I never noticed something about the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. It is a very familiar story to so many people. Familiarity is not always such a good thing. It seems in this story of the prodigal son, the older son was a bit too familiar with his living situation at his dad’s house.

After his younger brother returns, Luke 15:26 says that the older brother called a servant to himself to find out what all the commotion was about. Why didn’t he go straight to his dad to find out? Was he afraid? How much was he really concerned about the things his dad cared about? Everything his dad owned he could have at any time. Now, he gets angry because his dad seemed to care a lot about his son coming home. Why did the older brother get angry? I believe because he never really tried to understand his dad. He never really cared for the things his father cared about.

From The Wonders of Prayer, By D.W. Whittle (1840 - 1901)

To recognize God's existence is to necessitate prayer to Him, by all intelligent creatures, or, consciously living in sin and under condemnation of conscience, because they do not pray to Him. It would be horrible to admit the existence of a Supreme Being, with power and wisdom to create, and believe that the creatures he thought of consequence and importance enough to bring into existence, are not of enough consequence for him to pay attention to in the troubles and trials consequent upon that existence.

Surely such a statement is an impeachment of both the wisdom and goodness of God.

It were far more sensible for those who deny the fitness and necessity of prayer to take the ground of the atheist and say plainly "We do not pray, for there is no God to pray to," for to deny prayer, is practical atheism.

Surely these words are an indictment against many of our prayer lives. How often do we find ourselves, as Whittle describes, living life as practical atheists?

As I am writing this, I am sitting in an airplane flying to South Korea. We are a team of 19 people on our way to an almost seven-week long outreach in the nation of South Korea. Our work there is cut out for us, and we are very excited to minister to and with the people there.

I was reading through Matthew 5, and right in the beginning of this chapter we read in verse 2: “…He [Jesus] opened His mouth and began to teach them…”

And then, as we know, Jesus lists ways of how we can be blessed by developing a solid character. The very first thing He pronounces is not what stocks to buy, or what latest gadget is a must have, what movie to see, or 10 things not to do if you want to be happy. Instead, He utters the words in verse 3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…”

I arrived back here in my motherland last week, just beating the first snow of winter. This past weekend saw a blanket of snow draping itself lazily over the countryside, causing chaos to the unprepared traveller. But venturing out on a frigid day yesterday and plodding my way through frozen snow, I soaked in the beauty of my home country. The hills still bore their wintry coats, shimmering and sparkling in the weak afternoon sunshine. Children pelted everything that moved with snowballs. Cars picked their way through frozen, slushy streets. My breath hung in the air as I negotiated the best route through piles of snow and ice. It was freezing, but I loved it. This is where I lived most of my life. This is where I have my biography. And part of me still lives here. Part of me comes alive here, a deep part that cannot be wakened in America. Home is still home.