parenting

Teach Them Diligently by Leslie Nunnery: A NLPG Review Crew Review

March 10, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

I’m not sure if every generation feels this way, but raising kids seems harder than ever. Parents are constantly undermined at every turn. The values we instill at home and in church are mocked outside those walls. The availability of depravity is at an all-time high with an ease of accessibility which boggles, and terrifies, the mind. So what do we do?

We pray, arm ourselves with the truth, and teach our children diligently.

The newest title from New Leaf Publishing Group, Teach Them Diligently: Raising Children of Promise by Leslie Nunnery, is an excellent resource for any parent of this age. This timely book will encourage you to grow closer to the Lord as you continue to move forward on your parenting journey. It is not a how-to book in a formulaic way so as to produce perfect parents. Rather you will find within these pages practical ways to intentionally disciple the precious little humans entrusted to your care for such a time as this.

You will be encouraged by what God’s Word has to say about parenting and how to keep this perspective in a society which constantly diminishes the role and authority of parents. Nunnery reminds us that parenthood is a calling. Wow…that is something I need to hear on the hard days that feel as if they will never end. We were never promised an easy road in life or parenting, but we do have the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our paths. The most important part about this book is how Nunnery urges the reader to search their heart before the Lord and make sure they are parenting in the right spirit, recognizing this as perhaps the most important part of the parenting mandate in Scripture.

Just as important as teaching our children is listening to our children, hearing what the Lord is doing in their little hearts and helping them along their own life journey. I love that this particular part of parenting is addressed as one of the most important parts of parenting throughout the chapters. Also sharing with our children our own stories and testimonies of faith. We must be faithful in giving God the glory for His goodness and generosity to us in front of our children. The author tells a story her parents shared with her when she was growing up that greatly impacted her about God’s provision in what seemed to be a very small matter and how this story impacted her own faith. We strive to do the same and it is good to be reminded why it matters!

This is one of the deepest, most beneficial books on parenting I have come across because it has nothing to do with behavior or rules, although both are aspects of parenting. This book is all about my heart before the Lord, making certain my ways are straight so I can effectively disciple my children. I know many, many parents of my generation who were raised attending church, but have drifted away from belief in God. While every child must choose for themselves whether or not to follow the Lord, I cannot help but wonder how many parents never dealt with their own hearts first or never intentionally discipled in the home.

My prayer is that I may never be as stumbling block to the faith of my children. This beautiful book will help that be your prayer as well.

Disclaimer: I received this title as a part of the New Book Review Crew at NLPG in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Pitchin’ a Fit: A Book Review!

March 22, 2016 Grace-Filled Writer

EVERY parenting book I’ve ever read has a child-centered perspective. I have a large library of parenting books from all sorts of Christian author’s, all of which I have gleaned from. I’m always interested in books which will help me parent my kids in a godly way. All of these books focused on how to get a better outcome from your child through Scripture and both traditional and creative discipline methods.

And then came along this book…

When I picked up Pitchin’ a Fit by Israel and Brooke Wayne I wasn’t expecting what faced me when I opened the pages. I’m already familiar with the Waynes and their ministry to families through Family Renewal so I was just excited to read a book from them. I have read other books by Israel Wayne, but never any of their parenting books.

This is the best of all the books I’ve ever read about parenting.

Rather than being child-focused as so many parenting books are, this one is parenting focused, not to mention convicting! Rather than causing my to focus on my child’s heart, I was forced to look at my heart. Wow…that isn’t always easy. It is so much easier to look to my child and pile the blame for reactions and behavior on them.

Don’t get me wrong, this book in no way diminishes the need for obedience from children or downplay their own little sinful hearts. Instead it has helped me see how my my reactions and actions taken when in the throws of battles with my kids deeply impacts them. Do they deserve consequences and discipline? Of course! Do they deserve an emotional reaction that is over the top and unreasonable? Certainly not!

The Waynes are very honest throughout the pages. I really like their alternating perspectives which tell so much about where they came from and not only why they desire to parent differently than our culture says, but why they want to help other families find a healthier and happier journey together. Their raw honesty is refreshing and it was much easier to search my own heart because they do not set themselves upon a pedestal of perfection as many parenting authors do unintentionally.

I cannot recommend this book enough and it is going to be the first I tell people about now when they ask for books on parenting. After reading this I’m really interested in getting their other parenting book, Full-Time Parenting.

Listen to a wonderful interview with the author’s here!

Disclaimer: I received Pitchin’ a Fit from Cross focused Reviews in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. These opinions are my own.

