It’s the five year anniversary of my book, When You Love a Prodigal, the inspiration for this podcast! So I thought we should take it back to the beginning of the podcast and revisit the core question of “what is a prodigal?”.

People ask me what “prodigal” means—there are several definitions out there. We will define what we are meaning on this podcast and the how, when and why a person might become a prodigal. Some are rebellious or "bad," but many begin to make destructive choices because of the challenges in their lives, because of many levels of trauma.

Judy’s Resources:

• Turning Curses into Blessings blog post
• Restoring Prodigals blog post
• Join the Prayer for Prodigals community here: https://bit.ly/3uyhSWQ
• Sign up for Judy’s monthly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/39TBlYt
• Purchase a copy of the When You Love a Prodigal book for you or a loved one here: https://amzn.to/3RuiUx9

Stay connected:

• Website: judydouglass.com/podcast
• Facebook: facebook.com/JudyDouglass417
• Instagram: instagram.com/judydouglass417
• Twitter: twitter.com/judydouglass417
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/judyddouglass/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JudyDouglass

Most of us are bruised people who desperately need to be reminded, however subtly, that hope is real, grace is often present, goodness counts, love is possible and our lives matter. I believe this is more than mere artistic preference: the human race depends upon it.

And people who love a prodigal depend on it.

Here are 10 reasons you can keep hoping.

Judy’s Resources:

• When the News Is Bad…Here’s Some Help https://bit.ly/3wTVOcr
• Join the Prayer for Prodigals community here: https://bit.ly/3uyhSWQ
• Sign up for Judy’s monthly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/39TBlYt
• Purchase a copy of the When You Love a Prodigal book for you or a loved one here: https://amzn.to/3RuiUx9

Stay connected:

• Website: judydouglass.com/podcast
• Facebook: facebook.com/JudyDouglass417
• Instagram: instagram.com/judydouglass417
• Twitter: twitter.com/judydouglass417
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/judyddouglass/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JudyDouglass

You don’t expect to find one of your best gifts ever when you are wandering through the wilderness. A walk in the wilderness might be lovely if you’re a nature lover and you keep your eyes open. You could discover some real gems: colorful creatures, spectacular plants, encounters with startling animals, an astounding array of colors and shapes underwater, hidden waterfalls.

But a walk in the wilderness could also be frightening and full of surprises that turn out to be dangerous: snakes, spiders, poisonous plants, wild animals.

This is more like the wilderness we know as lovers of prodigals

Resources:

• Immersed in His Mercy: https://tinyurl.com/2v43kmke
• Join the Prayer for Prodigals community here: https://bit.ly/3uyhSWQ
• Sign up for Judy’s monthly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/39TBlYt
• Purchase a copy of the When You Love a Prodigal book for you or a loved one here: https://amzn.to/3RuiUx9

Stay connected:

• Website: judydouglass.com/podcast
• Facebook: facebook.com/JudyDouglass417
• Instagram: instagram.com/judydouglass417
• Twitter: twitter.com/judydouglass417
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/judyddouglass/
• YouTube: https://bit.ly/3qzjAqY

Most of us want our own way. And when life is going our way, we are happy, even joyful. But when circumstances, or our prodigal, or God interferes with our way, our joy can disappear. We also have an enemy, who is enticing our prodigal, and loving to steal our joy.

Resources:

• Read the devotional: judydouglass.com/blog/joy-3-winning-the-war
• Joy—Jonny Diaz https://youtu.be/-GjW1pSYgUk
• Joy of the Lord—Maverick City https://youtu.be/sbFq7YQM1Js
• Join the Prayer for Prodigals community here: https://bit.ly/3uyhSWQ
• Sign up for Judy’s monthly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/39TBlYt
• Purchase a copy of the When You Love a Prodigal book for you or a loved one here: https://amzn.to/3RuiUx9

Stay connected:

• Website: judydouglass.com/podcast
• Facebook: facebook.com/JudyDouglass417
• Instagram: instagram.com/judydouglass417
• Twitter: twitter.com/judydouglass417
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/judyddouglass/
• YouTube: https://bit.ly/3qzjAqY

Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring--it didn't matter. The years of our prodigal journey unfolded with occasional good days, but with many more challenging ones.

I could easily be overwhelmed, until I slowly learned to look to God and hold on to the truths I was slowly absorbing. I wrote this simple list of the top ten lessons I’ve learned from God and the more I focused on the Lord and these truths, the more I could walk in peace.

