First Things First

I will continue to give you excerpts from Revolutionary Parenting. Here are some quotes and research that I thought were good.

"Parenting cannot be Revolutionary if it adopts the core assumptions and practices of the prevailing culture. Our research found that parents are more likely to raise spiritual champions if they accept the fact that from day one their parenting efforts will stray from the norm and will put them at odds with parents who are pursuing a more conventional approach. Revolutionary Parents are more likely to:
Be single-income households
Schedule a much greater amount of time to spend with their children each day
Intentionally identify their children as their main earthly focus in life during their
parenting years" (I am assuming this means marriage as their #1 priority
with children as #2)

Research also showed that "raising a spiritual champion is best accomplished by having at least one parent in the home who is fully committed to honoring God through his or her parenting practices." I thought this was good for those that may have a spouse that isn't fully committed - that you still can raise a spiritual champion if at least one of you is committed to being obedient to Christ - but think what could be done with two fully committed parents!

These families had family conversations that bring biblical views into their shared lives and efforts to regularly engage in faith activities (Bible study, worship, prayer) that model the integration of faith into their lives. These parents stressed the importance of reading the Bible together and discussing faith principles as a normal part of the decision making process. This is rare even among "Christian" America, and yet vital in raising a spiritual champion.

Hands on:
1. Examine your real priorities in life - those demonstrated by your calender, checkbook and emotions. What stands in the way of making your children a top priority in your life?

2. How comfortable is your family spending time together, several times a week, exploring God's Word, sharing openly during prayer sessions, and engaging in conversations that relate your faith principles to your critical life choices? What could you do to make faith a more natural centerpiece of such discussions and activities?

3. If your children were asked to honestly assess your personal commitment to growing deeper in your faith, what kind of rating would they give? How satisfied are you with your personal investment in growing spiritually? What might you do to foster a more fulfilling spiritual journey?

Some great questions to ponder. #2 was especially convicting for me. We talk about the Bible, and discuss Bible stories, but we still are not consistent in actually reading the Bible out loud with them and discussing it with them. This is something I really want to implement in our family. I have read so much about families that have really benefited from this. So this is what I will be working on this week. How about you?

Susie