Prayer request

[Boaz]

I have a nephew that is a self professed atheist . Known him as a child , use to keep him at the shop during the summer because his mom and dad worked . Visited their church often and attended his baptism . He wanted to preach , he wanted to serve GOD . But then he went to college and came out a liberal and an atheist . He is now a college professor married to a non believer , they have a small child .

Of late he has been to church a few times and expressed an interest . He allowed a New Testament to be given his child and has been reading her children's bible stories . I have great hope for this family . If you can pray for this lost family . I never gave up on him . Thank you .

[Pine Baron]

Never give up. brother. Prayers for His divine guidance.

[Thundarstick]

My oldest has at least went from atheist to agnostic, was raised in church as well.

Lord we pray for all these folks that the heart be softened and eyes be opened to the one true God!

[daloper]

Father I lift up Boaz's nephew to you this morning. It sounds like he knew of you as a child and has lost his way while in school and became as one with the world. Please bring this prodigal son home to you. Give Boaz wisdom as he helps you guild this one home to you. I pray for his child that he would continue to expose his daughter to you through the reading of children bible stories. Work in his life to bring his heart back to yourself. I ask this in the name of your son and my savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

[jcren]

Prayers sent

[Hickok]

Father I lift up Boaz's nephew to you this morning. It sounds like he knew of you as a child and has lost his way while in school and became as one with the world. Please bring this prodigal son home to you. Give Boaz wisdom as he helps you guild this one home to you. I pray for his child that he would continue to expose his daughter to you through the reading of children bible stories. Work in his life to bring his heart back to yourself. I ask this in the name of your son and my savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.Amen!

[Blackwater]

Amen, Charlie! This is EXACTLY the kind of person we need to pray for! Many accept Christ when young, but when they get off to college, a state of "higher learning" dumbs them down and indoctrinates them into disbelief. But the Bible says if we teach them when they're young, when they get old, they will not depart from what they're taught, so ..... maybe his early teaching is finally sprouting. For those who come to faith this way, I have long noted that they can be some of the most devout and humble among us. I guess their being "fooled" by deniers keeps them a little more humble than some of us are wont to be? And too, what do we value more than something that we lost, and have found again? Just go easy, and let HIM come to God. I think it's built into him, or he wouldn't be doing what he is with his kids right now. And just be a friend and good, pleasurable companion for him, and let God do the hard work. It's amazing what He can do! Good work, Charlie! It's amazing who responds, eventually, isn't it?

[Boaz]

I feel like many are starting to awaken Dennis . I haven't seen him much except at family get togethers but last year he called me because he * WANTED TO BUY A PISTOL *! Looking for advice .

I never gave up hope he would come back to GOD .

[Blackwater]

Any time a liberal says he wants to buy a pistol, that can ONLY be seen as a really positive sign. We all live and learn and change, all our lives, and many liberals/deniers/doubters are convertible. Often, they just have to meet the right facts and situation, to start taking things really seriously again .... like we did when we were so young and innocent. Kids naturally seem to gravitate to things they can't see, but can feel within their hearts. Adults learn to discount those things, oftentimes, and that's the beginning of disbelief. But ANYONE who comes to desire the Truth CAN find it, no matter what their age or prior learning and convictions. Look at Saul, and how he became one of the greatest of the apostiles! Just keep your good sense of humor and a balanced outlook, and don't scare him off, and your nephew is likely to gravitate toward belief yet again.

Also remember the story of the 100 sheep, and 1 that went astray. The sheppard left the 99 to go retrieve that one wayward sheep, and bring it back to the fold. I think all you have to do now is just not scare him off. Good work, sir! I know how much you want him to believe, but folks like him have to be ALLOWED to come to Christ, usually. It's not a "natural act" to them, and you can't really speed up the process, in my experience. It'll come in due time if you just keep befriending him and show him we Christians DO have a real sense of humor, and are really happy people. Most like him think we're just a bunch of staid and frowning old fuddy duddies, who are no fun and have little to no sense of humor. If they only knew. Take him out shooting, and use reactive targets, and just have a ball. That'll go a long way towards SHOWING him what Christians are really like, and the diversity within our ranks, too. When indoctrination meets reality, indoctrination MUST be questioned, and if it's questioned, it tends to falter very easily.

I have a theory that we ALL innately KNOW somewhere deep within us what the truth actually is. We just get caught up in wanting to "understand" everything, that it's very easy to fall into accepting simple explanations for very deep and sometimes complex things, like Christianity. Upset a disbeliever, and where do they have to go, after all, BUT to the simple Truth? It's really pretty simple, IF they can find something or some way to simply break down the barriers they always put up in order to stay disbelievers. God be with you both!

[dverna]

Charlie, if I can find Christ, anyone who studies and thinks about it will become a believer. Your nephew cannot be pushed, but guide when he asks questions. I started by reading Mark.

