I used to think I knew how to pray. Then this wilderness journey with my wandering son required desperate prayer. And I moved into a new dimension of what it meant to pray.

Even now I realize I still know so little about praying. Prayer is a wonder I can barely comprehend. Sometimes I feel woefully inadequate and terribly ineffective—does anything happen when I pray?

Resources:

• Free Ebook: https://judydouglass.com/prayersforyourwildernessjourney
• 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://bit.ly/3qzjAqY

In kids’ sports there is often a “mercy rule.”

If one team gets far ahead, the game is called. It seems only kind and fair to not embarrass or demoralize the kids who are losing so badly.

In life it rarely works that way. There is no mercy rule, no rescue from your losses, your hurts, your failures. But in God’s Kingdom, Jesus instituted a Mercy Rule.

Resources:

• Mercy Music: Mercy, Matt Redman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuxzcJps6eo
• 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://bit.ly/3qzjAqY

I would love for you to celebrate Steve with me on July 12, which would have been his 79th birthday. Steve had many gifts, strengths and qualities, which blessed me over and over. Here's a replay episode full of Steve’s wisdom:

Steve always wanted his life—the way he lived, loved, spoke, treated people, used his time, everything—to reflect Jesus. He wanted people to be drawn to Jesus because of the way he lived. Most of us desire that too—for all the people in our lives, but especially for our loved prodigals. Hopefully these words from Steve will encourage us and help us as we seek to demonstrate what it looks like to walk with God to a watching world, and personally too our wanderers.

Steve’s Resources:

• Experiencing God’s Peace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mnC4isLVPU
• Steve’s Memorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCDkkBmmYjc
• Making Your Life Count Resources: https://makingyourlifecount.org/#/

Steve’s Books:

• Enjoying Your Walk with God: https://tinyurl.com/4mhfy2cj
• How to Achieve Your Potential and Enjoy Life: https://tinyurl.com/4t2dfawe
• How to Get Better Grades and Have More Fun: Request book by emailing Judy@judydouglass.com

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://bit.ly/3qzjAqY

From the day I was born, I wanted my own way. Growing up, my getting my way pretty much determined the peace and happiness in our home. As a teenager, getting my own way included secretly seeing a forbidden boyfriend for most of a year and other things.

Do you identify? Don’t most of us want our own way? Why?

Resources:

• Read: Growing a Tender Heart for Prodigals and Those who Love Them https://bit.ly/3KpnMRV
• 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/3l1JPmy

Stay connected:

• Website: judydouglass.com/podcast
• Facebook: facebook.com/JudyDouglass417
• Instagram: instagram.com/judydouglass417
• X: twitter.com/judydouglass417
• YouTube: https://bit.ly/3qzjAqY

Last week was the 150th episode so I thought we’d go back and revisit our last milestone with episode 100:

I had never even listened to a podcast when I was asked to do this one. But my team and my husband said, when I was reluctant, “You can’t turn down this great opportunity God has given you!!” So I said yes.

And it has been such a privilege to travel with you on your prodigal wilderness journey, learning with you, hopefully helping and encouraging you. I have been so blessed as I did each podcast, as I was reminded of all that God had done in my life—and is still and again.

What a blessing to be able to turn the very hard years of my prodigal wilderness with our son into words and stories to benefit you and many others. (You can hear him tell his story in Episode 50.)

Resources:

• You Want Me to Do a Podcast? https://tinyurl.com/bdfesbmv
• 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://bit.ly/3qzjAqY

My special guest today, Margaret Philbrick, will take us on an intriguing journey through an unusual approach to loving our prodigals.

Today we are talking about art, a topic I know little about. But Margaret does. She will take us through an introduction to Henri Nouwen’s book The Return of the Prodigal Son, a reflection on Rembrandt’s painting of The Prodigal Son. And then on to adventure and intrigue in Italy.

Yes, I couldn’t put it down. I read all night.

Margaret’s Resources:

• Website: https://margaretphilbrick.com
• Read House of Honor: The Heist of Caravaggio’s Nativity : https://a.co/d/iqqgFWF
• Read A Minor: A Novel of Love, Music, and Memory : https://a.co/d/0j2fQzh
• Enter to win a copy of House of Honor: 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

What I want to share with you today are some practical ways for you to REALLY love your prodigal. Your situation may be very different from ours—and the illustrations I use, but the suggestions I will give you can be helpful whatever your reality.

And I’m giving you an easy to remember acrostic: R.E.A.L.L.Y.

Resources:

• Learn about love languages: https://5lovelanguages.com/learn
• 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://bit.ly/3qzjAqY

We did it! We prayed for all those names on our list of treasured prodigals. What a privilege!

And what a battle it was--always! I am always exhausted at the end of the day. We—and those we pray for—have an enemy who doesn’t like that we are on our knees on their behalf. He will do all he can to keep us fearful. And he sought to interfere with our efforts.

But “thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)

In honor of Worldwide Prodigal Prayer Day I am giving away 5 copies of my book, When You Love a Prodigal. Enter Here: https://judydouglass.com/bookgiveaway

Judy’s Resources:

• For more resources go to my website: https://judydouglass.com/podcast
• Songs to help to calm your fears: https://bit.ly/FearNotPlaylist
• Join the Prayer for Prodigals community here: https://bit.ly/3uyhSWQ
• Hope for Hurting Parents: https://hopeforhurtingparents.com/
• Prayer for Prodigals Facebook: facebook.com/Prayer4Prodigals
• 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:

• Facebook: facebook.com/JudyDouglass417
• Instagram: instagram.com/judydouglass417
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JudyDouglass