Do You Want to be a Full-Time Parent?

I am not sure when I was first introduced to Israel Wayne or his mom Skeet Savage but I am thankful the Lord crossed our paths. His blog Christian Worldview has been a resource I have turned to time and again to: “Understand how the Lordship of Jesus Christ extends to all areas of life” (tagline from the blog). He and his wife Brook have a great podcast that is practical to all areas of family life and their resources will be a blessing and encouragement to your family.

One of his resources that has been an impact of recent in our lives is his book entitled Full Time Parenting: A Guide to Family-Based Discipleship.   There are 20 short chapters that deal with capturing the hearts of our children and being intentional in their training on a normal day to day basis.

It is a book based on Biblical principles with practical suggestions.  

No Perfect Families:

This is not a book that is meant for you to take and follow step by step like a how-to-guide for creating the perfect family, but one that will give you guidance and wisdom in capturing the hearts of your children. You need to continually seek God’s Word and His wisdom to determine the best choices for your family. Israel reminds us that his family is not perfect and neither is yours (or mine!) but the hope is to be a Christlike example in your home to your family as we go about our days.  He reminds us in chapter 7 to not “look to another family as the standard and ignore God.”

“Parenting is NOT about producing some kind of predictable Pavlovian or Skinnerian behavior from our children. We are not training them like laboratory rats to respond to positive or negative stimuli. Our desire is that we have our children’s hearts.”

~ Israel Wayne

Some Valuable Insights I Appreciated:

– We are reminded that parenting is a difficult task, really impossible in our own strength. I’m thankful that Israel brings us back to the reminder that these children are a gift from the Lord to us and they don’t belong to us. We need to be mindful “to find out what He expects of you and how He wants you to raise His children”. (quote from Chapter One – Be the Parent)

– Every topic in raising a family is covered in this little book. The marriage chapter was a treat as both Israel and Brook (his wife) contributed to the chapter and there were separate areas addressed to just husbands and then wives. The reminder that marriage and parenting are to work together is an important one. Marriage is meant for the couple to “walk together toward Christ” and “provide the backdrop, the context, for raising Godly children.”  (quotes from Chapter Ten – Keeping Your Marriage Strong)

– Not many books on families deal with the issue of single parents but there is a chapter written by Israel’s Mom, Skeet Savage, offering much wisdom for single parent families.

– A chapter is devoted to technology use (much needed in today’s day and age) and is written as a challenge for your family to think about their own technology use. This was not an area most many of you reading this right now had to deal with when you were growing up. We just started getting computers in my high school when I was leaving (sorry to date myself) but I’m now a grandma who is totally wired. I appreciated the technology chapter and it gave me much to ponder on my own use of media in my home.  “I’m not saying we shouldn’t use technology; it can and should be used (by some) for the glory of God. God created the incredible mind of man, and many of the great advances made in science and technology have been made by Godly Christians.” (quote from Chapter Nine – Techno Parenting)

– Getting children to sit still and be quiet is covered in chapter two and every family with littles will benefit from it. Some great tips in this chapter from starting young, learning social skills and incorporating a daily family worship time into your routine.  Thought to remember from this chapter, “Parenting is a marathon, not a sprint. We win by being consistent day after day for years.”

[clickToTweet tweet=”Parenting is a marathon, not a sprint.” quote=”Parenting is a marathon, not a sprint.”]

 

Some Other Areas Covered:

Helping the Hyperactive Child

The Father’s Role

Hospitality: It’s Not Just for Women Anymore!

Living on One Income

Why Some Children Leave the Faith

Considerations Before You Start a Family Business

and so much more!

In Closing:

This book is a must read for families and one you will pick up and turn to again and again.  Our family is in the season Israel refers to as, “Passing the Baton”. My husband and I came to faith later in life and our children were a bit older too. We did not do everything right and as new Christians there was much our eyes were continually being open to. Israel ends the book reminding us that it is all about God’s grace.  That is a truth we all need to remember. Every good and perfect gift is from the Lord. Our salvation is a gift from the Lord.

We are in a battle for the hearts and minds of our children. Salvation is of the Lord but we are still called as parents to train them up and teach them His ways. Our hope is they will come to a saving knowledge of the Lord and will pass the baton from generation to generation.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Salvation is of the Lord but we are still called as parents to train them up and teach them His ways.” quote=”Salvation is of the Lord but we are still called as parents to train them up and teach them His ways.”]

 

“Anything good that we have in life is an undeserved gift from God’s hand. The way we avail ourselves of that grace is through humility. We have to come to the end of our rope and admit that there is a God, and we are not He. When we are finally broken and surrendered to His will alone, He will raise us up. Whether you are a single parent or a faithful Bible-teaching, partiarchal leader of your home, it isn’t ultimately about you. It’s all about God and His marvelous grace. Throw yourself on the merits of Christ and watch in amazement what He can do in and through you and your family.”

~ Israel Wayne

 

Related Links:

Full Time Parenting: A Guide to Family-Based Discipleship   (on sale now for $7.99 eBook)

Family Renewal Ministries

Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network

Christian Worldview