Judy Douglass
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Worldwide Prodigal Prayer Day: We Will Pray for Your Prodigal
The gang our son had joined had a confrontation with another gang. It didn’t lead to violence, but for some reason the other gang thought Josh was the instigator. He came home terrified, saying he needed to get out of town. Our ministry had a summer conference beginning in Colorado and needed some teenagers to …
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Battle-Worn Parents of Prodigals, Remember This Key Truth
The night our prodigal came to Christ, two additional, greatly significant events occurred. First, I had a vision in which God poured His love for our adopted son into me, assuring me I would need it. Yes, I have needed it. Second, that began three sleepless nights engaged in fierce battle with the powers and …
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Why I Thank God for His Grievous Gift
My phone rang at 2 a.m., jarring me awake. I was in a hotel room, 1,000 miles from home. Not again, I thought. Which will this be—hospital or jail? It was jail. My son was calling to tell me it was all a mistake; he shouldn’t have been taken to jail. And so I faced …
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Can You Love the Holidays…when You Love a Prodigal?
Holidays—especially Christmas—are often painful for anyone who loves a prodigal. Dena and Tom Yohe certainly experienced that. Their years on a prodigal journey covered many holidays. Tension and conflict often prevailed. If the prodigal is home, emotional eruptions can happen. If they are not there, the pain, disappointment, even fear can fill your heart. Many …
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Eleven Children and a Global Mission
Todd and Beth Guckenberger connected at Indiana University where, they say, they majored in Campus Crusade (Cru). The mission trips they took then gave them a heart and a vision for the world. When they finished their education, they headed to Mexico to work with a mission there. Before long they were leading their own …
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Prayer For The Battle
The night our prodigal came to Christ, two additional events of great significance occurred. First God poured His love for him into me, assuring me I would need it. Yes, that was an understatement. Second, that began three sleepless nights engaged in fierce battle with the powers and principalities of the prince of the air. …
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Why Do They Do It? When Your Brother Is a Prodigal
I think Michelle started her counseling ministry before she was 12. Her friends often came to her for her wise counsel and her compassionate heart — and sometimes for a place to stay when things weren’t good at home. When God sent a 9-year-old boy to us as a foster child, she welcomed him gladly. …
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When You Love a Prodigal, Who Can You Trust?
“You can trust me.” How many times has your prodigal said that? How long has it taken you to realize that no, you can’t trust them? I had been warned: “If an addict’s lips are moving, it’s a lie.” Like the time our prodigal needed to buy something for an upcoming soccer tournament. I let …
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How to Find Rest for Your Soul and Your Relationships
I’m inviting you to the possibility of an unhurried life. If you are a parent, coming out of pandemic lockdowns, you didn’t find calm, unhurried, peaceful days for the past year. If you are the parent of a prodigal, a child making destructive choices for their life, the normal chaos probably increased. Gem and Alan …
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Why the Devil Is Such an Opportunist
When you love a prodigal, you get used to the roller coaster—the ups and downs, the unexpected turns, the dashed hope. I know; I lived it. I remember well when my prodigal was making great progress. Better choices. Greater stability. Hope for a good future. Then hard things happened, despair overcame. Bad choices. Old patterns. …
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How These Parents Found ‘Unshakeable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances’
No one likes for the phone to ring at 3 a.m. It is almost always bad news. For Carol and Gene Kent, it was far worse than bad news. It was horrific. Their shining-star son, recently and happily married, finishing Navy SEAL training, was in an Orlando jail for murdering his wife’s ex-husband. How could …
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What Will You Find at the End of a Prodigal Journey?
The son—we’ll call him Seth—broke every custom and tradition. Weary of all the hard work, annoyed at his controlling elder brother and resentful that most of the land and livestock would one day belong to his brother, he made a defiant decision. This decision was followed by a series of even more radical choices. Radical …
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Do You Have Strong Relationships With Your Children?
Josh McDowell knows how to give good gifts. My husband, father of our prodigal, had just been named president of our ministry. Josh McDowell showed up at our door and said: “I have a gift for you. I’m going to take your son for a month.” Why? Why would he do that? How would he …
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Why This Youth Minister Spent a Night in Juvenile Detention Center
“Within the first few minutes of arriving at the detention center, I was issued a fresh set of clothing: Light gray sweatpants and matching sweatshirt, a blue T-shirt (which all new residents wear), white boxer shorts, white socks and slip on sandals. Everything I came in with was gone.” Dan Wolgemuth, president of Youth for …
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What to Do When You Love a Prodigal
As usual, when those calls came, I was out of town. This time it was the hospital. Our son had been in a serious accident. His friend was driving. He lost control, and the truck jumped the curb and ended up on top of an electrical box. Both boys were knocked out, but ours came …