A God of Hope

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: What a beautiful day it is to be outside!

Prodigal: Yes, I am just walking and enjoying the day. Why don’t you share a story while we are spending time together?

Today’s story comes from the book Voices of the Faithful with Beth Moore

After feeling rotten for several days, I went to the doctor to learn that I had amoebas again. He prescribed amoeba medicine and hormones and told me to quit nursing my 11-month-old baby. A few weeks went by without much improvement. There was something strangely familiar about my symptoms. Sure enough, the pregnancy test came back positive.

I walked into my doctor’s office and said, “Here’s the diagnosis.” He read the lab report and gravely looked up.” You should have an abortion. The amoeba medicine and the hormones you took are contraindicated during pregnancy. They could cause serious birth defects.”

I made it home before completely falling apart. I picked up my devotional book, and Romans 15:13 jumped right off the page at me. I prayed, “okay, God, this was a complete surprise, but it wasn’t an accident. You have given us this new life. It was Your idea, and we rejoice in it whether there are birth defects or not.”

Another voice whispered in my ear, But what will happen to your ministry if you tied down by a child who requires a lot of attention? God’s Spirit so completely overwhelmed me in that moment that I replied, “It isn’t my ministry. It’s God’s. If He wants me to use my time taking care of this child, then that’s what I have to do.”

I returned to my doctor to refuse the abortion and to tell him why. Twenty-four years have passed since that time. Today our daughter, Rebecca, is a short-term missionary.

Helen, Middle America and the Caribbean missonary

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit

Romans 15:13

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faitnincounseling.org

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Keep Me Balance

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: Be careful Prodigal!

Prodigal: I am good at balancing so I think I will be fine, thanks for watching out though.

Me: Well I am right beside you!

Chuck Swindoll in his book Active Spirituality talks about the balance in our life.

–We need a balance between work and play (too much of either is unhealthy and distasteful).

-We need a balance between time alone and time with others (too much of either takes a toll on us).

-We need a balance between independence and dependence ( either one, all alone, leads to problems).

-We need a balance between kindness and firmness, between waiting and praying, resisting and cooperating, between saving and spending, between taking in and giving out, between wanting too much and expecting too little, between warm acceptance and keen discernment, between grace and truth.

Life is a balancing act! The day of rest is enjoyed because we worked. The kiss of your loved one is precious because of the time spent apart. The laugh on the other end of the line is shared after the seriousness of your meeting.

How delightful to our hearts do our lives become when we have balance!

Proverbs 24:10

If you are slack in the day of distress,

Your strength is limited.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Broken Toy

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: Howdy, Prodigal!

Prodigal: Howdy, I was just playing with this toy that my friend left in the car.

Me: Toys can be fun but what do we do when they are broken?

Prodigal: I don’t know.

Me: Well let me share what Peter Marshall liked to share.

Suppose a child has a broken toy.

He brings the toy to his father, saying that he himself has tried to fix it and has failed.

He asks his father to do it for him.

The father gladly agrees…

takes the toy…

and begins to work.

Now obviously the father can do his work most quickly and easily if the child makes no attempt to interfere, simply sits quietly watching, or even goes about other business, with never a doubt that the toy is being successfully mended.

But what do most of God’s children do in such a situation?

Often we stand by offering a lot of meaningless advice and some rather silly criticism.

We even get impatient and try to help,

and so get our hand in the Father’s way,

generally hindering the work…

Finally, in our desperation, we may even grab the toy out of the Father’s hands entirely, saying rather bitterly that we hadn’t really thought He could fix it anyway…that we’d given Him a chance and He had failed us.

Hebrew 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org

Children

Posted on September 3, 2016 by Jennifer Van Allen

Prodigal: Haha, This is fun!

Me: What is fun?

Prodigal: I love being with the children!

Me: Children are precious in the Lord’s eyes also

Chuck Swindoll writes in his book Parenting From Surviving To Thriving

Then, just as the Lord knows each of His children intimately, we must seek to know our child well. That requires time, keen observation, patience, interaction, and lots of prayer. But it we put effort into this crucial responsibility as a parent, our children will reap benefits long after they have become adults.

Are you exhausted today because that young’in of yours has more energy than a wild hare? Well just take a breath. Look at their precious face and know that they are part of you. They are the gift God gave you and past all the troubles is a heart that loves you and is just hidden by rebellious behavior today. This might not change the rebellion but you may be able to handle it just a little bit easier today.

Proverbs 15:16

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.faithincounseling.org

www.theprodigalpig.com

Power

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Jennifer Van Allen

Me: What are you looking at Prodigal?

Prodigal: Looking to see how much electricity I used this month.

Me: There is great power in energy.

Prodigal: Yes, I would have to agree. What is on your mind?

I looked outside as I sat on my couch. I was able to finish work early, so that left some extra time this evening. That lead me to being on the couch looking outside my window. It was a day of non stop rain on a summer day. My favorite type of rainy day. Those rainy days cool the heat of the summer and bring new growth to the plant life around.

There is something about the rain that makes me slow down. It makes me pause. That is where my soul seemed to be rushing toward as I watched the individual marks of water, slide down the window pane and my ears were comforted by the sound of steady droplets being released on the earth. As the stillness engulfed me, God’s greatness presented itself. I could not help but be reminded “Who am I, that God should save me?” “Who am I, that God should allow me to participate in bringing Glory to His Name on Earth”? Then my thoughts slowly followed that trail of past memories of past events that involved a different time.

It was a time of my pride. My pride was a garment that was worn around me as tightly as a jacket that is worn on a day that is too cold. My pride was seen by all and guided me. As my pride grew, it buried and blocked the spirit’s quiet nudging that would send me in another direction toward Jesus. God allowed the pride to be worn for a season.

Then God wanted another direction for my life and it was then I my life began to look like an atom. An atom that was small but when smashed had power on the inside. God now completely in control of my life as an atom, decided that He had to devise a way to “smash” the atom. The only way to reach the power available in the atom was for it too be crushed and then it’s immeasurable and limitless power could be attained.

My life was covered in pride which is found in the nature of the flesh. My flesh had to be crushed in order for me to expose the limitless power of the Holy Spirit. God has the power for the Holy Spirit to overcome the flesh without it first being exposed but at times, God allows our flesh to be crushed first. He wants our flesh to be crushed to reveal the power and glory of the Holy Spirit. He allows us to feel the emptiness, the aloneness, the void of a life when the flesh of pride is taken away. It is then God moves in with filling the void with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is no longer crushed and grows greater to fill the void of what pride had left behind. It is then we can start really understanding the limitless power of God and how when He dwells in us through the Holy Spirit then really nothing is impossible with God.

So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:7

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org