Parenting Cheat Sheets from Christianity Cove: Review

December 29, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

Parenting is hard. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but there is so much more to parenting than I realized before actually becoming a parent. As a full-time teacher I mistakenly convinced myself parenting would be easier than maintaining discipline and order in my classroom. After all, they were my own. Boy was I ever wrong! The reason it is so difficult sometimes is because they are my own. I am concerned with more than just keeping them quiet for a certain period of time during the day. Their heart condition is more important to me than following my directions for any given task. There is just more involved. Parenting is even harder in our society of fast-paced, in-your-face multimedia. Sometimes we need a little help along the way and thankfully there are many resources available now to help.

Mary-Kate Warner from Christianity Cove has compiled a simple to use resource for families called Christian Parenting Cheat Sheets. The name explains it all! Now when you have one of those moments when you don’t know how to respond, a quick reference guides are available for 27 different areas. Available in a printable e-book these can be kept handy as a hard copy or on your tablet. I printed these and keep them in a notebook in our schoolroom so I have them as a handy resource whenever I need them.

I appreciate the many different categories. As I read through the list of what is included there are many which I wouldn’t have thought to include. I love how they can be used both in the moment of crisis as well as in advance as I disciple my girls. It is important to be able to address theses issues biblically at both times and these are incredibly helpful.

I was blessed to be raised by Christian parents who strove to parent me biblically, but even with this great example there are moments when I feel at a loss in how to deal with a situation or to know what words to say which will speak Christ into their lives. These have been a great blessing to me for this reason. I know many parents who have stared their walk with Christ later on in their lives and think this an invaluable resource for them as well. I often find myself being challenged as I teach and train my girls.

In addition to these everyday helps, Mary-Kate Warner has also compiled a holiday edition! These are a really neat way to focus on Christ no matter what the holiday is. Some holidays are Christian in their origins anyway, but all celebrations can be used to point our children to the Savior. Each holiday includes Scripture to study as well as activities and projects to focus on during and leading up to the day. The 10 holidays included will give you new ways to focus on Christ throughout the year.

I highly recommend this resource to parents looking for new ways to train their children in godly virtues and discipline with grace and love. You will find every moment you spend with Christian Parenting Cheat Sheets a blessing on your journey.

Disclaimer: I received the Christian Parenting Cheat Sheets in return for my honest opinion and review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Understanding Child Brain Development from Family Hope Center: Review

August 14, 2013 Grace-Filled Writer

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The brain is an amazing thing. It still holds so many mysteries for doctors, researchers, and therapists, yet amazing understanding of our central processing organ has developed over the last few decades. So much understanding of new ways to manage and treat abnormalities are being understood so families can succeed. Not too many years ago we would in our history a push to lock away those who did not function “normally” in society. We still refer to many issues as illnesses, indicating medication alone is needed to treat the individual. Family Hope Center has a different approach, a unique approach…a successful approach.

The DVD Understanding Child Brain Development will take you on a journey to understand the workings of the brain. Because Family Hope Center looks at different developmental issues as an injury rather than an illness their therapy is much different, yet you cannot begin to understand the treatment programs until you understand the how and why of brain function. This DVD gives hope to families who may have felt hopeless otherwise.

Although my daughters are not affected by any developmental delays, this has been a profoundly interesting seminar giving me great insight into how the brain actually functions. Matt and Carol Newell have taken complex research and science and presented it in a format which is understandable and manageable for those of us not familiar with the inner-workings of the mind. Terms like mid-brain and pons are now words I understand and can talk intelligently about. As I watched this DVD many families with kids who struggle came to mind and I would love for them to view this. I have had so many conversations with parents who feel hopeless as their child is evaluated and medicated each year with little to no progress academically. This DVD shows another way, a way without medication and away towards healing.

There were two particular parts of the DVD which intrigued me in particular. The first was the effect of crawling. Our society pushes children to move very quickly through the crawling phase through the use of walkers, exer-saucers, and doorway jumpers. While my kids used those, they were often on the floor crawling around, yet some children get very little time doing this. One of the interesting treatments used to help heal the injured area of the brain is to practice crawling. I was completely fascinated by this news.

The second thing which intrigued me was the reference to research by Dr. Masaru Emoto about how water molecules are affected by different outside forces. Seeing highspeed photographs of frozen water crystals after water had been exposed to television radiation and microwaved has given me pause. If you haven’t heard of this yet, take some time to research. I’m not in any way advocating all of his theories, but it is a very fascinating topic and makes me wonder how much harm we may be doing our bodies because of technology.

Take a moment to watch an introduction from Andrew Pudewa from the Institute for Excellence in Writing.

I would encourage all parents, no matter the state of your child’s abilities, to view this DVD. It will definitely open your eyes to what is going on within your child. It costs $19.00 and can be ordered by calling 610-397-1737 or online Understanding Child Brain Development from IEW.

Check out more reviews from my Crewmates by clicking below!

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