Me: I saw this and liked it.
Don’t make me come down there.
—God.
Me: Love it!
This is a short video devotion.
Proverbs 10:7
The memory of the just is blessed; but the name of the wicked shall rot. (KJV)
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: I like to hear the ways that we are protected.
Me: I just read a story, I think you might like.
Prodigal: I am all ears.
This is from the book Where Angels Walk by Joan Wester Anderson
Laura Leigh Agnese of Bethpage, New York was in her home one morning when her three-year-old son Danny tore across the living room floor and tripped. A horrified Laura Leigh watched him, almost in slow motion, hurtle headfirst toward the sharp corner of a table. She took several steps, knowing already that she was too late to break his fall.
But Danny didn’t hit the table at all. Instead, he seemed to stop in midair. Within a few seconds he stood straight up again and ran on.
By the next day, Laura Leigh had forgotten the incident–until Danny, absorbed in play, looked up in her.
“Mommy? I saw a beautiful lady. With wings.”
“Really, Danny?” Laura Leigh smiled. His stories were so imaginative. “What is the lady like?”
“She’s nice,” Danny said matter-of-factly. “She caught me yesterday so I didn’t hit my head against the table.”
Laura Leigh felt a chill. “Did the lady say anything?”
“Uh-hum. She said she was going to watch over me and keep me from getting hurt.”
Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: We need to remember that we belong to Jesus.
Me: Yes, we do.
Prodigal: That His love is real.
Me: Yes, His love never ends.
This is from the book God Came Near by Max Lucado
The hot air hung thickly in the small cemetery chapel. Those who had fans used them to stir the stillness. It was crowded. The few chairs that had been set out were quickly taken. I found an empty corner off to one side and stood quietly, observing my first Brazilian funeral.
On a stand in the midst of the chapel rested the coffin and body of a woman who had been killed the day before in a car accident. Her name was Dona Neusa. I knew her because she was the mother of one of our first converts, Cesar Coutinho. Beside the casket stood Cesar, his sister, other relatives, and someone very special by the name of Carmelita.
She was a tall woman with dark, almost black skin. On this day her dress was simple and her face solemn. She stared earnestly at the casket with deep-set brown eyes. There was something noble about the way she stood beside the body. She didn’t weep openly as did the rest. Nor did she seek comfort from the other mourners. She just stood there, curiously quiet.
The night before, I had accompanied Cesar on the delicate task of telling Carmelita that Dona Neusa had been killed. As we drove, he explained to me how Carmelita had been adopted into their family.
Over twenty years earlier, Cesar’s family had visited a small town in the interior of Brazil. There they encountered Carmelita, a seven-year-old orphan living with poverty-stricken relatives. Her mother had been a prostitute. She never knew her father. Upon seeing the child, Dona Neusa was touched. She knew that unless someone intervened, little Carmelita was doomed to a life with no love or attention. Because of Dona Neusa’s compassion. Cesar and his family returned home with a new family member.
As I stood in the funeral chapel and looked at Carmelita’s face, I tried to imagine the emotions she was feeling. How her life had changed. I wondered if her mind was reliving that childhood memory of climbing into a car and driving away with a strange family. One moment she had been without love, a home, or a future; the next moment she had all three.
My thoughts were interrupted by the noise of shuffling feet. The funeral was over and people were leaving the chapel for the burial. Because of my position in the extreme corner of the building, I was the last to leave. Or at least so I thought. As I was walking out I heard a soft voice behind me. I turned and saw Carmelita weeping silently at the side of the coffin. Moved, I stood in the chapel doorway and witnessed this touching adieu. Carmelita was alone for the last time with her adopted mother. There was an earnestness in her eyes. It was as if she had one final task to perform. She didn’t wail, nor did she scream with grief. She simply leaned over the casket and caressed it tenderly as if it were the face of her mother. With silent teardrops splashing on the polished wood she said repeatedly, “Obrigada, obrigada” (“Thank you, thank you”).
A final farewell of gratitude.
Driving home that day, I thought how we, in many ways, are like Carmelita. We too were frightened orphans. We too were without tenderness or acceptance. And we too were rescued by a compassionate visitor, a generous parent who offered us a home and a name.
Our response should be exactly that of Carmelita, a stirring response of heartfelt gratitude for our deliverance. When no one else would even give us the time of day the Son of God gave us the time of our life!
We, too, should stand in the quiet company of him who saved us, and weep tears of gratitude and offer words of thankfulness. For it is not our bodies that have been rescued, but our souls.
Mark 2:44
And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Me: That ‘s just fine with me.
Prodigal: Good, I was wondering.
This is a short video devotion.
Proverbs 10:6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. (ESV)
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: Be grateful when your mood is high, and graceful when your mood is low.
