Coming home.....

I am excited to write tonight's blog! Although I am physically tired from a long, jam packed week, I sit here in my flannel pj's wrapped up in an afghan and pour out all that is on my heart.
Over the last few years we have been praying for prodigals in our lives, to be restored and to come home, and to walk in the fullness they were created to walk in.

This morning I was asked to testify about the prodigals, as the last few weeks they have been heavy on my heart. As I was testifying, the Holy Spirit gave me a vision of a big green grassy hill. More wide than High, and in unison from one end of the hill to the other was a herd of prodigals cresting the top of that Hill, and I (we) were at the bottom of the hill, rejoicing and eagerly awaiting their arrival. Now by rejoicing, it didn't feel like a Yeeehaw..but was the feeling of an inner Joy that seemed to be oozing out from every part of my being. I could almost feel a sigh of relief and a joy so unspeakable as I watched my long awaited brothers and sisters returning home. I could see them walking...they weren't walking downcast but seemed to be walking at a steady pace, eager to be welcomed home, eager to be at the place...the place that for so long they had deeply desired to be.

Friends, many of us have prodigals, whether they are family, or they are friends...we all have them. We need to love and embrace them, we need to run out and meet them where they are at. Many of them have and continue to live and walk in a life full of regret and a life of guilt. On a daily basis many of them continue to condemn themselves for choices that at one time looked good, but now realize they were choices that never should have been made. They live in a world full of "What Ifs" what if I had never done that, or, what if I had chosen this instead. Now call me crazy, but haven't we all? Haven't we all made those choices? Haven't we all made those decisions? The ones that if they weren't covered by the blood of Christ we aren't sure where we'd be today. Now think of when you went through that tough time, do you remember the ones who loved on you, who embraced you, who slaughtered the calf and rejoiced at your return? Now on a not so nice note, can you also recall those "Brothers", the ones who weren't eagerly awaiting your return home. We need to lose the Big Brother mentality. We need to know who WE are in Christ. We need to walk with boldness and confidence but daily clothe ourselves with humility so that when our brothers returns, we too are making those party preparations!

So I encourage you, I encourage you that when you see a prodigal coming, or hear the rumblings of them cresting the top of that hill, that you run....run hard and embrace them as only the Father could do. I challenge you to recognize when God puts one of those special gems in your path, and when He does be the Father model and embrace them. Yell out for that calf to be slaughtered, clothe them, bury your flesh along with that big brother mentality and offer them all that you have, all that you are, and all that He has made you to be!

So, Get ready...stir up that expectation in your spirits
........because friends...our brothers are a coming home!