I felt like a handful of sore thumbs, standing in the foyer of an unfamiliar church, surrounded by young couples with baby-carriers. I was very single and childless, and here I was at a parenting conference! The church I was working for at the time had paid my way, and I was looking forward to gleaning all I could from the teaching, but, nevertheless, I felt out of place.
Then the speaker got up, and I didn’t feel so out of place anymore. He had the most unusual pant-jacket-sweater vest combo I’ve ever seen and an iconic walrus mustache. (Paul Tripp, if you read this, please don’t take offense!) For the next two days, I was surprised to find my heart being laid on an operating table and dissected as idol after idol emerged. I couldn’t believe how many selfish ways had crept into my life and how little I actually connected the Bible to parts of my life.
Whether you have children or not, this book will benefit you. If you teach children on a regular basis, this book will benefit you. If you spend most of your days with children, this book will really benefit you.
If you’re unfamiliar with this resource, allow me to recommend it to you with my highest commendation. Whether you have children or not, this book will benefit you. If you teach children on a regular basis, this book will benefit you. If you spend most of your days with children, this book will really benefit you.
Tedd Tripp covers so many different areas of parenting and shows God’s perspective. Today’s book market is glutted with self-help books for parents, many of which offer common sense or behavioral modification techniques that may put a band-aid on parenting problems, but which miss the child’s (and the parent’s) heart altogether. The advantage of this book is that it gets at the root of parenting issues and presents practical solutions that stem from the biblical principles discussed. You will be equipped not only to see the danger spots in your child’s heart, but you will also be given “shepherding tools” to guide your child well.
Beware, though! Before you can apply the principles of this book, you’ll find that God applies them to your heart first. Get ready to be a little uncomfortable as God’s truth reveals areas of your heart that you’d rather not acknowledge.
But the good news is that, once God’s truth changes your heart, you’ll be able to see to help your child change.
