Overview
These studies address nine parenting challenges, pointing you directly to time-tested truth from Scripture that will help you raise your children with wisdom and joy.
Introduction
Getting the Most Out of Parenting
This section introduces the topic, explains the structure followed in each study and offers tips for those approaching the study on their own as well as those participating in a group.
Session One
A "God's-Eye View" of Our Chidren
Why do you think the disciples rebuked the parents who wanted to bring their children to Jesus? How do adult Christians sometimes "hinder" children from coming to Jesus today?
Mark 10:13-16
Session Two
A Firm Family Foundation
What are some reasons given in this passage that "two are better than one"? What would you say are the most significant advantages of two rather than one in parenting?
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Session Three
Demonstrating God's Love
How can a parent hold a child accountable for repeated misdeeds while "keeping no record of wrongs"?
1 Corinthians 13:1-8
Session Four
Training Our Children in God's Ways
How would you describe the method Moses tells Israelite parents to use in training their children in God's ways? What are some ways that your parents and parents you know attempt to pass on their faith to their children?
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Session Five
The Seasons of Parenting
The passage begins with the statement, "There is a time for everything." What season would you say you are in as a parent?
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Session Six
Godly Discipline in the Home
What were some of the ways that discipline was handled when you were a child? What methods of discipline, if any, would Paul say should be off-limits in a Christian home?
Hebrews 12:5-11
Session Seven
God Through Our Children's Eyes
Verse 19 says that God "fulfills the desires of those who fear him." To what extent and on what basis do good parents "fulfill the desires" of their children?
Psalm 145
Session Eight
Coping with the "Lost" Child
What kinds of behaviors would lead you to consider a child of yours as lost? Could you receive back a lost but repentant child in the same spirit as this father? Why or why not?
Luke 15:11-32
Session Nine
Creating a Legacy for Our Children
Why do you think Joshua chose a pile of stones as a means of commemorating God's help instead of making a written account? What kind of "stones" can parents today use to create a spiritual legacy for their children?
Joshua 4:1-9, 19-24
Total number of pages—64 pages
Richard Patterson Jr. (M.Div., Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) is vice president of editorial services at Scripture Union/USA, having previously served as children and family ministry specialist and as vice president of field ministry. His books includeBrand-Name Kids: The Loss of Childhood in America, It's the Little Things That Count,and Confident Parenting in Challenging Times.
