"THE WAITING" by MARK REMPEL!
"The Waiting" is an amazing book that is actually an updated version of the parable of the prodigal son. What is great about it is that it shows all sides of the parable. So often we focus on the lost son - he gets money from his dad, he leaves home, he meets the wrong people, makes bad choices, wastes his money, ends up destitute, does nasty stuff just to survive and finally realizes that maybe things weren't so bad at home and maybe dad will let him come back as a servant. We don't often focus on how truly awesome the father's love is to not only let his son go in the first place, but also how he welcomes him back with more than open arms and how he waited and waited for the opportunity to tell him - I never stopped loving you, you are my son. What about the older son? The son that never left home, but didn't really have a relationship with the father anyway? Is that any better
than never physically leaving in the first place? If you aren't there mentally and emotionally - you might as well leave... In "The Waiting" all these things are considered (Mark actually brings a 3rd, youngest son into the book to give another perspective) and it makes for a beautiful, moving story about redemption, forgiveness and the ultimate in unconditional love. I hate to say that this book was published in 2002 so it is not easy to come by - though for anyone that is a member of paperback swap, as of this morning there were 2 copies available. I was not able to do an interview with Mark Rempel either though I did find that he is a youth pastor at a large church in Arizona and he writes books for young adults. Keep your eyes peeled for this book and even check out some used book websites - this book is worth the effort of locating it (I did see it on eBay and half.com as well).
"The Waiting" is an amazing book that is actually an updated version of the parable of the prodigal son. What is great about it is that it shows all sides of the parable. So often we focus on the lost son - he gets money from his dad, he leaves home, he meets the wrong people, makes bad choices, wastes his money, ends up destitute, does nasty stuff just to survive and finally realizes that maybe things weren't so bad at home and maybe dad will let him come back as a servant. We don't often focus on how truly awesome the father's love is to not only let his son go in the first place, but also how he welcomes him back with more than open arms and how he waited and waited for the opportunity to tell him - I never stopped loving you, you are my son. What about the older son? The son that never left home, but didn't really have a relationship with the father anyway? Is that any better
than never physically leaving in the first place? If you aren't there mentally and emotionally - you might as well leave... In "The Waiting" all these things are considered (Mark actually brings a 3rd, youngest son into the book to give another perspective) and it makes for a beautiful, moving story about redemption, forgiveness and the ultimate in unconditional love. I hate to say that this book was published in 2002 so it is not easy to come by - though for anyone that is a member of paperback swap, as of this morning there were 2 copies available. I was not able to do an interview with Mark Rempel either though I did find that he is a youth pastor at a large church in Arizona and he writes books for young adults. Keep your eyes peeled for this book and even check out some used book websites - this book is worth the effort of locating it (I did see it on eBay and half.com as well).
4 comments:
Just ordered a copy from pbs. Sounds like a great book to read after attending a God Encounter!
Lora
Great books are born every day, even in the year 2002. I love a story with personal application to God's word. This one about redemption, forgiveness and the ultimate in unconditional love sounds like just the thing for anyone and everyone to read and apply to their own life. Thanks for letting me know about this one, I can watch for it.
cepjwms at yahoo dot com
please put me in this drawing. thanks.
stacey_dale[at]yahoo[dot]com
Sounds like a great book
Enter me in the drawing
Jolene
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