Posts Tagged "Circle of Protection"

213 Things I Learned from Shepherding A Child’s Heart

Posted by on Jun 25, 2009 in Shepherding A Child's Heart | 2 comments

Shepherding A Child's HeartI hope that you’ve found our synopsis of Tedd Tripp’s book “Shepherding A Child’s Heart” both thought provoking and useful.  There is certainly a lot of useful information to be gleaned from the book.  The following is my “cheat sheet” of things covered in the book:

4 Reasons our culture has lost its way in terms of parenting

  1. Many people in our day and age have children but don’t really want them.  Children are viewed as a liability in a culture that has increasingly convinced people that the paramount goal in life should be their own personal fulfillment.
  2. The idea of quality time has replaced the idea of quantity time.
  3. It is no longer socially acceptable for Dad to be the authority in the home.
  4. Children see their parents refusing to submit to authority which results in their unwillingness to accept a submissive role in life.

7 Observations on Parental Authority

  1. You must not be embarrassed to be your child’s authority.
  2. Our authority as parents comes from being an agent of God.
  3. We should never direct our children for our own convenience, but rather on behalf of God for their good.
  4. The purpose of our authority is not to hold our kids under our power.
  5. Our goal is to empower our children to be self-controlled individuals living under God’s authority.
  6. As parents, we must require obedience from our children because God’s word calls for obedience and the honoring of parents.
  7. Based on Mr. Tripp’s experience, children don’t generally resist authority when that authority is kind and selfless as described above.

5 Observations on Shepherding Our Children

  1. As a shepherd, our goal is to help our children understand themselves as a creation of God and their role as being made “for God.”
  2. The job of a parent is to lead children on the path of discovery.
  3. Our job is to shepherd our children’s thoughts to help them learn discernment and wisdom.
  4. We do this with open and honest communication.
  5. The Heart is the Focus of Shepherding (“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” [Proverbs 4:23])

Read More