Day 25

“Make me like one of your hired men…”

It always looks so good in the ad:
The smiling handsome guy holding the glass of Scotch.
Or the way-too-cool-looking gigolo with a bevy of babes all around him hanging on him.

I used to stare at those commercials or sit transfixed over those advertisements and think, “That can never be me. I don’t do that. It’s not right…” But inside I was wishing I could because it looked so stinking fun!

You see, my upbringing gave a new meaning to the word tight. We didn’t dance, smoke, drink or hang out with people who did. Our house was alcohol and drug free. And all that “freedom” left me longing for the other life, the one I would never know. In high school, I was a joke as the kid who couldn’t dance and in college, I was mocked for being a “straight arrow”. I would go to some of the parties, mind you. But I would only watch… and wish.
So when I get to this point in the story, I find some comfort in being reminding that there was part of this story I didn’t see:
I didn’t see the other side of getting wasted.
I didn’t see the other side of “free sex”.
I didn’t see the other side of casual drug use.
Thanks to Jesus’ words I get to see the guy who did what I would only dream of doing. To watch the guy who just went for broke… and made it there! This poor guy ends up with more problems and less freedom than he had when he left his father’s house. Ironic, huh? He leaves to get free and ends up being demoted to hired hand. He leaves to get more life and ends up on the bottom of the ladder.
If only he could have trusted the Father. If only he could have listened to the wise counsel that tried to warn him that this “do your own thing” thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Yeah, I’ve got my share of regrets and mistakes to keep me humble. I am a professional Older Brother in many ways. But I am thankful God that there were some lessons I could learn through the lives of others. Even through the life of a willful prodigal who kicked off all the rules and ended up kicking himself all the way home.
“Lord, thanks for my parents, my teachers and my friends how pointed me in a right direction.
Keep me from being haughty and prideful because I didn’t have to face that particular pig-pen.
And give grace and mercy to those who didn’t have what I had and thus had to suffer what I didn’t.
And thank you, Father, for Christ, who meets us in whatever pig pen we’re in!”



Jeff Walling

Day 24

"Anybody want to volunteer for a game?" I asked. Then my eyes scanned over the sea of red faces…drippy wet hair was matted to their foreheads and smiles were plastered from one cheek to the other. My eyes were darting around frantically searching for the two teenagers with the most passion [in this case when I use the word passion I'm politely stating that I was looking for teenagers who would get the most riled up and possibly throw a fit]. I chose two boys carefully and then I carelessly pointed at two more teenagers who were merely participating in the game as a control group. I called all four kids up to the front of the room and then I started in on the rules of the game. Each duo begins by deciding which partner will stand on the trash bag and which will bring their A game from behind the white line drawn on the concrete. The crowd starts to discuss the fate of the trash bag dweller, "Something is gonna get dumped on the trash bag guy"…"I'd pick the white line if it were me." I must admit my cheesy youth minister mind started getting excited at the thought of bringing home the point with this messy little exercise. I laid out the guidelines of the game as I revealed twin cans of Duncan Hines chocolate icing. "One partner from each team will cover their entire face with the can of chocolate icing and the other partner will have half a box of cheerios to throw at their partner's face for thirty seconds. The chocolate-faced-participant with the most cheerios stuck to his face at the end of the game wins." I count down to the beginning of the game and the insanity begins. One team clearly has a better technique than the other right off the bat…handfuls of Cheerios are being hurled at the brown blob with eyes while the losing team is still throwing lob passes at his opponents half-clean face. The game ends and globs of chocolate are plopping onto the concrete as volunteers try to count the number of Cheerios embedded in the brown, dripping mess. It is quickly decided that the handfuls of high-speed Cheerios had proven successful and the crowd isn't shameful about their support of the winning team. At this point I am so sure that all things have worked according to my plan. I begin digging in my Harris Teeter bag and two $10 I-Tunes gift cards materialize in front of the contestants. I publicly congratulate the winning team and in my most dramatic voice [I'm not very good at dramatic…maybe this was the beginning of the end] I award the losing team with the two gift cards.


