Mature Relationship

Posted on July 25, 2019 by Jennifer Van Allen

Prodigal: The Lords works are amazing!

Me: Yes, I agree and we should Praise Him!

This is from the book The Dynamics of Worship by James P. Gills, M.D.

Many Christians have begun to discover the inadequacy of mere knowledge of God through His Word or even of their dedication to Him. They have practiced both of these concepts from their youth, and yet, much to their dis may, admit that their hearts remain stone cold toward God. They don’t love Him at all. Something is missing–the zeal, the passion that marks a true worshiper.

A mature relationship with the Lord embodies three components: knowledge of Him, covenant with Him, and worship of Him. These elements represent the complete love of God. If the relationship is to grow in a healthy manner, they must be present in equal measure. The three enhance one another in a kind of divine synergy. From worship comes an expansion of intimate knowledge and covenant, which in turn reinforces worship even further. Each element complements and completes the other two, but worship kindles the fire of passion for God.

Angels worship and so should we.

For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.

Ephesians 5:9

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

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Nearness of Christ

Posted on July 24, 2019 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: I’m enjoying the walk today.

Prodigal: Me too!

Me: How can we bring God into this?

Prodigal: Maybe you can share?

We had forgotten You, or very nearly—

You did not seem to touch us very nearly—

Of course we thought about You now and then;

Especially in any time of trouble–

We knew that You were good in time of trouble–

But we are very ordinary men.

And there were always other things to think of–

There’s lots of things a man has got to think of–

His work, his home, his pleasure, and his wife;

And so we only thought of You on Sunday–

Sometimes, perhaps, not even on a Sunday–

Because there’s always lots to fill one’s life.

And, all the while, in street or lane or byway–

In country lane, in city street, or byway–

You walked among us, and we did not see.

Your feet were bleeding as You walked our pavements–

How did we miss Your Footprints on our pavements?–

Can there be other folk as blind as we?

Now we remember…..

We think about You kneeling in the Garden–

Ah! God! the agony of that dread Garden–

We know You prayed for us upon the Cross.

If anything could make us glad to bear it–

“Twould be the knowledge that You willed to bear it–

Pain-death-the uttermost of human loss.

Though we forgot You-You will not forget us–

We feel so sure that You will not forget us–

But stay with us until this dream is past.

And so we ask for courage, strength, and pardon–

Especially, I think, we ask for pardon–

And that You’ll stand beside us to the last.

Author Unknown

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. Exodus 3:2

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Women Lovin’ Jesus

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: Do not forget to turn to the Lord in prayer.

Prodigal: Yes, sometimes we can get lazy about it.

Me: Thank you for watching video

click here to watch

Proverbs 3:4

Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

A Complex Emotion

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: This doesn’t look like much…

Prodigal: It doesn’t matter what it looks like, it is good here.

Me: I agree, God values a lot because He sees the truth.

This is from the book: So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore

You can hurt my feelings, but you cannot have my security.

I won’t let you. It’s mine to keep. You cannot have it.

You can criticize me and even be right about what I did wrong, but you do not

get to damage my security. It’s mine to keep. You cannot have it.

You might have embarrassed me, but I refuse to let it fall on me

so heavily that it smothers my security. It’s mine to keep.

You cannot have it.

You may be so intimidating and threatening that I feel I have to hand a lot of things to you,

but I refuse to hand over my security. Who are you doesn’t get to dwarf who I am.

My security is mine to keep. You cannot have it.

Now therefore arise, O Lord God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of strength: let thy priests, O Lord God, be clothes with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness.

2 Chronicles 6:41

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

What God Made

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Jennifer Van Allen

Prodigal: The sand feels amazing under my feet!

Me: I love the sounds, the smells and the warmth of the sun at the beach.

I could see only a couple, not as many as if I was back home. The few I did see memorized my attention. What was around me became smaller as I gazed upon them. I wondered about how they were made. They were different sizes and, some appeared clearer than others. What history did they hold? Who had been memorized by them other than myself? I am sure their have been millions that existed of all ages and, at all time frames. Some people have quickly peeked and some took years to study their beauty.

For me on this night I was thinking of the creator. The Lord our God made these stars millions, billions of years ago. They shine for us every night that the sky is clear. Thousands of generations of families have used them to guide them, give them joy and, delight in their shiny appearance. They have outlived the ones who studied them, who ignored them and, who honored them.

All I could think about is how wonderfully they were made. My gaze looked down and I saw street lamps around me. How long has that street lamp been around. It is not new. It has dirt and missing paint on it. How old is it though, 15 years? I look back at the stars. How old are you star that is small but still bright enough to see? I would guess you are older than 15 years.

