Bringing home the prodigals
Rob Parsons’ latest book, Bringing Home the Prodigals,
has been described by Dr R T Kendall as "a gift to the whole
Church".
This book is quite different from many of Rob’s recent titles
and it deals with a subject very much on his heart. The book centres
around a message to anyone who cares about prodigals, be they children,
friends, brothers, sisters, husbands or wives.
Rob’s hope is that the book will release many from a false burden
of guilt, encourage God's people to stop judging each other, and turn
believers to prayer, both as individuals and as a Church.
Rob urges families with prodigals to:
- let
go of false guilt - prodigals make their own choices
- release
the life changing power of forgiveness
- have
patience to wait for them to come home
- keep
on praying for them!
The book
isn’t just for the parents or families of prodigal children.
Rob explains: "It’s not just for parents - it’s for
every one of us. We all have someone in our life who we would love
to see come back to a relationship with God. But there’s more
to it than that. I believe that the Church has played a part not only
in creating prodigals - making it easier for them to leave, but also
making it harder for them to return.
"Some of our so-called prodigals have not turned their backs
on God - just on some rules and regulations the Church held dear,
that never mattered to God at all.”
Churches with prodigals are encouraged to:
- stop
judging and start sharing burdens
- prepare
for their return
- ask
themselves why their prodigals really left
- make it easy for them to return
The book
is interspersed with reflections, prayers and stories of real-life
prodigals, and ends with us bringing the names of our prodigals to
the foot of the cross.
"And when our prodigals do come home, pray with all your heart
that they meet the father first and not the elder brother."
The book is available now, priced £6.99, from your local bookshop
or can be ordered at www.care-for-the-family.org.uk
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