Home Away From Home

Posted on April 15, 2018 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: This was a good walk. What are you going on to do late tonight?

Prodigal: We’re goin’ to throw our hats over the windmill!

Me: Don’t get into trouble while your having all that fun!

Prodigal: I will be staying out of trouble.

This comes from the book God’s Generals by Roberts Liardon

The Lake family had been praying diligently for a home when they reached Johannesburg. As faith missionaries, they had no support from church boards, and no denomination waiting to accept them at their arrival. All they had was their faith in God.

When they arrived in Johannesburg in May of 1908, they noticed a little woman running around the dock area looking at everyone. She was American. Running up to Tom, she said, “You are an American missionary party? to which Tom replied, “Yes.” “How many are in your party? the lady went on. “Four,” Tom answered back. But she shook her head and said, “No, you aren’t the family. Is there another?”

Then Tom directed her to Lake. “How many are in your family?” the lady asked. “My wife, myself, and my seven children,” Lake said. The lady suddenly looked ecstatic and shrilled, “You are the family!” Then she went on to explain how God directed her to meet their boat and that on it would be an American missionary family consisting of two adults and seven children. And that she was to give them a home.

That same afternoon, the Lake’s were settled into a furnished home in Johannesburg. God had provided it, just as they had asked. The American lady, Mrs. C. L. Goodenough, remained a faithful friend throughout their ministry.

Ezekiel 11:19

And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

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Wayward Children

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: Very cute baby pictures!

Prodigal: Yes, sometimes it is hard to imagine how children have changed.

Me: I agree and sometimes we struggle with our children.

This is from John White’s Parents in Pain

At one point I wondered whether to deal with the different kinds of trouble children get into: drugs, alcohol, crime, homosexuality, secret marriages, pregnancy/paternity and so on. Yet I realized that in one sense it makes little difference what the nature of the problem is. Parental reactions run along the same lines. Shock is shock. Mistrust is mistrust. Rage is rage, weariness is weariness and despair, despair. Whatever the cause of our struggles, our human reactions follow similar patterns. And it is these you need help with. I want to give you a hand in getting up off the floor to live, even to experience joy again.

My goal is higher still….I would like to open a door for you, a door of hope…through which you may enter a fuller and richer life than you could have known before. For the God I believe in specializes in bringing good out of evil, strength out of pain and joy out of tragedy.

The goodness begins when you face the truth squarely, however much it sickens you. As much as you want to walk away and live someplace else, you did marry. You did produce children. They are alive and they are yours. The problem won’t go away by pretending they are not there.

The problem includes your feelings–your hurt, your rage, your panic, your disappointment, your shame, your humiliation, your alternate wish to yell at someone (your spouse, your child, your child’s friends, the school teacher) and to lock yourself in the bathroom and talk to nobody. Look at them all. They exist. They are part of the problem you face. Even the sense of despair. And to look at them, to be able to face them fully and honestly, and to size them up is the first step in solving them. You cannot solve problems you close your eyes to.

Proverbs 21:2

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Build Me a Son

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: Are you getting the crib ready?

Prodigal: Yes, I am.

Me: Well I have a prayer

This is from General Douglas A. MacArthur

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee–and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here, let him learn to stand up in the storm; here, let him learn compassion for those who fall.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goals will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength. Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”

John 6:20

But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Spiritual Unity

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: That is a good book Prodigal!

Prodigal: Yes, why don’t you share something from it today.

This is from the book Joy in Christ’s Presence by Charles Spurgeon

Forget thee I will not, I cannot, thy name

Engraved on My heart doth for ever remain:

The palms of My hands whilst I look on I see

The wounds I received when suffering for thee.

Psalm 41:13

Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Pride

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: Can you hit the target Prodigal?

Prodigal: I think I can but the person before me couldn’t knock a hole in the wind with a sackful of hammers.

Me: Don’t get to prideful Prodigal.

Prodigal: No, I probably should not.

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

The sin of our belief in freedom from God will never allow us to reach quiet rest and peace found in His arms. Just as surely, pride prevents our experiencing fulfilling relationships with others. Through pride, we seek to be seen as superior to our brother, our friends, our spouse. Yet, authentically, pride is mindless human horseplay.

The ministrations of a prideful spirit may whisper to us that our possessions or qualities, objects that we own, or talents we posses, make us greater and different from our neighbor. When we receive spiritual sight, God reveals that our possessions are only “treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal Matthew 6:19

That pride ain’t going to help you today. That pride is going to bring you down. So get rid of it now or let God do the humbling.

