need. That healing way deep down in our hearts can only come from God, so what we are actually doing when we turn to false comfort is delaying the process of healing.

BITTERNESS~
Bitterness is another way of dealing with disappointment. Bitterness towards others for the hurt they have caused only brings grief to yourself and the Holy Spirit. Forgiveness is the antidote, and as Jesus said, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34. Bitterness only causes division and strife…

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another , even as God for the Messiah’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:31-32

But people can also turn their bitterness towards God…

“If we think He doesn’t care about us, we blame Him for our disappointing circumstances, and then we resent Him for doing nothing about them.”

I’d like to say that I have never done this, but I have. I blamed God for what happened to our family…for the temptation that took hold of my prodigal, for not answering my prayers. I’m sorry to my Father, my Savior, for EVER feeling this way… His ways are not our ways, and our ways are not His ways. Isaiah 55:8

Humbling myself, I learned what little faith I had, what little trust I had, what little patience I had. What does Abba Father say that He is teaching us through our sufferings? To be more like Christ…to be patient …”But let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.” James 1:4

He is the Potter. He knows exactly what this clay needs. He knows exactly how hot to make the kiln to fire the pot, when to put it in and when to take it out…so that it is a perfect work.

He knows the exact, precise detail to bring you to perfection. Do you believe this?

GIVING UP~
“Disappointment can eventually wear us down to the point where instead of staying bitter, we give up…At times, we can become so exhausted by disappointment that we just want to quit a marriage, a friendship, or a career… Even though we may never fall into a state of severe depression, many of us quietly resign ourselves to the fact that this is the way it’s always going to be.”

The good news - there is A WayToward Healing and Freedom. That will be my next post.

“It’s possible to trust in Jesus as our sin-bearer and receive forgiveness of sins, yet live much of our lives imprisoned by old lies of disappointment. Many of us have been deceived for so long that we just can’t talk ourselves into believing the truth. On our own we can’t free ourselves into believing the truth. On our own, we can’t free ourselves from the slavery of deception. We need divine help to reinterpret the lies we’ve been taught in the midst of disappointment.”

Again, if you would like to read the booklet booklet yourself or the PDF version, go to discovery series booklets.

Psalm of Prayer ~ Kimberly Roberts

2011-07-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

Her prayers were everywhere

If they had been written words you would see them on the floor or the pillow of her bed

They would be found on the front porch steps
or among the daisies of her flowerbed

Her prayers were like raindrops from the sky…

they were everywhere

They followed her throughout the day
her prayers where everywhere,

They were all she knew to say

When she passed children playing
or mothers with their kids

Her prayers were

words of thanks
words of pleading,

words of worship,
words for healing

If her prayers were visible
you would surely see them everywhere

You would see them along the roadside looking out the window in despair

You would see them on the ceiling of the evening train toward home

So here is what her prayers were for in everything she did to thank the Lord for His great son

His work upon the cross

His unconditional love for the children that are lost

Her prayers were everywhere and from a broken heart she prayed

For those that roam so far from home

Your perfect will be done

And one day soon
You’ll see the prayers
That brought my daughter home.

Thank you, Kimberly, for sharing this beautiful Psalm of Prayer from your heart...

Thank you, Sage, for the beautiful photos...

We Are Under Attack

2011-06-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

There is a way toward healing from the deep wounds in our hearts, but first we have to be able to see the deception and the enemy that is attacking us.

This is the second part in a series. To read the first part Disappointment and Deception go to the previous post or click here.

Lies …deception…we are living in perilous times…

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. ~ 2 Timothy 3: 1-5

How many of us have seen some or all of these traits in our own prodigals?

For the son dishonoreth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in- law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. Micah 7:6

We know who the father of lies is…Jesus tells us, “Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44

How much clearer can it be?

Jeff Olsen in his booklet When Disappoinment Decieves says,

“It doesn’t always seem like it , but all of us have three enemies we must contend with. The Bible refers to them as the world, the flesh, and the devil. All three are very real. And all three have their own unique ways of misleading us in our disappointment.

The World is our visible enemy. It is an organized system headed by Satan that leaves God out. It is a system of artificial joy and fulfillment that is constantly seducing us…

The Flesh is the enemy within that is bent on managing life apart from God. It is that selfish nature that remains inside each of us that demands to get relief or revenge –right now. In moments of disappointment, the flesh tries to takeover and get us to do the opposite of what our redeemed hearts want to do…

The Devil is our invisible enemy who is out to get us. The apostle Peter described him like this: “ Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” 1 Peter 5:8…The primary way the the devil attacks us is with lies. This is how he “ leads the whole world astray”. Revelation 12:9

Satan lies to us in many ways, but one common way is through our disappointment. He is the ultimate source of most of the lies that come to us in our disappointing events.

Lies I have heard my prodigal say to me…”He doesn’t care about me.” “She doesn’t want anything to do with me.” When our children rebel, when they turn away from trusting and honoring their parents, the lies the enemy brings into their minds can turn them further away from God and their parents. They can rationalize to themselves, “ Why not do this, my parents don’t love me, they don’t care about me, I’ll just do it anyway, or my way.”

Some prodigals may have gone so far in their rebellious behavior that the enemy deceives them into thinking, “I’m beyond God’s forgiveness, so why not just live my life in sin.”

And how many times have we heard the lie, ”I’m going to go on a diet tomorrow, so I’ll just binge tonight.” It’s similar to…” I’m going to quit drinking tomorrow, so let’s just live it up tonight.” Or, “I’m going to rehab tomorrow for my drug addiction, but before I quit I really want to live it up and try this drug.”

“Lies can deeply embed themselves into us until we are convinced they are true… As we believe these false messages that have come to us in our disappointment, they begin to shape our beliefs about life, ourselves, and God. And we begin to make decisions and react to life’s experiences based on distorted thinking.”

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.
~ Sir Walter Scott

"The real danger is that we can become slaves to these lies when they are able to runloose in our hearts. Without even knowing it , we can be controlled by them...If we believe people are out to use us, we may become bitter and pull away, unable to let anyone get close to us. And if we are convinced that God doesn't care, we will feel compelled to put up walls, only to miss the joy of knowing Him as our Father, friend, and lover of our souls. The lies we believe in our disappointment can cost us our freedom to be who we are in Christ and the joy of loving God and others."

How many of you parents have felt worthless or unworthy, or perhaps even useless to God, because of your prodigal experience? Don't believe this lie. Satan is out to destroy families, to destroy ministries, to destroy our testimonies. Don't believe the lies.

I pray that as parents we will take time to think about the lies we have believed, and to think about the lies our prodigals have believed. To be free of this deception we need to see it. Let's get honest with ourselves.

Next post...How Do We Respond to Lies

To read the PDF version of Jeff Olsen's booklet When Disappointment Deceives click here

Disappointment and Deception

2011-06-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

Things were getting better, or so I thought.

Could I really see my prodigal far off coming home?

My hope, that had diminished to nearly nothing, began to blossom…and then how quickly it faded.

A letter…a sickening feeling rising up from the deepest part of me…excruciating pain…it has been 6 years…

I thought it was getting better…

I see Christ on the cross, I hang there with Him in my agony…How can I live with this pain again? Where is Your resurrection power?

I know that I can do nothing…

Helpless, weeping, I toss and turn in the dark hours of the night…getting up before dawn praying for understanding…for peace.

I glance at the table across the room and there sits a small booklet a friend had given me months ago, and what does it say?

“When Disappointment Deceives”…

“Disappointment…is a part of life, that can show up unannounced at any time and any place, parking itself in our hearts with a crushing weight. Whether it’s a major disappointment or the slow accumulation of what seems to be minor letdowns, its heaviness can smother our hearts and suffocate our joy.”

Wow! This is what I am experiencing. Once again I am amazed how God speaks to us.

“No one is immune to disappointment, though some have been led to believe that following the God of the Bible spares us from being let down. But even He is not spared from experiencing disappointment. The book of Genesis tells us that after seeing “how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become,” the Creator’s heart was “grieved” and “filled with pain” (Genesis 6:5-6).

And when God took on human likeness and became a man, He continued to experience disappointment . Listen to the heartache Jesus expressed over Jerusalem’s unwillingness to embrace Him as the Messiah: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,…how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing (Matthew 23:37).”

“If God isn’t exempt from disappointment then we shouldn’t expect a free pass either. The fact of the matter is that disappointment is an inescapable part of life.”

So where does the deception come in to play…

“Sometimes a collision with disappointment can help us see more clearly what is true. It can grab our attention and give us a chance to reevaluate our motives or the world in which we live.”

I think I was deceiving myself in thinking that my prodigal was coming home, when in reality he was still very far off. I wanted and hoped for things to be different, because I’m weary…I want this to be over. But it is not over…

“The deepest damage is not caused so much by our painful, disappointing circumstances but by the lies that sneak in through our disappointment. Life in a fallen world will have more than its share of letdowns, but it is the lies that often come with them that pose the greatest threat – for we suffer our deepest wounds from those lies. A lie is a thought or conclusion that persuades us to tear ourselves down, stop caring for others, or love God less.”

Here I see my prodigal and his thinking. He has twisted some statements made by family members into statements of rejection. No matter how many times I tell him the truth, he refuses to believe me. These twisted statements or damaging lies have caused him a tremendous amount of pain and prevent him from coming home.

“When we know that people are disappointed in us or we fall short of our own expectations, we will eventually be tempted to believe the derogatory lie that something is seriously wrong with us-that we are undeserving, below average at best, and simply not worth the time…

As disappointment continues to race through our lives, untrue thoughts about God begin to surface. Thoughts like: He isn’t good. He can’t be trusted. He doesn’t care about me…

The damaging lies about ourselves, life and God are not true, but they feel true.”

Boy, I can sure relate to this…can you? How do we deal with this? How do we get our thoughts in right perspective and discern what is a lie and what is truth?

