Ruth Bell Graham knew about prodigals--two of her five children were spiritual wanderers. This is not a "how to" book that dispenses easy advice on ways to win back a prodigal. Instead, it is a collection of readings one woman turned to for comfort when her children wandered from God. It shows how Graham's faith persevered and grew regardless of the outcome of her prodigals' stories. Part One introduces readers to five prodigals who "returned to the father." Part Two offers comfort and encouragement through Scripture, poems, hymns, prayers, and more. Readers will be touched by the honest feelings of pain, frustration, and uncertainty Graham expresses so eloquently. And they will share in the lessons she learned about God's sovereignty and ultimate peace. Now beautifully repackaged, Prodigals and Those Who Love Them brings peace and hope to all parents of "wayward" children.
When you’re the parent of a prodigal, you know you can never pray enough. But how do you persevere when you’re tired and discouraged? Prayers for Prodigals offers encouragement for parents to “come boldly before the throne of grace” and intercede daily for their children through a series of inspirational prayers. The book also includes fourteen brief meditations, which are drawn from Scripture and the writer’s and others’ personal experiences with prodigal children, such as Ruth and Billy Graham and Monica, the mother of Augustine. This unique book inspires parents in a sustained, daily prayer effort for their prodigal children.
Loving a prodigal is a long and desperate journey, filled with fear, worry, anger, self- recrimination. You wait for the phone call--will it be from jail or the hospital? You plead with your loved one. You search for help. You feel the shame. You cry out to God, "How long, Lord?" Author Judy Douglass knows these lovers of prodigals well. She is one herself and has created a large and growing community with others. When You Love a Prodigal is a collection of 90 essays--90 days of perspective on what God offers to you as you love your prodigal. At the end of each brief essay, response questions will help you process how God intends to use the wilderness journey to mold your spiritual life. You can work through it day by day, or you can read it straight through. Judy has traveled this road with her own prodigal--reading, learning, praying, and seeking God. Over and over he continued to give her wisdom, he sustained her, he covered her with grace, and he filled her with hope. May you, too, be strengthened and filled with hope as together you discover how God will take you through your own valley.
The bestselling author of In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart—and Billy Graham’s daughter—returns with a rousing look at how to spiritually tackle the fears we all face during times of change, uncertainty, and crisis.' Ruth Graham empathizes with readers who feel inadequate, outnumbered, overpowered, overwhelmed, or even beyond hope. As she honestly admits, she’s experienced all these emotions. But in the midst of the rough patches in her life, she experienced the depth of God’s mercy. In Fear Not Tomorrow, God Is Already There, Graham shows the tremendous assurance of discovering that God can truly be trusted as our ultimate caretaker. He does have a plan for all His children, and He provides us with the tools we need to flourish when our world turns upside down. Ruth Graham’s strength as a speaker and writer is found in her vulnerable transparency. Writing not from an ivory tower of theological discourse, but from the battlefields of her own personal struggles, Ruth sheds light on her own life experiences, growing up as a Graham, faltering in difficult challenges, yet always landing in the open arms of a welcoming heavenly father. Drawing on the troubled lives of relatable Bible figures, Fear Not Tomorrow, God Is Already There awakens readers to have the courage to face uncertainties with true confidence in God. This is an essential volume for everyone.
Has your heart, or the heart of someone close to you, been broken by the destructive choices your adult children have made? In this practical handbook, licensed counselor Bill Coleman helps you accept what has happened to your family, stop blaming yourself, regain peace of mind, and enjoy a fulfilling life despite your pain. Hope and healing are available for every parent who has suffered a broken heart. Read and be healed.
Loving a prodigal, or being one, is hard. This book lets you know that you are not alone and that there is hope in Jesus. Author, pastor, and praying father James Banks and his prodigal son returned, Geoffrey Banks, each write from their perspective, sharing their story of redemption and encouraging you through the struggle.
Footprints Of A Pilgrim is Ruth Bell Graham's life story told in her own words (weaving together her prose and poetry) with added tidbits and anecdotes from her family (husband Billy and her children Gigi, Anne, Franklin, Ruth and Ned) and many of her friends (including Barbara Bush, Lady Bird Johnson, Jan Karon, Patricia Cornwell and others). With snatches of insight and glimpses of grace, Footprints Of A Pilgrim tells the story of a life (a very full and special life) complete with memories of joy, pain, brokenness, and healing. Also included are many never before published pictures which illustrate the remarkable journey of Ruth Bell Graham, as a child of a missionaries in Quingjiang, China in 1920, until today at her home in Little Piney Cove, Montreat, North Carolina.
How do you live for Christ in such personal turmoil? How do you live with a grown child whose destructive choices have turned him into a person so unlike the adorable offspring into whom you poured much of yourself? Ultimately, how do you bear the pain if that prodigal never returns? Here, Dr. Craig Svensson shows he is no stranger to such deeply devastating circumstances. He sensitively, engagingly, and compassionately directs readers to Scripture to create a biblical framework for addressing the trauma of having a prodigal in the family. A powerful and heartbreaking story that is real, raw, and yet full of gospel centered hope. I believe God will use this marvelous book to draw prodigals to himself and comfort and sustain parents who find themselves on this difficult journey. Pastor Steve Viars, D.Min, Senior Pastor of Faith Church, Lafayette, Indiana, Craig Svensson has written a very moving and very needed book with a unique perspective for parents of prodigal children. Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., VP/Academic Dean at Faith Bible Seminary, Lafayette, Indiana, ...an indispensable book for those enduring the sorrow, grief, and confusion of dealing with prodigal children. Pamela Gannon, RN, MABC, ACBC certified Biblical Counselor at Grace Bible Church, Adjunct faculty at Montana Bible College, Bozeman, Montana, With wisdom born from experience and careful consideration of biblical truth, Dr. Craig Svensson offers compassionate hope and help to parents facing the difficult reality of a wayward child. Brent Aucoin, Ph.D., Pastor of Seminary and Soul Care Ministries, Faith Church, Lafayette, Indiana, As only one who has previously walked this tragic path can, Dr. Svensson humbly and hopefully offers true biblical counsel, comforting even while he challenges the reader to love and serve like Jesus in heartbreaking situations. Jocelyn Wallace Inaugural Executive Director at Vision of Hope Residential Treatment Center, Lafayette, Indiana. Book jacket.
