Spiritual Sounding Board – This is your place to gather and share in an open format.
***
Luke 15: 11 – 32
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
“When he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes him, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'”
Galatians 5: 22 – 23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
***
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you;
may he guide you through the wilderness: protect you from the storm;
may he bring you home rejoicing: at the wonders he has shown you;
may he bring you home rejoicing: once again into our doors.
***
Feel free to join the discussion.
You can share your church struggles and concerns.
Let’s also use it as a time to encourage one another spiritually.
What have you found spiritually encouraging lately?
Do you have any special Bible verses to share, any YouTube songs that you have found uplifting?
***
photo credit – Kathi – Flowers in Sellwood, Portland, OR
Spiritual Sounding Board 
I love the gospel choir, Kathi! Thanks for putting this together 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
this was so very strange, to open this up and see a song by tyrone wells,— tyrone wells was the son (very young at the time) of a preacher who is part of the entire group of sexual abuse cover up churches of Christ in the NW. Tyrone’s dad was the minister at Sunrise Church of Christ in Spokane WA– Where they openly allow (without informing parents) the presence and free range of child molesters in the congregation. Tyrone’s dad (Myron wells) was in the Glen Acres Church of Christ in SEattle wa where I grew up– the small congregation ?60 people with over 15 girls molested and/or raped and at least 7 child molesters in congregation — some still there today teaching sunday school and in leadership. Myron wells knows of the situation- as do all of the sister churches— and they keep quiet about it, —— I could not listen to Tyrone’s song, it was just shocking to see it. He probably has a good voice because his older sisters made a great cd when they were teens, they all sing great. It was just a shocking thing to see someone from these corrupt churches on sunday morning. (nothing bad to say about Tyrone)
LikeLike
shunnedandthreatened –
I knew Tyrone and his sister, Tamila because I worked at the college where they were students but honestly had no idea of what church they came from.
LikeLike
shunnedandthreatened, Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are going to see what we can find about the sex abuse coverups. I’m sorry if the video was unsettling for you. That is completely understandable! I don’t think there will be any more Tyrone Wells songs posted here. I’m so glad you told us!
LikeLike
Yes, thank you— The kids were always nice, but it is just bizarre to try to wrap my head around that– especially when their father is still supportive of ‘honoring’ the leadership and ignoring the victims. But I wouldn’t want anyone to think bad about the kids tyrone etc. because I know nothing of their adult views, it was just shocking and weird.
A little update. We are still working diligently on both picketing and all sorts of things. We picketed camp this year. We may get a meeting with a special unit police woman in seattle who is interested to hear everything and see if there is anything she can do. We also have two victims who may still be in the statute of limitations because the laws have been expanded— and because the one who reported when she was raped inside the church and was told she was a liar — (of course she was a child and had no idea she was reporting to the leader child molester)– so the police woman is very interested in that. In addition, one of the victims is in active therapy now because she ended up having to help testify for an unknown child victim (the same rapist raped again– this is decades later) and after she had to testify (I mean she wanted to, but it was difficult)– she has been in counseling and there is a group of counselors and support groups down by Olympia who are interested in having all of us come and talk to them and share and network on what can be done in these churches. So even though this is difficult, we feel progress is being made—- slowly.
LikeLike
shunnedandthreatened – Yes, thank you for telling us. I’m sorry I didn’t say that in my first message. I, too, remember Tyrone and Tamila being very nice. I am glad to hear that there is some progress being made. Please keep us up to date on what’s happening.
LikeLike