This week we move into a theological discussion about God- the "Big E" on the eye chart for any Christian community. However, in a world filled with God talk, we have to be extremely specific about God if we want to be helpful. Rather than spending time dissecting the attributes of God or the nature of His character, our starting place will be around the idea of God as Father. As JI Packer wrote in Knowing God, "If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all." As we look at the "Parable of the Prodigal Son," we will discover the two ways it is possible to miss the Father and mistake what He truly is like. Truly knowing God as "Abba" separates the Christian journey from everything else.