I'm not really sure what happened next. The plan was for the two winners, one drenched in chocolate icing and the other out of breath from fierce Cheerio throwing, to lose it in front of the whole crowd…huffing and puffing and saying the ever famous teenage line, "that's so unfair." Then I was going to talk about how we are sinful humans and we have become so sure that we DESERVE things…for example a relationship with the Lord that includes things like forgiveness and mercy. As one winner made his way over to the hose and the other made his way back to his seat I picked my jaw up off the floor and began commending their good sportsmanship and did the only thing left to do…made fun of myself for not seeing that coming.


These two teenagers [humanity's deeply self-absorbed demographic] just displayed the very characteristic that I came to confess was weighing on my own heart. A bit of hope swept over me…and I might still be on a high from that evening. Sometimes experiencing an act of humility…or even being in the presence of a very humble person feels like one of the most divine, spiritual encounters. Recognizing our own inadequacy brings us to a vulnerable position before the Lord. A position where we are entirely moldable for a moment…it is almost non-human to give up total control and become the clay in our Maker's hands. I am thankful for this momentary revelation of unworthiness in the story of the prodigal son as he scripts his homecoming, "I don't deserve to be called your son."


Jenna Trapasso

Day 23

Luke 15:18 says “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” 5 letters in two small words changed the course of the prodigal’s entire existence. “I will”. I hadn’t noticed it before, but we don’t use the word “will” in its true form a lot. I’m learning to speak Haitian Creole. Learning this new language has been difficult for me because Creole has many, many abbreviations. Just when I think I have a handle on a word, I find out most people don’t use the word in its entirety, but only a shortened version of it. I think we’ve done that with the word “will”. I tried to think of the last time I actually said “I will……” For the most part, I say “I’ll”. “I’ll go” not “I will go”. Now this is not a big deal or anything, but when I say “I’ll” it seems to take a little of the power out of it. “I will” seems more emphatic, more demonstrative. It seems to show more resolve. Now these are just words and I don’t mean at all to imply that using an abbreviation has anything to do with conviction. What I am saying is that our will is important to God. I can’t abbreviate it in my walk with Him. With my MIND, I can understand God’s truth, with my HEART, I can feel conviction and desire the truth. But it is with my WILL that the process is complete. My WILL is what enables me to act on what my mind understands and my heart feels. The prodigal could have stayed where he was. He could have understood his mistake and felt sorry for it but do nothing about it. Then he said those two little words: “I will”. Of course, he didn’t just say them, because the word “will” doesn’t allow that, does it? When I say, “I will” it is a prompt to action. Jesus said in Mark 12:30 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Our will is where we love Him with all our strength. Jesus said it this way to the Father: “Yet not what I will, but what you will." May I be more intentional with the “wills” in my life so that they are in line with my Father’s will.


Julie Hallman

Day 22

Our lives are full of decisions made to meet only our needs and only to think about ourselves. God want us to turn to him only. In verse 17 of Chapter 15 of Luke, the Lord says: "When he came to his senses, he said, ' how many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!" How many times have we taken things for granted, not realizing that we can only depend on God? He wants us to be more like Him and he want us to depend on Him only. He is the only one who can gives us life in abundance through His son Jesus Christ. Praise Him!




Armando Perdomo

Day 21

(Luke 15:17-18 NIV) "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! {18} I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.


When I was twenty years old, I was dating a girl that really rocked my world. She was the first serious girl friend I had. Even though our relationship spanned several states at one time, she occupied (it seemed) my every thought. And then one day, I got this phone call that redefined our relationship. It seemed the distance had allowed another fellow to come on the scene. I was devastated. Hit by a bus might be a better expression! However, it was at this moment that I came to my senses. I had placed this gal above my Father. Like the prodigal I had allowed something to take control of my mind and lead me away from my Father. It was during this low point that I started reading my Bible, praying, and journaling all together for the first time. It led me closer to the Father than I had ever been before.

Have you ever had a come to your senses moment? When they happen, boy do they hurt, but you would never want to trade the closeness with the Father that they bring!


Brad Childers

Day 20

“And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.”

I’m a problem-fixer. I can develop a very logical course of action for just about any problem you might have. And I do so often, even if not requested to do so (just ask my wife!)

I can’t stand to see my kids struggle when I have the resources (logic, money, drive, etc) to solve their problem for them. Whether it is how to get registered at a new college, or how to pick out an appliance, or how to navigate a government obstacle course, I know I have the answer – if they would only listen.