Resources:

• Read 25 Things I Have Learned About God: https://bit.ly/25thingsaboutgod
• Join the Prayer for Prodigals community here: https://bit.ly/3uyhSWQ
• Sign up for Judy’s monthly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/39TBlYt
• Purchase a copy of the When You Love a Prodigal book for you or a loved one here: https://amzn.to/3l1JPmy

Stay connected:

• Website: judydouglass.com/podcast
• Facebook: facebook.com/JudyDouglass417
• Instagram: instagram.com/judydouglass417
• Twitter: twitter.com/judydouglass417
• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judy-douglass-815aa358/
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/judyddouglass/
• YouTube: https://bit.ly/3qzjAqY

If we could relate to our wanderers as Jesus would have, we just might see a difference in the atmosphere in our home and relationship.Today we take up gentleness.

Harsh. Angry. Strident. Contentious.

We can easily be drawn into the debate, the disagreement, the conflict. Our opinion is right, and we must affirm it. So we join the cacophony.

This scene displays anything but gentleness, and surely doesn’t live out this word from Proverbs: “A gentle answer turns away wrath,…” (Proverbs 15:1) And most of us have experienced this result at some time in our homes, and with our prodigals.

Judy’s Resources:

• Read Words of My Life: Gentle: http://tinyurl.com/yy4s6t2m
• Read What to Wear as a Follower of Jesus: http://tinyurl.com/4ptju9bn
• Join the Prayer for Prodigals community here: https://bit.ly/3uyhSWQ
• Sign up for Judy’s monthly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/39TBlYt
• Purchase a copy of the When You Love a Prodigal book for you or a loved one here: https://amzn.to/3RuiUx9

Stay connected:

• Website: judydouglass.com/podcast
• Facebook: facebook.com/JudyDouglass417
• Instagram: instagram.com/judydouglass417
• Twitter: twitter.com/judydouglass417
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/judyddouglass/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JudyDouglass

My husband was a hard-working man. Our prodigal, in his younger years, was not. One day my husband came home and our son was sitting on my car watching his friends work on his car. My husband’s response was, “Can’t you help them fix your car, or at least learn from them. You’re just sitting watching them work.”

My husband rarely got angry, but he did that day. He came and sat down to talk to God about it. The Lord had a question: “How big is the gap between you and your son?” “It’s pretty big, when it comes to work,” he replied.

Then the Lord said, “How big is the gap between you and Me?”

Judy’s Resources:

• Read Learned from Children: Go Low: http://tinyurl.com/bde7t2af
• Read Jesus on Leading: Humility: http://tinyurl.com/yp64wn9r
• Join the Prayer for Prodigals community here: https://bit.ly/3uyhSWQ
• Sign up for Judy’s monthly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/39TBlYt
• Purchase a copy of the When You Love a Prodigal book for you or a loved one here: https://amzn.to/3RuiUx9

Stay connected:

• Website: judydouglass.com/podcast
• Facebook: facebook.com/JudyDouglass417
• Instagram: instagram.com/judydouglass417
• Twitter: twitter.com/judydouglass417
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/judyddouglass/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JudyDouglass

This is the third episode of a three-part series on Prayer that Opens Doors. We looked at Praise first, then Thanks last week. And today we consider a powerful key that can open tightly shut doors—and minds and hearts.

When someone near you sneezes, do you, or does someone nearby say, “God bless you”? It happens often, doesn’t it.Do you hear or say “God bless you” any other time? Not too often, I imagine.

Yet we are called to be people of blessing—as a way of life.

Judy’s Resources:

• Read The Power of Blessing: https://tinyurl.com/24u9xw4u
• Read Turning Scripture into Blessing: https://tinyurl.com/3urbntc9
• A Blessing for a Loved Prodigal: judydouglass.com/blessingforalovedprodigal
• Listen to Blessings Everywhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiyQsHKnCvc
• Join the Prayer for Prodigals community here: https://bit.ly/3uyhSWQ
• Sign up for Judy’s monthly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/39TBlYt
• Purchase a copy of the When You Love a Prodigal book for you or a loved one here: https://amzn.to/3RuiUx9

Stay connected:

• Website: judydouglass.com/podcast
• Facebook: facebook.com/JudyDouglass417
• Instagram: instagram.com/judydouglass417
• Twitter: twitter.com/judydouglass417
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/judyddouglass/
• YouTube: https://bit.ly/3qzjAqY