Lord, Keep Your Mansions-Just Save My Children

Let's say you grew up

in the home of a conservative minister. Today you are a successful administrator, an author, a camp meeting speaker with high ideals—and your son is on drugs. His 15-year-old girlfriend is pregnant. He drops out of college. Your heart is breaking.

You did what good families are supposed to do. Daily family worship. Uncle Arthur and Bible Stories. Where did you go wrong?

Once your career was everything. A big house in the country was important. But now nothing else matters. "Lord, keep my mansion—just save my children," you pray. Things don't get better. For years you pray, wondering what good it does. Then it gets worse.

Divorce? My children? No!

In these pages Richard O'Ffill shares how he moved through guilt, frustration, anger, and grief to hope, forgiveness, trust, comfort, and love. Now, with permission ("Dad, after all I put you and Mom through, this is the least I can do"), he tells his story.