First, I point you to an old post from iMonk (Michael Spencer) called A Prayer for Alex: What to do when your child says he doesn’t believe anymore. Mr. Spencer has excellent advice, I think, for Christian parents whose children reject the faith. I got to this post from Jollyblogger who writes about the same subject here. I have a good friend who is going through the heartache of dealing with a prodigal child. The bottom line of both posts is to pray and not to panic. God is still in control.
Next read about Blake and the classmates who took him to the prom. Thanks to Norma at Collecting My Thoughts for directing me to this story.
Rick Saenz at Dry Creek Chronicles blogs about disciplining a defiant child, and (hallelujah!) he says what I have been unable to put into words ever since I was introduced to Ted Tripp’s Shepherding a Child’s Heart. Mr. Tripp’s book has much good in it, but I have been thinking ever since we studied it that I cannot change anyone’s heart. I can talk about heart attitudes, sometimes discern what is going on in the heart of my child, but I can only change external behavior. Mr. Saenz says it better.
On a lighter note, you can wash your computer keyboard in the dishwasher???? No, I haven’t tried it. Don’t blame me if it doesn’t work, but if you try it, please tell me. It sounds like fun.
Thanks for the link to Rick Saenz. . . Like you, I’ve found some very inspirational things in what Mr. Tripp has written–but start feeling very uncomfortable when he talks about reaching the heart but focuses on external actions.
It’s not easy, there is no 5-step-plan, to parenting in a way that communicates the Gospel.
In our family, I’ve found that it’s key for me to daily live in a way that recognizes how much *I* am in need of the Gospel. And from that, I can walk through with my children, helping them see their sin, repent, and rely upon God’s grace.
And when struggles come? It may sound simplistic, but my two main discipline tools are hugs and prayer. Hug and pray, hug and pray. Those get us through the rough moments better than anything else.
I like your site, it looks pretty.
Except that since I started learning php, I’ve come to dislike semicolons.
Oh well 🙂