There is book a fellow member here recommended "The Case for Christ" by Strobel that may help.

[Boaz]

Thank you Don but you should know I never drive anyone . Has to be a choice...their choice . I have been sitting on this a long time . I am here to encourage him , to confirm , to love him regardless .
I have heard good things of the book but never read it...could be time . Thank you brother .

[Boaz]

Father I lift up Boaz's nephew to you this morning. It sounds like he knew of you as a child and has lost his way while in school and became as one with the world. Please bring this prodigal son home to you. Give Boaz wisdom as he helps you guild this one home to you. I pray for his child that he would continue to expose his daughter to you through the reading of children bible stories. Work in his life to bring his heart back to yourself. I ask this in the name of your son and my savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Amen . Thank you .

[Bzcraig]

Father I pray your servants words be true in this young man's life:

Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

[buckwheatpaul]

Charlie, sounds like the seeds you planted by taking your nephew to church years ago might be starting to germinate.

Father, I pray that You take Charlie's nephew, his wife, and their child by the hand and show them the path to salvation. Show them that life will be easier and less stressful by walking with You. Show them that their belief in Your Son that they will gain eternal salvation. AMEN

[koehn,jim]

I will add him to my prayers

[GhostHawk]

My dad always made time for kids. Especially little kids. As busy as he was, he just made the time. I asked him why once. He said "Give me a baby till it is 3. It will be mine for life. All I have to do is call and it will come.

I believe the same of our heavenly father. A child raised in the Lord will always hear his call. Will always come. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow with much dragging of feet and scuffing of dirt. But they will come.

Ask for the Holy Spirit to descend on him and his family. He will be back in the fold soon enough.

[Goatwhiskers]

Prayer sent. The lost sheep, the prodigal son come back home. This thread brought a smile to my face. GW

[Preacher Jim]

I know your nephews story from the inside Charlie been there, said that, but the gifts and calling of God are irreversible. We will be praying for them.

[Boaz]

He was raised in church , I witnessed his baptism , he wanted to preach . Two years later in college he was full of atheist rhetoric. I couldn't believe it . We all stray , he needs to recommit .

[Blackwater]

"Teach a child in the way he should go when he is young, and when he gets old, he will not depart from it."

And I've found that to be very true. The only thing that varies, really, is the length of time it takes, and what motivates them, to return to the teachings of their youth. You've done good, Charlie. Really, pretty much all that could be expected of you. The rest is his decision entirely, just as you note. But it's never non-kosher to simply inquire casually if he's done any more thinking on the matter. I'm reading a book now "God Among Sages" by Ken Samples, and it also might be a good tool at this point.

Christ really IS different in SO many ways from ANY other center of any other religion! He is one of a kind, and if one is simply open to the possibility, and will simply study and let the evidence take them wherever it will, they'll come to Christ ultimately. There's really nothing like Christianity in all the world's very varied history! I guess this makes Him "one for the ages" in more ways than just one! Just be there for when he inquires, and if appropriate at any given time, just smile, and ask if he's done any considering of the issues. This might lead to an opening to discuss things with him. As a college professor, he also may well take being led back to his roots by a more "cerebral" type - one of his current peers. If that peer happens to be in the field of science, I think he'd have a lot of thinking to do. Science really CAN lead a "logical thinker" to Christ, if they're simply open to the very real evidence contained in it. And from that point, it's a LOT shorter leap to belief. Just a thought. I think there's a REASON why we've discovered what we have at this juncture in time, and it may well be so that most all sources of doubt can be dealt with in a very finite and logical and rational manner. And we cannot have a "weapon" and fail to use it, to bring others into the fold. And FWIW, when one sees all the logical, finite, and concrete reasons we have for our faith, it cannot but help many come across that great divide between denial and acceptance of the reality of Salvation. FWIW???

[USMC87]

Prayers for this lost family, Please keep us informed.

[Boaz]

I will but this will not be resolved quickly . I believe him to be struggling within himself plus he is married to a non believer . It will be a test for him I'm sure .

[Pine Baron]

Hopefully, he pays attention to the "nudge" he is getting and doesn't get the "2x4," if you know what I mean.
Prayers continue.

[w5pv]

Sounds like there is a lot of hope there,Prayers sent that things continue to progress in the right direction

[Blackwater]

Being married to another non-believer DOES seem like it'd make it harder for him to come to faith, BUT .... it ALSO can give him a glimpse of what he's doing himself, and THAT can be to his ever-lasting benefit. So never assume "problems" are compounded. "Problems" are like most every thing else - it's how they're USED that determines whether they're a benefit or a detriment. And who knows? If he comes to Light, she may also. It's happened that way many, many times before. God truly DOES work in "mysterious ways, His wonders to fulfill!"