God’s creations really do stand the test of time. Just look around. Man can do a good job. People can praise man, and they can make amazing objects that shine brightly for a long time. Just look at the street lamps. They cannot out shine the stars at night. You disagree? You think people cry out about the beauty of street lamps? You think the street lamps are studied and mapped out and admired for years on in? How long do you think these street lamps can last? Wait until the bulbs burn out. How will the street lamps compare to the stars then. The stars will then easily out power those things that are of man.

For me this night ,was a reminder of how the ministry works that God has given, should be made. There are more ministry workers and ministries than we can count that are made and run all on men’s strength. They out shine some other ministries at times. Which ministry has the real power, which ministry will last?

Just as stars that are God made, ministries that are God made will out shine everything else. The ministry that God has made and uses God’s power just cannot compare with something that is man made. For me I want to be part of something that God has made, not what man has made. There is something memorizing about Gods’ ministries that you can’t ignore and draws you in. It kinda is like looking at the stars and getting lost in the beauty of the creation.

Sometimes we get stuck in the cities so long and, see so many street lamps, we forget the stars. We forget how wonderful they really are. We think street lamps have the power of the stars. What we don’t see is how they are always changing things to try and appear bright. They have to continually change their bulbs to try and catch up. Take one storm, one power outage, one problem with the electrical system and they cannot function.

Now remember the sun, our closest star. When one the last time it didn’t work in a day. Even during a storm, a power outage or the coldest day. Yes, the stars, that is what I want my ministry to look like. Yes, God help the ministry to look like the stars.

1 Corinthians 15:28

And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Fanny Crosby

Posted on July 20, 2019 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: It is a perfect day to be outside.

Prodigal: I agree.

Me: I wanted to share more about some amazing women.

Prodigal: I think that you should.

This is from the book Great Women of the Christian Faith by Edith Deen

Fanny Crosby wrote the astonishing number of more than eight thousand religious poems, many of which have been set to music and distributed by the millions in English-speaking countries. Among her best known hymns are : Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross,” Draw Me Nearer,” Blessed Assurance,” Rescue the Perishing,” “I Am Thine, O Lord” and “All the Way My Savior Leads Me.”

Born in southeast Putnam County, New York, on March 24, 1820, Fanny Crosby became blind at the age of six weeks during a sickness. As a young girl she joined the Old St. John Methodist Church in New York City. At the age of fifteen she entered the New York Institute for the Blind, where she received an excellent education. She later taught there.

“Blindness can not keep the sunlight of hope from the trusting soul, ” she wrote in later life. “One of the earliest resolves that I formed in my young and joyous heart was to leave all care to yesterday, and to believe that the morning would bring forth its own peculiar joy.”

In 1858 she married Alexander van Alstyne, who was also blind. He was an organist in two New York City churches, and his co-operation and musical knowledge contributed greatly to her success. Their united lives made harmony for forty-four years until his death in 1902.

Fanny Crosby’s “Safe in the Arms of Jesus” was one of the first American hymns to be translated into numerous foreign languages. Among others found in almost every hymnbook are : “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling Thee Home, ” “Savior More Than Life,” “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour” and “Jesus Is Mine.”

From 1865 to 1905 she produced nearly two hundred songs each year. She died in 1915 at the age of ninety-five after giving fifty-one years of her life to enriching the Christian hymnology.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:8

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

When Life Gets Hard

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Jennifer Van Allen

Prodigal: So, this might be tougher to get out of then I thought.

Me: I can support you, even if it takes a while.

Prodigal: Thank you, that means a lot.

There comes a time in everyone’s life when trouble and difficulties seem to gang up. When this happens–when life gets hard–what is the creative way to handle things?

FIRST: Don’t try to do it all yourself. Do not struggle and fret. Do not strain and complain. Do all you can about things and then put everything into God’s hands, trusting Him to bring it out right. You can depend upon God. He will not fail you. Let go and let God.

SECOND: Pray for guidance and believe that direction is now being given you. Believe this guidance can be trusted. Depend upon it, for it won’t fail you.

THIRD: Pray for and practice a calm attitude. Disturbing things will remain disturbing as long as you are disturbed. But when you become peaceful, conditions will iron themselves out. You cannot think creatively when your mind is upset. Remember: upset minds upset; peaceful minds “peacefulize.”

FOURTH: Saturate your consciousness with faith, the creative faith that things will turn our right. Say aloud every day several times: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isa. 26:3). “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isa. 30:15). “Peace unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

FIFTH: Remind yourself of one great truth: hard experiences will pass away. They will yield. They can be changed. So just hold on, with God’s help.

