{"id":994,"date":"2015-09-21T12:43:38","date_gmt":"2015-09-21T12:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=994"},"modified":"2015-09-16T19:33:38","modified_gmt":"2015-09-16T19:33:38","slug":"dont-quit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=994","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Quit"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

 <\/p>\n

Prodigal:\u00a0 I was just waiting for you!\u00a0 I decided that today I would like to hear something encouraging.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Me:\u00a0 Well, why don’t I share a story from Chuck Swindoll<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous composer-pianist, was scheduled to perform at a great concert hall in America.\u00a0 It was an evening to remember-black tuxedos and long evening dresses, a high-society extravaganza.\u00a0 Present in the audience that evening was a mother with her fidgety nine-year-old son.\u00a0 Weary of waiting, he squirmed constantly in his seat.\u00a0 His mother was in hopes that her son would be encouraged to practice the piano if he could just hear the immortal Paderewski at the keyboard.\u00a0 So-against his wishes–he had come.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As she turned to talk with friends, her son could stay seated no longer.\u00a0 He slipped away from her side, strangely drawn to the ebony concert grand Steinway and its leather tufted stool on the huge stage flooded with blinding lights.\u00a0 Without much notice from the sophisticated audience, the boy sat down at the stool, staring wide-eyed at the black and white keys.\u00a0 He placed his small, trembling fingers in the right location and began to play “Chopsticks.”\u00a0 The roar of the crowd was hushed as hundreds of frowning faces pointed in his direction.\u00a0 Irritated and embarrassed, they began to shout:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Get that boy away from there!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Who’d bring a kid that young in here?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Where is his mother?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Somebody stop him!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Backstage, the master overheard the sounds out front and quickly put together in his mind what was happening.\u00a0 Hurriedly, he grabbed his coat and rushed toward the stage.\u00a0 Without one word of announcement he stooped over behind the boy reached around both sides, and began to improvise a counter melody to harmonize with and enhance “Chopsticks.”\u00a0 As the two of them played together, Paderewski kept whispering in the boy’s ear:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep going. Don’t quit.\u00a0 Keep on playing…don’t stop…don’t quit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And so it is with us.\u00a0 We hammer away on our project, which seems about as significant as “Chopsticks” in a concert hall.\u00a0 And about the time we are ready to give up, along comes the Master, who leans over and whispers:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now keep going; don’t quit.\u00a0 Keep on…don’t stop; don’t quit as He improvise on our behalf, providing just the right touch at just the right moment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Master is whispering….don’t stop…I will step in at just the right moment.\u00a0\u00a0 Don’t stop…keep going!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1 Peter 1:8<\/p>\n

Though you have not seen him, you love him<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jennifer Van Allen<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

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

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Prodigal:\u00a0 I was just waiting for you!\u00a0 I decided that today I would like to hear something encouraging.   Me:\u00a0 Well, why don’t I share a story from Chuck Swindoll   Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous composer-pianist, was scheduled to perform at a great concert hall in America.\u00a0 It was an evening to remember-black … 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-994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nDon't Quit - 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=994\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Don't Quit - 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