I am going to get on a soap box here, for just a minute. I'll get off in a second and then you can get on if you want.
I am going through the "Shepherding a Child's Heart" parents handbook by Ted Tripp and he had us go through a few of the verses and I want to share with you what struck me - with a two by four.
Gen 18:18 says, "For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him."Duet 6:6-9 says, "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Ephesians 6:4 says, "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
What hit me in these verses is that God is asking us to be proactive in our training. So often we wait until there is a problem to begin training. We are to be training about God and loving God intentionally throughout our day. We are not to depend on others or events (like Sunday school or Christian School or even Home school ) to start the training it's to be consistent and pro-active all the time! We should constantly evaluate at what stage our children are in and have a plan in place to train and teach them about God, obedience, our response to others, self-control, fruits of the spirit and so forth.
I'll step off my box now and share with you a few of my favorite resources:
For little ones: The Singing Bible, The Heritage Builders Family Nights for pre-schoolers, Little Book of Manners for Girls, Little Book of Manners for Boys, Bedtime Blessings, Clubhouse JR Magazine
For Elementary: The Family Night Series by Jim Weidmann and Kurt Bruner, Hymns for a Kids Heart series, Discover 4 Yourself® Inductive Bible Studies for Kids (for older elementary and Jr. High), Movie Nights for Kids, Clubhouse Magazine
Oh and my favorite is our curriculum from My Father's World. I have never seen better Bible curriculum and /or character building. Even if you don't homeschool - for little ones (3-5) you should look at their K and 1st grade curriculum - it's all combined but it's worth the money for the Bible alone.
We haven't hit the teen stuff yet, so maybe someone else could give us their favorites for that.
Categories: parenting
Hi there! I clicked on your blog from the MFW message board. I am going through this book too! I was just going to post a message to ask for help, esp. with this book! I have a defiant 6 year old girl who is probably past the age of where I should start spanking. I wish, wish, wish I would have read this book a LONG time ago! I feel like I don't know what to do now with her. She's so sassy and disrespectful. I feel hopeless about it.
ReplyDeleteToday though I was thinking about how since reading some parts of this book (I haven't read it all yet), I've become more aware of how we all need Christ's forgiveness. I often have stood on my high horse and been kind of like "how dare you act like that" but honestly, I act the same way at times! It really has humbled me to realize my faults and that I'm struggling right along with my kids. I love how this book says we are "God's agents". IT takes the pressure off of me to be perfect and lets them see how I need Jesus to forgive me too.
I am looking forward to using MFW this year for the 1st time. It's so exciting. I hope I change just as much as my kids do.
Hey Michelle,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting! It's nice to see some one actually reads my ramblings.
I too have a strong willed daughter - my boys are a breeze, But I know where she gets it from - me! Don't feel hopeless, it took awhile for her to get where she is and it will take a bit to get out. I like to pick one thing a week to work on. Sit her down and tell her what you expect her to do this week and what reward and discipline she will receive depending on her choices and be consistent. The next week add on the next area she is responsible for and so forth. I like o place our list on the frig so both of us can remember. I usually try to find a Bible verse to go with it to memorize and maybe an object lesson.
I love "Shepherding a Child's Heart", it comes the closest to what I believe in parenting but sometimes I feel like it falls a little short in practice. There are a couple more books that might help the everyday discipline (my daughter doesn't mind being spanked but a time out does wonders) like Childwise, or Creative Correction are good ones.