I can only imagine how frustrated the Father must have been about the path His son chose. Dad knew how to fix it, longed to fix it, was well-equipped to fix it – but He let His son reap what he sowed. Letting people endure the consequences and hardships resulting from their less-than-stellar decisions is a very difficult thing, at least for me.

I want to help people avoid the pain of hitting bottom, but sometimes that is the only way God can get his or her attention. I want to soften the blow, cushion the fall. But a startling jolt is what this boy needed, and nobody stepped in to derail the inevitable.

And sometimes I need a similar jolt, and I’m not too fond of those. But those moments do bring a stark awakening to the truth, even if I don’t like what I need to hear. And, on occasion, I seem to need more than one whack to truly learn the lesson intended.

How about you? Has God let you land hard and endure some pain lately? Has it produced a clearer understanding of the value of submission and obedience, or just made you hit the wall with your head harder, hoping to achieve a breakthrough?

Your hard-headed brother,

Lee Thrasher

Day 19

My grandmother’s apron is a faded blue with a small, floral pattern. It has been washed so many times that it is as soft as a whisper. It is a treasure. Each time I tie it on I am reminded of my “Mimi” and all that she taught me.

She made the apron out of two cotton flour sacks that she washed and ironed. In the 1940s, on the high plains of New Mexico, every possible item was reclaimed and reused. If she were alive, Mimi would chuckle at our “new-fangled” concept of recycling. In her day, they just called it survival. A couple of generations ago, taking blessings for granted was not just careless, it was thought of as sin.

I am afraid that it is a sin that I have had to repent of more times than I care to admit. I can certainly empathize with the prodigal as he desperately remembered the food that his father had so graciously and lavishly provided for him. The memory brought him to a place of true repentance. I guess pig slop will tend to do that to you. I have certainly looked up from the slop a few times myself. Each day I grow more aware of the bounty of my Father’s table. His provision is truly abundant!


Kathleen Tatro

Day 18

My Grandfather owned a pig farm; it was hard work. It was good honest work, but hard. He made a living on that pig farm for his wife and five kids. They were not rich, but it was an honest living; nothing to be ashamed of.

When I think of the younger son, his ‘high on the hog’ living is now gone; all the money, the parties, the friends. He had wished his father dead. I’m sure he was totally humiliated and ashamed. I’ve come to understand that, in God’s providence, it’s not so much the circumstances, but how you handle them that matters.

There are two types of shame; unhealthy shame, which is a shame we don’t deserve to feel, and healthy shame, the shame that shows us that we are image bearers of our creator. This healthy shame is what the younger brother came to feel. One day, he saw himself in the distorted, dirty reflection of the feeding trough; he didn’t like what he saw. His identity as a child of the loving father was muddied in shame. Without this true identity, all living is squandered. When the younger son experienced healthy shame, it nudged toward the template of who he was created to be, but found himself failing miserably.

Don’t we all know this feeling? It is a shame that lets me know I’m falling short of the person God created me to be. I wasn’t created to live with pigs. I was created to have a seat of honor in the heavenly realms beside my older brother, Jesus. Praise God for his grace and acceptance when I decide to tuck my tail between my legs and head home. The younger son knew there was something better at home; even if that something meant he would be a slave in his father’s house. Sometimes our suffering is a call for home.



Sandy Welfare

Day 17

“He hired himself out…” What are you worth? What could you be paid to do that which you find repulsive and demeaning? They say everyone has a price!

Throughout my college career I did many different jobs; delivering pizzas, tuxedo rental, burger flipping, bell hop, traveling singer, landscape maintenance (a/k/a lawn mowing!), and the all important corn de-tassling (all the Midwesterners know what I’m talking about). Honestly, I was often quite embarrassed by what I perceived as my “lowly position” in the food chain.

One summer in Abilene, Texas, when I was a poor, starving college student I took the only job I could find. TELEMARKETING. I was one of those guys that calls during dinner and won’t hang up because you NEED to be excited that you just qualified for a possible vacation to an undisclosed location for sometime in the future...this lasted three days. Then, I decided I’d rather starve than to go through anymore torture. My price was low, but not that low!

The next summer my friend Elizabeth gave me a book called The Blessing by Gary Smalley and John Trent. She wrote this in the flap, “...I just want you to know that even though I don’t always act like it, I love you more than you’ll ever know and I would do anything for you. Even have you as one of my bridesmaids!” As I read The Blessing that summer—my life was changed forever. I discovered for the first time something that I had been taught in Sunday School but never digested fully. GOD loves me completely and accepts me just the way I am. It helped me see how GOD’s love was being poured out on me in the form of family and friends like Elizabeth. At the age of 22, I was humbled and honored to be a loved child of the Father for the first time.

