Tag Archives: parenting

Retreats

Meet Eric Speir!

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Guest Post. Meet Author Eric Speir! I’m happy to have him join us today.

Eric Speir is a writer, pastor, and Bible college professor. He’s been a freelance writer for various publications, including Relevant Magazine, Charisma, FivestarMan, Family Share, and ChurchLeaders.com. His books include Grit and Grace and The Struggling Parent. Eric holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in leadership development and creative communication. He and his wife, Roshelle, have four children and live near Atlanta, GA. You can sign up for a free daily devotional and learn more about Eric at www.EricSpeir.com.

The Struggling Parent

About the Book:

Parenting is not for the faint of heart. It can be the most rewarding experience, and at the same time, it can be the most discouraging. Recently, the author found himself going through a season of difficulty with his teenagers. At times he felt helpless and hopeless as he witnessed their struggles and as he felt the tension in their relationship. During this challenging season, the author began to search God’s word for encouragement.

In a season of desperation, the author began searching God’s Word for promises related to families and children. He began to compile a list of scriptures and began to pray over the lives of his children. During this time, the author talked to several other parents who were going through similar struggles. Surprisingly many of these families looked perfect on the outside, but on the inside, they were also struggling. It was in a morning of prayer when the Lord whispered to the author to write the devotional book to encourage other parents facing similar struggles.

The author has four children, two of them teenagers, and he has spent the last fifteen years pastoring and teaching young adults at the university level. Over the years, he has personally experienced the heartache of parenting and encouraged many parents who have struggled with their children.

The Struggling Parent is a 30-day devotional for parents facing struggles with their children. Whether you have tweens, teens, or adult children, this book will help you to develop your parenting grit. You will be encouraged to move past your feelings to praying the promises through God’s Word. You will understand that even when you do not know what to say, you can say what God has already said.

The Struggling Parent is ideal for those:

  • Parents who are struggling with how to pray for their teenager or adult child.
  • Parents who are facing relationship struggles with their children.
  • Parents who are dealing with a wayward child.

The Struggling Parent is not a formula for how to have a new kid by the weekend. It’s a devotional book written for parents who need a breath of fresh air for their souls. While it may not promise an immediate turnaround in your family, it can provide peace for the journey.

Book Drawing!

Eric is giving away a copy of The Struggling Parent to one reader in the continental United States. Leave a comment here (at the top of this post, under the title). You will be entered into the drawing to be held Monday evening, October 31. Tell me something that encourages you as a parent. Get an extra chance to win, when you share this post on social media (let me know where).

Thank you for dropping by, Eric!

Sally

Reviews

Book Review & a Giveaway: Lies Moms Believe

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Are you plagued with nagging mommy guilt? Do you feel like you are never enough, when you look at your life? This book set is for you! Lies Moms Believe and The Companion Bible Study offer hope for tired hearts. Author Rebekah Hargraves says the goal of the book is in “arming you with the arrows of discernment, wisdom, and Biblical truth that are required in order for you to easily recognize and combat the lies Satan likes to throw at you as a mom.”
Rebekah Hargraves’ blog, Hargraves Home and Hearth, is a place where she celebrates home and hospitality. She is a student of God’s Word and a homeschooling mom of two. She is on a journey to discover God’s truth, sharing it with other moms along the way.
Rebekah says the study of theology is needed in motherhood, in order to rightly model God’s character for our children. She uses that study to reveal 32 lies that take moms captive, and says it is through motherhood the Lord continues to impact the next generation.

Motherhood is the stewardship of little lives entrusted to us. ~ Rebekah Hargraves

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Do you wonder how you can fulfill the Great Commission as a stay-at-home mom? Rebekah says when we see our children as our mission field, we can find purpose even in the mundane.
Are you a working mom? This book is for you, too. With topics like “I Have to Be a Perfect Mom,” “I Am Responsible for My Child’s Happiness,” and “The Most Important Thing Is My Child’s Education,” moms in all walks of life will find tools to apply.

Rebekah Hargraves takes an academic approach to motherhood, yet does it vulnerably and with gentleness. It’s refreshing to read someone’s words and then to study God’s Word to see what He says about the topic. The accompanying Bible Study does just that. In fact, I would recommend using the Bible Study to look at each topic, then read the corresponding chapter in the book. The questions are well written and thoughtful, and provide a sounding board for personal reflection.
I am giving away a copy of Lies Moms Believe and The Companion Bible Study to one reader in the continental United States. Leave a comment on my blog (at the top of this post, under the title) and answer this question, “What mommy lies have you believed?” You will be entered into the drawing to be held on Wednesday, May 2 at 4 pm. I recognize the lies Rebekah highlights, because I’ve believed them, too. I can’t wait to hear how you’ve overcome them!
Sally
Disclosure of Material: I received a complimentary copy of these books from The Blog About Network book review program in exchange for a fair and honest review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR Title 16, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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Family, Reviews

Book Review: Raising Big Kids with Supernatural Love

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Raising Big Kids

Did you get an eye-roll with a “whatever,” today? Then you might be the parent of a tween or teen. And you might have realized by this point in your child’s life, that there is no perfect formula for parenting. However, Raising Big Kids with Supernatural Love comes pretty close to being a near-perfect parenting manual. Cleverly disguised as a book for parents to glean skills in child-rearing, it actually teaches us to be better adults.

