For our previous two episodes we explored the hard reality of the grief that comes with walking with a challenging child for months and years. I hope you captured some perspective and practice for your grief journey. This week and next I have gifts for you—gifts from God that will give you what you need for all the twists and turns of your odyssey. If you choose to accept these gifts, you can face what lies ahead. Judy’s Resources: Read God’s Gifts to Me: https://judydouglass.com/blog/gods-birthday-gifts-to-me 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
Grief is a normal part of life. Disappointments, losses, hard situations come, and grief is often a part of those. But when you love a prodigal, grief can become an ongoing reality as the journey goes on and on. The hardest part of our journey lasted about 15 years. Grief was ever present, but so was God. Today I want to share with you some of the ways God met me and sustained me and even freed me. Judy’s Resources: Read The Circle of Life: https://tinyurl.com/2pp34dph 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/JudyDoug
If you have been journeying in the prodigal journey for a long time, or if your journey is just beginning, you will experience many emotions: fear, anger, frustration, resentment, guilt and more. And at some time you will recognize an overriding emotion: grief. This week and next we will acknowledge the grief we experience as we walk through life with a broken heart—and some ways to live through it. Judy’s Resources: Read When Not to Pull Weeds: https://tinyurl.com/2dvu3ukv Listen to A Companion in Grief: https://tinyurl.com/mr2v6f2m 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
Sometimes I think it’s good to let you listen to another voice. The one you will hear from today is Gary Wilkerson, head of World Challenge Ministry, following in the footsteps of his father, David Wilkerson, author of The Cross and the Switchblade and founder of the Times. Gary is a pastor in Colorado Springs. When my book When You Love a Prodigal first came out, he had me on his podcast. He has walked our journey. I saw he was doing a series on the Parable of Jesus. I listened to the Parable of the Prodigal Son and thought you would benefit from it. So today, meet my friend Gary. Gary’s Resources: Website: https://www.worldchallenge.org Read Fire in His Bones: A Collection of the Fifty Most Powerful Sermons of David Wilkerson: https://a.co/d/cihLQU2 Read The Altar of Our Hearts: https://a.co/d/0BTIVFk Judy’s Resources: 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
I imagine, if you listened to the past two episodes on ambiguous loss, you’ve done some challenging thinking about your own challenges and losses. Today will be an encouraging time, I believe. You will hear a recording from me, a message I gave at Christian Leadership Alliance about the transformation God did in me over the years of our prodigal journey. Judy’s Resources: Read Way-of-Life Practices: https://tinyurl.com/3z73vybh 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