Shepherding a Child's Heart (Tripp)

Too often we parents fall into the same way of thinking as the prophet Samuel did when he was looking for Saul's successor as king. God corrected him in 1 Sam. 16:7, saying, "man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Our parenting tends to focus on proper behavior rather than proper attitude. Ted Tripp (with 20+ years of experience as pastor, counselor, school administrator, and father) encourages us to use God's guidance to alter our focus. He believes that what a person becomes is made up of both the child's environment and the child's reaction to his environment. Sure, as a parent, you want to provide the best possible home in which to raise a child, but it is the heart attitude that will see a child (and later, the adult) through times when circumstances are more trying. So the emphasis of this book is to help a child develop a Godward orientation. However, the book is not ethereal, but practical. As parents, we have been given authority to direct our children's upbringing under God's direction. Setting Biblical goals for our children, unlearning worldly methods of parenting, and learning God's ways of communicating and disciplining round out the first section of the book. Part Two divides childhood into three age categories, and provides training objectives and procedures for each age group. Finally, a handy scripture-reference-to-book-page index helps you find pertinent sections for day-to-day application. God intended the Bible to be a practical guide for living. This book helps us to extract the portions applicable to parenting and put them into practice.