My next post in this series will be…We Are Under Attack.

If you can’t wait until then and/or you would like to read the booklet yourself, or the PDF version, go to...

discovery series booklets

Painting O Jerusalem by Greg Olson

Prodigal Son’s Prayer

2011-04-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

Painting by Liz Lemon Swindle

Prodigal Son’s Prayer – How can I help my wayward child?

Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate” (John 15-11-24).

Prodigal Son’s Prayer – When The Story Becomes Personal

If you are a parent dealing with a wayward or prodigal child, you may be asking how to pray for him or her. As parents, we grieve over choices our children make. There is great power in a praying parent! And God draws near to the brokenhearted:

Lamentations 2:19 says, “Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children. . .”

You may be a parent who is “pouring out your heart like water” in God’s presence. Praying. Pleading. Begging for God’s infinite mercy to fall on your child at this very moment.

You may have a child who is using drugs or suffering from alcoholism. You may have one who is in prison or juvenile detention. Or you may have a son or daughter who is consistently making wrong choices.

Whatever the need, take heart that your Lord and Savior already knows all about it. He hears your heartfelt cry to Him. He wants to mend that broken heart of yours.

When you “pour out your heart like water,” you may feel empty. Emotionally spent. Drained. Psalm 22:14 says, “I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax, it has melted away within me.”

It’s at that moment that you don’t feel you can cry another tear or pray another word. Don’t worry. The Spirit intercedes on your behalf. The Father knows your need. . .always. And He will answer in His time and in His ways. That we can be certain of, without a doubt.

How do we as Christian parents endure a broken heart in times of great distress such as this?

* Trust – Remember that God is all-knowing, in control, and has a plan and a purpose.

* Keep praying. Be persistent. Develop prayer partners. Keep pouring out your parent’s heart before the Lord.

He will strengthen you. He will mend your broken heart. You never know what He might have in store. It is very possible that there could be a wonderful testimony in the making!

Psalm 73:26 says, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Lord, I lay my heart before You

And I pour out my very soul.

Desperate, You know what I need

As empty before You I go.

Lord, strengthen my weary heart--

Make it strong once again.

For only You can meet this need,

Hold me tight, my Savior Friend.

I know no other way to go

I’m spent beyond my measure.

Fill me Lord, my Life, my Song

Spin my life with peace, Your Treasure.

Ye Are Not Forgotten ~Painting by Jon McNaughton

2011-03-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

“Have you ever had someone you love go astray? Perhaps they continuously make poor choices which have lead to great sorrow and difficulty. Perhaps it is no fault of their own. We may find that all we can do is pray that the Lord will help them. These lost sheep may find themselves feeling abandoned and unloved. But the Savior has told us that He is the Good Shepherd and every soul is of great worth. He will leave the flock to find the one. For me this little black lamb represents the sheep that has lost his way. The Savior sits in front of the olive tree which represents His atonement in Gethsemane. The red poppies, as if drops of blood remind me of this sacrifice for each of us. The white lambs gather around Jesus and they know that they are unconditionally loved. Then the Savior gently picks up the little black lamb and whispers, “Ye are not forgotten."

See more about Jon McNaughton and his beautiful paintings at McNaughton Art

The Change We've Been Looking For.....Begins in US! ~Diane Viere

2011-02-16T18:39:00.001-08:00

So many families who live with the dysfunction of a wayward loved one struggle to find just the right solution that will cause their loved one to change. Paralyzed by fear, defeated by hopelessness, they walk through life never experiencing joy....joy has been deferred until...until...until their loved one changes.

Lifetimes are spent sacrificing personal well-being and fulfillment all in an attempt to change someone else.

Body, mind and soul become depleted as we become financially, spiritually, and emotionally bankrupt.

No matter what we do, we cannot effect change in the life of our loved one. We wait. We search. We believe we are responsible for the change in their lives; and the pain of our struggle grows as we continue to refuse to accept that which we do not want to accept.

"We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing. Consequences give us the pain that motivates us to change. ~ Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend

BREAKING NEWS: You are the change you've been looking for!

You are NOT responsible for the choices, the behaviors, the consequences of your prodigals life.

He/she IS responsible for his/her choices, behaviors and must face the sting of the consequences to learn from their prodigal journey. As long as we continue to assume the responsibility (cross THEIR personal boundaries), we rob them of the growth opportunity that is presented with every poor choice, every dangerous action, every irresponsible behavior. As long as we continue to enable our prodigals, we engage in their journey causing significant collateral damage. Both to them and to us.

The change you've been looking for is IN you!

Things do not change; we change. ~ Henry David Thoreau

You can step into JOY today: YOU can change!

* Decide today to step back into your life.

* Build a fence around you. Define what is your responsibility and what is not. Remember, fences keep danger out and keep you inside, safe from entering harm's way.

* Begin your 'boundary training.' Respect your fence! Honor your boundaries! "Do" your boundaries! "If your boundary training consists only of words, you are wasting your breath. But if you 'do' boundaries [...others] will internalize the experiences, remember them, digest them, and make them part of how they see reality." ~Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend

Feel the effectiveness of Dr's Cloud and Townsend's words: Here we've been trying to affect change for all of these years....and all we had to do was establish and 'do' our boundaries! We are the change we've been looking for!

* Choose what will be protected behind your new fence: your joy, your happiness, your dreams, your goals. Family, finances, faith, fun! What do you want your life to look like? Remember, life is NOT a dress rehearsal! You pass this way only once...isn't it time to take the reins of your life...and ENJOY!

But what about our prodigals? How can we move on without them?

Grab your Bibles and read Luke 15: 11-24. I'll be here waiting...go ahead...give it a read :)

I just have one question: What did the father of the lost son do?

He did not chase after his prodigal and enter the pig pen with him.

He did not save his prodigal from hunger, despair, or squander.

He! Stayed! Home! He stayed behind his front gate and continued on with his life. Oh, he awaited the return of his lost son (and I can imagine him sending his servants each and every day to look for his son's return) for we read in vv 22-24: “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate."

The father waited, but he never took one step out of his own life, his own purpose. He didn't engage in his prodigal's journey in spite of the famine, hardship, danger or despair.

If you love a prodigal--you KNOW, how you KNOW--this could not have been easy.

And yet, what do we learn from the father in this parable?

STAY PUT!

STAY STRONG!

PREPARE FOR THE BANQUET!

We're gonna need a fortress of boundaries to prepare for that banquet, aren't we, for with every word of struggle our prodigal faces, we are tempted to ease their pain. With every devastating phone call, we are tempted to save her. With every discovery of imminent harm, we are tempted to pay the price in their stead.

Yet, if we continue to try to change that which we cannot change, how will we ever be able to one day throw a banquet upon their return home if we are broken emotionally, financially and spiritually.

The change begins in us!

Return of the Prodigal by Lionello Spada

Prodigal, You Ask? by Diane Viere

2011-02-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

I don't know where I have been that I haven't noticed this blog before, but this morning when I was feeling a bit weary, Diane Viere popped into my life with her wonderful message of hope and encouragement for all of us going through this prodigal journey. Here then, is a link to her website and an announcement of her webcast...Partners in Prayer for our Prodigals

On February 14, 2006, I wrote the first-ever post for Partners In Prayer For Our Prodigals blog. Little did I know then...5 years later, on February 15th at 7:00 pm CT, I would be hosting a web cast entitled "Prodigal, You Ask?" and launching the official website for Partners In Prayer For Our Prodigals to support a new ministry outreach.

Many of you have been on this journey with me from the beginning and know what a newbie I was to cyber space! I have learned from each of you, but most of all, I have been "pinch-me-I'm-so-blessed" by each of you as I shared the pain of loving a prodigal so publicly. Your support, your encouragement, your prayers were significant in this journey; you are, literally, the pioneers of what I now call: The Prodigal Hope Network.

I would love to have you join me for this inaugural web cast, Prodigal, You Ask? You have traveled so long on this prodigal journey with me, it would be wrong not to invite you!

If you know of others who love a prodigal and feel oh-so-alone, please let them know about this FREE web cast.

To join me for this 'anniversary' launch, please register at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1182895071/efbnen to receive the free access link to attend "Prodigal, You Ask?" from the comfort of your own home/office computer.

Thank you for being on this journey with me...I thank God for bringing you into my life!
Diane

It Is Well With My Soul

2011-01-18T12:43:00.000-08:00

Listen, please listen to the glorious words of this song...

Now here is the story behind this beautiful hymn...

This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song titled, 'It is well with my soul', you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words, "When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.

Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.

Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned. He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: "Saved alone."

On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her, "You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers was.

It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.

No matter what circumstances overtake us may we be able to say with Horatio Spafford...

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul!

It is well ... with my soul!

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Praying that this story and hymn will minister to you today.
Story from A Hymn and It's History
It Is Well With My Soul sung by Chris Rice

Rachel Weeping For Her Children

2011-01-12T08:23:00.001-08:00

"Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border." Jeremiah 31:15-17

One dear mother brought this scripture to my attention and I have thought about it for days. So many times when mothers have wept to me about their prodigal children the words, “Rachel weeping for her children” has come to mind…

What was Jeremiah prophesying about here?

Herod commanded that all the children under 2 years of age be killed when he heard of the birth of the King of Israel...for Emmanuel had come…El with us to tabernacle with us and Satan was seeking whom he may devour knowing that his time was short.

Here again we are faced with an adversary seeking whom he may devour. Quoting Sylvia Gunter from her article entitled Praying for Rebellious Ones…

“In general, young people today are being opposed to a degree that perhaps the world has never seen. The adversary of their souls is waging spiritual battle for the lives of an entire generation. Those whom the enemy cannot extinguish by abortion he is intent on stealing, killing, or destroying at younger and younger ages.”

