What was your first impression?

This is a small, recently published book by a well-known Christian writer.
On the front, Dr R T Kendall states that 'This book is a gift to the whole church'
and the picture is of a modern day prodigal son. The back cover states that
this book is 'Rob Parsons at his best – turning lights on, touching hearts,
and bringing us hope.'

What's it about?

Rob Parsons uses the story of the Prodigal son to identify the prodigals
we know, people who have turned their back on their faith and/or their family
and gone off to live a very different lifestyle. One example he uses is a son
repeatedly bailed out of police cells by his parents for drug offences, another
is a teenager at university who finds himself far from God when he sees that
a worldly life offers excitements and dangers that really tempt him. Rob Parsons
also looks at what we may have done, either personally or as a Church, to make
them prodigals and how we can enable them to return. He uses stories of real
people and intersperses the chapters with prayers and reflections for us to
use. Many of his examples relate to parents and their children, but the
book is broader than that - aimed at the church as a whole.

What did you like about it?

I liked the urgency of the writing. I had the privilege of hearing him talk
on this subject at Spring Harvest and the passion with which he spoke there
carries through to the page. I loved the message of hope that it brings – never
give up waiting for your prodigal to return, never stop praying, always leave
a light on for them. Stories of real life prodigals coming home reinforced this
hope.

What didn't you like?

I loved this book but if I had to say something negative, it would be that
it is brief. Some of Rob Parsons other books are "The 60 Minute Marriage"
and "The 60 Minute Father"…this should perhaps be "The 30 Minute
Bringing Home the Prodigals". But having said that, I do believe Christians
need to hear this message and if it's short, maybe more people will read it.

What will you still remember a year from now?

Keep praying! We probably all know someone who has left Jesus far behind
and in some cases it seems unlikely that they will ever call out for him again.
Rob Parsons' urge that we pray for a miracle will stay with me. This is
a book about a God who works miracles today and I think many of us need to hear
that

Who would you recommend this book to?

It is short enough and good enough to offer to any Christian whether their
personal circumstances reflect the stories in the book or not. It is an important
message and the more widely it is read, the better.

Can you give us a couple of good quotes from the book?

'It is true that the parable of the prodigal son is two thousand years old,
but it is being re-enacted every day in homes all across our world as thousands
of mothers and fathers wait up until the early hours of the morning for their
children to come home. It is being relived … in the tears, the pain and the
sheer frustration of the broken dreams and the crying out of, 'Where did we
go wrong?'

'At our very worst we have been the elder brother. But we can change. We
can catch the Father's heart for the prodigals; the outrageous grace of the
one who, even as we stumble down the long road home, runs to throw a robe on
our back, put a ring on our finger and shoes on our feet. And if we do change,
if we can catch something of that father-heart of God, then it may be that…he
will touch the lives of thousands of our prodigals – and bring them home.'