By the way, I’m happy to report that I was the minister at Elizabeth’s wedding 12 years ago today—not a bridesmaid!!!


Jim Bales

Day 16

I love the Sandman "Prodigal Son" interpretation we watched this past Sunday at the beginning of the sermon. It fits the thought for today. In the art the boy is pictured drinking and smoking with a woman, obviously not his wife. The Sandman transforms the woman's face into that of an angry pig. The boy's face turns into shock and surprise. The pig is then transformed into a satanic like creature. The boy follows with a look of terror and remorse.

Sin, or in this case, the chasing after freedom, always leads us to a worse boss. When we get to the end of the rope, the bottom of the barrel, and the end of the line, what we find is always hell on earth. Any hope of blessing or better is smashed by the consequences of living apart from God.

Lying, cheating, sexual sin, gossip and so on all lead to first hand experience smelling the air at your favorite landfill. Quite a distance from the aroma of Christ.

James says it this way, "But the person who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will always be blessed in what he does." (James 1:25 NIV) When we as disciples of Jesus do what Jesus says to do, we find joy. One song says it this way, "God built freedom into every fiber of creation. And He meant for us all to be free and whole." (Let Freedom Ring, Gaither Vocal Band)


Nathan Tillotson

Day 15

How do you spell relief? Some pain medication used to use that tag line to sell their drug. Whether its Aspirin, Advil, Tylenol or Motrin we are a nation addicted to pain relief. If it hurts, take a pill.

But that hasn’t always been so. Talk to some older folks and they will tell you they seldom took pain meds growing up. I can only remember my mother or father taking medication rarely… and then only when gravely ill.

Now, before you get upset about your right to a pain pill, hear this: Mankind longest love affair isn’t with aspirin but with emotional Novocain. We look for ways to medicate our hurts and dull our heartaches. Just like the younger son in Christ’s parable. What did he do once he got the cash from his dad? He went to a “far country” and spent his money on “wild living.” I translate that as burying your sorrows in wine, women and song. He didn’t want to feel the pain of separation from family, of alienation from home or even the loss of someone to watch over him. I can’t suggest that these were conscious losses. He probably couldn’t even put words to these feelings. But, like a lot of us, he found ways to make himself feel better.

So what do you turn to?
Drink yourself to sleep?
Eat your way to happiness?
Numb the pain with hours of TV or internet surfing?
Work long hours to achieve notoriety or success at the expense of family or health?

Wild living can come in lots of different shapes and sizes, but it always leaves us empty and frustrated. You just can’t numb the pain of being at odds with God for long. Its only through Christ that we find the peace to face our pain.

So read the story again… and don’t touch that Advil bottle this time.



Jeff Walling

Day 14

Parables are brilliant. In Luke 8 Jesus says to His disciples, "…the secrets of the kingdom of God have been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, "though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.” It is so like Christ to weed out the fakers. If He told fables to the crowds they would have to do an analysis [high school English essay/book report style] of the setting, the characters, and the language to determine the purpose behind the telling of such seemingly-childish stories. Those who weren’t genuinely listening were likely to not get it or to get bored trying to get it; leaving the sincere seekers of the truth asking for more.
Our God has always been seeking after genuine, unadulterated hearts. In the parable of the selfish son we are all forced to watch in agony as the son wads up his future and throws it into a deep, depressing trash can. We sit on the edge of our chair while reading, hoping if we scream loud enough it will penetrate the tissue-like pages of our bible and the son will look out in the crowd and heed our advice [I’m picturing a hesitant Prices Right contestant on stage with Bob Barker looking to the crowd for assurance on their next wager]. I know God wants us to get a pit in our stomachs when we notice that the dad doesn’t scream, yell, and kick his feet to try to stop the son from leaving. It is a reflection of the freedom God offers us but I think it is also a picture of God’s desire for authenticity.
The son leaves the comforts of his conservative home hoping to find true satisfaction living life in the fast lane but the feeling he quickly arrives at is sheer disappointment. Human nature is sickening sometimes. We think we know what is going to bring us true happiness and fulfillment and we will try it all before we surrender to the beauty of living in relationship with God.
I know this idea probably isn’t news to anyone, but I realized today that God gives us free will because He loves authenticity. He wants our hearts to be so overwhelmed by the privilege of getting to live in relationship with Him. The prodigal son had to flex his freedom muscles to arrive at the conclusion that living in the confines of his father’s home was the most wonderful honor.
I know God lets me dabble in the same kind of nonsense. He watches me make decisions that hurt Him because He so desires for me to come running home saying, “I have sinned against you and I am unworthy…”…but I have finally realized that life without you is purposeless.
When I finally turn to face God out of love and not guilt, I am beginning to understand the true heart of the Father.


