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everyday wisdom for everyday families

Parenting

Creating a Gospel-Centered Home {Launch Week Giveaway #3}

Cross in HandIn his excellent book Gospel-Powered Parenting, William Farley states, “the most effective parents have a clear grasp of the cross and its implications for daily life. The implications are manifold. They include the fear of God, a marriage that preaches the gospel to its children, deeply ingrained humility, gratitude, joy, firmness coupled with affection, and consistent teaching modeled by parents daily.” 

While a Christian family should maintain high moral standards, many fail to recognize that such standards are insufficient. They are not inherently life-changing for children. We must always take our children back to the cross, to the gospel of Christ. This should be the center of everything in family life. We need to teach our children the meaning of a new birth in Christ. They must see their deep need not merely to be outwardly obedient, but to be delivered from the power of sin, to be transformed on the inside, to become new creations in Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Many parents are mystified when their grown children seem to reject the faith they grew up with. Often what they are rejecting is a faith that never became theirs in the first place. We dare not assume that just because our children have heard the gospel and attended church, that they have had a transforming new birth experience. Rather, we must bear the fruits of our conversion, and both pray for and consciously lead them toward their own new birth.

A. W. Pink wrote,

The new birth is very much more than simply shedding a few tears due to a temporary remorse over sin. It is far more than changing our course of life, the leaving off of bad habits and the substituting of good ones. It is something different from the mere cherishing and practicing of noble ideals. It goes infinitely deeper than coming forward to take some popular evangelist by the hand, signing a pledge-card, or “joining the church.” The new birth is no mere turning over a new leaf, but is the inception and reception of a new life. It is no mere reformation but a complete transformation. In short, the new birth is a miracle, the result of the supernatural operation of God. It is radical, revolutionary, lasting.

Alcorn-sig

Randy Alcorn, EPM.org

Launch Week Giveaway Day #3

Enter to win our launch week giveaways with rafflecopter below!!

Men’s Mug and Journal from Dayspring (3 Sets)

Dayspring Men's Journal and Mug

Courageous by Randy Alcorn (3 copies)

courageous by Randy Alcorn

Women’s Mug and Journal from Dayspring (3 Sets)

Womens mug and journal dayspring

Help for Women Under Stress by Nanci Alcorn (3 copies)

Help for Women Under Stress by Nanci Alcorn

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Comments

  1. Hi! We are a homeschooling Army family. My husband and I have been together for exactly half of our lives, and have been married for 12 years. We have 4 amazing children and 2 doxins.

  4. My husband and I have been married for 16 years. We have a daughter (9) and a son (6). We are involved at church and continue to share as much as we can.

  6. I became a Christian at the age of 37. I had 4 children, two of whom also converted at the same time. I was too new to really teach them and to notice if they truly accepted Christ. I accepted at face value their statements. I can only pray now and talk to them and encourage them.

  7. My husband and I were both saved when we were 7 years old. We’ve been married 12 years. I am 31 and my husband is 34.
    We have 5 boys ages 11, 9, 8, 6, and 4. We homeschool.
    We have been in debt far too long and are currently working hard to pay it off! Oh, and we live with my husband’s parents because of the debt.
    God has always been good to us…even though we are so undeserving!

  8. My husband and I have been married 11 years. We both grew up in church, though I was not saved (didn’t even know the term) until I was in my 20s. We have four children ages 9, 7, 4 and 4. We homeschool and have since the beginning except for a short stint in public school in the middle when the enemy convinced me I was doing my children more harm than good…turns out he was wrong. 🙂 We are so thrilled about this new website. Great hosts, great contributors.

  9. I was saved when I was four but grew up with more “religion” than faith. Thankfully the Spirit at work in me drew me to closer to God through so many faithful believers that came along beside me later. I am so grateful for how I was raised but want to show my children so much more about how God loves them and challenge them to make their faith their own.

  10. My husband & I are trying to instill in our children GODLY values. There are so many times we get so frustrated at what comes out of their mouths that we question our teaching. I realize that in today’s society this is how a lot of kids talk to one another. We have expressed our disappointment in their “words”. We will continue to pray for GOD’s guidance and wisdom at directing our children.

  11. Wow, this is really convicting. Makes me re-evaluating how I’ve been parenting and take a good long look at myself. Have laid everything at God’s feet? I know I’ll be pondering on this a lot today… thank you!!!

  12. We have been together for 5 years and have three children together 4,3, and 5 months and he also has two children from a previous relationship who are 10 and 8 . I was raised with church but we strayed and I wish to bring my family back to God, and establish spirituality within our home.

  13. Deut 6 continues to be my mantra as I raise the youngest of my five children. Sharing life as we get up in the morning, sit down to eat, play, laugh, love, go to bed. Jesus in all I say and do, oh so imperfectly! My prayer is that as my kids look at me daily in the ordinary things of my life, that they would see a mama who loves God first and that they would desire that for themselves. Thanks for the encouragement today Randy!

  14. Hi we are currently a family of 4 and are trying to adopt through our local fostercare program but the enemy is really making it difficult. We are dad, mom, son 16 and daughter 9. Thank you for this blog.

  15. We live in Nova Scotia and have two girls, a dog, two cats and seven fish 🙂 I accepted Jesus as my savior when I was twelve. I want my children to have a relationship with Jesus and I am thankful for the resources that help me try to achieve that. Thank you.

  17. Hi there. My husband, Seth, and I have been married just over 13 years. We have 3 kids ages 8, 6 and 2. Two girls and a boy. 🙂

  19. We are a family of 5…my hubby and I have been married for 22 years…our eldest two {21 & 18} are college kids and our youngest {14} is a homeschooler…we are so happy to be blessed by this blog & like-minded believers…Jesus is on the throne!! Hallelujah!