We definitely are living in an age where we see the signs of the return of Christ evident all around us… an apostasy as never before. An age where the gospel has gone out into all the world and is being blatantly rejected or twisted and distorted. Men are turning away from God and being turned over to reprobate minds. Romans 1:28, Titus 1:16.

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;" 2 Timothy 3: 1-3

Is there comfort for these weeping mothers? Look again at what it says in Jeremiah right after this…

"Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border."

Let us hold fast to the promises of our God for He is mighty to save and bring our children back into the fold. My hope and prayer,dear parents, is that this brings you loads of comfort and encouragement as it did to me…

And more encouragement from Charles Spurgeon

"I have prayed for thee."-Luke 22:32

How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer's never-ceasing intercession for us. When we pray, He pleads for us; and then we are not praying, He is advocating our cause, and by His supplications shielding us from unseen dangers. Notice the word of comfort addressed to Peter-"Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat; but"-what? "But go and pray for yourself." That would be good advice, but it is not so written. Neither does he say, "But I will keep you watchful, and so you shall be preserved." That were a great blessing. No, it is, "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." We little know what we owe to our Saviour's prayers. When we reach the hill-tops of heaven, and look back upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we shall praise Him who, before the eternal throne, undid the mischief which Satan was doing upon earth. How shall we thank Him because He never held His peace, but day and night pointed to the wounds upon His hands, and carried our names upon His breastplate! Even before Satan had begun to tempt, Jesus had forestalled him and entered a plea in heaven. Mercy outruns malice. Mark, He does not say, "Satan hath desired to have you." He checks Satan even in his very desire, and nips it in the bud. He does not say, "But I have desired to pray for you." No, but "I have prayed for you: I have done it already; I have gone to court and entered a counterplea even before an accusation is made." O Jesus, what a comfort it is that thou hast pleaded our cause against our unseen enemies; countermined their mines, and unmasked their ambushes. Here is a matter for joy, gratitude, hope, and confidence.

Painting of Woman at the Well by Simon Dewey

Praying the Lost Sheep Into the Fold of the Great Shepherd

2010-12-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

This is an old post from last year that I decided to post again, as I know there is much need for prayer ...

Every year since the children were little, after all the leaves had fallen off the trees and everything looked bleak and desolate, we would sit around the big dining table and cut out snow flakes. Somehow we all knew that it would bring a little snow to the dreary world outside. White flakes of crystalline magnificence that dance in the breezy winter air and leave a field of glistening diamonds when the sun rises the next morning.

I have a friend, a sister in Christ, a prayer warrior, a “Mighty”. She amazes me with her tenacity, her faithfulness to stand in the gap wielding the sword of the Spirit as she wages warfare against the wiles of the adversary. Even when in weakness and tiredness, she perseveres in wrestling prayer. She has many stories to tell of the vanquished foe, but also the most touching gentle whimsies that speak of the tender heart of our Heavenly Father. In touching our prodigals she related to me that she had cut out of white paper several little lambs and put the names of the prodigals she was praying for on each one. She now can hold them in her hands and pray for each one to return to the fold of the Great Shepherd of the Sheep.

Would you like to join the two of us using these humble little paper lambs as a precious tool of remembrance to pray for our prodigals? Perhaps we will see some glistening jewels as the Son, the Great Shepherd, touches the lives of those we are praying for. I have included a paper with sheep cutouts that you can print and cutout, or you can use your own. If you would like to place the name or names of those you would like prayer for on the prayer list, Subscribe to this blog or leave a comment, then we can each add those to our sheep. Even if you don’t want to use the sheep yourself, please enter any names, or if you prefer nicknames, and we will faithfully pray for them as part of our Prayer for Prodigals.

May the snow fall gently on you and yours, and may your life be full of blessings, shining like diamonds that glisten in the morning Sonlight.

photos by Anna snowflake photoshop by Jeremy

Speaking of Waiting...

2010-12-12T12:57:00.001-08:00

How long? Oh, how long does the Good Shepherd take to answer our prayers and bring the lost sheep home?

Be assured He is watching and waiting for the perfect time...He knows our hearts, he knows our names...they are written in His hands...He knows the perfect time...

My daughter Sarah did a great post the other day on Waiting...here's the link to her blog...

Deeper Still

Painting ~ Shepherd Seeking the Lost Sheep by Karin Naylor

Waiting For Your Prodigal by Marcy Hayes

2010-10-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

An interview with Marcy Hayes, author and illustrator of Waiting For Your Prodigal: Daily Thoughts and Prayers...

I am so excited about your book, Waiting For Your Prodigal: Daily Thoughts and Prayers. There is such a need today to encourage and minister to hurting parents of prodigals. It seems as though no one really understands the devastation this causes in Christian families unless they have been through it themselves. What were the circumstances in your life that motivated you to write your book?

Marcy: My daughter's very public and very humiliating divorce began a string of events very devastating to her, then devastating to everyone around her. (Still feeling effects today.) Part of the devastation for me was four small children on this journey with their mother driven by anger and rebellion. As my daughter made plans to move 600 miles away, my father died.

Six weeks later, she was gone, packed up and gone. It was Good Friday. I wrote in my journal, "There was nothing good about it."

I had always kept journals where I talked to God, wrote down Scriptures and insights, and recorded prayers. Spirals and spirals of talks with God--I was searching for answers, searching my own soul, and waiting as parents of prodigals do.

I searched the Internet and searched bookstores for help--to hear from someone who had gone through my pain and found relief. I found only five books; only one was helpful. I was convinced that there were thousands of parents in my position, and I was baffled that there were so few books on the subject.

During that time of searching and waiting I picked up several of the spirals to reread the events of her leaving, my hurting, and insights God had given me. As I reread the entries, I was surprised to see the help I had needed was right there. God is so good.

I did not want to waste the words God had given me, did not want to waste the suffering. I wanted to help others, and I knew the books that could encourage a waiting parent were few.

Knowing the suffering you have gone through, and seeing the beauty God has brought out in you, and that you are giving to others should give us all hope, and encourage us as parents to comfort others as we have been comforted. One thing that I really love about your book is that you have a prayer for every day of the month, actually for 32 days. I find it very helpful to read and pray along with you for my prodigal and the other prodigals and families that I am praying for. What inspired you to set your book up this way?

Marcy: The prayers are very personal and many times confessional. I wrestle with God in that secret place. My heart is completely vulnerable, completely honest in the prayers.

Have you ever known that God wanted you to do something, and with sureness and some trembling you did it? This trembling sureness is why the prayers are in the book and included every day. I am sure the healing is in the prayers.

You maybe notice the tone of the writing is serious. There were times in writing this I wanted to be humorous; I am by nature one who finds humor in life. More than once I felt the Lord caution me not to exaggerate, not to be funny, and not to be flippant. Prayer is serious.

I did not notice until the book was almost published that I address the Lord differently, almost every day (e.g.) ”All Knowing Father," and "Precious Redeemer," and "Good Shepherd," and "Father of Great Promises." God must have a purpose for this, because all the different names surprised me but delighted me too.

Quoting from your acknowledgments you say, “I thank One who told the story of the lost son; then wrote the story in my life.” It is hard to be thankful for hurtful things that happen to us, yet I know that most Christians come out of their tribulations being thankful. How did you get to the place of acceptance and thankfulness?

Marcy: I can't honestly say I am thankful for the pain itself (the fears, the losses, the rejection, and even the shock of it all), but I am thankful for the way God ministers to us in the midst of our pain. God sent me a friend ten years younger than I am who was also a friend of my daughter. This woman had been a prodigal herself. Her words and prayers and advice were like gold.

God gives us more of Himself in times of pain. Oh, there have been plenty of nights full of tears and wondering why this and why that--but when God gives us extra portions of Himself, there is joy. My minister asked me, knowing all that had happened, how it was that I was so happy.

Finally, I have been thankful for the task of writing this book. If God was going to send me through something difficult, I did not want to waste any part of the experience if it could be used for His glory. And that is my hope--that God will use this book in the lives of people who need His grace and mercy, because we know this is certainly a time of need.

Most people do not understand what parents of prodigals go through unless they have been there themselves. Persecution seems to go hand in hand with a rebellious child. This can make life even more difficult and hurtful for parents who find themselves in this situation. Could you share with us your views on the attitude people have towards those experiencing this tribulation?

Marcy: You are right that most people do not understand what parents go through, because I remember dismissing prodigals as kids that just had a wild streak. I remember a short, red-haired and red-faced man from my childhood who raised a daughter near my age. When asked to pray, he would end his prayers in his Irish accent, "...and Lard, be with our children, wherever they are." I just thought he had the misfortune of having a daughter with a wild streak.

I rather like the "wild streak" view, because nobody is pointing fingers at the parent of the child gone wild.

When I thought about "other people" and my views on their attitudes, I compiled the following list:

1. The prodigal's friends who encourage her on a destructive path tell her what she wants to hear. An attitude that by-passes truth and makes a person feel good is reckless. Scripture tells us that the way that "seems" right to a man leads to destruction.

2. The therapist is not always helpful. Psychology does a good job identifying character flaws, but it brings no resolution. What it brings is a lot of blame. Therapists blame parents for just about everything. My view on this attitude is that it fuels the anger of a prodigal and makes her into a victim rather than an overcomer.

3. The people who point fingers at parents and take the attitude that controlling parents drive children away are far from the truth. My attitude on this subject is that there are NO PERFECT PARENTS. There are as many prodigals from parents who were busy and neglectful as there are prodigals from doting parents. I would like to add that God, as our Father, has thousands of prodigals-whole nations. His first two children, Adam and Eve, rebelled.

4. People who will pray with the parent of a prodigal and commit to praying for the prodigal are the most valuable asset in a parent's life.

5. Parents of prodigals imagine a huge number of people out there with stable families who look at a prodigal situation with scorn. Imagining people who do not understand and who judge us leads many parents to "hide in shame."