Jenna Thomas

Day 13

“Mom, I need a new bike.” “Dad, I really need a new computer.” My favorite response to these statements from my kids has always been, “Do you NEED it or do you WANT it?” What do I truly need? “God, I need to be able to pay this bill.” “God, I need more time in my day.” “God, I need _____________.” How would you fill in that blank? More importantly, how would God fill it in? What is it God would say I really NEED? It might be considered presumptuous of me to answer for God, except that He has made it so abundantly clear in His Word. “God, I need YOU.” That’s it. Period. I may WANT many other things, including the basic necessities of this life, but what I truly NEED is the Father. The prodigal son learned this. In Luke 15:14, we are told that the younger son “began to be in need.” Verse 17 goes on to tell us “he came to his senses.” It’s interesting to me, that though physical hunger prompted the need, food is not what the son asked the father to supply. Instead, he asked for a job, to be like one of the hired hands. And he confessed his sin and asked for forgiveness. He just wanted to be near his father again. Tough times expose the needy places in us, but we all too often don’t see past the physical. Then we are destined to repeat the same sequences over and over as God tries to reveal our truest need: HIM. I’m amazed at how “less tough” times are when I seek God instead of solutions or things. Many times the circumstances don’t change, I change. I just want to be near him again. May that be enough, Father.



Julie Hallman

Day 12

Luke 15-14 quotes: "After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need" and in verse 17a "when he came to his senses..." denote how much God the father loves us. Struggling through life can be a blessing in our Spiritual walk. Our Lord is a Lord of permitting and facing challenges of any kind is a way our Lord calls our attention. He want us to depend on Him and only on Him. The younger son in the parable of the lost son is a great example. The lost son comes to a point, after facing the loss of all his resources to realize that he has sinned and what his father wants in him is repentance. God uses any means to call our attention, so that we can realize that we need Him only, therefore striving to rebuild the relationship with Him, broken by our sins. We have the opportunity to depend on Him only to be really blessed. Praise our Lord!



Armando Perdomo

Day 11

(Luke 15:14 NIV) After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.

Two calamities struck the son at the same time: 1. he ran out of money and
2. he ran into a famine.

The first was his own fault (i.e., spending all of the money) and the second (i.e., the famine) was not his fault, but it sure complicated matters. The famine put other people in a lurch that might have helped the young man, thus limiting his options and making the one of returning to his father a necessity.

When we sin and turn our back on God, we quickly deplete our resources. When we are following our own desires, we are spenders. Contrarily, God does not refer to us in His revelation (i.e., the Bible) as spenders, but as good stewards. Good stewards are people who store up so when the opportunity to help/serve arises, there are plenty of resources to do God’s work with.

Indulging in our natural desires (i.e., sinning) puts us in a precarious situation. It is a downward spiral that only returning home to God will allow our balance sheet to be righted.


Brad Childers

Day 10

Luke 15

Freedom! Free to do what I want, when I want, how I want, if I want.

Anyone who has left home for college or a new job or their first unsupervised trip knows the excitement of being free – free from rules, free from expectations, free from restraint.

The younger son must have believed he could live like Solomon, who in Ecclesiastes said “I said in my heart, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.’” (Eccl. 2:1, ESV)

With each new sensual, sensory adventure, the boy experienced something he never had before – but it wasn’t quite enough; he still wasn’t satisfied. Each time, he needed a little more intensity, more frequency, something new and different.

How often do we believe Satan’s lie when he says “you deserve better, more, nicer, newer.” Whether it’s a new lover, a nicer house, a bigger car, the latest gadget, the vacation of a lifetime – one of Satan’s favorite phrases is “if only”. If only I wasn’t bogged down with these responsibilities, this spouse, these kids, this lousy job. If only I was in charge for a day!