Raising Big Kids with Supernatural Love is packed with tools, examples and suggestions for a way to role-play the various hats we wear as parents. The authors, Lori Wildenberg and Becky Danielson bring their collective experience with their own families, as well as examples gleaned through conducting parenting classes. Wildenberg and Danielson are co-founders of 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting, and authors of three parenting books. They are licensed parent-family educators, certified teachers, and moms of six between them. Their writing style is straight forward, as they advocate parents can engage with the teen’s world in a healthy and growing relationship.

In a time when we’re worried about being politically correct, the authors hold a high standard for child-rearing. They tackle tough issues like cyber bullying, peer pressure and sexual activity, and lay out a guide to providing a safe and secure home in a shifting culture. Their reliance on Scripture and prayer is refreshing, as they provide practical tips for conversations with teens and a desire to reach their hearts. I love the emphasis on character development and the encouragement to persevere, when you’d rather throw in the towel.

“You are perfectly suited to parent your child.”

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I wish I would have had this book when my own were teens. It reassures that times of failure are when we are most teachable, and we can develop character traits that will benefit our kids their whole lives. It provides a way to navigate the murky waters of expectations and miscommunication. And it is an encouraging and empowering book that is an important part of every parent’s arsenal!

Sally

Disclosure of Material: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through the The Blog Spot Network book review program in exchange for a fair and honest review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR Title 16, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


Family

Welcome to Momhood

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I am a bad mom.
There. I’ve said it. I’ve laid it all on the table.
I have two adult children and I still try to make life all better for them.
Wasn’t I supposed to let go of that role when they were in elementary school? I bandaged the cuts and brushed off their knees, with a kiss to make it all better.
bandaged knee
When did I adopt the role that said, “I have to keep everyone happy”? I scurry around trying to be the peace-maker and hand-holder and all of that scurrying leaves me empty and scarred. As moms, do we enable our kids to grow, when we are the go-to person in their lives? Where is the fine line between being an enabler and being a springboard to launch them into adulthood? In their book, The Cure for the “Perfect” Life, Kathi Lipp and Cheri Gregory point out that “we live with the illusion that we have some measure of control over how other people behave. We’re like a three-year-old kid strapped into his car seat and using his Fisher-Price steering wheel, absolutely certain that he’s the one driving the car.
It’s crazy feeling that we have all the responsibility for other people’s lives, with none of the authority to make a difference.” (p. 171)
I gave up that authority with each birthday we celebrated. My children entered the pre-teen years with an earnest desire to make their own decisions. They went through the teens with independence as their motto. Letting go actually began the day I gave birth and gave them opportunity to breathe on their own. Why then, do I strive to take back control and seek to guide them still? Isn’t that something I label creatively as nurturing? When I hide my controlling tendencies in nice sounding terms, it makes me sound like a “good” mom. Yet, my whole job description as a parent is to prepare my kids to make their own decisions. And that cannot happen when I second-guess their judgment. Is there a better way for me to show them love? Lipp & Gregory say, “there is a love that goes deeper than hurting when others hurt- it’s the kind of love that allows those we love to be in pain so they can become the kind of people God has designed them to be.” (p. 175)
Now, I am the last person to want to leave someone else in pain. I am a people-pleaser with a capital P. But if I understand that I am not to rescue others from their problems, maybe I will embrace their journey to the Throne of Mercy by getting out of the way. And that is the best way to be an enabler.
I don’t have this all figured out. I’m sure I will regress and fall back into patterns of habit that are within my comfort zone. So here are two questions I will ask:
“1. Is this the best solution for them?
2. Is this the best solution for me?” (The Cure for the “Perfect” Life, p. 178)
Lipp & Gregory explain, one way to advocate healthy self-care is to tell myself, disappointment isn’t deadly.

Disappointment isn’t deadly.

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When I release my kids to experience pain, they are empowered to reach out to God as their own Rescuer.
Here is my question for you:
How have you learned to release your adult children to the consequences of their own choices?
Sally
Originally published September 3, 2014 at sallyswords