Parenting with Words of Grace: Building Relationships with Your Children One Conversation at a Time (William P. Smith)

Description

How you speak to your kids today will impact your relationship with them tomorrow.

As a parent, your words are powerful. What you say and how you say it has the potential to either invite your children into deeper relationship with you or push them away. What’s more, in a very real sense, your words represent—or misrepresent—God’s words to his children— meaning they have the power to shape how your children view their heavenly Father.

Offering practical guidance for grace-filled communication in the midst of the craziness of everyday life, this accessible guide will help you speak in ways that reflect the grace God has shown to you in the gospel.

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Table of Contents

Foreword by Paul David Tripp


Introduction

Part 1: The Vision

1. Parenting Is an Invitation

2. The Invitation Is Embedded in Your Conversations

3. How Jesus Talks to Estranged Friends

4. Extended Story: Sacred Space

5. You Talk with No Guarantee

6. You Speak out of the Grace You’ve Already Heard

7. Extended Story: “Get in the Van”

8. Your Kids Need You to Talk to Them . . . a Lot

9. Extended Story: Nanny’s Funeral

Part 2: The Hope

10. Sometimes You Don’t Want to Talk

11. Abraham Misspeaks for God

12. God Speaks for Abraham

13. Jesus Speaks for You

14. You Take Words to God

15. Practice Repenting for Misusing Your Mouth

16. You Hear Words from God

17. You Take Words to Your Kids

18. Speaking Truth and Love

Part 3: The Skill of Encouragement

19. When Should You Encourage?

20. Encouragement Takes Time

21. Replace the Negatives at Home and Abroad

22. Search for the Positive in Seed Form

23. Be Encouraged When You’re Tired of Encouraging

Part 4: The Skill of Honesty

24. The Goal of Honesty: Rescue

25. Think Before You Speak

26. Be a Mirror That Invites Participation

27. Aim for the Heart

28. Lead with Your Worst Foot Forward

29. Build Bridges with Your Failures

30. Expect Your Kids to Make Mistakes

31. Extended Story: Catching a Line-Drive . . . or Not

32. Why You Really Do Want a Forgiving Lifestyle

Afterword: You’re a Megaphone


General Index


Scripture Index

Endorsements

“This book immediately affected the way I had conversations with my grandchildren about some teachable moments in their lives. Smith brings together Scripture and illustrations in a way that makes you want to do better in those conversations, and helps you know how to do it.”

-- Edward T. Welch, Counselor and Faculty Member, Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation

“If you’re like me, you might have read the title of this book, Parenting with Words of Grace, and felt the need to stifle a moan. Oh, no . . . here comes the guilt! Please don’t make that assumption. Like its title, this book is filled with words of grace: grace to you as a parent and grace to you as a child of the only Father who knows what it is to always speak with words of grace. It’s full of deeply satisfying encouragement for your soul and is written in a winsome and honest way. You’ll be glad you read it. You really will.”

-- Elyse Fitzpatrick, coauthor, Worthy: Celebrating the Value of Women

“A rich resource loaded with scriptural insight. Bible lovers will relish Smith’s use and application of Scripture. Parents will be comforted that they are not alone in some of their struggles and given helpful instructions on how to be good parents.”

-- Ajith Fernando, Teaching Director, Youth for Christ, Sri Lanka; author, Discipling in a Multicultural World

“Parenting with Words of Grace delivers on its title. In short, easy-to-read chapters, Bill Smith introduces parents to God’s amazing grace for their own lives and helps moms and dads understand how to apply that grace in their families. The wisdom found in these pages will help you love your kids in spite of their failures, trust God for the outcome of your parenting, and encourage your children through the trials they face.”

-- Marty Machowski, Executive Pastor, Covenant Fellowship Church, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania; author, Parenting First Aid and Long Story Short

“I am allergic to formulaic, pedantic, ‘how-to’ Christian books on parenting. Thankfully, that is not what this book is. Bill Smith recognizes that gospel-shaped parenting is more like art than mathematics; we need to depend more on the Holy Spirit than any how-to manual! Most importantly, Smith urges Christian parents to see their God-given role as authoritative, yes, but also formative as they use their words and conversations to establish a Christ-centered relationship with their children that can continue for all eternity. I commend this book to you and have already benefited from it myself.”

-- Jon Nielson, Senior Pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church, Wheaton, Illinois; coeditor, Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry

“Who doesn’t want to invite their children into a healthy, vibrant relationship? I know I do. Bill Smith gives a compelling vision for how our words and conversations shape our parenting and how, through our words, we are vehicles through which our children see God. I read this book and wanted to go talk to my kids. You will too.”

-- Courtney Reissig, author, Teach Me to Feel and Glory in the Ordinary

“A powerful and encouraging read! William Smith highlights the power of our words as motivators for our children to seek a real and lasting relationship with Jesus Christ. He offers encouragement for our failed words and help for our future words.”

-- Shona Murray, author, Refresh: Embracing a Grace-Paced Life in a World of Endless Demands

Product Details

Author: William P. Smith 

Format: Paperback

Page Count: 224

Size: 14.5 cm x 21.7 cm

Weight: 0.5 kg

ISBN: 9781433560972

Published: February 28, 2019