Between Two Worlds

Dennis Rainey and Bo Lepine recently interviewed Tullian Tchividjian on Family Life Radio:

The Making of a Prodigal
Despite being raised in a loving Christian home and being the grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham, Tullian Tchividjian rejected his family and his faith at the age of 16. Hear about the life he lived apart from God and the depths to which he had to fall before God lovingly got his attention.

Experiencing God's Saving Grace
Are you in the throes of raising a prodigal? If so, you'll want to join us today for today's broadcast when Tullian Tchividjian, grandson of Billy Graham and son of Dr. Stephan and Gigi Graham Tchividjian, talks to Dennis Rainey about his former rebellion and the nagging dissatisfaction that eventually brought him back to God.

Family Life Today has on their website an excerpt from his mom's essay, I Wasn't Prepared for a Prodigal. Here's how it starts:

I stood in the doorway, watching my son walk slowly down the driveway and out into the street. Then, with a heart that felt heavy as lead, I reluctantly turned away.

I forced myself to go through the motions of fixing dinner and doing the evening chores. When I finally crawled into bed, I lay awake, crying and wondering. Where was he? Had he eaten supper? Did he have a place to sleep? Could we have done things differently? Would he ever come home again?

I thought back over the past months. The ups and downs, the emotions, the harsh words, the frustrations, the disobedience, the dishonesty, the questions, the long nights ... sitting and waiting, wondering, worrying, asking why.

Why was this son choosing to rebel against all we’d offered him? A warm, loving home, physical comfort, an education, a godly heritage. We had wanted him, prayed for him, and had been overjoyed at his arrival. He had been such a fun-loving, happy child. We called him our "sunshine."

I never expected unsavory friends, drugs, theft, wild dress to go with even wilder behavior, or calls from detention centers. Why? Our other children, although not perfect, had never caused us any serious problems.

Unable to control the tears, I thought about all the chances we had given our son. He had run away from home at sixteen. We'd taken him back again and again only to have him abuse our trust and disrupt our family life. We had done all we knew to do until finally, tonight, my husband had to demand that he leave our home.

Read the whole thing.