But nothing filled the hole in his heart. No pleasure he experienced lasted. He searched, and tried, and experimented, only to find, as Solomon did, that “this also was vanity” (Eccl 2:2 ESV).

We, too, find that nothing satisfies our soul – except the living God.


Lee Thrasher

Day 9

In a room full of two-year-old children the exclamation, “Mine!” will ring out repeatedly. The coveted toy is often forgotten a few moments later. As adults, we chuckle and nod our heads knowingly. It is almost cute to see them struggle because we know that they will grow out of it. Won’t they? Have we?

The prodigal son demanded his inheritance early as though it was his unquestionable right. It has been easy for me to think about his actions with shock and dismay. How could he push right past his father’s feelings like that? He was still alive after all! How could he be so callous as to demand his share and then waste it so quickly? Don’t even get me started on the fact that he ran off and left his diligent brother to do all of the work!

Then I have to stop and remember that my Father is still alive and active. How many times do my attitudes reflect a sense of entitlement? So often I am graciously blessed with abundance. How quick am I to make decisions – at times poor ones – about how to use what He has provided? I, too, am quick to run to my Father and ask for things. I shudder to think of the prayers that I have prayed that may have sounded like demands to His ears.

While I am busy thinking about my needs, I am too quick to leave all of the work to my Brother. Jesus gave everything so that I would never be separated from Him and my Father. It is my sacred privilege to give “my” money, time and energy to the work of the Kingdom. There is no greater joy than to work alongside Him in the fields that are ripe for harvest!


Kathleen Tatro

Day 8

This parable that Jesus told is so wonderfully complex. I like to look at the story from the different characters' points of view. I'd like to imagine what the Father felt as he watched his son walk away while knowing what was coming.
We can conclude that the Father in this story was a generous and loving man from what the son says about how he treats his servants, and from what the Father says to his older son in verse 31; "Everything I have is yours." As the Father watched his son leave, he had to wonder why his son wasn't satisfied with what he had been given. This thought, however, must have been overshadowed by the immense pain he felt from knowing the destruction his son was headed for. The Father gave his son the freedom to make his own decision, even though he knew it was a poor one. It must have hurt him deeply for his son to reject the love and care he had been given.
The Father allowed his son to make a mistake, but in the end, he passed up the opportunity to say "I told you so!" and gave him a feast instead. This makes me think that when the son left, the Father felt the pain of the rejection but still only held feelings of love towards his son; he didn't shout out, "You're wrong, you know? Just wait and see!"
Just like the Father in the parable, our God is a loving father who has given us everything we need. This is how He views us when we turn our backs on him and walk down the path of sin. He gives us the freedom to make our own choices, but it hurts him simply to know of the pain that we will face every time we sin.
I think we have become desensitized to sin. We don't think about how God feels about it when we lie or when we bring someone down with our words. We don't see how it hurts him, and when we come back to him, we take for granted the rejoicing that takes place in heaven. God will always take us back, but that doesn't give us free reign to squander his blessings, or abuse his love every weekend, only to repent on Sunday.
I hope that you will take the time to reflect even more deeply about the Father's point of view in this parable that Jesus gave us. It's worth your time.


Jason Creed

Day 7

ESCAPE! That’s what the young son wanted. He wanted to be on his own, live life, have all the things he knew were “out there” waiting for the cool people of the world. And he got that attitude without cable or the internet. Go figure!

Where do you want to go when you are overwhelmed with the pressures of work, marriage, or school? Where do you escape to when traffic makes you crazy, politicians make you mad, and your kids make you want to commit murder? Where’s your “distant country”? For me—it’s Italy. I love to escape halfway around the world to relax and forget all my troubles. Hang on...I needed a moment...now I’m back!

Do you ever get fed up with living under the authority of God? Do you have a “distant country” for which you long to escape? Waylon Jennings was, “looking for love in all the wrong places.” Do you “party in the USA” or head for “Margaritaville”? Do you turn on your computer and escape to secret places that start with www? “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide No escape from reality.” The Psalmist asks, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” I know the answer to the question, so why do I keep trying to escape?



Jim Bales

Day 6

Responsibility.

