Tag: children

“Sammy and His Shepherd” (A Children’s Book Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn books, Fiction1 Comment

Sammy and His Shepherd written by Susan Hunt and Illustrated by Corey Godbey is one of the best children’s books I have read in a long time (though its great for adults too) .  It is an illustrated look at Psalm 23 through the eyes of a little lamb named Sammy.  Sammy gets to know another nameless sheep on the other side of the fence and share about his Good Shepherd.

The book is divided into several short and teachable sections.  Ending with a reference to the “Talk about it” section in the back of the book where parents can ask engaging questions about the story.  The “Talk about it” reverences and section are the best integration of story and spiritual application I have seen in a children’s book.  Especially relevant is the “something to do” portion of each “talk about it” section where children are challenged think about their own actions and ask God to work in their lives to help them better reflect His Character.

This was a great book and I would highly recommend it for parents and children alike.  The book can easily be read over several nights.  Though I imagine the book is geared for kids a little older, I read it to my 4-year-old daughter in one sitting (we will of course go back through it time and again at a slower pace).Sammy and His Shepherd is an excellent resource. The retail price is $17.00 (Hardcover), and is available at places like Amazon.com for $11.56. I gave it five stars.

Disclaimer: A PDF of this book was provided for review by Reformation Trust Publishing. They will send me a complimentary copy after they see my reviews.  There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for me to call it like I see it.

“The Lightlings” (A Children’s book Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn books, Fiction, parentingLeave a comment

The Lightlings by R.C. Sproul and Illustrated by Justin Gerard is a great book for parents to read to their children.  The story is a deep and rich allegory that plays on the theme of being scared of the dark.  The grandfather in this story shares about how some people are scared of the light and begins to tell his grandson about a race of people known as the Lightlings.

The book gets really interesting at this point as the story shifts from the comfort of a grandfather telling a story in a home to the magical world of the Lightlings.  However the world of enchantment is short lived as the Lightlings disobey their king and run to the darkness to cover their shame.  The story of grace and redemption in coming to the light then unfolds.

I really liked this book and where it was headed.  The book has a lot of strengths and can open the door for deeper discussion with your children.  Perhaps the greatest strength to this book is the list of 13 questions to ask your kids and scripture references that come at the end of this book.  This helps ensure that its not only a bed time story, but a teaching moment.

That being said, there are a few things that jumped out at me.  I was puzzled why the Lightling creatures needed to be created as fairy like creatures.  My daughter already gets fairies and angels a little confused. I think its the wings that do it for her.  All allegory breaks down at some point.  And while illustrating the run to the darkness, Sproul leaves much unsaid about how or why the Lightlings disobey the Light King.  In my opinion, as an allegory this is where the story is the weakest. That being said, all allegory breaks down at some point.

Over all it was a great book and I would recommend it for parents with young children.   The Lightlings is an excellent resource. The retail price is $18.00 (Hardcover), and is available at places like Amazon.com for $12.24. I gave it four stars.

Disclaimer: A PDF of this book was provided for review by Reformation Trust Publishing. They will send me a complimentary copy after they see my revies.  There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for me to call it like I see it.

3 Christmas Meditations on Being a Parent (Part 2)

On By pastorjonathanIn Devotional, Family, parentingLeave a comment

2. Mary and Joseph Knew they would have to let go.

I wonder if knowing the destiny of Jesus (at least vaugly) effected the way that Mary and Joseph went about parenting? In a very real way they were forced to come to terms with letting him go.  Letting go can be one of the hardest parts about parenting.

I see parents who are clinging to their children and holding on too tight.  Sometimes this comes from a natural desire to protect their children from harm (there are other reasons).  No one wants to see their children hurt and or know that their child could be in danger.  Yet, some parents take this to an extreme by hampering their children from being able to  spread their own wings.  Sometimes we grow so accustomed to making decisions for our children, that we forget the goal of parenting is to train our children to make their own decisions.

Just like an archer has to let go of the arrow before it sails into the air and finds its mark, Parents are called on to release their children.  I think this happened in a very real way for Mary and Joseph.  They knew their was something special about Jesus from the start.  How do you raise the savior?

How would we parent differently if we knew the destiny of our children?  What if God called them to the heart of darkness a world away?  Would we be prepared to send them? Guide them? even direct them? My prayer is that he does call them there and that we are willing to let go and even send them.

