{"id":763,"date":"2015-07-20T14:17:48","date_gmt":"2015-07-20T14:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763"},"modified":"2015-06-03T15:02:26","modified_gmt":"2015-06-03T15:02:26","slug":"guest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763","title":{"rendered":"Guest"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"05-28-15<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Prodigal:\u00a0 Hi, I am glad you showed up.\u00a0 I want you to meet my guest, Ms. Mouse.\u00a0 She is staying for awhile.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Me:\u00a0 I am happy to meet you Ms. Mouse.\u00a0 I was just dropping by to spend some time with Prodigal.\u00a0 We usually like to share stories.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Prodigal:\u00a0 Yes, I was just telling her about he stories.\u00a0 Do you have one for us today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Me:\u00a0 No, I don’t have a story today but what I do have is a song by a country artist named Grandpa Jones.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It happened one day near December’s end,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two neighbors called on an old-time friend,<\/strong><\/p>\n

And they found his shop, so meager and mean,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Made gay with a thousand boughs of green, <\/strong><\/p>\n

And Conrad was sitting with face a-shine-<\/strong><\/p>\n

When he suddenly stopped as he stitched a twine<\/strong><\/p>\n

And said, “Old friends, at dawn today<\/strong><\/p>\n

When the cock was crowing the night away,<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Lord appeared in a dream to me<\/strong><\/p>\n

And said, “I am coming your guest to be,’<\/strong><\/p>\n

So I’ve been busy with feet a stir,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Strewing my shop with branches of fir.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The table is spread and the kettle is shined<\/strong><\/p>\n

And over the rafters the holly is twined–<\/strong><\/p>\n

And now I will wait for my Lord to appear<\/strong><\/p>\n

And listen closely so I will hear<\/strong><\/p>\n

His step as he nears my humble place,<\/strong><\/p>\n

And I open the door and look on his face.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

So his friends went home and left Conrad alone,<\/strong><\/p>\n

For this was the happiest day he had known.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For long since his family had passed away<\/strong><\/p>\n

And Conrad had spent many a sad Christmas day.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But he knew with the Lord as his Christmas guest,<\/strong><\/p>\n

This Christmas would be the dearest and best.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So he listened with only joy in his heart,<\/strong><\/p>\n

And with every sound he would rise with a start<\/strong><\/p>\n

And look for the Lord to be at his door<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like the vision he had a few hours before.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So he ran to the window after hearing a sound,<\/strong><\/p>\n

But all he could see on the snow-covered ground<\/strong><\/p>\n

Was a shabby beggar whose shoes were torn<\/strong><\/p>\n

And he said, “Your feet must be frozen and sore–<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have some shoes in my shop for you,<\/strong><\/p>\n

And a coat that will keep you warmer, too.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

So with grateful heart the man went away–<\/strong><\/p>\n

But Conrad noticed the time of day;<\/strong><\/p>\n

He wondered what made the dear Lord so late<\/strong><\/p>\n

And how much longer he’d have to wait–<\/strong><\/p>\n

When he heard a knock and ran to the door,<\/strong><\/p>\n

But it was a stranger once more,<\/strong><\/p>\n

A bent old lady with a shawl of black,<\/strong><\/p>\n

With a bundle of kindling piled on her back.<\/strong><\/p>\n

She asked for only a place to rest,<\/strong><\/p>\n

But that was reserved for Conrad’s great guest,<\/strong><\/p>\n

But her voice seemed to plead, “Don’t send me away,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let me rest for a while on Christmas Day.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

So Conrad brewed her a steaming cup<\/strong><\/p>\n

And told her to sit at the table and sup.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But after she left, he was filled with dismay,<\/strong><\/p>\n

For he saw that he hours were slipping away,<\/strong><\/p>\n

And the Lord had not come as he said he would,<\/strong><\/p>\n

And Conrad felt sure he had misunderstood,<\/strong><\/p>\n

When out of the stillness he heard a cry,<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Please help me and tell me where am I.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

So again he opened his friendly door<\/strong><\/p>\n

And stood disappointed as twice before.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was only a child who had wandered away<\/strong><\/p>\n

And was lost from her family on Christmas Day.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Again Conrad’s heart was heavy and sad,<\/strong><\/p>\n

But he knew he could make this little girl glad,<\/strong><\/p>\n

So he called her in and wiped her tears<\/strong><\/p>\n

And quieted all her childish fears,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then he led her back to her home once more.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But as he entered his own darkened door,<\/strong><\/p>\n

He knew that the Lord was not coming today<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the hours of Christmas had passed away.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So he went to his room and knelt down to pray,<\/strong><\/p>\n

And he said, “Lord why did you delay?<\/strong><\/p>\n

What kept you from coming to call on me,<\/strong><\/p>\n

For I wanted so much your face to see.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

When a soft in the silence, a voice he heard,<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Lift up your head for I kept my word.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three times my shadow crossed your floor;<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three times I came to your lowly door;<\/strong><\/p>\n

For I was the beggar with bruised cold feet;<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was the woman you gave something to eat;<\/strong><\/p>\n