What advice would you offer a parent who is faced with the pain of the prodigal experience?

Marcy:

1. Pray. Pray with others. Seek those who will pray for your child. Pray persistently. Turn every thought of fear into a prayer. Turn every wounding thought into a prayer. Turn Scripture into prayers. And BELIEVE; don't just worry on your knees.

2. Do not hide in shame. This is a great opportunity to give and receive all that God has for you.

3. When you have the opportunity to show demonstrative love to your prodigal, do it.

Your book is full of encouragement, incite and sincere prayers that I’m sure would comfort anyone who is struggling with a prodigal. Where can your book be purchased?

Marcy: I am convinced that every family at some point has a lost son, daughter, sibling, or spouse. When Christians face rebellion and conflict in their own families, they seek wisdom and help from someone who has walked that road.

Waiting for Your Prodigal: Daily Thoughts and Prayers will give them the help and the hope their hearts need to hear:

· Prayers to pray when they do not know what to say

· Assurance that God is at work all around them

· Knowing the greatest part of the Father’s story

· Ways to heal while waiting

Waiting for Your Prodigal: Daily Thoughts and Prayers is a soft cover book, 88 pages in length If you would like to order one or two, amazon.com or any of the major book sellers have it available. If you want to order more than one or two, you can call the publisher Crossbooks or go to the website crossbooks.com.

Marcy Hayes earned a master’s degree in education and English from Northeastern State University. She has taught for thirty years and illustrated three books. Marcy is active in her church through music, Bible study, and prison ministry. She and her husband D. D. live in Oklahoma. They have two children and four grandchildren.

All illustrations belong exclusively to Marcy Hayes.

Stay Grounded In the Gospel

2010-10-12T08:21:00.001-07:00

This morning I read a post by Trevin Wax entitled Don’t Let Demas Steal Your Joy. We, as parents, have been discipling our children just as pastors disciple those who come to them to learn about the gospel. I think you will be able to relate here to what Trevin is saying because in both cases some turn away from the faith. So how do we deal with the hurt? Trevin has some good answers and encouragement.

Don't Let Demas Steal Your Joy by Trevin Wax

Disciple-makers know great joys. We also know great heartaches. But sometimes, it’s the people who bring you the greatest joy who eventually cause you the greatest heartache.

Perhaps you’ve been in my shoes. You led someone to Christ, and you faithfully sought to pour your life into them. You discipled them to the best of your ability. You welcomed them into your home. You sought to live an exemplary life before them.

But after a period of time, they turned around and went back to their old life. They left you and your church.

So you prayed for them. You pleaded with them. All to no avail. They fell back into their former worldliness and disappeared. And week after week, their absence shouts at you:

You failed them.

You mistook their initial enthusiasm for true conversion.

What kind of minister are you? You couldn’t keep them on the narrow path.

See what happens when you open your heart and life to someone?

Eventually, God brings another person along for you to disciple. But you find that – this time – it’s just a little harder to pour your life into them. It’s harder to give your all when it comes to their growth and discipleship. You don’t verbalize your thoughts, but your heart has them:

What’s the use of pouring your life into them if they wind up like the other?

What if they let you down too?

What if they are only here for a season?

The ache you feel for your earlier disciple keeps you from fully engaging the next one the Lord has for you.

You are not alone. The Apostle Paul once counted Demas as a fellow worker. But in Paul’s last letter, he tells Timothy:

Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica…

It’s not hard to read between the lines and sense Paul’s sorrow. He wants to see Timothy (at least partly) because Demas has deserted him.

Of course, Paul’s biggest concern is that Demas’ soul is in peril. His former disciple’s love for the world is a demonstration of his lack of love for God. Make no mistake: Paul is concerned with Demas’ soul and destiny.

But that’s not all that grieves the Apostle. Paul needs companionship, partnership, and encouragement. So he tells Timothy to come to him soon. Paul is saying, I need you, Timothy. Demas is gone. In other words,It hurts. Bad.

Perhaps you’ve discipled a Demas before. If so, then you know the hurt that accompanies their desertion. You are deeply disappointed by their decisions. You can feel your spirit deflate whenever you think about where they are right now. You may even question your effectiveness as a minister.

In that moment of grief, you’ve got two choices. The first choice is to let your hurt turn into bitterness. The root of bitterness will keep you from giving yourself to the next person God brings your way. Bitterness constructs a wall around your heart in order to guard you from future hurt. Go this direction and you will never have another Demas to deal with. But you won’t ever raise up a Titus either.

The other choice is to stay grounded in the gospel, the only news that brings joy in the midst of pain. That’s what Paul does. He doesn’t turn bitter. He doesn’t deny his sorrow. Instead, he leans on other partners in the gospel and tells them, “I need you.”

Armed with faith in the power of the gospel and confidence that God’s plan cannot be thwarted, Paul moves forward. He keeps making plans. Bring the parchments. Bring Mark too. Bring my cloak. Hurt or no hurt, Paul maintains a steadfast joy in the sovereignty of God as he keeps on pursuing the kingdom and proclaiming the gospel.

Pray for your Demas. Weep over him. Beg God for him. But don’t let Demas steal your joy. Don’t let Demas rob you of your passion for discipling others. God will continue to bring people to you. The reason you can keep working is because the gospel never stops.

People like Demas will come and go. Yes, your next disciple may be a Demas. But it could be that the next one is your Timothy.

Kingdom People blog by Trevin Wax
Painting of Apostle Paul by Rembrandt

"I Will Arise And Go" ~ Tozer

2010-10-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

"I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned." ~Luke 15:18
.

When Jesus told the story of the Prodigal Son, He was giving our lost society a graphic picture of more than a willful son or a backslidden man.

Years ago I spent time alone with God in prayer and supplication, asking the Spirit of God to aid me in the comprehension of the parable of the Prodigal Son. I have relied upon the understanding which I believe God gave me.

I believe the Prodigal Son is God's clear-cut picture to us of the entire human race that went out to the pigsty in Adam - and came back to the Father in Christ!

The most telling part of the parable is the fact that the errant son "came to himself" - and that speaks to us of the reality and necessity of repentance. He could repent and turn and seek forgiveness because he knew that his Father had not changed. He knew the character of his Father. Except for that knowledge, he could never have said:
"I will arise and go to my Father!"

Brethren, all of us who have come back to God by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ have found, as did the prodigal that the Father in heaven has not changed at all! ~ A. W. Tozer

The Return of the Prodigal Son ~ Rembrandt

What To Pray When You Don't Know What To Pray by Sylvia Gunter

2010-09-13T11:50:00.001-07:00

I found this very helpful article by Sylvia Gunter posted on PrayerForProdigals GCX Community :

Pray The Basics Of God's Sovereignty

God is sovereign. All authority and all power are His. Matthew 28:18. Nothing takes Him by surprise. All circumstances are His servants. He knows the end from the beginning. Psalms 119:91, Isaiah 46:9-10. His word is forever settled in heaven. Psalms 119:89.

Romans 8:28-29 is still in our Bible. He does all things for our good and His glory is to conform us to the likeness of Jesus. There is no circumstance, person, place, or time that the blood of Jesus does not cover. The one who spared not His own Son will freely give us all His best things. Rom 8:31-32. He promises that He is for us and nothing can separate us from His love. That was settled on the cross. Rom 8:35-39.

God's lovingkindness never ceases. His compassions and great faithfulness never fail. They are new every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23. He supplies all our needs by His riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19. He knows and cares. The very hairs of our head are numbered. Matthew 10:30.

He promises that He is God of all comfort, Father of mercies. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. He is able to supply His abundant grace to us in any　situation, so that in all things, at all times, we have all of His sufficient grace we need for encouragement and hope. 2 Corinthians 9:8. He is able to show His perfect power in our weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.

We can know with certainty that He is able to guard what we have entrusted to Him. 2 Timothy 1:12. He promises that He is our strength, our shield, our strong tower, our refuge, our hope, our joy, our peace, our everything, our all. Psalms 18:1-3, Colossians 3:11.

He promises to renew our strength as we wait on Him. Isaiah 40:31. He promises that He never leaves us nor forsakes us. He is with us, a very present help. Hebrews 13:5-6. He never goes back on a promise. Joshua 21:45.

He has a heart that tears can touch and invites us to climb up in the Father's lap and just cry. Hebrews 4:15, Psalms 56:8. He gives gladness instead of mourning and praise instead of fainting. Weeping endures for a night, but He gives the joy that comes in the morning. Isaiah 61:3, Psalms 30:5.

He is enthroned on the praises of His children. Psalms 22:3. When we lift Him up continually in a sacrifice of praise, we glorify Him in this situation in the here-and-now. John 12:28.

We pray all these things for ourselves and our children.
We choose to glorify Him in this situation now and always.

To find out more about Sylvia Gunter and her books click here.

Peace That Passeth All Understanding

2010-08-25T08:05:00.001-07:00

We have given our lives to Christ and we are walking along life's path, sometimes not knowing where that path will take us...

Has your path come to a rocky precipice? How, Father, can I keep going? This looks too painful...I don't think I can make it...

But we know nothing is impossible with God and He will never leave us or forsake us, and the beautiful thing is that He works all things out for good. So press on...He will lead you by the still waters and restore your soul...He will give you that peace that passeth all understanding...

Here is an example of a hurting parent of a prodigal and what she learned through her journey...and how she found peace...

Excerpts from the book, Boundaries with Adult Children by Allison Bottke.

What I learned from being a parent in pain:

1. I must remind myself every day that God is in control.

2. God has allowed by circumstances, heartbreaking as they are, to change me.

3. We are not alone. God is well aware what it's like having prodigals. Look at Adam and Eve. They had it all, and God was a perfect Father. So much for all the theories.