  20. There are six of us in my family. My husband and I have been married for 5 years. He has a 19 year old son, I have a 9 year old son, we have a 4 year old daughter and a 20 month old son. We are well blended. 🙂

  22. Love this. So happy this site is up!! My husband and I have been married 11 years and have 3 kids: 8.5, 7, and 5.5. One girl bracketed by two boys:).

  23. My hubby and I have been married 11 years and have four great kiddos – ages 10, 7, 4, and 2. We are in our second year of homeschooling and are super-involved in children’s ministries in our church. Thanks for this site and the giveaways! God Bless!

  26. I am a 49-year-old, twice-divorced, Christian, homeschooling mom of 6, ranging in ages from 27 down to 7.

  27. I am a 39 yr old wife to an active duty soldier, mother to 2 miracles (my daughters), a Christian, home schooling mom.

  28. i am a mother of 4 and married for 11 years. We live in Upstate NY and are always praying to have a gospel centered home.

  30. My husband and I met in college and have been married 11 years. We have two kids we adopted as newborns – a 6-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy. We’re hoping to adopt again.

  31. We are a family of 9 soon to be 10. My husband is a full time Senior Pastor and I”m a home school mom!

  34. My husband and I have been married for ten years, and God has blessed us with two precious girls (ages 1 and 3).

  36. My beloved Bill and I have been married 17 years now; we’re the parents of five children ages 8 – 16 (another daughter died soon after birth, rushing into Heaven ahead of us!). Bill works from home and I am a housewife and homeschooling mom, so we are a very close family. Incredibly blessed!

  37. I’m loving this new website and all the great contributors you’ve got offering their advice and insight! We strive to infuse the Gospel in our home on a daily basis. It’s difficult, sometimes, what with all the activities and our busy lives, but oh, so worth it!

  41. Great post! We have been married 8 years and have our fourth kiddo due this month (6,4,2). We are in our first ‘official’ year of homeschool and have a passion to see marriages succeed!

  42. I am one of those children (40 now) who grew up in a Christian home and did not own a relationship with the Lord. I eventually did in my late 20’s. Still praying for my husband to own his own relationship with Christ.

  44. Thank you for this site and the chance to win! My husband and I have been married for 16 years. We have 6 children (boy 23, girl 22, girl 20, boy 19, girls 11 & 8) and 6 grandchildren. We are part of a home school co-op with our two daughters still at home. I work at the ‘school’ and my husband works in a factory. We are always looking for ways to keep our focus on Christ and improve our parenting/family skills. Thank you for all you’re doing to help families!

  45. Thank you for posting this! My hubby and I have been married for 4 years and we have 2 little boys of 3 and 1 who we try to raise gospel centered while living in the MIddle East.

  46. I am LOVING this site! I am a SAHM, with a 4 year old precious daughter who loves loves to dance and twirl and all things pink, purple, and sparkly! I also have a 2 year old monster 😉 who loves to run, jump off of furniture, and roar around the house. We have chosen to homeschool our children. My husband, of 10 years, is a public school teacher. He is my best friend. We love making memories together as a family, visiting the zoo, our church, playing games and lots of laughter.

  47. I have been married to my husband for 7 years. We have 2 boys, ages 3 and 1. We just recently became foster parents, so we’ll be adding to our family with kids who just need love. We’re all really active in our church, and we enjoy spending time together as a family.

  48. My hubby and I have been married for 7 years and we have 2 daughters 6 and 3. As well as 3 dogs, two of which we rescued in the last year. I am a working mom who loves her job and feel it’s a true calling for me to be do working.

  49. My husband and I have 3 children. My husband has been homeschooling our youngest daughter for the past 2 years.

  50. My family. My husband and I have been married for 10 years. We have two children, a daughter who is 8 and a son who is about to turn 6. We are in the process of adopting a child from Haiti, so hopefully in a year’s time, there will be 5 of us!

  51. Love this!. My hubby and I have been married for 13 years and have 2 kids: 9 yod and 6 yos. So Blessed!

  53. Such a great post to think about. My husband and I have been married almost 12 years. We have two daughters age 4 and 8, and my husband has a daughter from his previous marriage, she’s 25. 🙂

  54. My husband Shane and I have been married for just over two years and we have a four month old daughter. Shane works for a non-profit organization that weatherizes homes for low-income families and I am a stay-at-home wife and mother. I also take care of my mother who suffers from dementia among other health issues. Shane and I teach the junior high Sunday school class at our church and we are both leaders in men’s and women’s bible study groups. Thank you for such an amazing website with so much wisdom being shared. I look forward to the new posts everyday.

  55. My name is Megan. I’ve been married to my husband for 18 years and we have 4 beautiful boys whom we homeschool.

  56. I have an amazing husband who I’ve been married to for 9 years. We have 5 beautiful children. 3 boys and 2 girls.

  57. My husband and I have been married 9 years. We have three little girls–ages 6, 4, and 1 1/2. We serve as missionaries in Bogota, Colombia. We are thankful for this new blog!

  60. Married for 15 years, have 3 beautiful children – a 12 year old daughter, 10 year old son, and 7 year old son. Our middle son was born with Down syndrome which was a surprise at birth but he’s a pretty cool kid 🙂 My husband and I are very active in our church – him as a sound volunteer and I am very involved in our church’s music ministry.

  61. My husband and I have been married for 8 1/2 years. We have three daughters and one son, ages 7, almost 6, 3, and 1.

  64. Married 18 years, have a two year old son named Luke (adopted), live in Turkey. In the middle of adopting again. We have just this week been discussing ways to create a more gospel centered home.