Job 13:1-2

Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it. What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Bible and Quran

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: That was an interesting conversation with the neighbor.

Prodigal: She’s meaner than a mama wasp.

Me: Maybe, we should just pray for her.

This is from the book Beyond Opinion by Living the Faith We Defend by Ravi Zacharias

The Quran is composed of 114 chapters known as Suras. They are not chronologically organized. The Arabic language is intrinsically part of the revelation. Therefore, all its translations are regarded as commentaries and not text. Strange as it may sound, the Quran has no coherent message, lacks clarity, and is historically inaccurate and internally inconsistent.

Apologetically speaking, the Quran has serious fear of biblical teachings and so it distorts them through allusions and by falsification of the biblical truths. Its revelation through inspiration and its methodology are shrouded in secrecy. The original version of the Quran, having been preserved in the eternal tablet, was brought down to the atmospheric realm of our earth. Muslims believe that the whole of the Quran is an inspired word, with no human influence whatsoever. It has never been subjected to the acid tests that the Bible has been.

Romans 5:8

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Dark Power

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: It is so beautiful out side right now.

Prodigal: I know, I wish everyone would focus on the beauty around us and God our creator.

Me: Me too, but sin has a way of distracting us.

This is from the book C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity

How did the Dark Power go wrong? Here, no doubt, we ask a question to which human beings cannot give an answer with any certainty. A reasonable (and traditional) guess, based on our experiences of going wrong, can, however, be offered. The moment you have a self at all, there is possibility of putting yourself first–wanting to be the center–wanting to be God, in fact. That was the sin of Satan: and that was the sin he taught the human race. Some people think the fall of man had something to do with sex, but that is a mistake (The story in the Book of Genesis rather suggests that some corruption in our nature followed the fall and was its result, not its cause.) What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could “be like gods”–could set up on their own as if they had created themselves–be their own masters–invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history–money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery–the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.

The reason why it can never succeed is this. God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.

Ezekiel 16:62

And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD:

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Sacrifice for God

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: Howdy!

Prodigal: What have you been thinking about over yonder.

Me: Just what I have been seeing lately!

This is from the book The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

This is the only real harbinger of revival which I have been able to detect anywhere on the religious horizon. It may be the cloud the size of a man’s hand for which a few saints here and there have been looking. It can result in a resurrection of life for many souls and a recapture of that radiant wonder which should accompany any faith in Christ, that wonder which has all but fled the Church of God in our day.

But this hunger must be recognized by our religious leaders. Current evangelicalism has (to change the figure) laid the altar and divided the sacrifice into parts, but now seems satisfied to count the stories and rearrange the pieces with never a care that there is not a sign of fire upon the top of lofty Carmel. But God be thanked that there are a few who care. They are those who, while they love the altar and delight in the sacrifice, are yet unable to reconcile themselves to the continued absence of fire. They desire God above all. They are athirst to taste for themselves the “piercing sweetness” of the love of Christ about. Whom all the holy prophets did write and the psalmists did sing.

Thank you that when I look at you. I know that you are focus on the Lord and you are a leader that has a hunger and that you do have sacrifice in your heart. Thank you Lord that He placed you in my life!

Romans 8:18

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

I Asked

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: I wonder who else has been in these parts?

Prodigal: I wonder what people were thinking as they looked around.

Me: Here is a poem from an unknown Confederate soldier.

I asked God for strength that I might achieve.

I was made me weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked God for health that I might do great things.

I was given infirmity that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy.

I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.

I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.

I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing I asked for

but everything I had hoped for…

Almost despite myself

My unspoken prayers were answered.

I’m among all men am most richly blessed.

Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Islam

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: Prodigal, you look mad?

Prodigal: If that guy come around me one more time I’ll hit him in the Adam’s apple so hard he’ll be spittin’ cider for a week.

Me: Maybe we need to look at forgiveness, which is what Jesus is all about.

This is from the book Beyond Opinion Living the Faith We Defend by Ravi Zacharias

In Islam, the highest sacrifice is not that of self-denial for the good of others but of self-sacrifice for the sake of Allah in killing his enemies. The benchmark of true believers is not their ability to love their enemies but how much they can hate them, even if they are their own parents, children, brothers, or kinsmen. Allah has declared his enmity with them forever and ever if they resist him and Muhammad.

We know Jesus so we try to live like Jesus. Love your enemies. This means you will live by the spirit and not the flesh.

Ezekiel 14:23

And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org