I recently received an email from a dear friend of mine, a guy that I have known since my youth. You see, when I accepted Christ, my youth minister had a phenomenal idea, he paired off those who had just came to faith with another youth that he had taken one on one thru a discipleship book. This produced an accountability and learning intense environment. The guy that this then 13 year old was paired with was a 16 year old junior by the name of Matt Wyatt.
Matt had the polar opposite personality of mine. I was extremely shy and quiet. Matt was the extrovert. I enjoyed music as an observer; Matt played ( and still does) guitar as naturally as breathing.
He and I have not seen each other in almost 20 years. Our stories are the same. That of the prodigal son. We even both returned to our senses about the same time.
Since posting about the Prodigal Parable recently, we both have been sent back to a couple of years ago when the light of faith flickered again in our hearts. Hear is an email that he sent to me with some thoughts on the Prodigal from another prodigals perspective.

Matt, may God continue to richly bless your ministry and family.

I Love Ya Bro!!!

Hey...

I just read your blog...it's one of the first things that I check on
the web
these days.

I really liked what you said about the prodigal son.

I recently read this in my quiet time one morning and began meditating
on it
for a couple of days.

One thing that I have failed to notice over the years of just "reading"
the
bible and not contemplating and medititating on it was that the son, at
one
time, had fellowship with his father, but pride set in and decided he
wanted
to do his own thing.

That was me about 15 years ago. I had fellowship with the Father but
pride
said that I would rather be accepted by my peers, than by God. So I
left.

I squandered 15 years of my life on whatever the world threw at me.
And
people...even the people of God...will try most anything the world
throws at
them...even if it's pig slop. We may not recognize it as pig slop
until God
gets hold of our lives and opens our eyes. The world is throwing sex
at us
left and right, mostly through the media...whether it's adultery,
"living
together", incest, homosexuality, and pornography. Drug abuse is
rampant.
Alcoholism is at an all time high. And we fall into it and we get
stuck
there...because, well, pig slop is sticky, gooey. At first, it seems
like a
lot of fun to play in, but after awhile it begins to smell rotten and
it
gets to where you can hardly move in it. We're all living a rat race
trying
one thing after another to find something that satisfies...and there is
only
one thing.

I'm reading a book called Abba's Child by Brennan Manning. I've had
the
book since October and I just finished Chapter 3. I didn't know who
Brennan
Manning was until watching a DC Talk movie called Free at Last. I
recognized the voice on the video when he said, "The greatest single
cause
of athiesm in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with
their
lips, but walk out the door and deny Him with their lifestyle. That's
what
an unbelieving world simply finds unbelieavable." This quote is at the
beginning of one of DC Talks songs that I've heard for years. I found
out
it was he that wrote the Raggamuffin Gospel...which is another
incredible
book....ANYWAY...

The second chapter is about the imposter that lives within all of us.
The
person who wants to appear to have it all together, to be successful,
to be
popular...catch my drift? Then that person begins to steal our joy and
we
are no longer real to ourselves and to God. We are people pleasers, no
matter what the person. We are pretenders. And yet God loves
us...even
with our facade. There is a need to bring the imposter to Jesus and
come
out of hiding and face God for who we really are. God reveals to us
who we
really are.

Take a pitcher of water...gallon size and pour into a basin or a big
bowl.
As it's being poured the water is turbulent. That represents our lives
in
the livlihood of the imposter. It represents our lives in the world
where
the world is throwing its pig slop at us and we are rushing to try
every
little thing except what matters most. But let that water settle in
the
bowl and become still. Then put your face over that bowl. In the
stillness, you see yourself. It's in our stillness,(be still and know
that
I am God) that God reveals to us who we really are...the Beloved of
Christ.

We need to come to the realization that the core of our existence is
that
God chose us and God loves us. No matter how many times we leave His
fellowship--no matter how many times we fall into that familiar sin,
God's
is relentlessly tender toward us. He runs out to meet us and doesn't
ask
questions.

I have been dared to live as a forgiven man. I define myself as one
who is
radically loved by God. What constitutes my self worth? That God
chose me
and God loves me.
Who am I? I am my Father's child. I am Beloved by God

Sounds like a prodigal.

Sorry for the rambling! Sometimes I just have to re-affirm what I"m
learning and it just happened to be you who sparked the fire. Thanks,
brother!

Matt

Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Aaron “Tree” Landis
Psalm 1.3