Prodigal Magazine
MIKESCHAIR Interview
As the world looks in on Christianity today, they are looking for honesty and for sincerity. Too often, what they have found is hypocrisy in those who profess to be followers of Christ. As a new generation of bands hits the forefront in Christianity today, we are seeing a transparency that has never been seen before. MIKESCHAIR is one band who is definitely not afraid to openly discuss who they are, hoping that in their journey with the Lord, others may relate and come to know Him as well. MIKESCHAIR formed while they were students at Belmont University. The Lord has ...
Father of the Decade
As I began to consider this concept, I thought it would be fairly easy. After all, how many fathers are there in the world? There must be many that stand out. How much news has been reported in the last ten years? There must be great fathers among the reports. Soon after beginning my research, I realized this was going to be a difficult, if not impossible, task. There are fathers in the news alright. Recently there was Dr. Umaru Abdulmutallab, the father of Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, otherwise known as the "underpants bomber", or the "undergarments bomber", or something like that. He is ...
Interview – Phil Wickham
A few weeks ago, I took a silent retreat into the North Carolina wilderness to get alone with God and to allow him to speak to my heart. I took a copy of 1 cd on my ipod, Heaven and Earth which is Phil Wickham’s latest album that releases on November 17. God spoke to me in many ways through scripture but He allowed Phil’s music to bring me to a point of true worship. I sat down with Phil this morning to talk a little bit about who he is, his career and what inspires his songwriting abilities. History Q- Give ...
Jonny Diaz – Men of God Spotlight
Our God is a God of redirection. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.” Many of us have planned out our lives, striving to be one thing, only to learn later that God wanted us somewhere else. When we make that commitment to the Lord, we see how God redirects the paths of our lives, leading us to where He always intended for us to be. Jonny Diaz learned this lesson from the Lord and learned that sometimes, that redirection isn’t the easiest thing to accept, but once you ...
Men of God Spotlight: Scott Brosius
At the end of the 1997 season, Scott Brosius wondered where his career was going. He had just completed his worst season in Oakland and now, he was hearing the trade rumors and contemplating where he would be next. God opened a door, one that Scott could not have imagined being opened before that time, reviving his career and providing Scott with a new platform and a new audience. His faith would grow as the Lord moved in so many ways. Scott Brosius is now the head baseball coach at his alma mater. He is in our Men of God spotlight ...
Your Dream Girl Doesn’t Exist
That’s right. Put down the Nicholas Sparks book. Turn off his latest movie. There’s no message in a bottle. You won’t read your lifelong memories and emotions to each other from your notebook on your deathbeds. There is no love at first sight. Love at first sight is often infatuation [...]
Continue reading...Hitched Hiking
19. August 2009
I must admit I was less than thrilled about it. I mean, c’mon, I don’t normally do these things. It’s not my favorite thing to do. In fact, I would rather save our time and do something…I don’t know…a little less “natural.” Now don’t get me wrong, I was happy when my wife suggested we go [...]
Continue reading...One Man’s Journey Through Sex Addiction Pt.3
5. June 2009
Here is the finaly entry from Dr. Darryl Moore on his personal journey through sex addiction. Addiction chains us, breaks us, and corrupts us, but the great thing is, that is not the end of the story.....our redeemer lives.
Continue reading...One Man’s Journey Through Sex Addiction Pt.2
27. May 2009
Part 2 in a 3 part series, Dr. Moore continues to take us through his lifelong struggle with sexual addiction. Please read this as I believe a large percent of us men are on the brink of addiction and don't even realize it. It is time for a wake-up call.
Continue reading...One Man’s Journey Through Sex Addiction Pt.1
30. April 2009
It's midnight and just like many other nights each week, I found myself in the home office in front of my computer again. All of my good intentions, the ones saturated with denial and rationalization, are to work on my dissertation. Soon my real intentions take over and a couple of clicks later the screen of boring black and white text changes to bright colors of pornography. I am lost now in the world that is so familiar to me. It's a world of fantasy and escape. I shut out all the pain and thoughts and feelings of my life. I push aside any sense of responsibility to do something more productive. I lose track of time as I travel deeper into my world of fantasy and escape. Suddenly I am jarred back to reality with that dreadful sound of my wife's voice. "What are you doing?" I have been caught again. My whole being is filled with shame and guilt. There are no words. I was stuck in silence. There was nothing I could say to make it better now. I clicked off the computer. She demanded to see what I was looking at. I just refused. She gives up and goes back to bed. This is a true life story about the journey of a sex addict. Please read it, it could be you.
