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BlogHere are the thoughts and news of the people in our community. Leave a comment as you wish. If you want to join the blogging ask Mark.
Thursday, March 04, 2004Bringing Home the Prodigals At this conference that I went over last weekend, Rob Parsons took a session, based on his book, "Bringing Home the Prodigals". I had heard Rob Parsons speak before [on marriage and family] so I knew it would be entertaining at least. I wasn't prepared for the emotional response he was about to stir, nor the huge challenge he was about to unleash on the room of unsuspecting church leaders. Based on the parable of the two sons (better known as the parable of the prodigal son) he described the nature of church and how we have made people into prodigals and how we remain the kind of churches that prevent their return. He challenged us to not get so caught up with whether or not they are attending church and search out opportunities to commend them in right living. For example he imagined a situation where the mother and an 18 year old son left home together on a Sunday morning, one going to church and one to a friends house to get up to who-knows-what, but as the son leaves he passes a homeless person selling "Big Issue", he stops pulls some cash out of his pocket, looks the person in the eye ["the most significant thing you can do to a person" - Rob] and says "keep the change". Will the mother continue to berate the son for not attending church, or will she see the wonderful act of grace the son did and encourage it. Fantastic. As with centred set thinking, we were challenged to see Jesus followers not as those who looked 'in', and conformed to expectations, but those who were allowing the good in the heart to flow out in action. I loved this: "When your prodigals do return to church, pray that they meet the Father before they meet the older brother". A CD of the talk is available for anyone who would like to borrow it! Posted by: Mark | 12:33 pm |
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