SIXTH: There is always a light in the darkness. Believe that. Look for that light. The light is the love of God. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105). Go ahead into the darkness unafraid.

SEVENTH:Ask the Lord to release your own creative ingenuity, your own strength and wisdom, which taken together can, for a fact, handle any problem successfully.

EIGHTH: Never forget that God cares for you, that He loves you. He wants to help you. Turn to Him, and gratefully accept His help.

NINTH: Remember that all human beings experience troubles similar to your own. Many years ago a graduating class gave a stone bench to their university on which were graven these words: “To those who sit here sorrowing or rejoicing: greetings. So also did we in our time.”

TENTH: Finally, hold on to this great promise: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” And this is the truth. God will see you through, and a brighter day will dawn for you.

If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.

John 12:26

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Women Lovin’ Jesus

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Jennifer Van Allen

Prodigal: We have begun chapter 3 and I am enjoying it.

Me: Here is another video to watch.

click here to watch

Proverbs 3:3

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Risky Flight

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: How is your friend?

Prodigal: She cooks her peas and turnips in the same pot.

Me: Doesn’t mean she still can’t help out some.

Prodigal: Yeah, people deserve a chance.

This is from the book Angels Watching Over Us: In the Shadow of Wings

Bess thanked the flight crew as she disembarked in Chicago. She had taken only a few steps when she felt a crushing pain in her chest. She stopped and leaned forward, bracing herself against the corridor wall as the pressure grew. Then someone grabbed her arm and guided her into the terminal. Bess felt herself being eased into a chair.

She could hardly breathe, and when she raised her eyes she looked into the face of a small girl no older than five.

“Where’s your medicine?” the child demanded. Bess glanced at her purse, and in seconds, the little girl found the nitroglycerin, opened the childproof cap, and placed a pill gently in Bess’s mouth. Bess rolled it under her tongue, and closed her eyes. The pain was so harsh.

“Take two,” the little voice commanded, and Bess complied, smiling despite the pressure in her chest. Gradually the pain retreated.

“Mom! What happened?” shouted Bess’s son, Dan, as he pushed through the crowd.

“Zosia!” screeched a voice, and a red-haired woman rushed up to the little girl and hugged her tightly. She said something to the child in a language Bess didn’t understand.

The nitro had done its work, and Bess kissed her son. “Just an angina attack. I haven’t had one for so long I forgot how bad they can be.”

Bess didn’t argue when Dan suggested they stop at the hospital on the way home. The pain had never been so strong before. Then she turned to the little girl, who still held her hand.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Bess said, giving the little hand a gently squeeze. “For such a little angel, you’re very smart and brave!

“Excuse me, I’m Zosia’s aunt, ” said the woman, who spoke with a slight accent. “I don’t know how Zosia ended up over here–we just stepped off a plane from Poland. But thank you for your kind words.” She spoke rapidly to the child in Polish. Zosia chattered back in the same language and smiled shyly at Bess.

“Zosia says she’s happy you’re better,” said the girl’s aunt.

“But, why doesn’t she say it?” Bess asked, surprised.

“She can’t Zosia doesn’t know English yet!” said the woman laughing, as they waved gaily and disappeared into the crowd.

Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

Isaiah 51:1

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

The Shield of Faith

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: What is that Prodigal?

Prodigal: It is my shield and I need to use it today.

Me: Let me share how the shield is used.

This is from the book Overcoming Spiritual Blindness by James P. Gills, M.D.

The most versatile defensive armor of the soldier was his shield. With great quickness, he could quickly divert blows and fiery arrows from many angles. This shield, Paul says, is our faith–faith in God’s Word and in the living, reigning God who spoke it and stands by it. It is faith that we are protected by Christ-our Shield.

Spiritual blindness deadens our faith and leaves us unshielded from the enemy. However, true living faith holds up what God’s Word says to divert the lies that the devil shoots into the mind. These lies are the soul-damaging and soul-destroying deceptions that come at us out of our blind spots and stir us to reject God’s way–the good way, the only way–and pursue the way of self and sin. First Peter 5:9 tells us to resist the devil steadfastly in the faith. And John declares, “This is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith” (1 John 5:4).

The Bible declares that God is our shield and exceedingly great reward (Gen. 15:1). And He is our very present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1). When I can see clearly, I am shielded from the debilitating effects of accusation and malicious criticism by believing only what God says about me. He says I am loved with an everlasting love (Jere. 31:3). Accusers will say that God has cast me off, but faith says He will never leave me nor forsake me (Heb. 13.5).

You want to focus on the slander, the hurt, the critics and their words. How could people say so many things about you, and think they know you and yet have never spoken to you. Forgive them and now focus on the truth of what God says about you.

But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Hebrews 5:14

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org