Life is tough, drink up. One slogan says. Another billboard showcases the allure of a beautiful young model at a local strip club. In our mailboxes we find the temptation to leave our daily financial burdens behind by using any number of credit cards, vacation clubs and other sweepstakes opportunities.

The world with its passions and indulgences constantly and consistently calls us to leave. To run away from the hard things. The boy was running from what he thought was hard. The day in, day out routine of doing work, of joining in community, of accountability for your actions, of making right moral choices.

Sometimes life can be so weary. Sometimes you just need a break. And why not take a longer break. Life is short. Why not just have some fun?

What did the boy lose what he didn't realize he was losing?

Responsibility.

Life is tough. It’s tough situations and daily, sometimes the mundane routines of life that push us beyond where we want to go emotionally, physically and spiritually. It’s in these opportunities that we meet the risen Savior who ministers His grace in just the way He knows we need it.

I need the routine. I need the get up, get ready for work, fix breakfast for the kids (everyone wants something different), get them dressed, make sure my teeth and theirs are brushed, go to work, pay the bills, run three errands on the way home, mow the lawn, wash the dishes, clean the bathroom, play with the kids, spend time with my spouse, check e-mail one last time, prepare for the next volunteer committee meeting, get in little me-time kind of days.

It’s when I step out of my usual routine that I realize God is at work. The daily grind allows me to see God at work in the ordinary. I see God care for me and those in my life at the small level. The joy we find in day to day living helps us see even more clearly the extraordinary work of God.

You can’t skip ahead. You can’t go for it all hoping to take in one extraordinary after another. For “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul” (Matthew 16:26 NIV)?

May God give you eyes to see the value in your daily life. May you come to know His joyful presence in all things.


Nathan Tillotson

Day 5

One word.

That's all it would have taken to avoid the whole mess.

Just one word: No!

Ever wonder why the wise Father didn't just say "No"? Jesus' listeners would not have been surprised at all by that. In face they would have expected it. What self-respecting Father would give in to a willful son's petulant demands?

But if you know who the Father is...then you know he has a thing about saying, "Ok, if that's what you want." He began it in the garden and has never stopped. God granted humans the ability to choose their path. He gave us the right to be wrong. And in doing so, he set in motion the ability for prodigals to choose poorly, for wastrels to waste adn rebels to rebel.

We call it free will. But what we should call it is a pain!

Without this precious gift, the prodigal would have been spared all the pain of the pig pen.

He would never have known want.

He would never have felt loss.

He would never have experienced the emptiness inside that led him to go back home.

So... he never would have felt the Father's redeeming hug and restoring kiss.

I know, I know... We all wonder if there isn't some way to get one without the other. Couldn't God have devised a universe in which you don't have the room to make mistakes but you have the ability to love freely? I can only imagine that if the possibility existed, the Father would have figured that out.

But in the world I live in, real love is always freely given.

True devotion is never delivered in shackles.

And the Father's choice to give me freedom is my greatest gift and toughest burden.

Thank you, Father...for not saying "No."



Jeff Walling

Day 4

I come from a long line of over-reactors. Some people call it passionate, some people call it crazy, I call it Italian. I barely had the opportunity of knowing either of my grandparents but the stories told by my parents lead me to believe that all four of my grand-figures [100% Italian] felt very justified in their garish ways. I would love to recount the history of our fairly-unwated family trait. I can't help but wonder if the originator of it was the biggest over reactor of all time or if the lovely characteristic has mutated and grown increasingly over time, making my generation the epitome of exaggerated reactions. I like to think the latter is not true. My parents happen to be two very practical over reactors. I believe they introduced rational behavior into the art of over reacting and if I ever have children I pray that their over reactor factor will be even more watered-down.

With that family secret out in the open, may I express my disbelief when the dad reacts with compassion and kindness to the prodigal son? What in the world?! Verse 20 says, "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, but by the time he crossed the field he remember what a selfish brat his child had been and he approached him with flailing arms and fierce eyes and immediately began a dissertation on the ridiculousness of prodigal boy's behavior." Nope, I lied. Verse 20 says, "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." And then he proceeded to throw a party in honor of his idiotic son coming to his senses. It kind of makes me mad that the dad didn't set the son straight. Is he even a fit parent...just letting his son be wasteful and selfish?

