Book Review: Prodigals and Those Who Love Them

I believe I discovered Ruth Bell Graham's poetry in the basement of a college friend's family home. The cover, Sitting by My Laughing Fire; the texture of the paper. The memory is hazy and might be false. Yet, I can recall recognizing a writer who not only turned a phrase with rhythm and grace but also packed a punch of understanding with her words. I loved her poetry, yet I never read a single further book by Billy Graham's articulate wife (although she wrote Legacy of a Pack Rat and I know, irony of ironies, I have that downstairs somewhere).

After reading When You Love a Prodigal, I joined with many parents on International Pray for a Prodigal Day, June 2nd. Petitioning God's throne for my wayward son prompted a search on Hoopla for similar books. Ruth Bell Graham had to parent her prodigal in the public eye. She offers so much in her book, Prodigals and Those Who Love Them. From the five biographies of famous prodigals at the beginning, to pertinent hymns and Scripture passages, to various poems and quotations, Graham covers the gamut of emotions engulfing parents when children go astray. Two of Ruth's poems hit home for me: "For All Who Knew the Shelter of the Fold" and "They Felt Good Eyes Upon Them."

This book will be a springboard for further investigation. The chapter on John Newton led me to view a movie offered on Hoopla, outlining Newton's testimony and transformation. Perhaps I will also watch the more recent movie about Newton, called "Amazing Grace." This journey will strengthen my understanding of God's amazing, extravagant, and scandalous grace! Praise be to God! He does not base His love, His acceptance, or our salvation on OUR actions. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8