Shepherding a Child's Heart

This weekend we had the privilege of going to hear the author Tedd Tripp, speak on his well known book Shepherding a Child's Heart. I've read the book a couple times over the past several years, and definitely had the privilege to see some very godly families around us truly live out it's principals. Though to hear the author speak himself with very personal examples, was so wonderful in really giving Casey and I a deeper vision of how we do want to raise up our children. We've had such great conversation through this of how purposeful and intentful all of our everyday life with them should be. We want to daily be intentional, not only in our formative instruction of the Gospel, but also all throughout the day in our informative instruction as well. One of Tedd's great points he stresses throughout the book and during this conference was how important it is to teach and train our children that by obeying they are within God's boundaries of blessings, meaning they are living a long life on the path toward righteousness. But if they get out of that circle of blessing they are not obeying/honoring not just us their parents, but God Himself....therefore they are headed down the wrong path that leads to sin and death. I just loved that visual picture of the circle and it's been so exciting to share that picture, and talk about with Reed this week. We definitely walked away feeling we have attempted to implement some of these thoughts and principals, but that we also got a bigger picture of what we are doing and desire to do is impact our children for the purpose of the furthering God's Kingdom, in the hopes that they may also influence and impact all our future generations for the Kingdom as well! So may our gracious Father in Heaven continue to enable us and give us strength to teach and train our children in His great and marvelous truths, because I certainly see that in trusting in my own strengths and abilities I fail time and time again. So all the glory be to Him!