{"id":2964,"date":"2017-12-08T11:56:09","date_gmt":"2017-12-08T11:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=2964"},"modified":"2017-06-08T17:09:51","modified_gmt":"2017-06-08T17:09:51","slug":"challenging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=2964","title":{"rendered":"Challenging"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Me: \u00a0Who were you talking to Prodigal?<\/p>\n

Prodigal: \u00a0Someone who is very critical of me.<\/p>\n

Me: \u00a0Glad that wasn’t my conversation.<\/p>\n

Prodigal: \u00a0Yeah, I’d sooner dive into a bed of poison ivy than to do that again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is from the book \u00a0Beyond OurSelves by Catherine Marshall<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If the idea of Christ living at the center of life frightens us, it may be because we fear that by handling over self-will we would then become spineless creatures, colorless carbon-copy personalities. \u00a0We need not be afraid on either count. \u00a0Actually, it’s when selfishness and self-will progressively take over in our society that we become carbon copies of one another. \u00a0When an adolescent is still unsure of his selfhood, he has a horror of being in any way different from his friends. \u00a0When adults are not in the least concerned about pleasing God, they are desperately concerned about pleasing each other. \u00a0When we have few inner resources, we hold up masks to hide our poverty. \u00a0And all the masks seem to be turned out by the same factory—suburbia, the “organization man,” “the man in the gray flannel suit,” \u00a0all aided by mass advertising, extended by the media of mass communication.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Proverbs 16:9<\/p>\n

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD established his steps.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jennifer Van Allen<\/p>\n

www.theprodigalpig.com<\/p>\n

www.faithincounseling.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Me: \u00a0Who were you talking to Prodigal? Prodigal: \u00a0Someone who is very critical of me. Me: \u00a0Glad that wasn’t my conversation. 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