Henri Nouwen's "The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming"

If you've ever read anything by Henri Nouwen, you know he has some wonderful insights into our Father's love for us. His book "The Return of the Prodigal Son" is no exception. I plan on doing a study in the future about this parable and this book will no doubt be a valuable resource.

Obviously, it's not a new book, but I read it not long ago for the first time and was ministered to greatly because of it, so I thought I'd share it with you now.

On the cover of the book you'll notice a painting by the famous dutch artist, Rembrandt, depicting this parable. Nouwen maticulously examines this painting to reveal parallels with Rembrandt's life and this story of the Father welcoming his lost son home. Now, I love art, so this was right up my ally, but it may not be for you. Not everyone will appreciate how someone can stare at a painting for hours and not get borred. But, even if you don't have the same appreciation for this painting that Nouwen does, you'll be enriched to discover some of the great truths Nouwen shares through this book - it goes far beyond the painting. He goes on to examine his own life and observe how he relates to all three characters in this story: the rebellious son, the religious son, and the loving father. The latter being the one that God is working in us to become more like.

I won't say a lot more about it - I don't want to spoil it, but I'll leave you with a couple of great quotes from the book:

"Here the mystery of life is unveiled. I am loved so much that I am left free to leave home."
...
"It might sound strange, but God wants to find me as much as, if not more than, I want to find God. I am beginning now to see how radically the character of my spiritual journey will change when I no longer think of God as hiding out and making it as difficult as possible for me to find him, but, instead, as the one who is looking for me while I am doing the hiding."

If you want to borrow it, just let me know, or we'll see if we can get it in the His Place Library (if we don't already).