The first was lent to me by a friend but I am quickly realizing I want my own copy. There are so many post-it tabs sticking out of it's pages, it resembles a filing cabinet drawer. It is entitled "Don't Make Me Count to Three!--A Mom's Look At Heart-Oriented Discipline" by Ginger Plowman.Now, if you've never read "Shepherding A Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp, I'd highly advise doing that first, as his heart-oriented approach towards discipline forms the backbone of Plowman's book. BUT, I think you'd get the same general idea from her work as well. I just personally feel you'd benefit by reading Tripp's book in it's entirety in order to truly understand his premise.
My only complaint regarding SACH is that there was little referencing the stage I currently find myself in--the 2-3 year old stage. The main thing emphasized was focusing on obedience, and I get that...there are just times I wish I had some specific, practical, simplified phrases, scriptures, etc. nearby as a resource. It's hard to know what parts of my discipline my child is truly grasping at this young age when she can't articulate her feelings with words.
That's where "Don't Make Me Count to Three" comes in. Now, again it's geared towards children a few years older than Natalia--those that can articulate their feelings and answer the simple probing questions she suggests. But, she provides (as a template--not a hard and fast rule) possible questions to ask your child to help them evaluate their heart and their sinful response, as well as numerous scriptures to help them "put off" and "put on". She covers behaviors such as: aggravating/picking on others, bad friendships, blame-shifting/making excuses, bragging/conceit, complaining, anger, and disrespect. (I especially appreciated her inclusion of specific, situation-based scripture.)
I'll still have to attempt to simplify them further and discern what Natalia might be able to grasp. If any of you have any practical, specific advice on how to approach this age group, please speak up.
Anyway, I'd highly recommend Plowman's book as I found it so very helpful and practical--with a capital P. I think it will be particularly helpful in the next few years.
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The other book I want to highlight is one our church is studying in our care groups this summer. It's entitled, "When Sinner's Say I Do--Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage" by Dave Harvey.Now my immediate thought when I saw the title was that it was one of those premarital counseling/newlywed-geared books...and as I began to read it, it certainly would be beneficial to that group. BUT, and I can't emphasize this any more, Harvey's premise (as the title states very clearly) can transform your relationship at ANY stage of marriage. The power and message of the gospel is not limited to the new believer and therefore unimportant to those that have their act together. (That last phrase truly is not biblical when you think about it!) It is also meant to focus and provide hope to the believer THROUGHOUT his journey.
The author starts out with the gospel boiled down to this simple but profound element: I am, by nature, a sinner--who without the grace of God and His salvation deserve God's wrath and hell. Because God is perfectly holy and just as well as loving and merciful means that there is hope for those who place faith in Christ. Does that make a believer perfect...by no means! It requires that we live ever-mindful of our desperate need for His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to live in a manner that honors God and showcases His mercy.
Paul, in 1 Timothy 1:15, states without false humility or needless deprication, "...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." For Paul to be saying this, one of the most "spiritually-put-together" leaders of the early church--it seems backward in our present day and age, doesn't it? BUT, if we take the time to understand where Paul is coming from, and the essence of the gospel, it makes perfect sense.
Which of the following phrases might describe best how you view yourself in light of sin?
*Innocent till proven guilty
*Worse than some, better than others
*Good days/bad days
*I'm doing the best I can
*I'm the worst of sinners
How does this view affect your approach to your marriage? How does it affect your approach to God?
The title of Chapter 2 in Harvey's book is entitled, "Waking Up With the Worst of Sinners". How transforming would it be to consider ourselves as the worst of sinners, and let the mercy and grace of God catapult us towards bettering our marriage relationship with an attitude of TRUE humility, rooted in the gospel?
5 comments:
As you know from my blog, I already read and benefited from Dave Harvey's book. I also want to read Plowman's book, but maybe I'll wait a bit, since it's geared to even kids older than yours, and obviously since mine are 1 yr. old, they're even younger. I'm reading "Shepherding a Child's Heart" right now.
I think I need that first book.... I'm going to have to look for it on Amazon.
I just ordered "Don't Make Me Count to Three" from Amazon and I'm looking forward to reading it on vacation next week! Thanks for your thoughts! I've heard about the second book from my cousin Sarah, who also highly recommended it. Another interesting tidbit...my cousin Jared, is actually going to be succeeding Dave Harvey as pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church. What a small world it is!
I have to throw in my recommended marriage book, as well: Love & Respect by Emerson Eggerichs. I actually haven't read the whole book, but my husband and I watched the conference on 6 DVDs (which expound on the book, as you can imagine). To be completely honest, God used those messages to turn our marriage around. We were at a VERY low point, and thankfully, our pastor told us to watch them! We now own our own set and loan them out as requested!
Karla--I'm reading that book right now with my friend Lisa! It's been good so far. We're still in the first two chapters.
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