Praying Proverbs

Praying Proverbs - Parenting Like HannahProverbs is one of my favorite books in the Bible to encourage kids and teens to read independently. It is relatively easy to understand and is filled with lots of great practical advice for living a godly life. It even has 31 chapters – removing the stress of missing a day of Bible reading. Just read the chapter with the same number as the current date.

I was interested when offered an opportunity to review Proverbs Prayers by John Mason. I was in hopes it would include a discussion of the types of prayers reading Proverbs might prompt the Christian reader to pray. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

Full disclosure – I am not a fan of authors who write prayers for the reader to pray. I believe it sends a probably unintended message that the reader is incapable of praying “adequate” prayers and needs help from the author.

As a result, I am really torn about this book. On one hand, I appreciate that the author printed the entire book of Proverbs within the book and in a version known for its accuracy (New American Standard) – not a paraphrase – which may have more “common” English, but can shift the meaning.

I also can (to a point) appreciate the prayers. I am sure there are instances when these prayers can help others. Personally though, I was disappointed. It almost seemed as if the prayers assumed I couldn’t understand what I had just read on my own and needed to have it written down for me so I could pray intelligently to God (ignoring the fact the Bible says the Holy Spirit “translates” for us when we don’t know the right words). On the other hand, the English used in the prayers was a little formal and almost stilted.

My bottom line? I think it could be used to generate discussion in a class or study of Proverbs – would you pray these things after reading that chapter? What else would your pray? Why would you change what the author chose to write? People who enjoy books with written prayers will probably love this book- all of Proverbs and a prayer specifically tailored to almost every chapter. While I appreciate the effort, I personally would not purchase this book. As the saying goes though – “To each his own”.

 

This book was given to me for free in exchange for my honest review. An affiliate link is included for your convenience.

Assessing Parenting Advice From Experts

Assessing Parenting Advice From Experts - Parenting Like HannahEver wondered how experts get to be experts? Many times it just takes enough courage to call yourself one. As far as I know there aren’t any certifications for “expert”. Trust me, many people are certified in professions for which they are far from experts or as someone recently said “I think my doctor made C’s in med school!”

Parenting experts are no different. They may have degrees in psychology, education or a host of other fields. They may have parented children to adulthood or have no children at all. Which is why parents need to take every bit of parenting advice given by experts with a grain of salt.

A great example is the book I was recently sent to review, Safe House: How Emotional Safety Is the Key to Raising Kids Who Live, Love, and Lead Well by Joshua Straub. Straub is a PhD with a fairly decent set of credentials. His book is billed as a parenting guide for how to create a safe place where your children can grow.

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Christian Kids and Leadership Skills

Christian Kids and Leadership Skills - Parenting Like HannahChildren rarely hear about leadership in their Bible classes. Teens may hear the words occasionally in youth group, but usually it’s more about getting the other teens to behave than anything else. Even adults rarely get teaching on leadership. The church is suffering because we aren’t preparing people to be godly leaders. (I’m sure all of us have horror stories about a Church leader or two with the leadership skills of a not so benevolent dictator.)

For some reason, we must assume leadership is a gift given perfectly developed at baptism or even birth. Now I do believe Christians get some extra leadership help from the Holy Spirit, but the reality is like any other gift God gives us to use to serve Him, we need to take the time and energy to develop it.

Your kids need leadership training in your home. They are probably not going to get it at church and if they do get it in school, there is no guarantee the principles they are being taught are anywhere close to godly. If your children were gifted by God to be Christian leaders in their communities and around the world, they need help now developing godly leadership skills.

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Resource for Christian Dads

Resource for Christian Dads - Parenting Like HannahIf you keep up with cultural trends at all, you are well aware one of the biggest problems facing our nation is the absent or unavailable dad. Having a godly father can change a child’s life and touches every part of their life as they grow. Surprisingly, there don’t seem to be nearly as many resources for dads as there are for moms.

I was interested in seeing what the 10 Things Great Dads Do: Strategies for Raising Great Kids had to say on the topic. This new book by Rick Johnson attempts to identify the ten areas on which dads need to focus their efforts in order to be great dads. The topics range from humor to communication, spiritual matters and more. Each chapter is filled with practical ways to be a great dad in those areas.

Johnson does a great job in making the advice readable and non-threatening. Along the way, he shares many stories from his own experiences as a dad. The book is written for Christian dads and does a good job of making suggestions for dads on how to help themselves and their children grow spiritually. Although the book doesn’t contain enough scriptures and references to the Bible itself to qualify in my opinion as a Bible study, it does point the reader back to the Bible and encourages dads to take a major role in the spiritual growth of their kids.

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Resource for Moms of Tween Girls

Resource for Moms of Tween Girls - Parenting Like HannahYou may not be aware of this, but moms can roll their eyes at their kids just as well as their kids do at them. The mom eye roll seems to peak somewhere in the middle school years. Personally, this is one of my favorite age groups. They are “grown” enough to begin thinking independently, but still innocent enough to get excited about things. Many parents and teachers would disagree with me, however!

As a result, I am always looking for a great resource to suggest to parents of tween girls. (For some reason, the boys at this age don’t seem to bother parents and teachers as much.). I recently had a chance to look at a new book She’s Almost a Teenager: Essential Conversations to Have Now by Peter and Heather Larson and David and Claudia Arp.

The authors take time to discuss the eight conversations they believe parents should have with girls before they enter the teen years. They cover all of the basics from friends to physical changes to faith to boys and more. Each chapter breaks the topic down into the concerns you as a parent may have as well as the position or ideas your child may have. They do a good job of walking through the things that should be included in each conversation and end each chapter with several broad discussion questions to ask your child.

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