Father to a Prodigal World

I know it has been over a year since I’ve updated my blog. I’m really sorry for that. I promise I’m still alive and doing well. A year ago I moved from the beautiful state of North Carolina back to Oklahoma City to be closer to my family. The church in NC is wonderful. I think about them often and miss them greatly. A lot has happened over the last year and I will give a full update on that later. For now...I’d just like to share some thoughts and talk about what I am currently doing.

I just finished the book “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Henri J. M. Nouwen and I highly recommend it. While reading this book, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. As I’ve joined Nouwen in his journey through this story, I’ve been deeply challenged and even brought to tears by the power of God’s love displayed in this book. Often, when reading this story, we ask ourselves, “Which son am I? The older or younger?” With Nouwen I’ve come to realize that I am both, and I desperately need to feel the firm embrace of the Father. The person I never have realized I need to be in this story is the father.

The father is the one who runs out to the son and embraces him, puts a robe and ring on him, feeds him, and makes him feel like royalty. His compassionate love, displayed in the full embrace, is where I have focused my contemplation. God has called us to be the father in this story, to the world around us. We are called to be the loving embrace to the world around us that desperately needs it.

I am currently in Guyana, South America (not Africa) on a medical mission trip. I am not a medical person, as many of you know, so what is my purpose down here? I will be sharing the Gospel with 20+ people individually each day before they come into the clinic. I will have the opportunity to be God’s voice and loving embrace to Muslims and Hindus. I often overlook opportunities to share God’s loving embrace with people. I go on about my day to day life, looking past so many people who need God. I’m excited, and a little nervous, about this week. I pray, and ask you to pray with me, that I, and the rest of our team, will go back to our daily lives with a new found conviction of being the father to this prodigal world and running out to embrace it. Let us draw close to our Father so that our hearts beat with His for the people that He loves.

I will continue to update as the week progresses. Thanks for your prayers!