Continue reading...Are you truly thankful for your wife?
10. March 2009
Many men praise their wives from time to time but how selfish is that praise? Are you thankful for your wife because of all the ways that she blesses you? Are you thankful for her beauty; her home cooked meals; her funny jokes or those special times alone. It is important to be grateful for all her blessings but is that really a spirit of thankfulness? The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." It does not say be thankful in all good and comfortable circumstances. If we apply this to our marriages then it means be thankful for our wives at all times. Are you thankful for your wife when she is sick? ... When she is unattractive? ...when she is depressed? ... When she is disabled? ...When she is struggling with mental illness? ...When she does not want you to touch her? ...When she is struggling with her weight?
Continue reading...What is Love? Baby, Don’t Hurt Me
9. March 2009
Yes. I just titled this article of mine after a 90's club hit by the singer Haddaway that can also be found in the SNL movie "A Night At The Roxbury" and the sketches that spawned it entitled, "The Roxbury Guys". All [slightly obscure] cultural references aside, the question "what is love?" is one that still lingers and haunts in the musings of middle-school kids and aged adults alike. Over the decades, people have had interesting, insightful and often humorous things to say about love...
Continue reading...Bikinis, speedos and absolute truth
22. February 2009
We've all seen the posting on the door to our favorite McDonalds or the neighborhood gas station, but have we stopped to rationalize the need for the seemingly innocent placard? Health concerns and FDA requirements aside, there is another reason that most establishments display this certain message: as a male, I've always grown up being told it was inappropriate to be shirtless in the general public. According to socially accepted thinking, it is morally wrong for a person to walk around town without a shirt on. But wait, what about when one goes to the beach or the pool? Is it also inappropriate to go shirtless in those places? Modern thinking in both Christian and mainstream cultures would say no. Do you see the paradox that is created? I am a firm believer in absolute truth, as is the modern day church. By that same thinking -- that is, what is right or wrong in one situation is unilaterally right or wrong, respectively, regardless the situation -- is it inappropriate for a man to appear shirtless in public regardless of location or activity? If it is wrong in one situation, such as walking the dog, then it is equally wrong in the other, such as a day at the beach or sunbathing at the neighborhood pool. I realize that so far i have only addressed the male population, but i will turn my attention to the female population shortly. Please bear with me until then.
Continue reading...ANTICIPATION – Asking God for a wife
15. January 2009
I am a twenty-two year old college student who is somewhat socially awkward and I'm still trying to figure myself out in many ways. One thing I do know, however, is that I tend to over-think things just a wee bit too much. Recently, one of those over-thought topics has been marriage. Now, I know what you're thinking: "you're only twenty-two years old, what in the world are you doing thinking about marriage?" Well...you have a point. Regardless, the point of this isn't why I was thinking about it, but what I was thinking about it. Good old chivalrous tradition states that the man (myself in this case), if he intends to marry a woman, should first ask for her hand in marriage from her father. This tradition has slowly died with time, but there are a few of us who still hold to a lot of the "old-fashioned" ways. (Personally, I think asking her father is going to be a lot more intimidating than asking her. If you don't know if she wants to marry you, don't ask yet...it should be obvious what her answer is going to be.) Asking the father is more than just asking him to give away his daughter, it is asking for his blessing as well (blessing by a parent, yet another dead good tradition).
Continue reading...Report: Virgin Pledges are unsuccessful
5. January 2009
Recently my wife and I took our two nieces out to talk to them about purity. They know the in's and out's of sex and are already feeling the pressures at school at the age of 14. The school had taught them all about protection as well as the benefits of abstinence but we wanted to really make it special to them. We wanted to make sure they knew how important this beautiful thing is and how amazing their spouse will feel when they know that they had waited for them. The bad news is....it appears these pledges are having no effect. A recent study confirms that people are just as likely to have sex before marriage if they take a purity pledge or not.
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8. September 2009
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