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

Last week, we heard Pat and Tammy McLeod's heartbreaking story of their son's brain damaging football accident, and the so hard journey of great loss. This week we hear them again, telling of help and hope, of living with their son who was both there and not there.

Though their situation may not be like yours, they offer us real, hard life and new perspectives and practices. And even a little Tim Tebow.

McLeod’s Resources:

• Website: https://patandtammymcleod.com/
• Hit Hard: One Family’s Journey of Letting God What Was—and Learning to Live Well with What Is Book: https://a.co/d/iOTbmAp
• Enter to win a copy of the McLeod’s books: https://judydouglass.com/bookgiveaway

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
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JudyDouglass

Perhaps your loved one is gone, through suicide or overdose or a terrible accident, or gone from your presence by their own choice. Today we are hearing a heartbreaking story of a young man with a traumatic brain injury, who lived. He is severely impacted, but he is still with his family.

Pat and Tammy McLeod will be with us this week and next week, vulnerably sharing their story of walking through what the reality of “our loved one is here, but he isn’t here.” That may not be exactly your situation, but Pat and Tammy have some very helpful realities that could help anyone on a journey with a challenging child. You won’t want to miss this.

McLeod’s Resources:

• Website: https://patandtammymcleod.com/
• Hit Hard: One Family’s Journey of Letting God What Was—and Learning to Live Well with What Is Book: https://a.co/d/iOTbmAp
• Enter to win a copy of the McLeod’s books: https://judydouglass.com/bookgiveaway

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
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JudyDouglass

Jesus said some radical things about love. Then He commanded us to do the impossible: to love others just as He loved us—which He defined as “laying down His life for us.”

He said love would make this happen: Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

And then: Do everything in love.

Jesus says it’s possible.

Judy’s Resources:

• Read Loving a Prodigal: Never Give Up: https://tinyurl.com/4kmj3rxf
• Read Loving on the Love Trail: https://tinyurl.com/3u8enhdf
• 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