The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen
Week 1: Prologue — A Painting That Would Not Let Go
Read the Prologue of The Return of the Prodigal Son. Primary Scripture: Luke 15:11–32 (read the full parable slowly and in full before beginning).
Free Week 1 sampleRead all of Week 1 free — no card.
When you’re ready, choose this complete guide once or get every guide for a year.
Before entering Nouwen's argument, it helps to linger at the door — the moment a single image stopped a busy man in his tracks and began to change him. Consider what images, moments, or encounters have done something similar in your own life.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Nouwen first encountered the painting as a poster pinned to a friend's door. He describes being unable to move on — something in the image held him. What was it, in his telling, that the painting seemed to be saying to him at that particular moment in his life?
2.Has a piece of art, music, a story, or a landscape ever arrested you in a similar way — seeming to know something about you that you hadn't yet articulated? What was the experience like?
3.Nouwen describes his life at the time as marked by restlessness, a relentless search for affirmation, and a sense that he was always arriving somewhere but never quite home. Do you recognize that portrait? In what ways?
Get the complete 6-week guide
All 46 questions across 6 weeks, with closing prayers, a PDF and printable weekly handouts for your group.
Where your receipt and sign-in link go. No password to remember.
Full Library
Every guide in the library, all year
The first-year discount is already applied — there’s no code to type. $59 is the first-year price for new customers, then it renews at $79/year.
- Every week of The Return of the Prodigal Son on the web, plus printable weekly handouts
- Every guide in the library (200+ and growing)
- 4 full-guide PDF downloads every 30 days, so you can print a whole study ahead
- If your group picks a book we don’t have yet, we write the guide — 3 included a year, $9 each after that
- A leader email each week of the study: that week’s questions and a short prep note
$59 today, then it renews at $79/year.
First-year price for eligible new customers. Everything unlocks right away. We email you 30 days before it renews — cancel or pause online anytime, no phone call.
This Guide Only
One study, no renewal
Nothing renews. 7-day money-back guarantee before downloading the PDF or handouts.
- Every week of The Return of the Prodigal Son (6 weeks, 46 questions)
- PDF for you, printable handouts for the group
- A link you can send to everyone in your group
- One purchase covers your whole group — no per-person fee
- No account to set up — we email you a sign-in link
Upgrade within 60 days and your $29 comes off the regular $79 year — you never pay for this guide twice.
Full Library, monthly — $25/month, renews monthly until you cancel. The same library, with 2 PDF downloads and 1 requested book a month. Worth knowing: four months of it costs more than a full year.
More than one leader at your church? Church Plan — 5 leader seats for $199/year, then $29 a year per extra seat. Renews yearly at that price plus any extra seats, unless canceled. Pay by card, or ask for an invoice your treasurer can pay. See the Church Plan
- 30-day money-back guarantee on the year (with 2 or fewer guides downloaded)
- A receipt you can hand your treasurer for reimbursement
- Every guide you download stays yours — even if you cancel
- Secure checkout by Stripe — we never see your card number