And I was the child on the homeless street;<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three times I knocked, three times I came in,<\/strong><\/p>\n

And each time I found the warmth of a friend.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of all the gifts, love is the best;<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was honored to be your Christmas Guest.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For I was the one who crossed your floor,<\/p>\n

For I was the one you gave something to eat.<\/p>\n

For I was the one who found the warmth of a friend.<\/p>\n

For I was the one honored to be your guest.<\/p>\n

And all the while you thought it was just for me<\/p>\n

It was also for the Lord you see!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Galatians 6:2<\/p>\n

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jennifer Van Allen<\/p>\n

www.faithincounseling.org<\/p>\n

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

  Prodigal:\u00a0 Hi, I am glad you showed up.\u00a0 I want you to meet my guest, Ms. Mouse.\u00a0 She is staying for awhile.   Me:\u00a0 I am happy to meet you Ms. Mouse.\u00a0 I was just dropping by to spend some time with Prodigal.\u00a0 We usually like to share stories.   Prodigal:\u00a0 Yes, I was … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nGuest - The Prodigal Pig<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Guest - The Prodigal Pig\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  Prodigal:\u00a0 Hi, I am glad you showed up.\u00a0 I want you to meet my guest, Ms. Mouse.\u00a0 She is staying for awhile.   Me:\u00a0 I am happy to meet you Ms. Mouse.\u00a0 I was just dropping by to spend some time with Prodigal.\u00a0 We usually like to share stories.   Prodigal:\u00a0 Yes, I was … Continue reading →\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Prodigal Pig\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-07-20T14:17:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/05-28-15-032-225x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jennifer Van Allen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jennifer Van Allen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?p=763#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?p=763\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jennifer Van Allen\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2274d6e5dc07c0258ba4ee1a19c917f4\"},\"headline\":\"Guest\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-07-20T14:17:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?p=763\"},\"wordCount\":875,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?p=763#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/05\\\/05-28-15-032-225x300.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?p=763#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?p=763\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?p=763\",\"name\":\"Guest - The Prodigal Pig\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?p=763#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?p=763#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/05\\\/05-28-15-032-225x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-07-20T14:17:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2274d6e5dc07c0258ba4ee1a19c917f4\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?p=763#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?p=763\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?p=763#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/05\\\/05-28-15-032.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/05\\\/05-28-15-032.jpg\",\"width\":2448,\"height\":3264},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?p=763#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Guest\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Prodigal Pig\",\"description\":\"Encouraging Your Walk With God\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2274d6e5dc07c0258ba4ee1a19c917f4\",\"name\":\"Jennifer Van Allen\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/96bdf0e859688cf2db2193ba18b2b49b508ba88c6fb504e5d1c44784dd9fbd60?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/96bdf0e859688cf2db2193ba18b2b49b508ba88c6fb504e5d1c44784dd9fbd60?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/96bdf0e859688cf2db2193ba18b2b49b508ba88c6fb504e5d1c44784dd9fbd60?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jennifer Van Allen\"},\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.theprodigalpig.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Guest - The Prodigal Pig","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Guest - The Prodigal Pig","og_description":"  Prodigal:\u00a0 Hi, I am glad you showed up.\u00a0 I want you to meet my guest, Ms. Mouse.\u00a0 She is staying for awhile.   Me:\u00a0 I am happy to meet you Ms. Mouse.\u00a0 I was just dropping by to spend some time with Prodigal.\u00a0 We usually like to share stories.   Prodigal:\u00a0 Yes, I was … Continue reading →","og_url":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763","og_site_name":"The Prodigal Pig","article_published_time":"2015-07-20T14:17:48+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/05-28-15-032-225x300.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Jennifer Van Allen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jennifer Van Allen","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763"},"author":{"name":"Jennifer Van Allen","@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2274d6e5dc07c0258ba4ee1a19c917f4"},"headline":"Guest","datePublished":"2015-07-20T14:17:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763"},"wordCount":875,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/05-28-15-032-225x300.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763","url":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763","name":"Guest - The Prodigal Pig","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/05-28-15-032-225x300.jpg","datePublished":"2015-07-20T14:17:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2274d6e5dc07c0258ba4ee1a19c917f4"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/05-28-15-032.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/05-28-15-032.jpg","width":2448,"height":3264},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=763#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Guest"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/#website","url":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/","name":"The Prodigal Pig","description":"Encouraging Your Walk With God","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2274d6e5dc07c0258ba4ee1a19c917f4","name":"Jennifer Van Allen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/96bdf0e859688cf2db2193ba18b2b49b508ba88c6fb504e5d1c44784dd9fbd60?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/96bdf0e859688cf2db2193ba18b2b49b508ba88c6fb504e5d1c44784dd9fbd60?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/96bdf0e859688cf2db2193ba18b2b49b508ba88c6fb504e5d1c44784dd9fbd60?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jennifer Van Allen"},"url":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?author=1"}]}},"views":1261,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=763"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/763\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":764,"href":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/763\/revisions\/764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}