It makes me think of my own childhood...spilling a sea of orange juice when trying to pour for my independent self, or knocking down the whole wall of games when trying to fit a few toes on a shelf so I could reach the precious game I wanted to play. I'd wait with bated breath and a terrorized face as my mind sunk to the realization that I did something not-quite-wise and I deserved a serious punishment by whatever parent heard the disaster occur and was about to fly around the corner. Then as my dad approached me looking less than mad, my scared face began to loosen beginning with the furrowed eyebrow. My heart began to feel light as my dad revealed that he came prepared with a roll of paper towels and acceptance of my immaturity.

I know I am blessed that I had a dad like that. Maybe you didn't. Maybe you never knew acceptance and love and the feeling of undeserved mercy. That's unfair...but it's ok. Pack up your bags and practice saying your line over and over, "I have sinned against you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son or daughter." You, in all your humanness, are accepted by your Father in heaven. Pack up your bad choices and selfish behavior and run to His arms. He will lavish compassion and forgiveness on you. People will be looking at you [the way that I was looking at the prodigal son] asking why you aren't being punished...it is my prayer that they will know it is because we serve a God who loves His creation so deeply and recklessly.


Jenna Thomas

Day 3

Luke 15:11-12: Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.” “ Give me”. Do those two words grab you like they grab me? They’ve even been assigned their own special slang version: “gimme”. There is more than meets the eye when we see these words in print in this passage. My husband Bill and his father spent time over the past several years building a Shelby Cobra replica from the ground up. It is an amazingly beautiful piece of machinery, though a little too high on the noise scale for my taste. For my two sons, ages 24 and 20.….well let’s just say I thought we left drooling back with the pacifiers and diapers! Just mention the Cobra and their faces light up! One day my youngest son said to my husband, “Dad, when you die, do I get the Cobra?" Though it was an innocent remark, no way intended to wish for his Dad’s passing in order to inherit his stuff, it still smarted a little. I think it was a lot more painful for the father in Luke 15. In that culture, the original listeners would probably have gasped at such a request. It was a sign of deep disrespect. To ask this while the father was still living was the same as saying “I wish you were dead now”. The younger son was saying, “I want your things, not you.” On the surface it is easy to think harshly about where this son’s heart is when he makes this request. But on further examination, if I allow it, I see myself in my walk with God. How often I ask Him for the things I want from a physical perspective without fully giving myself to Him spiritually. How many of my prayers are centered on the physical aspects of life rather than the spiritual? Jesus already died, and the inheritance is mine. Do my gimmes get in the way of my seeing the real inheritance God has prepared for me in heaven? Do I strive to “have it all” now? Does God sometimes think that I want His things and not Him? Do I live like I know the best is yet to come? The best is not more things, it’s more God! It’s being in his presence always. Now that is a “gimme” I want to claim!



Julie Hallman

Day 2

The lost son comes to his earthly father and says to him in verse 21, Chapter 15 of the book of Luke: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son". To repent we need to humble ourselves. What a powerful lesson from the lost son when he comes to a point where he realizes that he has sinned but most of all the he is humble enough to accept it, recognizing (confessing) that he has sinned against his earthly father and worse of all against his Spiritual Father, God. We have the opportunity to repent of our sins and the Lord is calling us to humble ourselves and be able to confess our sins , and He will give us His forgiveness. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" I John 1:9, "and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sins" I John 1:7b. Only our Father in heaven, through His Son Jesus, can cleanse our us of all unrighteousness. Praise our Lord Jesus Christ!


Armando Perdomo

Day 1

This is one of the most known and most loved chapters of the whole Bible. These three parables bring out the JOY of God when the lost sinner is found.

The important thing to note is who is around Jesus when he is telling these stories.

(Luke 15:1-2 NIV) Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. {2} But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

Tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees and teachers of the law….. a more judgmental, self-righteous, self seeking lot could not have been assembled. What a motley crew! The tax collectors were despised because they helped the hated Romans who took over their land and profited from their own countrymen by taking from the tax money they collected to fatten themselves. The sinners – well, they need no explanation. The Pharisees and teachers of the law rebuked Jesus for association with such lowly and corrupt people.

With a little introspection all of us could fall into one of the unruly sects listed above.

One thing is for certain Jesus knew who he was speaking to. Look at what Jesus says right before he begins this chapter - "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Gulp – that means all of us. Let us all open our hearts and see what we can learn from the master.


Brad Childers