4. The prodigal son had no reason to leave home and rebel. His dad loved him, he had a wonderful home life, plenty of money, and purpose for living. He rebelled because there is pleasure in sin for a season. The father never chased after his son or filled his pockets with money or financed his sin. He stayed put and gave his son to God.

5. God is the only One who can change our kids. Out of the kindness of His will, He alone brings us to repentance. We must pray for God to bring our adult children to the end of themselves and to deal with their problems.

6. The Enemy is at work, but he is not more powerful than God. Satan must ask God's permission to test us (see the book of Job).

7. I can't put a timetable on my prayers. Some may be answered on the other side of eternity. God is faithful, and we must pray with great faith. He is working.

8. God has changed me greatly. The heartache of living with a prodigal threw me into God's Word-big time. In the last 15 years I have devoured God's Word on a daily basis and developed a prayer life. All this to say, this experience has been a good thing for me spiritually. Whereas I once spent that time in anxiety and depression, I have now taken that time to become anchored in God.

9. God has supernaturally changed me through His Word and changed my perspective on the whole trial.

10. Yielding everything to God is the only way to peace. The day we came to our wit's end and gave our son 100 percent to the Lord and was the day a miracle occurred. We were flooded with His peace, the kind that cannot be explained. We knew then why Jesus came; not only to save our souls but to give us His power to live through anything. Since that time, we have had to do that again and surrender our grandchildren. His grace is sufficient for all things. He is all we need.

To purchase this book click here.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:26-27

Photos by Sarah

Deep Communion with the Almighty

2010-08-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

I have found myself weeping for the iniquity of the world, and the iniquity of my prodigal son…

"Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness." James 4:9

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem by Greg Olson (Matthew 23:37)

Our heavenly Father describes the same experience that a lot of us relate with on a smaller scale in our own families…

"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? Ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers." Isaiah 1:2-7

We have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against us. God is confronted with this every day. Are we not communing with Him in grieving for the rebellious? Is this not a deep communion and heart cry and intercession with the God of all Creation? Can we as His children be exempt from what He is feeling in His heart?

Romans 1: 18- 32 further echos the heart cry of our Father professed in Isaiah… ”When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations , and their foolish heart was darkened…Professing themselves wise, they became fools…”

Watching as prodigal children turn in rebellion from God and their parents… and on a larger scale…seeing the acceptance of fornication and homosexuality in our society and what is worse in our churches …

"And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof." Ezekiel 9:4

This lead me to a very interesting study on the word mark or Tav in Hebrew...

The word mark here in Scripture is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet Tav…(tawv); from OT:8427; a mark; by implication, a signature: KJV - desire, mark.

This mark (T) set on the foreheads of those righteous men saved them from the wrath of Yahweh. Where else do we see this same shape saving the righteous, but in Egypt where the men were to take the hyssop, dipped in the blood of the Passover lamb, and place it on the lintel and doorposts…

This quote I found very interesting ~ a comment on the letter Tau by James Read:

"The earliest explicit mention of anything which describes the shape of the instrument of Roman execution is Barnabas' epistle where he likens it the Greek letter Tau which is very much T shaped. Also, some other early Christian reference to how Moses was foreshadowing a T shape when he kept his arms raised to his sides while Israel was doing battle with Joshua (Yehoshua, Yoshua, Isus) doing battle.

Ezekiel 9:4 depicts a vision in which the Tav plays a Passover role similar to the blood on the lintel and doorposts of a Hebrew home in Egypt. In Ezekiel’s Old Testament vision, the Lord has his angels separate the demographic wheat from the chaff by going through Jerusalem, the capital city of ancient Israel, and inscribing a mark, a Tav, upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. In Ezekiel's vision, then, the Lord is counting Tav Israelites as worthwhile to spare, but counts the people worthy of annihilation who lack the Tav and the critical attitude it signifies. In other words, looking askance at a culture marked by dire moral decline is a kind of shibboleth for loyalty and zeal for God."

In the Ancient Hebrew Alphabet Chart Tav means crossed sticks and is represented by an x or T shape.

Further in Ezekiel we see a reference to two sticks one representing Judah (the Southern tribe) and another for Joseph (Ephraim) and the children of Israel(the Northern Tribes) and the prophecy that these two sticks shall become one.

Jesus was the Repairer of the breech as he hung on the cross, the two sticks becoming one… Ezekiel 37:15-19

"The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand."

From the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi:

"We know from ancient texts that Roman crosses consisted of two pieces. The stipes was the upright piece, fixed in the ground, often permanently. In restless areas and times with constant executions there could have been whole groves of them. The horizontal piece was called the patibulum; it weighed about a hundred pounds or so, and the condemned person was usually forced to carry it to the place of execution. Hence his name, the patibulatus.

After the patibulatus carried the crosspiece of his cross out to the field of execution, he’d be attached to it with ropes or with nails—hence the term crucifixio, from crux, cross, and figo, to affix. Then he’d be hauled up so that the patibulum could be fastened to the stipes. We tend to think of the two pieces being mortised into each other to form the familiar Latin-cross shape ( † ). More probably the Roman army carpenters, with hundreds and thousands of crosses to make, didn’t bother with that kind of fancy joinery. They probably just fixed a peg in the top of the stipes and bored a hole in the patibulum; that would make it easier to assemble the cross in a single motion, and it would make the weight of the crossbeam and the crucified man hold the cross together; it would result in a shape like the Greek letter tau …T"

So the mark set upon those who were mourning and weeping over the abomination of the land was also the cross that we take up and was the instrument used for the cruxfiction of Christ our salvation. Do you realize that Jesus told the people to take up the cross before He was crucified?

"And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them,Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Mark 8:34

The Hebrew letter Tav (T) is the last letter in the Hebrew language…it finishes the Hebrew alphabet and Yahshua said as he died on the cross (T), “It is finished.”

"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." John 19:30

The Crucifixion by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696 - 1770)

For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2

So you see that we have a deep communion with our Father and Savior in intercession and weeping and mourning for the lost...Are we Tav Christians? Are we bearing our crosses? Are we in deep communion with the heart of the Almighty?

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18

The signs of the times ~ 2 Timothy 3:1 "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come."

Our hope is in Christ who finished the work on the cross…He is the resurrected King, the Savior of the whole world for He has overcome it, the Alpha and Omega or in Hebrew the Aleph and Tav ~ the Beginning and the End ~ the Author and the Finisher... Hallelulyah!

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."Heb 12:2

Diego Velázquez: Crucifixion of Christ, 1632.

From This Time Forth ~Go Comfort Others

2010-08-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

"It seems that this is one way he turns evil against itself -- using our healed-up but still-visible scars to help others whose wounds are still gaping open."~ Joy from her blog Joy in this Journey

"Sometimes God sends severe blasts of trial upon His children to develop their graces. Just as torches burn most brightly when swung to and fro; just as the juniper plant smells sweetest when flung into the flames; so the richest qualities of a Christian often come out under the north wind of suffering and adversity. Bruised hearts often emit the fragrance that God loveth to smell."

~Streams in the Desert

A friend told me that they were not getting any tomatoes in their garden, and heard that if they shook their tomato plants it would help them to pollinate and give much fruit. I found this interesting as there is a lot of shaking going on in lives everywhere...

Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out! Song of Solomon 4:16

Perhaps there was not enough wind blowing on the garden to shake the plants. Winds or adversities in our lives, will they bring forth good fruit? I know that I was very shaken and still am by what happened with my prodigal. Is there good fruit in me? Is my bruised heart emitting a fragrance that brings comfort to others and delight to God? Is there good fruit in you?

I had a tiny box, a precious box

Of human love ~ my spikenard of a great price;

I kept it close within my heart of hearts

And scarce would lift the lid lest it should waste

Its perfume on the air. One day a strange

Deep sorrow came with crushing weight, and fell

Upon my costly treasure, sweet and rare

And broke the box to atoms. All my heart

Rose in dismay and sorrow at this waste,

But as I mourned, behold a miracle

Of grace Divine. My human love was changed

To Heaven's own, and poured in healing streams

On other broken hearts, while soft and clear

A voice above me whispered, "Child of Mine,

With comfort wherewith thou art comforted,

From this time forth ~ go comfort others,

And thou shalt know blest fellowship with Me,

Whose broken heart of love hath healed the world.

It may not feel like it, but your broken heart is pouring healing streams...

Let it flow ~ you have no idea whose broken heart you will help to heal...

I read a beautiful post the other day by Joy

~ Letters to the Wounded ~ From the Wounded

A confirmation that God is doing an incredible work in our lives ~

One broken heart touching another...

Painting ~ Magdalene with Alabaster Box of Ointment
Giovanni Brilli (Italy)after Andrea del Sarto (Italy, b.1487, d.1531)

Poem from Streams in the Desert

Heart Rocks Photos ~ me

Why Do Kids Turn Out the Way They Do? by Jim Newheiser

2010-07-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalms 127:3

Please take time to read this excellent article by Jim Newheiser. He brilliantly sums up so many of the thoughts and conclusions that we come to while seeking the Lord in our trials with our prodigal children.

To read the article click here.

Intercession - Eric Ludy

2010-07-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

Catacombs and Caves

2010-07-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Imagine how early Christians hid in the catacombs underneath the streets of Rome during times of heavy persecution.

We have catacomb times in our lives. Times of sorrow and suffering...times of retreat when our only strength and hope is in the Word of God...

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." John 1:1-5

The Life was the Light of men... Jesus Christ... Yahshua the Messiah...The Savior...He shines in the darkness...

When I lost the template for this blog, it took me awhile to find a new one. I liked this one because it reminded me of the catacombs that we hear that early Christians would hide in. Then I also remembered the cave Adullam, David’s refuge from his enemies…

"I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." Psalms 91:2

Catacombs and caves…

What do they represent in the lives of Christians? What do they mean to us today?

