Curt Cloninger

Curt Cloninger, who is a dramatist and humorist, was a guest speaker at church today. He was good. He had several skits or sketches that made you laugh or made you think. But clearly, he saved the best for last.

The last piece he performed was a monologue with a modern telling of the story of the Prodigal Son. He tells the story in the first person, as though he actually lived it out. It was a fantastic version of the story. It is so convincing that you think he is actually sharing his experiences as a young man. When he is finished, he admits that it is only a story, and that as a young man he really had more in common with the second son, the one who stayed home and was bitter when the prodigal son came home and was re-accepted into the family.

Curt said that he first wrote that monologue nearly 30 years ago, never knowing that he would live it out. He then talked a little bit about his family and his 19-year-old son who has been living out the role of the prodigal son, but who has just in the last few weeks come home. Curt nearly broke into tears when he told that part of the story.

He said that he has written a new monologue based on what has been going on with his family, and that he is going to try it out for the first time at a convention he is going to be at next week. It turns out that "the convention" he is talking about is the Youth Specialties convention that Andy and I are going to. I can't wait to hear that part of the story.