To be honest each day I function on the edge of insanity.  Every time the road is wet and my wife and kids are in a car somewhere without me, I keep the phone close, praying that they are ok.  I could easily become compulsive about the safety of my children.  “No” could easily become the most dominant word in my vocabulary for no other reason than that “No” is safe.  But the joy of parenting isn’t found purely in seeking safety but in the risk of providing direction and  letting go.

Balancing Ministry And Family (Part 1:Children)

On By pastorjonathanIn About Jonathan, FamilyLeave a comment

My dad was a pastor and church planter while I was growing up.  He would often work a regular job, pastor a small church, and do a bible study and some ground work in a community or ranch (sometimes up to 60 miles away) that would lead to a church plant.  Needless to say he was busy.  (Oh, and I forgot to mention there were four of us kids, all begging for his attention.) Yet, unlike several PK’s (pastor’s kids) I knew my dad always had time for me.  I never felt like I was in competition with the church or the ministry for his time.

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Perhaps this was because my Dad was incredibly gifted in balancing his time.  I still remember the fishing trips to a bend in the river 15 miles outside of town, the fossil hunting expeditions, catching snakes, looking for arrowheads, discovering a dinosaur bone, and pestering him while he worked on the car that always seemed to stay broken.  My favorite memories though are the weekly trips we would take out to a Bible study he was leading.  I was blessed to have a 45 minute ride each way with my dad.  All along the way there we would talk about life.  All the way back we would listen to radio preachers like John MacArthur, Charles Stanley, and Chuck Swindoll.

So then fast forward several years and now I’m an Associate Pastor of Students, taking graduate classes, and have my own little girl looking at both the ministry and my daughter thinking (with all of my other responsabilaties) that there isn’t enough time in the day.  How did my dad ever do it?  Then I realize that he didn’t view his time with me and ministry as in competition, but as a complimentary.  Sure we took special trips to hunt for arrowheads or go fishing (Quality time) but along the way he was sure to get plenty of time (quantity time) with me along the way through taking me along on some of his ministry outings.

So I stole a page from my dad’s playbook when it comes to stretching the hours in a day.  I take my little girl to the sporting events that our students are playing in.  Last week we went to three different games.  She got to watch a basketball game, a race, and a football game all in one week.  With my wife being a stay at home mom and pregnant with baby number 2, this works out well to give her a little personal mom time while Rebekah and I hang out and cheer our students on.

We also schedule consistent father daughter hangout time.  Right now because of her age its usually pancakes at McDonald’s every Friday morning.  She usually hangs out with me after I run in the evenings and I tell her everything I did that day (which has evolved into her telling me about her day… very strange for a 3 year old).  Sometimes I’ll walk instead of run so she can “run” with me around our neighborhood.

How do you ensure that you are spending quality time with your children when you are busy?

Review: The Well-Behaved Child

On By pastorjonathanIn books, Family2 Comments

THE Well-Behaved ChildThe Well-Behaved Child: Discipline that Really Works! by John Rosemond is a great resource for parents who are looking for practical advice, tips, and proven strategies for disciplining their children with in the ages of three to thirteen.   The premise of the book, and consequently Rosemond’s disciplining strategies, is simple: children are bad.  That is, their default nature is to misbehave.  He proposes that obedient children are happy children.   According to Rosemond, it is essential that parents recognize this and address the errant behavior in children rather than trying to rationalize it or understand it.  His no nonsense parenting as leadership approach is a breath of fresh air in a world where parents are scared to effectually discipline their kids for fear of scaring them mentally.

Throughout the book Rosemond dispels many popular myths that are based more on misapplication of popular psychology rather than on factual studies with real children.  One such myth he exposes is that the reward system often employed by parents is good dog training, but poor child training.  In place of popular myth, he offers tried and true techniques and practices that will help your child be a better behaved, happy, and ready to meet the real world one day outside your home (where the boss isn’t likely to jump to the reward system for poor behavior).

The one thing this book really misses though is the spiritual teaching side of discipline.  From a Christian parent’s perspective, I find it crucial to discuss matters of the heart, grace, forgiveness, and restoration as part of the disciplining process.  Though the book does contain a few scripture quotations, it is largely missing the heart component, which in my estimation, makes all the difference in the world.

For parenting there are better tools available, but this book serves its purpose well in providing effective strategies for discipline.  The Well Behaved Child is an excellent resource. The retail price is $24.99 (Hardcover), and is available at places like Amazon for $16.49. I gave it four stars.

Disclaimer: As a blogger I received a free review copy from the Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program  (http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ ).  There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for the reviewer to call it like they see it.