book review: the life-giving parent

"[...] lifegiving parenting is not a formula, program, or set of rules to follow. That's not how life happens. It's simply about inviting Jesus into your home to eat at your table and be with you; pulling back any curtains of bad habits, sin, or laziness to let as much of the light of God into your home every day as you can; and opening and cleaning all the vents so the Holy Spirit can breathe and fill up the airspace of your home with His presence". (p. 16)

That is what I love about this book by Clay & Sally Clarkson. It is exactly what they say it is. They present principles, not rules or programs, and they encourage and inspire me toward a higher standard of parenting, rather than degrading what I'm doing. Each section I read leaves me thinking - "ok, what I'm doing is good, but I can do better". And I need that. We all need iron to sharpen our iron occasionally, to remind us to keep trying and keep putting forth effort in parenting. Otherwise we end up like I was at the supper table this evening at my parents' house - watching my three-year-old whine and wail about every aspect of his meal and wondering - what has gone so terribly wrong here? We need things - events, books, whatever - to nudge us and push us further into this high calling. Rather than leaving me discouraged, the principles presented in "The Life-Giving Parent" build on what I already know and remind me what is important.

I'd definitely recommend the book, and received a copy from Tyndale in exchange for my review.

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