From a visitor of the catacombs…”These are the Catacombs of Callisto. Being inside and going down the dark damp corridor made us feel like we were in an Indiana Jones movie. This was where the early Christians were buried (similar to Jesus). This dates back very close to the time of Christ. This catacomb is one out of 60 around Rome. There are 4-5 levels, but only one was open. It was a total labyrinth.”

This describes just one of many catacombs that were burial places of Rome, but at one time they were also a refuge place for the persecuted Christians of the early church. Painted on the walls of the catacombs are depictions of Christ and the apostles and symbols of the Christian faith…

The martyrs were also lovingly buried in these catacombs.

I found it interesting that the cross was not used in the beginning by early Christians, but the Greek letters chi ro and fishes and doves etc.

For an interesting study on these symbols click on this link ...

Now to the caves...Scripture tells us that men who were in distress, in debt, and discontented gathered together with David in a cave...

“David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.” 1 Samuel 22:1-2

Landscape with David at the Cave of Adullam by Claude, 1658

The name Adullam means refuge…

"David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam." 1 Samuel 22:1

A quote from an unknown author..."Still a fugitive, David left the land of the Philistines, and now took refuge in a large underground cavern, situated, most probably, not far from Bethlehem. To conceal himself from Saul and his blood-thirsty underlings, our hero betook himself to a cave—it is probable that the Holy Spirit made reference to this in Hebrews 11:38. The high favorites of Heaven are sometimes to be located in queer and unexpected places. Joseph in prison, the descendants of Abraham laboring in the brick-kilns of Egypt, Daniel in the lions’ den, Jonah in the great fish’s belly, Paul clinging to a spar in the sea, forcibly illustrate this principle. Then let us not murmur because we do not now live in as fine a house as do some of the ungodly; our "mansions" are in Heaven!”

Sorrow and suffering has a way of representing catacombs and caves in our lives. But as in the old days they were refuge places, so today these sorrows cause us to seek refuge with our Savior. As in this poem written by a young man, a dear friend, whose father recently died of cancer…

Life

The tribulations and weights of life are more than enough
With the immortality awaiting above
Temporary prison of dust below
May we brave life’s storm
And survive the turmoil which descends like winter’s snow
We climb the mountain despite the incline
Stumble and fall
Get up and start again
It can be like walking barefoot through broken glass
The loss of loved ones, their memories are blessed
Because nothing in life is without pain
God gives, takes away
Ultimately, Pain brings growth
Blood in our footsteps

~Joe Wolking

Joe has walked in the steps of sorrow and suffering and has experienced the growth spiritually that comes with pain...

“The underground asylum of David made an admirable closet for prayer, its very solitude being helpful for the exercise of devotion. Well did C. H. Spurgeon say, "Had David prayed as much in his palace as he did in his cave, he might never have fallen into the act which brought such misery upon his latter days." We trust the spiritual reader will, at this point, turn to and ponder Psalms 57 and 142. In them he will perceive something of the exercises of David’s heart. From them he may derive valuable instruction as to how to pray acceptably unto God in seasons of peculiar trial. A careful reading of the fifty-seventh Psalm will enable us to follow one who began it amid the gloomy shadows of the cavern, but from which he gradually emerged into the open daylight. So it often is in the experiences of the believer’s soul.”

Let us use the catacombs and caves of life to bring us to a closer walk with the Almighty. To draw closer yet to Him who is our refuge our fortress and to boldly say that He strengthened our weak knees .

One step at a time we will walk up the stairs ascending out of the agonies of our souls and once again to see light and joy and peace, but in a different way. Not that of the world, but of He who has overcome the world.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

There Shall Be A Performance

2010-07-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

Wonderful encouragement for today...

"There shall be a performance" (Luke 1:45).

"My words shall be fulfilled in their season" (their fixed appointed time)
(Greek, Luke 1:20).

There shall be a performance of those things
That loving heart hath waited long to see;
Those words shall be fulfilled to which she clings,
Because her God hath promised faithfully;
And, knowing Him, she ne'er can doubt His Word;
"He speaks and it is done." The mighty Lord!
There shall be a performance of those things,
O burdened heart, rest ever in His care;
In quietness beneath His shadowing wings
Await the answer to thy longing prayer.
When thou hast "cast thy care," the heart then sings,

There shall be a performance of those things.

There shall be a performance of those things,
O tired heart, believe and wait and pray;
At eventide the peaceful vesper rings,
Though cloud and rain and storm have filled the day.

Faith pierces through the mist of doubt that bars
The coming night sometimes, and finds the stars.

There shall be a performance of those things,
O trusting heart, the Lord to thee hath told;
Let Faith and Hope arise, and plume their wings,
And soar towards the sunrise clouds of gold;
The portals of the rosy dawn swing wide,
Revealing joys the darkening night did hide.

--Bessie Porter

From Streams In The Desert By Mrs.
Charles E Cowman

The Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness

2010-05-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." Psalms 27:13

Love can be so bitter sweet…like the love of a parent for a prodigal.

A chasm deep and wide … so incredibly deep. I picture my hand reaching across it as far as I can reach and the hand of my son reaching from the other side of the great chasm, but our hands can not touch.

We ache for our love for each other, but we can not reach each other for that chasm of sin lies between.

A chasm of space and time…

I wept and my heart was once again broken, because God’s timing was not yet right. I wept the tears of longing.

For days the waters kept overflowing and my eyelids could not press them back.

Where was my HOPE?….Where was my FAITH?

We gathered around our living room for our devotion time…lifting up our voices in unison we sang songs of worship and praise…

As the deer panteth for the water so my soul longeth after Thee…
You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship Thee.
You alone are my strength my shield…
To you alone may my spirit yield …

Choking up there were times I could not voice the words from my mouth, but I heard the melodic harmonies in rapturous song floating all around me…

And then prayers emanated around the room …the most beautiful perfumed fragrances floating up to the Father on High…a healing balm to my broken heart.

To hear the earnest prayers of my children desiring the will of the Father in each life…all in their own personal way… their own personal relationship with Jesus…

It was awesome…so awesome that my broken heart in a moment’s time was touched by the most awesome LOVE in the Universe.

…"to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." Isaiah 61:3

And this morning I read this scripture…

"But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you." Matthew 21:28-31

Parents have hope…our prodigals have said no, but they will repent…

A beautiful card given with LOVE to me from my sons and daughters...

You Shall Be Comforted

2010-05-06T04:23:00.000-07:00

The Lord Is My Shepherd ~ Simon Dewey

Lately, since learning more about how artists paint true masterpieces, I have been much more observant of light and darkness…how highlights and shadows can make or break a piece of art… how whites are much brighter against a dark background.

In the garden the other day I was weeding and mulching around some variegated hostas. I’ve never used black mulch before, but my son had some leftover from a landscaping job last year, so I used it. The dark mulch around the hostas brought out the vibrant light green and white colors. The contrast made the plants look even more beautiful and defined.

I think there is a profound lesson to learn here, one that I can’t possibly cover in this one post, but one that will hopefully spur some deep introspection. Begin to notice the contrast all around you…

Not until each loom is silent,
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the pattern
And explain the reason why
The dark threads are so needful
In the Weaver’s skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
For the pattern which He planned.
~Streams in the Desert

We know that in the beginning it was dark and God said, “Let there be light!” Yet we still have night and day,sunshine and rain, laughter and mourning, love and hate, and when you think about it what is one without the other. Would we have mountains if there were no valleys? Would we really know what it is to be happy if there was no sadness?

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
~ Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Praise God for these things, for now we my have sorrow and suffering, but be assured that peace and rejoicing will follow. It is the way our Father made it.

"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4

photo of weaver~Jim Bastardo

Wandering Children by Susanne Scheppmann

2010-04-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a devotion by Susanne Scheppman that I found very encouraging. She relates her own experience, and how she attributes her return to the faith to the fervent prayers of her mother. So, my friends, keep on praying.

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
James 5:16

"Research shows that our children are wandering from the faith. "Why?" we ask. The answer is not simple. Even the experts realize the reason our children wander from the faith is multifaceted.

The truth is our children are straying from Christianity rapidly as soon as they move into their twenties. According to a recent George Barna study, "In total, six out of ten twentysomethings were involved in a church during their teen years, but have failed to translate that into active spirituality during their early adulthood." Again, there is no concrete answer to the questions of why our children wander.

But I know this statistic holds true in my own life. I became a Christian at the age of 15. I was on fire for Jesus. I loved Him from the depths of my soul—with all my heart, mind and strength. But then in my mid-twenties I walked away from my faith. Why?

For me, it was because I could not understand pain and suffering. If God was good, how could He allow all this junk in my life? I remember going to my pastor's wife for help with this question. However, I felt she criticized me for my lack of faith rather than help me comprehend God's ways. So I didn't return to her for counseling; instead I turned to my friends who seemed to understand my confusion. Sadly, they weren't walking strong in their own faith and inadvertently led me further away from God.

For seven years I walked in a desert of destructive sin.

Finally, after years of frustrated living, Jesus drew me back to Him. It wasn't a big church event. It wasn't a friend who witnessed to me about my sins. It was the Spirit of God who nudged me back to being a devoted follower of Christ. It wasn't mystical. It was not full of fireworks—it occurred in a Volkswagen Jetta in the parking lot of Knott's Berry Farm. It was just Jesus reconnecting with His lost lamb because of the prayers my mother prayed for me.

I do believe wholeheartedly that my mother's prayers were answered. Her prayers never wavered. Her love never failed. She persevered when the future looked bleak for her eldest child's faith walk. Never underestimate the power of a parent's prayer. Our key verse declares, "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." If you are a parent of a wandering child, hold fast to this verse in your mind and pray for your child.

God hears. He answers. I know this to be true because I was child who wandered, but was brought back by the fervent prayers of a praying parent and the loving hand of God."

