Bob Yarbrough

Fortuitously forthcoming from Luke 15:11-31 and finely finagled by Bob Yarbrough)

    Editors Note: Just a bit of fun–but with a message. Read it fast for the most enjoyment.

 

Feeling footloose and fancy free, a frisky, feather-brained fellow fostered fond hopes of finding free fun by finagling his fond father to fork over his share of the farthings from the family fortune.

Finally, one Friday in February, with fortune in hand, he forthwith fled to foreign fields where he frittered his farthings away, feasting fabulously with some faithless, fair-weather friends.  Finally, he was fleeced by those folly-filled fellows who fled when his farthings had vanished. He had fiddle-faddled both his fortune and his fake friends away.

Facing famine, he found himself as a frumpy feed-flinger in a filthy farmyard.  He fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from fodder fragments to fatten his flesh.

“Phooey!  Phooey!” He cried.  “My Father’s farm flunkies fare far finer,” the frazzled fugitive forlornly fumbled as he frankly faced the facts.  Frustrated by fear and failure and filled with forebodings, he fled forthwith to his family.

But from afar, his father ran and found him.  The foolish fugitive fell at his father’s feet and fumbled out these words:  “Father, I have flunked, and fruitlessly forfeited further family favors!  I have failed and forever fiddled away my future freedom in the family.”

But the faithful father, forestalling further flinching, frantically flagged his farm flunkies to fetch forth the finest fatling from the flock and fix a fabulous feast.  Then the faithful father fed family and friends in great festivity, maybe even serving fricasseed pheasant, fresh fruit, and french fries.

Meanwhile, the fugitive’s fault finding brother, faithfully farming his father’s field for free, frowned at this fickle forgiveness of former folderol.  His fury flashed.  He faked a fit. He took offence with his father’s forgiveness.

But his fussing and fuming were futile.  His foresighted father figured that while filial fidelity was fine, it shouldn’t forbid fervent festivities.  “My fugitive is found!  Fill the flutes!  Let fun and frolic freely flow!  Let flags be unfurled!  Former folly is forgotten and former failure is forsaken!”

One Final Fantastic Fact:

The Father’s Forgiveness is for all, and found freely by faith in that fountain filled with the vascular fluid of a faithful Son.  It forms the foundation for future fortitude that will flourish forever.  Fellowship with the Father is firm, fabulous, and unfathomable!

 

Farewell friends and fellow followers

 

Bob Yarbrough is a retired schoolteacher / principal and a member of Centerpoint Church in Mesquite, Texas.