Me: Wise words.
This is from The Soul Winner by C.H. Spurgeon
When you bring others to His feet, you give His joy, and no small joy, either. Is not this a wonderful text: “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” (Luke 15:10)? What does that mean? Does it mean that the angels have joy? We generally read it so, but that is not the intent of the verse. It says, “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God.” That means there is joy in the heart of God, around whose throne the angels stand. It is a joy that angels delight to behold.
What is this? Is the blessed God capable of greater joy than His own boundless happiness? What a wondrous thought! The infinite bliss of God is more eminently displayed, if it cannot be increased. Can we be the instruments of this? Can we do anything that will make the Ever Blessed glad? Yes, for we are told that the Great Father rejoices beyond measure when His prodigal son, who was dead, is alive again, and the lost one is found.
And there they preached the gospel. Acts 14:17 (KJV)
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: These are pretty trees.
Me: I have a story about trees.
Prodigal: I think this is a good time to hear about trees.
Once upon a mountaintop, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up.
The first little tree looked up at the stars twinkling like diamonds above him. “I want to hold treasure,” he said. “I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I will be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!”
The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on its way to the ocean. “I want to be a strong sailing ship,” he said. “I want to travel mighty waters and carry powerful kings. I will be the strongest ship in the world!”
The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in a busy town. “I don’t want to leave this mountaintop at all,” she said. “I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me they will raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world!”
Years passed. The rains came, the sun shone, and the little trees grew tall.
One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain.
The first woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, “This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me.” With a swoop of his shining axe, the first tree fell.
“Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest,” thought the first tree. “I shall hold wonderful treasure.’
The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, “This tree is strong. It is perfect for me.” With a swoop of his shining axe, the second tree fell.
“Now I shall sail mighty waters,” thought the second tree. “I shall be a strong ship fit for kings!”
The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven.
But the woodcutter never even looked up. “Any kind of tree will do for me,” he muttered. With a swoop of his shining axe, the third tree fell.
The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought him to a carpenter’s shop, but the busy carpenter was not thinking about treasure chests. Instead his work-worn hands fashioned the tree into a feed box for animals.
The once-beautiful tree was not covered with gold or filled with treasure. He was coated with sawdust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals.
The second tree smiled when the woodcutter took him to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ships were being made that day. Instead the once-strong tree was hammered and sawed into a simple fishing boat.
Too small and too weak to sail an ocean or even a river, he was taken to a little lake. Every day he brought in loads of dead, smelly fish.
The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard.
“What happened?” the once-tall tree wondered. “All I ever wanted to do was stay on the mountaintop and point to God.”
Many, many days and nights passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams.
But one night golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn in the feed box.
“I wish I could make a cradle for him,” her husband whispered.
The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and sturdy wood. “This manager is beautiful,” she said.
And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.
One evening a tired traveller and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveller fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake.
Soon a thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. He knew he did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through the wind and rain.
The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, “Peace.” The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun.
And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the King of heaven and earth.
One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten woodpile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry, jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man’s hands to her.
She felt ugly and harsh and cruel.
But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God’s love had changed everything.
It had made the first tree beautiful.
It had made the second tree strong.
And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God.
That was better than being the tallest tree in the whole world.
Author Unknown
Mark 2:42
And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: It’s not worth a hill of beans.
Me: Maybe so, but I still like it.
This is a short video devotion on Proverbs
Proverbs 10:5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame. (NKV)
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Me: Are you decorating your tree?
Prodigal: Yes, I am going to start the music.
Me: Let me share and then we can turn to some joyful activities.
This is from Barclay teaching on patience.
The word never means the spirit which sits with folded hands and simply bears things. It is victorious endurance and constancy under trail. It is Christian steadfastness, the brave and courageous acceptance of everything life can do to us, and the transmuting of even the worst into another stop on the upward way. It is the courageous and triumphant ability to bear things, which enables a man to pass breaking point and not to break, and always to greet the unseen with a cheer.
This is the patience that you are being called too. The Lord will be with your spirit to help you. Call upon the name of the Lord and He will be with you.
Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? Mark 10:38
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: Don’t strive to make your presence noticed, but to make your absence felt.
Me: Good point.
This is from the book Elijah: A Man of Heroism and Humility by Charles Swindoll
No one need aspire to leadership in the work of God who is not prepared to pay a price greater than his contemporaries and collogues are willing to pay. True leadership always extracts a heavy toll on the whole man, and the more effective the leadership is, the higher the price to be paid.
Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear. Psalms 119:38 (KJV)
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
Prodigal: Time to get cookin’.
Me: I’m ready to see the outcome!
This is a short video devotion.
Proverbs 10:4
He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. (NKJV)
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodiagalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