Dear Lord, give me the strength and faith to keep praying for my child. Help me understand, though it might take years, You are a God who hears and answers the prayers of a praying parent. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Hope For A Future

2010-04-07T22:15:00.001-07:00

Lost No More by Greg Olsen

Just had to post this beautiful painting of hope. We can never lose hope when we have such a wonderful Savior, who is the glorious Shepherd and a good one at that. He surely is drawing our lost sheep back into His fold.

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is." Jeremiah 17:7

The Battle for Our Prodigals~ Learning to Wage Warfare

2010-03-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

As parents of prodigals, we definitely have a battle to fight. The adversary has come right into our homes and has stolen our most precious treasures. The picture comes to me of a giant vulture swooping down and grasping one young fledgling right out of the nest. Try as they might the parents can not grasp it back. It is destined for the trials and tribulations that they worked so hard to protect it from.

Flickr

How many of us have stood with our little ones on a rocky precipice. Little children are so curious. They have no fear when it comes to looking over the edge into the deep chasm below. We are continually warning," Stand back! Don't get too close to the edge! You may fall and die!" For children it is all in fun, they have no inkling of the danger.

There are some that heed to advice. "Don't touch! It is hot! You will get burned!" The Bible calls them "wise". Then there are those who do not heed. They get burned. They cry and wail.

I confess as a parent I was unprepared for this warfare. But now faced with this trial, I see a need to become a mighty warrior against the enemy of our souls who has enticed and stolen. I know the great Shepherd is seeking His lost sheep, but I also know there is a need for prayer warriors, for our Father would have us pray...This is a major part in the battle.

"Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in PRAYER;" Romans 12:12

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:PRAYING always with all PRAYER and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" Ephesians 6:17-18

After reading “Wrestling Prayer”, by Eric and Leslie Ludy, I began to pray as a warrior. Granted only twice did I stand for a couple of hours waging a warfare against the enemy with the full armor of God wielding the two-edged sword or the “jaw bone of a mule”, alluded to by Eric Ludy as the instrument Samson used to slay 1,000 men. Almost immediately, in the next couple of days, the enemy pounced upon me in two ways through two different people one a believer and one not. It wasn’t the people that were persecuting me, they didn’t know anything about my battle. It was the enemy of Christ who lashed out at me. But it was enough to stop this fledgling warrior from proceeding further into the battle, for a time anyway, because you see I am in training and the great God of the Universe is sharpening my senses and helping me get stronger and hear His voice better.

So for awhile I retreated and nursed my wounds all the while not even really knowing what had happened. Then I picked up another book by Eric Ludy, The Bravehearted Gospel. Let me tell you this man has a message from the Almighty and this message is for now! He begins to talk about how feminized the church has become. I am aware of this as I am sure most of you are. The church for the most part has lost its true grit and has become soft and yielding to the world. It has lost its saltiness and the consequences are grave. Well, Ludy begins to describe the feminine side and the masculine side, which by the way both are needed, but things can get very imbalanced if one is more predominant than the other. So this is how he classifies it:

The feminine side:
An emphasis on mercy and forgiveness
An emphasis on beauty and allure
An emphasis on relationship and unity
An emphasis on acceptance and embracing
An emphasis on feeling and intuition

And the masculine side:
An emphasis on holiness and righteousness
An emphasis on conquering and achieving practical real-world goals
An emphasis on repairing what is broken
An emphasis on the accuracy of truth and the preservation of sound doctrine
An emphasis on the just need to wage war for the right and to uproot the wrong

Now all of us have all of these characteristics in varying degrees. Mothers, I’m sure as women you can see more of the feminine aspects in yourselves, and fathers will see more of the masculine. The other day our family was faced once again with a problem having to do with our prodigal. The females in the family all had the same reaction one of mercy and embracing, while the males intuitively responded with acute soundness of doctrine, standing on firm ground. We all noticed the marked difference in our opinions. It is amazing to behold how God has made us, male and female.

The point here that Ludy asserts is that the body of Christ has become more feminine than masculine and we need to reverse this trend. We need to once again put on armour and fight the battle. We need to take up our sword and stand our ground.
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:10-12

There are many good books on prayer out there, but I highly recommend the Ludy's book " Wrestling Prayer". There is a time to wait and there is a time to war. I pray that God will give the wisdom and we will heed His command when and where and if and how.

Conquering Doubt ~I Can Do All Things Through Christ

2010-03-04T07:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I won a silver bracelet! Yes, me, I won a bracelet that has the scripture, "I can do all things through Christ", engraved on it. I can't explain it, but I felt that this was a special touch from God, a special encouragement just for me. Jesus is a very personal friend and a very glorious King, the great I AM. If we just stop and be still He speaks to us in many different ways every day. I pray that He will work in us to make us all very sensitive to see and hear every day what He is saying to us.

Today I am tackling doubt, and I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:23-24

I am asking for some things that seem impossible, but nothing is impossible with God.

"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." Mark 10:27

So, whenever a doubt comes to mind with the help of my Savior who strengthens me, I am going to cast it out immediately and replace it with the Truth and the promises in His Word.

Reading Streams in the Desert this morning:

"They (heroes of faith) are calling to us from the heights that they have won, and telling us that what man once did man can do again. Not only do they remind us of the necessity of faith, but also of that patience by which faith has its perfect work. Let us fear to take ourselves out of the hands of our heavenly Guide or to miss a single lesson of His loving discipline by discouragement or doubt."

For those of you who are suffering a very hard trial at this moment, do not doubt or be discouraged. These trials come upon us to perfect us. Hang in there...be still and seek to rid your mind of doubts and unbelief. Some of what we feel in great distress is the dying of our SELF, our flesh and this is a good thing. Let it go, give it up, surrender yourself to the great Shepherd. He will care for you. He will strengthen you. He will deliver you. He will keep you from falling.

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by
Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect,
establish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever
and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:10-11

It is through suffering that He makes us perfect.

Not only is our Savior able to keep us from falling and wanting us to have joy, but what a delight to think that He is exceedingly joyful in what He is doing for us and in us.

"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy," Jude 24

So, why not today ask along with me for something that is seemingly impossible and believe, casting off all doubt... I will be praying for you.

"I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Do You Have the Faith That Believes to See?

2010-02-18T08:29:00.000-08:00

From Streams in the Desert

True faith counts on God, and believes before it sees. Naturally, we want some evidence that our petition is granted before we believe; but when we walk by faith we need no other evidence than God’s Word. He has spoken, and according to our faith it shall be done unto us. We shall see because we have believed and this faith sustains us in the most trying places, when everything around us seems to contradict God’s Word.

The psalmist says, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living”(Psalms 27:13). He did not see as yet the Lord’s answer to his prayers, but he believed to see and this kept him from fainting.

If we have the faith that believes to see, it will keep us from growing discouraged. We shall “laugh at impossibilities“,we shall watch with delight to see how God is going to open up a path through the Red Sea when there is no human way out of our difficulty. It is just in such places of severe testing that our faith grows and
strengthens.

Have you been waiting upon God, dear troubled one, during long nights and weary days, and have feared that you were forgotten? Nay, Lift up your head, and begin to praise Him even now for the deliverance which is on its way to you.

From Life of Praise

Multitude Monday

2010-02-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

My Multitude Monday post has been moved here. Please visit my Words of Life blog. :)

photo by Josie Iselin from her book Heart Stones www.josieiselin.com

Seeking the Lost Sheep

2010-02-06T06:26:00.000-08:00

I have some very good news to share with you...

"The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10

How often have we heard this verse, and when are we going to believe it?

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. "John 14:1

Our Father is hearing your prayers, not only hearing but our great Shepherd is seeking our lost sheep. There is no telling what trials that may entail, climbing up to rocky summits, reaching down into deep chasms, but He is able, He is mighty...Nothing is impossible with Him.

Just BELIEVE...

Blaming Yourself For Your Prodigal

2010-02-03T16:43:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've looked online for an article about prodigals that I think would be helpful, but tonight I came across this one...thank you to whoever wrote this...

My husband and I have experienced the reality of knowing, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 Jn. 4). Our two daughters professed Christ at an early age, witnessed in their schools, traveled on mission trips, and embarked into adult life with a passion for Christ. Our family life has been built around joy and laughter; and even through the teen years, we enjoyed close family times backpacking and ministering together here and abroad. The girls have been characterized as leaders, constantly encouraging and challenging those around them to live their Christian beliefs.

It always brought us great joy knowing that our children were walking in the truth. Then one bought into a lie. Now we see the flip side to the above verse; there is no greater sorrow than seeing your children walk in a lie. Since our daughter’s ungodly choices, we have grieved for the loss of our close family relationships, for our witness in our community and family, over the eventual consequences of her decisions, and even grieved that God would allow this to happen.

Our joy, peace, energy, and focus have been drained and replaced with despair, anger, fatigue and distractedness. We have been plagued by questions. How could this happen? What should we do? What would influence her? How should we respond? Our close family was thrown into crisis; joy turned to sorrow, and lies twisted truth. The parable of the prodigal son has become a real and personal journey with a precious, yet prodigal, daughter.

At one point in this heavy journey, I had a mental picture of us facing our prodigal daughter, she standing with her back to us. We were pleading and begging for her to turn around, listen to God’s Word, and recognize the lies. Then the focus shifted and God was standing behind me, my back turned to Him, and He was calling me to turn around and to recognize the lies. God was trying to get my attention while I was trying to get my daughter’s attention. Her lies were different from mine, but nonetheless I had also been ensnared by lies. God was pleading with me to recognize and accept His truth in my own life.

God’s truth needs to be sorted from the enemy’s lies.

I cannot allow my daughter’s actions to define me, but I can, through God’s help, allow them to refine me. Through godly counsel and His Word, the truth is being sifted from the enemy’s subtle and pervasive lies. The refinement process is not complete, but I have identified, examined, and discarded the following lies:

Lie #1: What if?

