Me: Howdy!
Prodigal: Let’s watch your video
Proverbs 1:19
Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Author Archives: Jennifer Van Allen
The Highest Love of God
Me: Watcha thinking about Prodigal?
Prodigal: Just a lot on my mind and I got to make some decisions.
Me: Mornin’ is wiser than evenin’
Prodigal: Yep, I should wait some then.
This is from the book The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
Spinoza wrote of the intellectual love of God, and he had a measure of truth there; but the highest love of God is not intellectual, it is spiritual. God is spirit and only the spirit of man can know Him really. In the deep spirit of a man the fire must glow or his love is not the true love of God. The great of the Kingdom have been those who loved God more than others did. We all know who they have been and gladly pay tribute to the depths and sincerity of their devotion. We have to pause for a moment and their names come trooping past us smelling of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces.
How do we know if someone loves God? We see it in their life. How do we know when someone loves someone else. We see it. Who has not noticed the newlyweds who are watching each other with a small smile and a peace of knowing and loving. This is evident of anyone is near them and spends a second to observe them.
Who has seen the couple who has been married for over 20 years that share that small joke between only the two of them that is overflowing with a commitment that has managed to overcome the darkest of valleys.
We see that and yet when we see people talk of God and worship God the same can be seen. We can see the commitment, we can see the intimacy that comes from answered prayers that was first spoken in tears. We can see that their spirit is different. They are not like others in the world when they talk of this God who saved them. Yes, there is something that is deep in the spirit that is sincere and is different. It is something that you can have, and God freely gives to all who seek!
Psalm 118:21
I will praise thee; for thou has heard me, and art become my salvation.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Disagreements
Prodigal: You look like you are not yourself. Whats wrong?
Me: People
Prodigal: What about people
Me: He’s so hardheaded, you could chop wood on his skull
Abraham by Charles Swindoll
Through the years, after countless resolved disagreements and difficult moments, I have finally learned to listen. My wife has a lot of wisdom. She knows me better than anyone else and can say better than anyone else what I need to hear. Even when she happens to be wrong about something, her perspective has value to me. I learn how to be a better man through our disagreements, and I learn how to lover her better.
Lessons we need to learn often come through the person we’re married to, if we’re not too stupid to hear what he or she is saying.
Don’t be too stupid today…..
Matthew 13:9
Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Women Lovin’Jesus
Prodigal: We can watch your video outside!
Me: Yes, we can!
Proverbs 1:18
These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves!
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Jesus Paid It All
Me: What a nice building!
Prodigal: Yes it is, the things you see when you travel around!
Me: Yes, and here is a reminder about another part of the world!
This is from the book Voices of the Faithful by Beth Moore
To religious persons where I live, heaven is a lofty dream. They believe that good deeds and others’ prayers help them climb their way up to heaven. The better a person, the closer to heaven one is at death. The concept of salvation by grace is foreign, as they think it is earned.
My pastor and I were meeting with a friend to discuss her recent conversion and her understanding of her decision. Using 10 coins as an example, we posed the following scenario to her: “You are a sinner, and your debt to God is 10 zloty. How much are you going to pay, and how much is God going to pay?”
She was confused and asked for clarification.
“For example, will you pay the full amount?” We pushed all the coins toward her. “Or will God pay the full amount?” We pushed the coins away from her. “Or will you pay half and God pay half? We shifted the coins into two piles of five zloty each. “How much of the 10 zloty must you pay to get yourself to heaven, and how much of your debt must you let God pay?”
Smiling my friend placed her hands on the coins and pushed them into one pile. She said, “I want God to pay it all!”
My heart jumped for joy as I realized that she was not relying on herself for salvation. We cannot earn our salvation, for only God’s grace can save us!
Michelle, Central and Eastern Europe.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts. 4:12
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Getting Better
Me: Have you had a good time?
Prodigal: Yes, and I am ready to just listen to what you have to share.
This from C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity
One last point. Remember that, as I said, the right direction leads not only to peace but to knowledge. When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right. This is common sense, really. You understand sleep when you are awake, not while you are sleeping. You can see mistakes in arithmetic when your mind is working properly: while you are making them you cannot see them. You can understand the nature of drunkenness when you are sober, not when you are drunk. Good people know about both good and evil: bad people do not know about either.
2 Peter 1:16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
You Can Avoid it All
Me: Who is your friend?
Prodigal: Monkey, and he could talk the hide off a cow.
Me: So, I just might have some discernment around them.
This is from the book God, but I’m Bored by Eileen Guder
You can live on bland food so as to avoid an ulcer; drink no tea or coffee or other stimulants, in the name of health; go to bed early and stay away from night life; avoid all controversial subjects so as never to give offense; you can mind your own business and avoid all involvement in other people’s problems; spend money only on necessities and save all you can.
You can still break your neck in the bathtub, and it will serve you right.
Matthew 13:12
For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Chronic Dependence
Me: Looks like you are busy with your blocks!
Prodigal: I love them!
Me: Whatever oils your tractor is fine with me!
This is from the book Abraham by Charles Swindoll
This chronic dependence upon self as opposed to living by faith is referred to as carnality by many theologians. It’s based on carne, the Latin word for meat or flesh. It’s the idea of living life by human ability rather than looking to, and leaning upon, God and His promises. Invariably, when we choose carnality, we find temporary satisfaction followed by deeper need….and eventual death.
Lord, help me see how I am holding on to things of the flesh today. My spirit really wants to follow you in complete trust. I know that the enemy has been whispering seeds of fear in me. I do not want to listen to the fears and then follow in my flesh. Please Lord, just direct me as I surrender all thoughts and plans to you!
Matthew 12:30
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Women Lovin’ Jesus
Prodigal: I am ready to watch another video!
Me: I hope that it encourages you in the Lord
Proverbs 1:17
Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Church is Famishing
Me: Where are you going Prodigal?
Prodigal: I just gonna go over this fence right quick.
Me: If you break your leg, don’t come hobblin’ to me.
Prodigal: You always think the worse.
Me: Just let me know how it goes….
This is from the book The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
The world is perishing for lack of the knowledge of God and the Church is famishing for want of His Presence. The instant cure of most of our religious ills would be to enter the Presence in spiritual experience, to become suddenly aware that we are in God and that God is in us. This would lift us out of our pitiful narrowness and cause our hearts to be enlarged.
Our Lord and our God who has the world and universe working perfectly at this moment but would still show up in our spirit if we decided to praise Him right now!
Mark 13:35-37
You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org