The enemy loves to get us into the “what if” or blame game. What if I had been more persuasive? What if I had counseled her with more studied words? What if I had been more discerning? What if I had just been a better mom? I was consumed with analyzing every nuance over the past years, reviewing my interactions, and questioning my role as both mother and wife.

My analytical thoughts became paralyzing and I spiraled downward into a pit of remorse and inadequacy. Slowly through the slime, I began to see that it is not all about me. My eloquence or lack of it, my parenting skills or lack of them, will not ultimately change a heart. That is the Holy Spirit’s job. I can be obedient to God’s direction. I can do the best I can in parenting and counseling. But the ultimate work is God’s. My pleas will not bring a prodigal into right thinking, right living, or right decisions.

Our daughter made this choice in spite of Scripture, godly models, and counsel, and she will also reap the consequences of her choice. Ezekiel 18:20 reminds us that “…the son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.” I can neither accept the blame nor take the credit. The “what ifs” must cease because they are not from God.

Lie #2: If you parent well enough, your child will not make ungodly choices.

When my daughter turned away from her firm foundation, I questioned how this could happen to my family. Subconsciously and incorrectly, I presumed that Proverbs 22:6, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” guaranteed a child’s godly choices. The Lord showed me, through my own heartache, that I have wrongly judged others and their parenting ability. I thought if someone had a child not walking with the Lord, it was always a direct reflection on their parenting skills. Now on the other side with a wayward daughter, I realize the lie and repent of my judgment of others. Godly parenting does not guarantee a godly child.

Lie #3: My prodigal adult child disqualifies me for ministry.

One of the qualifications listed in 1 Tim. 3:4 for an overseer is to “manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.” This does not refer to adult children. But Satan wants to fuel our insecurities, have us focus on our inadequacies, and cripple our ministries. Instead of stepping out of ministry, we should step up to be used by God. The more open and transparent we are in our parenting journey, the more dependent we are on Him for strength, and the more opportunities there will be for us to minister.

During the painful times of answering concerned inquires about our daughter, has emerged a new openness for those sharing similar burdens. One embarrassing instance of addressing pointed questions at a neighborhood party resulted in a phenomenal opportunity to share God’s truth. Leadership is not about being perfect individuals. It is about being humbly obedient and available. Transparency and vulnerability can make us better servant ministers.

Lie #4: God is powerless to intervene.

Somewhere in this extended battle, I crossed the line from believing God would not act to believing God could not act. I fell prey to the lie that God could not change our daughter’s mind or way. My personal systematic theology had me spinning in circles around God’s sovereignty and the free will of man. The Lord had chosen to not answer my fervent prayers to radically intervene in our daughter’s life. Since faith and hope are intricately entwined, I was hopeless.

My view of God was too small. I do not understand how God’s sovereignty and free will work, but I have become convinced that God is so much bigger than we can ever imagine. He can and will intervene if He so chooses. This mom needs to trust more, worry less, and stop trying to figure everything out. He is God and I am not! My God, our God, is a God of hope that fills us with all joy and peace as we trust in Him (Rom. 15:13), and He is more than able to do great things.

This mother’s journey in parenting a prodigal is far from over. The hurt and sadness are still very real and close. But as the Lord has revealed the insidiousness of the enemy’s lies, the burden has become more manageable. Now I can focus on what I am learning and not on what my daughter should be learning. This was reiterated during a recent visit. We were scheduled to rendezvous with our precious prodigal after church.

The sermon was unexpectedly all too relevant: “Grace Demands a Death.” The pastor pointed out that if we are to extend grace, as Christ did, we must also experience death. As parents, we need to die to our dreams, our desires, and our expectations for our children. We need to love them unconditionally, expecting nothing in return. Still stirred from this poignant message, we exited the church building and saw our daughter standing on the far side of the parking lot.

My husband ran to our cold, stiff daughter, standing sullenly by the car, and wrapped her in a warm, loving hug. That was our best visit to date! My hope has been renewed; He is restoring my soul. Like Habakkuk, I will wait and keep watch from the ramparts to see what the Lord will do. God is in control and He loves us and our prodigals dearly.

The author has decided to write anonymously to protect her daughter’s privacy.

Being Heirs Together of the Grace of Life

2010-01-24T09:26:00.000-08:00

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 1 Peter 3:7

This morning as I opened my Bible in the wee morning hours to commune with my
Savior, I distinctly felt a wall of emotion, a cloud of turmoil, disturbing thoughts and anguish keeping me back from my usual abiding in Christ and the flow of His love and grace in and around and about me. Yes, I had received some very disturbing news last night about a fellow Christian in dire straits, and I had been praying for them, but this was not the cause of my consternation. It was because my husband and I had a small dispute, nothing big, but big enough to hinder my prayers. Yes, folks, it doesn’t take much, but this wonderful relationship we have with our spouse is very important to our God, to the point that if it is not taken care of, our prayers will be hindered. Immediately, I turned my thoughts and prayers to my Father asking Him to take care of the situation and it was not long after, that healing came and once again we were “heirs together of the grace of life”… together, in oneness with each other and God.

This relationship between husband and wife is the building block of the family. It needs to be built firmly on the Rock. Our children need desperately to see the oneness and strong bond of their parents. I have seen children favoring one parent over the other and actually manipulating one parent to the detriment of their marriage. Once the parents see this and reestablish their relationship and stand firm, the child, who is probably a young adult by now, may throw a fit and may even become a prodigal. In one instance I am familiar with, the parents are facing a terrible battle with their prodigal, but in standing together they are now “heirs together of the grace of life” and the promise is that their prayers will not be hindered!

In my opening scripture Peter was speaking to husbands to honor their wives in the same way that the wives were to honor their husbands. He actually spent a little more time admonishing the wives. Why is it that we have the same problems now that they had back then? Men and women think differently, our Creator made us this way for a purpose. Together we can be a wonderful testimony of God’s love, but obviously we all have to strive for that perfect bond of peace. So as Peter thought it was necessary to “stir you up by putting you in remembrance…” 2 Peter 1:13, we do ourselves good to call ourselves into remembrance to be diligent in our walk and do everything we can not to hinder our prayers or grieve the Holy Spirit, especially in our marriages.

And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:30-5:1

Walk With Him Wednesday

2010-01-20T15:43:00.000-08:00

Every Wednesday, we Walk with Him, posting a spiritual practice that draws us nearer to His heart. Today it is... Words God Has Laid On Your Heart to Share.

My Walk With Him Wednesday posts are here... : ) Please visit my Words of Life blog.

Encouragement Through Suffering

2010-01-15T10:06:00.000-08:00

There was an accident two years ago on Highway 66. Two young women hit by a truck swerving into their lane. The two died instantly, the truck driver lived, but has never apologized to the grieving families. I pray for him that God would give him grace, and touch his heart that he would come to know Jesus and find peace.

I met the mother of one of these young women just the other day. She is a vibrant Christian. Her daughter was her only child…

With tears in her eyes she told me her story, and she told me of Christ’s Victory and even through her grief, she accepts what happened. She knows that for whatever reason it was God’s perfect timing in taking her daughter home. Her daughter had an intimate relationship with Jesus.

I sit and ponder her life. I have not lost my prodigal to physical death, but to spiritual death, and he is not my only child. It has been very difficult and heart-rending for us as parents to lose our children to the “world”, but there is still hope. We will hope unto the end and most importantly trust our heavenly Father that He is answering our prayers.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom 6:23

George Matheson (1842-1906), a blind minister exhorted Christians to enter a rest from one’s personal suffering and grief in order to hear God speak…

”God spoke when there was no inward storm. He could not speak when the mind was fretted; His voice demands the silence of the soul.”

I love the hymn, “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go” written by George Matheson. I think of how many times my prodigal has said to me that he senses the Father’s force and still yet, he is resisting. But the Almighty will not quit, He is persevering and longsuffering. Here is the story behind this beautiful hymn.

"My hymn was composed in the manse of Innelan [Argyleshire, Scotland] on the evening of the 6th of June, 1882, when I was 40 years of age. I was alone in the manse at that time. It was the night of my sister’s marriage, and the rest of the family were staying overnight in Glasgow. Something happened to me, which was known only to myself, and which caused me the most severe mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It was the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the impression of having it dictated to me by some inward voice rather than of working it out myself. I am quite sure that the whole work was completed in five minutes, and equally sure that it never received at my hands any retouching or correction. I have no natural gift of rhythm. All the other verses I have ever written are manufactured articles; this came like a dayspring from on high."

O, Love That Will Not Let Me Go

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/l/oltwnlmg.htm

How inspiring is that! Here is more encouragement from Dr. Matheson written so long ago, but inspires us still…

“My soul, hast thou pondered these words, “Be still and know”? In the hour of perturbation, thou canst not hear the answer to thy prayers. How often has the answer seemed to come long after! The heart got no response in the moment of its crying – in its thunder, its earthquake, and its fire. But when the crying ceased, when the stillness fell, when thy hand desisted from knocking on the iron gate, when the interest of other lives broke the tragedy of thine own, then appeared the long-delayed reply. Thou must rest, O soul, if thou wouldst have thy heart’s desire. Still the beating of thy pulse of personal care. Hide thy tempest of individual trouble behind the altar of common tribulation and, that same night, the Lord shall appear to thee. The rainbow shall span the place of the subsiding flood, and in thy stillness thou shalt hear the everlasting music.”

...This amazing woman, whose only child has been taken from her, is pouring her life into helping others. And through her quietness with her Savior and the acceptance of His love for her in exceedingly painful circumstances has allowed Him to touch other lives through her suffering. This is such an encouragement to me and I pray it will be to you as well.

Jeremiah 31:3 "I have loved you with an everlasting love."

photos by Jeremy

Multitude Monday

2010-01-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

My Multitude Monday posts have been moved here... : ) Please visit my Words of Life blog.